moneyman
05-01-2008, 08:01 AM
I am brand new at this camera stuff. Be nice to me, as I'm sure I'll ask some infuriatingly stupid questions.
I felt like I didn't spend enough money on the ridiculously expensive hobby of road cycling, so I thought I'd jump into the ridiculously expensive hobby of photography, too.
I did a lot of research on DSLRs before pulling the trigger this week. I started with contacting a friend who has shot a pretty well-known cyclist who won the Tour de France 7 times, figuring that she should know what she was doing. She said, for my price point ($1,000+/-) that I should get a Canon Rebel. Another friend, a retired photographer from the LA Times, affirmed that choice as proper. A third contact, a photographer from our local paper, chimed in with Canon as well.
Step two was to scour the internet for reviews and deals. I ran the gamut of stores and ebay packages, getting more and more confused at each turn. I had to turn it all off for a while, as my brain went into overload and I was having trouble sorting out details.
I have been a long-time member of RoadBike Review and MTB Review. I remembered seeing "Photography Review" at the bottom of those pages and realized where the best source of information would really be - right here, with people who use this stuff all the time, are passionate about their hobby, are knowledgeable about the technical stuff and are pretty friendly and willing to share what they know.
I have not been disappointed. I lurked for a few weeks reading all I could stand about Canon cameras and lenses and where to buy them. So much information that, while detailed, I was at least able to sort it out and make some sense of things and feel confident when I finally pulled the trigger on Monday.
I ordered a Canon EOS Rebel XSi from Canoga Cameras via their web site. They were backordered, so I called them and asked how long was the wait. They told me they were expecting a shipment in two days and that I should go ahead and place the order so I could get in the que. I did just that, and two days later I got an email from them asking for verification of the order. They wanted me to call them, so I did. Turns out I had transposed two numbers in my phone number, which resulted in a "this line has been disconnected" message when they tried to call me. I told the nice woman on the other end that I did, indeed, order the camera with the 18-55mm IS lens. She said thank you, then, to my amazement, asked me questions about what I would be shooting and what did I currently use. This wasn't a sales pitch, but genuine interest in what I was doing. Then she asked how I found that store (I live in Wyoming, a long way from Canoga Park). I was happy to tell her of the wonderful words written about her store on this site.
I love to take pictures of people. I've had occasion to travel to some unique places, and I always find the images of the people the most compelling. (I've attached one of my favorites from a trip to El Salvador). I am certain I'll be buying additional lenses, but I could onyl do so much at one time.
Now I have a couple questions.
1. Memory cards - suggestions? How big? Where to buy?
2. Book on basic photography, something easy to read and understand to get me started.
Thanks so much. I hope to become a contributing member as I dive into this new world.
I felt like I didn't spend enough money on the ridiculously expensive hobby of road cycling, so I thought I'd jump into the ridiculously expensive hobby of photography, too.
I did a lot of research on DSLRs before pulling the trigger this week. I started with contacting a friend who has shot a pretty well-known cyclist who won the Tour de France 7 times, figuring that she should know what she was doing. She said, for my price point ($1,000+/-) that I should get a Canon Rebel. Another friend, a retired photographer from the LA Times, affirmed that choice as proper. A third contact, a photographer from our local paper, chimed in with Canon as well.
Step two was to scour the internet for reviews and deals. I ran the gamut of stores and ebay packages, getting more and more confused at each turn. I had to turn it all off for a while, as my brain went into overload and I was having trouble sorting out details.
I have been a long-time member of RoadBike Review and MTB Review. I remembered seeing "Photography Review" at the bottom of those pages and realized where the best source of information would really be - right here, with people who use this stuff all the time, are passionate about their hobby, are knowledgeable about the technical stuff and are pretty friendly and willing to share what they know.
I have not been disappointed. I lurked for a few weeks reading all I could stand about Canon cameras and lenses and where to buy them. So much information that, while detailed, I was at least able to sort it out and make some sense of things and feel confident when I finally pulled the trigger on Monday.
I ordered a Canon EOS Rebel XSi from Canoga Cameras via their web site. They were backordered, so I called them and asked how long was the wait. They told me they were expecting a shipment in two days and that I should go ahead and place the order so I could get in the que. I did just that, and two days later I got an email from them asking for verification of the order. They wanted me to call them, so I did. Turns out I had transposed two numbers in my phone number, which resulted in a "this line has been disconnected" message when they tried to call me. I told the nice woman on the other end that I did, indeed, order the camera with the 18-55mm IS lens. She said thank you, then, to my amazement, asked me questions about what I would be shooting and what did I currently use. This wasn't a sales pitch, but genuine interest in what I was doing. Then she asked how I found that store (I live in Wyoming, a long way from Canoga Park). I was happy to tell her of the wonderful words written about her store on this site.
I love to take pictures of people. I've had occasion to travel to some unique places, and I always find the images of the people the most compelling. (I've attached one of my favorites from a trip to El Salvador). I am certain I'll be buying additional lenses, but I could onyl do so much at one time.
Now I have a couple questions.
1. Memory cards - suggestions? How big? Where to buy?
2. Book on basic photography, something easy to read and understand to get me started.
Thanks so much. I hope to become a contributing member as I dive into this new world.