Photography - Part 2

I believe there are two models of the Digital Rebel, the original large version had a 6 megapixel resolution while the new smaller one is 8 megapixel. The last time I shopped, the old ones could still be found online. Make sure you don't confuse them when comparing prices.

-Printer. A model using the "archival" ink?

Don't buy a printer. Use Costco or Foxphoto etc for your prints. You can get high quality 19 cent 4x5s (and larger) prints at costco Walmart etc.

-Oher

A decent flash if you don't own one. Make sure you buy a compatable flash.

DVD burner.

An IR release unless the camera will accept the old cable releases.

Several cans of "Dust off" to keep the sensor and lens clear of dust specs.

Grey card. This will help a great deal when manually setting the white balance indoors. You'll probebley need to mail order this.

I have the 20D, which is almost identical. Nikon D70 is also a favorite.

I love it! FYI, the Rebel has a 3fps burst, not 5fps.

I have the Canon 70-300 zoom, I could send you some sample pictures if you like. I also have the 17-70 zoom which I like.

I bought the one Gig card, only one I have, never filled it yet.

I did NOT buy an extra battery, battery lasts forever! Never had the battery die in the middle of a shoot, usually I can get 3-4 games per charge.

SO extra battery and memory could be put off. I usually have the pictures printed at Walmart. I upload them from my computer and pick them up in a day or so (They have 1 hour printing if desired).

I have a color printer which does a good job, but would like to buy a better one, with 8 or 9 ink cartridges. Haven't started researching them yet.

Next you will probably want to upgrade your computer with more disk space and memory and pick up a copy of Photoshop elements.

Great info, thanks all.

I am told that what are called archival inks are actually pigments, and that they supposedly have 100 year life spans. As opposed to the true ink used in most of the inkjets that supposedly have 30 year life spans. But then just having the prints made elsewhere might well be the best option. Good point.

Wouldn't have thought about the gray card.

Thanks

I never use flash, and for baseball the distances are way too far for flash to be effective. Not to mention the dirty looks you get...

DVD burner - maybe I can get one to replace the DVD-ROM in my notebook. Don't have a desktop anymore.

Hard drive - 46 GB free. Think that will do it?

70-300 sounds great. Good range.

Nice to hear that one battery will do the trick.

20D sounds like it is out of my wallet range, though.

I did not mean to suggest that you buy the 20D. The differences between the 20D and the Rebel XT are so minor that I can strongly recommend the Rebel.

CD or DVD burner, you can buy an external unit that will connect to your laptop via Firewire OR USB.

I do not have a DVD burner (My computer is 4 years old) so I burn to CD. LOTS and LOTS of memory would be a nice addition.

quote:

Nikon D70 is also a favorite.

I love it! FYI, the Rebel has a 3fps burst, not 5fps.

There are three major DSLR on the market now,, The Rebel, the D70 and the Olympus E300..

Each has their own + and - 's. Buying a DSLR is not cheap and you really need to research and determine what is best for you and your needs. One of the best sites to begin your comparisions with is http://www.dpreview.com/ They do an unbais review of almost all cameras on the market.

My needs and past experiences took me to the Olympus, but both the Rebel and the D70 are great cameras. Also, go to a store that carries all three and play with them on the spot, you will learn alot about which you prefer when you have them all next to each other.

Here is my personal link page to tons of digital photo info, maybe some of this will assist you as well to decide what camera is best for you.

http://www.renysplace.com/links/photo.htm

Great advice by all.

Keep in mind that this is highly addictive. Whichever brand you go with...assuming you'll start collecting lenses...it probably the brand you will stick with for a long time. Even though you're not buying the highest end (e.g. Canon 20D->1D), you may get hooked and head in that direction eventually...so take a quick look at those too.

Good luck and have fun!

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Keep in mind that this is highly addictive

Maybe for some, but our family strongly prefers videos over stills. Personally I find it a challenge to take a few really professional baseball photos. But I can't say that I or anyone else looks at them much, afterward. If cash is limited, my advice is to invest in a decent camcorder.

One thing that bugs me about baseball photography: the pressure to capture the event usually turns a pleasant game into a nerve-racking chore.

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Texan,

You should always have a good flash unit even if you don't use it during a game Built in flash's don't have enough "power" for large group photos (i.e. a pileup on the mound late in the evening etc....)

What was the deal with all those flashes going off every time Mark McGwire used to bat?

Did people really think the flash would light him better or didn't they know how to turn the dang flash off?

I would assume that you shouldn't use the flash if doesn't light the subject (hundreds of feet away!). Or is it okay to let it rip every time?

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Personally, I've taken about three good flash photos in my entire life.

quote:

If cash is limited, my advice is to invest in a decent camcorder.

No camcorders allowed at my son's college sporting events.

quote:

One thing that bugs me about baseball photography: the pressure to capture the event usually turns a pleasant game into a nerve-racking chore.

The most nerve racking chore to me was the 7 hour drive to and from the game.

Texan, I love our rebel xt 8meg pixal body with 70 to 300 zoom.I did not get the stabilized lens and it has been just fine.You get 265 - 280 pictures on a 1 gig memory card and that is just barely enough.I run out of memory ocasionally at dble headers.The cool thing about digital is that you can "waste" alot of photos and then just delete them.I.E I will shoot straight through the backstop and take 5 or 6 pics on every pitch.Then I go home and insert the memory card into my Western Digital external hard drive and then view them on my laptop using canon software "zoombrowser".IT is awsome.I rate the good ones and discard the rest.I then print the really awsome stop action shots on my HP printer and near the end of the season hand out 5x7 or 8x10s to parents and coaches.They think im a pro but they dont ever see the thousand of shots I discard.I put the camera down on really big games and just enjoy the moment.You can feel trapped as the team photographer and obligated to get the shot.The battery has never been a problem.The other really cool feature on digital is the adjustable ASA or film speed.I start the day in bright sun shooting at 100 asa for great color.As the light fades I change film speed accordingly until nightfall and the camera asa is set to 1600. It will not however stop action well in the dark but the versatility is unbelivable.

Texan, I love our rebel xt 8meg pixal body with 70 to 300 zoom.I did not get the stabilized lens and it has been just fine.You get 265 - 280 pictures on a 1 gig memory card and that is just barely enough.I run out of memory ocasionally at dble headers.The cool thing about digital is that you can "waste" alot

Great feedback. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to fill me in.

Already have a camcorder, so covered there.

Fungo, is that ban just at his school or all schools? Seems strange, but....

I like the ASA setting still being present. I've always been an "available light" guy, myself.

Would love to look at the more expensive setups, but that just is not going to happen.
One in college and another that will start after the eldest graduates.

Zoom lenses were banned at the University of Texas games this year when Stanford played there. Ushers claimed it was due to "terrorist threats." Hogwash!...or is that Longhornpie?

Should have just told them it wasn't a zoom lens, it was a telephoto lens.

I'm torn between a quality digi-camcorder and a digital 'still' camera. We'd use both with our family of five. Samsung makes a combo product. I know overall quality may suffer for each aspect but, economically speaking, it seems like a good thing.

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