Ok, it's my turn now...

[JB88]

the differences are huge.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by texasmom
*shrugs* first one looked pretty darned good to me

Originally posted by Ripsnort
...most people will settle for an inferior photo of whatever the subject matter is, rather than spend the $$ for an outstanding photo of same subject matter.
 

[Fishu]

LOL, here's a new tele lens from Sigma:



Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG

I bet they're not targeting the amateurs with this one, even though they're quite a cheap manufacturer. Surely the quality must be sufficient.

That's just insanely fast telezoom that goes up to 500mm. Better yet, they'll even supply a dedicated 2x teleconverter with it.

[ramzey]

yea, Fishu i link it like 5 posts above:t

[Torque]

mark, you'll appreciate digital even more so coming from film. camera to monitor makes the curve a rather short ride.

you need a good post processing program to bring out the full potential of your camera. adobe has the cs3 demo out now, you can d/l and try it. digital can lean somewhat as far as 50% on the post processing side.

also for cf cards http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com cheapest on the planet. with 10 mg files you'll want something like a ridata 150x 4 gig, it is only $46 and comes with a lifetime warranty. i have been using these cards for more than a year.

that said good-luck.

[ChickenHawk]

Thanks for the demonstration Mini D.  The difference is amazing.  I've almost stopped using my Sigma 70-300mm lens because at 300mm, they all turn out like your first pic and I can't stand to look at them.  Nothing worse than a great shot ruined by cheap glass.  Now if I can only convince the wife....

Congrats Mark!  Post some pictures for us when you start to play with it.

[Mark Luper]

MiniD, Ramzey, Rip and all others that have extoled the virtues of high grade "glass" need to understand that I am not in disagreement with you. I would love to be able to afford much better lenses than what I am purchasing. The 28-135 lens is going to be used 99.9% of the time but I did want a telephoto for when I just had to have one. It, the 75-300 should fill that need for now and it is in the price range that I can currently afford.

MiniD, I loved the two shots you posted and yes, I can certainly see the difference. The second is much sharper and the fact you got that shot hand-held is awsome, but the first is very acceptable to me for the time being.

I am already stretching my budget to purchase what I am getting and in the future, depending on just how serious I get with the hobby, I will certainly opt for the higher quality lenses.

As far as Torque's post, I appreciate the link, I will definately look into that 4 gig card. Great price on that. I do use Paint Shop Pro 9 for all of my post processing. It may not be as good as Adobe's but I am happy and familiar with it.

I really appreciate the inputs from all of you. You have done me a good service in doing so. Thank you all.

Mark

[Mark Luper]

Well...I did some thinking. ( dangerous passtime, I know )

I decided to take you guy's advice and I upgraded the telephoto lens on my order.

I am getting this one.

I decided since I was already spending the money for a good camera that I might as well try to do it right. It is costing me an additional $346.00. It is not the top of the line but does have Image Stabilization and should have a little better glass.

Again, thanks for all the input.

Mark

[Mini D]

I don't have any experience with that particular lens, but the IS is worth the price alone. Good move.

[Dago]

I got this lens for my son, he has the same camera you do.

Canon Lens

It's a bit spendy, but does a great job.  He is in college studying photography, and has had pictures published.  He is interested in car photography, but has done other work, including being hired to to work the 4 day PGA Senior event last summer in Minneapolis.

Want a good Canon lens, gotta have the red ring around it.

[Mark Luper]

Originally posted by Dago
I got this lens for my son, he has the same camera you do.

Canon Lens

It's a bit spendy, but does a great job.  He is in college studying photography, and has had pictures published.  He is interested in car photography, but has done other work, including being hired to to work the 4 day PGA Senior event last summer in Minneapolis.

Want a good Canon lens, gotta have the red ring around it.

That's an awsome lense, F2.8 no less! Perhaps one day...

Mark

[Fishu]

Originally posted by Mini D
I don't have any experience with that particular lens, but the IS is worth the price alone. Good move.

Some canonist friends of mine likes it, which is why I brought it up. Of course it's no $2000 lens, but it should be fine for a good while. It's been rated 8.8 over at http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews
A good site for finding out what kind of a lens you'd like next. Although some of the newer models doesn't appear to be there; At least the Nikons, which is bad for me
Oh well, the site is primarly for canonists.

[Torque]

the post processing aspect and using mini's picture as an example, regarding the bird's legs and feet.

the dynamic range of the camera is limited, most often than not the camera will either clip the highlights or lose detail in the shadows. you can automate the post processing of a raw file to blend two layers using a mask.

basically, exposure bracketing of a raw file. you can regain clipped highlights and color without sacrificing detail in the shadows.

a quick ten second operation, i could regain some detail and colour, if it was a raw data file the effects would be far more dramatic.





out of the box, i'll clean the sensor ( they come dirty from the factory ) and put protective lcd film on all the liquid screens.

also make sure your monitor's gamma is calibrated correctly.

[Debonair]

i like green heron & fixed focal length lenes
u can always crop:aok

[Mark Luper]

Originally posted by Mark Luper


At one time I was very much into photography and spent a lot of time with film cameras. Collected a few but gradually got tired of the expence of having my film developed. It put a bit of a kink in my creativity. I started using digital some time back but never purchased a camera that was as enjoyable to use as my last film camera purchase, a Cannon T10.

I just noticed I called my current Cannon film camera a T10 I don't know why, I have a T90. I guess it just goes to show how much I have used it recently

Interesting thing about the T90, they only made them for a couple of years or so.

Mark