Canon Rebel XS

[mbroberg]

I am in the market for a new camera. Sam's Club has a Canon Rebel XS (aka D1000) kit for 599.00. The kit includes 2 lenses (EF 75-300 4-5.6 III lens and EF-S 18-55 IS lens), 2 GB SD card, Bag, and other accessories. My search through the forums here seem to indicate that the Rebel is a good camera, but most people talk about the Rebel XT of the XSi rather than the XS. I looked through www.dpreview.com but frankly, that is written for someone who has a clue about cameras and is all a bunch of gobbelty goop to me. Does anyone have any opinions about this camera for pen photography? Of course I would also want to use it for general picture snapping as well. Thanks.

 

[Padre]

Mike,
I just went through all of this! I looked at lots and lots of cameras, reviews, prices, etc.

I finally settled on the new Canon T1i. My reasoning was this: it took great pictures, did HD video, has a good "live view" capability (but not in auto mode) and some other specs were the highest in that price range. To top it off, in that price range, it has the highest pixel count (purists, please don't jump on me for that.)

I priced them out all over the place including Sam's, BJ's, Costco, etc. And for the money, I ended up getting it, believe it or not, on Ebay from CCR Camera.

I purchased the extended warranty (even though Consumer Reports says don't). The package came in two days and it had everything I needed, including a ton of Class 6 SDHC memory (64 gigs worth), two really nice cases, two Canon lenses, etc., etc.

Hope this helps.

 

[PTownSubbie]

Mike,

A quick look at Canon's site and it looks like the differences with the XS and XSi is a slightly smaller MPixel count (10.1 vs 12.2) and the LCD is slightly smaller (2.5" vs 3").

I would think this camera would be a very good camera and the price seems pretty competitive.

I have the XSi and love it. The wife is wanting to steal it and wants me to buy a new one. I am currently looking at the T2i.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[jocat54]

Mike I have the same camera and really like it. I got it for Christmas and am still learning how to use it. Don't think you would be disappointed with it.

 

[toddlajoie]

For the most part, any of these cameras should be more than adequate for pen photos. The difference between 10 and 12 megapixels is rather minor unless you are making huge enlargements (I have made perfectly fine 20x24 inch prints from a 12 megapixel camera, and even some 30x40's...) Your shortcoming is going to be the kit lenses. Typically they are "all around" general purpose lenses that are not made for close-up, macro, or small objects. You may have a hard time getting them to focus close enough for taking your pen photos (people will say you can crop the photos, but I feel that in working with small shiny objects, it is not practical to be 6 or 8 feet away from them, and that distance will increase the surrounding reflections, since you can't get your reflectors/diffusers in close...) I did not check the specs on those specific lenses, but for me with pens, you want to be able to focus at least down to 2 feet, 1 would be better). You will not likely find a kit that has a lens that is going to work for this, so if you're looking for an all-around camera and a pen shooter, I might suggest you look at a single lens kit, and use the extra $$ saved to buy a lens that is going to work for pens, a good prime (i.e. non-zoom) lens in the 50-100 mm range that can focus down to 1 or 2 feet should do fine.

 

[mbroberg]

Thank you everybody for the comments and advice. Look to see some better pictures from me in the future!!

 

[programmergeek]

I have had many canon camera including the xsi and t1i I would go for the t1i the newer version is the t2i and is also grate but not as much improvment as going from the xsi to the t1i. I have used the t1i for about 8 months to shoot pens and pics of my daugher it has been great.

Shameless plug,I was going to keep it but for the right price I would let my almost new T1i, canon flash 420 ex (I think) and 4 or 5 spair battries go. I just have to many cameras and with a markII I dont use the t1i to much although it is a great camera.

 

[mbroberg]

I have had many canon camera including the xsi and t1i I would go for the t1i the newer version is the t2i and is also grate but not as much improvment as going from the xsi to the t1i. I have used the t1i for about 8 months to shoot pens and pics of my daugher it has been great.

Shameless plug,I was going to keep it but for the right price I would let my almost new T1i, canon flash 420 ex (I think) and 4 or 5 spair battries go. I just have to many cameras and with a markII I dont use the t1i to much although it is a great camera.

Thanks for the offer. I think the XS will be fine for me and I have already purchased one. Now I just have to figure out how to use it!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[gketell]

You should list it in the Classifieds. There is always someone looking for a good camera at a good price.

 

[programmergeek]

One hint the manual is ok but will not really teach you there is a good book on amazon specifically for the XSI and T1i I think it was about $10-$20 well worth getting it tought you photography but also how to ues your camera which is alwas half of the battle.

For pen photography the xsi is more than fine. I was sugesting the T1i becaus you had sugested general photography and the HD move mode is nice. I also think it will have much better resail if you decide to sell it ever. But the XSI will be more than enought camera and teh money you saved can alwas be put to a better lens the IS lenses are quite impressive especally in low light if you don't have a tripod. Enjoy the camera Canon makes some of the best.

 

[Padre]

This is GREAT advice!! I bought the "Dummies" book for the T1i, and I love it. Some of it is a little too 'dumb', but other than that, it is much better than the manual.

Also, make sure you read the part on how to hook it up to your computer and remote shoot right from your desktop. I do it all the time and love it.

One hint the manual is ok but will not really teach you there is a good book on amazon specifically for the XSI and T1i I think it was about $10-$20 well worth getting it tought you photography but also how to ues your camera which is alwas half of the battle.

For pen photography the xsi is more than fine. I was sugesting the T1i becaus you had sugested general photography and the HD move mode is nice. I also think it will have much better resail if you decide to sell it ever. But the XSI will be more than enought camera and teh money you saved can alwas be put to a better lens the IS lenses are quite impressive especally in low light if you don't have a tripod. Enjoy the camera Canon makes some of the best.

 

[moke]

Mike--
I own a small camera store and a large studio. I spend the majority of my time either photographing or in our graphics lab. I am somewhat removed form our camera store ( I have a gal that manages it for me ), but removed is, only out there an hour or two a day. Our number one seller is the XS....it instantly became the number one seller the day we could get an adequete supply. The differences are very minor. People today are hooked on larger megapixels. The difference here is 10 vs 12. ( also the screen is diagonally 1/2 inch bigger on the XSi) 35mm quality is 4.75 mg. Well kinda, it's not quite that simple, but short story long....we used 8 mg camera until early 2007. I sell prints from small to 24x30. Tons of 16x20, they looked great even from the 8 mgs. Bigger meg cameras fill up your hard drive faster, too.

599.00 is a good price. Go buy it. You have to look at your needs, and pay for what you need. It is my opinion that 50% of the people buy more camera than they need.....

I really do believe in Canon, the firmware is user friendly. I have 8 Canons SLR's from 8 mg to 21 mg. They all have very similar features. There is much I could tell you about this....bottom line is if you were my brother or relative, and you did not want to shoot video off your SLR ( few really do ), this is a great model for you.

If you need help with anything or don't understand something, I would certainly help anyone on this site...lord knows I have asked my share of questions about pens.
Just PM me....
Mike aka: Moke

 

[DJS588]

Macro work

I just left a message for Mark, and thought you might want to check out the same, namely, a set of Kenko Extension tubes. They provide for true magnification of the image, i.e. the tubes are, generally, 10mm, 20mm, & 30mm's in length. The magnification is calculated by dividing the length of the tubes by the focal length of the lens. so if you have 60mm's of the tubes and the lens is set at 20mm, you will have a 3x magnification.
In addition to pens, think of what you could do with flowers, bugs, etc.
Just a thought.

 

[stolicky]

I have had the XS for close to a year and a half. It was my first SLR camera and I made it a point to learn how to use it. I wanted it for our baby and taking pics of pens. I did a lot of reading and practicing. I also took a couple of short classes, but I really didn't learn anything I didn't already read.

From what I have read, the 75-300 lens is Canon's worst lens. You will notice that they can barely give it away sometimes.

Its been a great camera. I have also invested in nice glass for it. Don't get hung up on the megapixel battle. Mike is right. As far as video goes, we bought a Panasonic (I usually prefer Canons) ZS3 that shoots 720p HD and it works great. Plus, anyone can use it. SLRs take some learning.

 

[toddlajoie]

I just left a message for Mark, and thought you might want to check out the same, namely, a set of Kenko Extension tubes. They provide for true magnification of the image, i.e. the tubes are, generally, 10mm, 20mm, & 30mm's in length. The magnification is calculated by dividing the length of the tubes by the focal length of the lens. so if you have 60mm's of the tubes and the lens is set at 20mm, you will have a 3x magnification.
In addition to pens, think of what you could do with flowers, bugs, etc.
Just a thought.

An important thing to consider with these is that they reduce the bightness of the scene by roughly the same as their magnification. So a 3x magnification also means the light hitting the camera is 3x darker and your lens's maximum aperture is reduced by the same 3x. In many cases this can bring the light level down below the sensitivity of the camera's metering system, making exposure a guessing game unless you have a few spare 500Watt floodlights hanging around, and unless you have a very fast lens, you may loose autofocus (typically the max aperture needs to be above 5.6 or 8, so with a 3x magnification, your lens would need to be at LEAST f2.8 or maybe even f2 (if 5.6 is required). If the effective aperture falls below that, the autofocus cannot resolve the change in focus enough to be accurate. Of course if you can handle manual focus/exposure, you can ignore any of this...

 

[mbroberg]

I really appreciate all of the good advice. Checking on Amazon for some sort of book is a great idea. Thanks!

 

[moke]

IMHO, I am really not sure why you would want extension tubes to photograph pens....toddlajoie is exactly right.. they are a pain in ---- and unless you are really trying to make something the size of a dime or less the entire frame they are not needed.

As for the quality of the lens it is relative to the amount and type of use it will get....if you are using it 10 times a week it is probably not what you want, if you are using it twice a month, it is fine. Optics are all made in a CNC type lens grinder---the optics are fine. It is at the bottom of the Canon lens chain...but still far superior to the after market lens manufacturer products....again--it's all about what you want to pay and what you want it to do....we have sold MANY of these lenses and never seen a repair.
Mike

 

[CSue]

The Canon XS is quite similar to the original Canon Digital Rebel which I purchased when it first came out. One exception being 10+MP instead of 6+MP of mine. But it is a great price! I've been looking at that one as well.

(I ran the other one "into the ground." I found out the motor for that digital camera is only expected to be good for ... oh! I forgot ... 5 thou shots I think. Whatever it was, I need to replace the whole motor. I'd rather get a 10MP.) But it's a good buy!