Re: Please indulge me .......

Hi Steve,

SteveB wrote:
I have decided on the Canon 50D, and am very close to purchase.
Could you say in a few words why you choosed the 50D? Are there any features you found on that camera only that you don´t want to miss? I´m asking because it may be wise not to buy the lastest and most expensive DSLR body in those fast times. The former modell for example, the 40D, nearly has all the features a 50D has and is cheaper.

Further down in your post you wrote
I have taken pictures now for fifty years, but do not have the
experience in the technical aspects of a lot of you who are younger .
This is a big deal money outlay for me, and I would like to be
satisfied with it, and not run into the disappointment of buying
something and then having to buy another. I think this camera will
fill my needs and I won't outgrow it in my lifetime.
Did you shoot with a SLR before? Or a compact? You have to be aware that modern DSLRs are technically outdated very quickly these days. A 3 year old DSLR is regarded as "outdated". That doesn´t mean you can´t take pictures with it anymore, but noone can guarantee that you will get any repairs done to such a body after 5 years if needed. It´s not like in the "old days" where you kept a SLR body for 20 or more years. Too much electronics in there, and if one small part fails, it´s garbage.

To make a long story short: don´t expect to buy a DSLR and keep it for the rest of your life, and better invest in good glas than the newest body. A good lens will maybe stay with you for a long time, while bodies change.

If I had to buy one lens that would cover a lot of things, or be a
first lens, which one would that be? What would be a good two lens
package? What would be a good second lens if only one comes with the
camera?

You have to be aware that the 50D is a "crop camera" with a sensor not exactly as large as 35 mm film, so if you have been shotting in the standard 28-80 mm range you now need something like 17-55. Canons best zoom in that range is the 17-55 2,8 IS, highly recommended, but quite big and expensive. if you are on a budget then get the 50D with the EF-S 18-55 IS kit lens. it´s quite good, too, but not as fast and brilliant. It can be accomplished by the EF-S 55-250 IS for a low price and you have a nice 28-300 range.

Irf you´d like to have a "one does it all" lens keep an eye open for the EF-S 18-200 or similar rage lenses from Sigma and Tamron. But don´t expect a top notch image quality.

I take a lot of "general" pictures, that is scenery, travel, and
grandkids. I like to do macro on flowers and 1-3 feet on
hummingbirds. I also do macros less than one foot on specialized
fabrication to share with associated newsgroups. I also like some
telephoto capability for large birds. I like to experiment with low
light situations like sunsets, firesides, twilight, and forest shade.
Are the 2x adapters a reasonable way to go to get a longer lens
without the cost?

Teleconverters are suitable for telephoto lenses, but they generally degrade image quality and AF performance.
Avoid 2x adapters and go for a 1.4 instead, the Kenko Pro 1.4 DG is a good buy. The better (and faster) your lens the better your TC results.

As for flashes, long long ago when I had a b&w darkroom, I had a
bounce flash with clip on filters that were useful for many
situations. Are these still the way to go, or do the current
electronic ones have that flexibility? I notice that most high end
cameras today have hot shoes, so I am ass-u-ming that additional
flashes are used.

If you stay with canon the 430EX might be the best bang for the buck, and yes, even today they work exactly as you described it.

Thanks. I'm getting old, and don't have the brainpower (a TBI four
years ago) to research, process, and retain all of this, so I ask
here for help to shortcut the process.

Please keep in mind that getting a DSLR also involves at least basic knowledge of image editing on a PC or MAC to transfer, organize and enhance your images. If you want to get the best out of you photos, use RAW and use a RAW developer program.

My final advice: if you don´t need all the fancy stuff like lifeview and the 6,5 frames per second or a high resolution lcd then go for a good used Canon 5D (the original one, not the new MKII). You´ll get a huge viewfinder compared to the tiny crop cams and a very solid tool without all the wistles and bells of the new toys. it´s a classic with a top notch image quality.

Hope this helps,
Markus
--
http://www.fuenfrocken.com

.

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