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New Canon 40D Photos
- Thread starter lag1090
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Yes, the 40D is a pretty nice little camera. Small enough, and easy to use. Set it to RAW, and then try using P mode (semi-auto). This mode allows for setting WB, ISO, and a few other features, while keeping the rest fully automatic.
I have used a Rebel XT for the past three years.
I have used a Rebel XT for the past three years.
The online Canon tutorials/lessons are actually pretty well put together. You spend that much on a camera, you don't want your stuff looking like you were using a $129 snapshot camera.
I want a 40D sooo bad!
I want a 40D sooo bad!
I'm reading the manual as I go along. For example, I consulted it to discover why I couldn't adjust the aperture in manual mode. Apparently, the power switch was simply switched to the ON position, not the last position with the line.
Certain things like that are fine for reading the manual, as I've owned a series of Canon P&S cameras before this, so the controls are fairly familiar. I've also used Nikon dSLRs in the past, but this is the first SLR I've purchased. Eventually, I'll get around to reading the manual in its entirety, but time is short right now.
Are you insinuating that those photos look like they came from a $129 snapshot camera?
Just joking around with you, of course. I'm just curious as to what others thought of the images. They were taken in P mode with AF on, so they're not a product of manual manipulation in any way.
So far, I'm very pleased with this camera. I only wish it didn't have certain quarks, especially small things like having to switch the power switch to the third mode.
Certain things like that are fine for reading the manual, as I've owned a series of Canon P&S cameras before this, so the controls are fairly familiar. I've also used Nikon dSLRs in the past, but this is the first SLR I've purchased. Eventually, I'll get around to reading the manual in its entirety, but time is short right now.
Are you insinuating that those photos look like they came from a $129 snapshot camera?
Just joking around with you, of course. I'm just curious as to what others thought of the images. They were taken in P mode with AF on, so they're not a product of manual manipulation in any way.
So far, I'm very pleased with this camera. I only wish it didn't have certain quarks, especially small things like having to switch the power switch to the third mode.
As some have pointed out, Canon's online tutorials are designed to teach you how to use the cameras. For example, take a look at the tutorial for the Rebel XT (below). That will give you some ideas, but you want to search for the 40D tutorials. I saved the XT tutorials to my desktop to read whenever I have the time, and before going out to take pictures. That way I can try some of the techniques I have learned.
Rebel XT
http://images.photoworkshop.com/rebelxtlessons/interface.html
Once you have learned about the camera and the lenses you have, then you can try things like this of you beautiful dog. This is my wife's dog, image HDR tone-mapped. Please note that this is very easy to do, although it takes a little learning:
Rebel XT
http://images.photoworkshop.com/rebelxtlessons/interface.html
Once you have learned about the camera and the lenses you have, then you can try things like this of you beautiful dog. This is my wife's dog, image HDR tone-mapped. Please note that this is very easy to do, although it takes a little learning:
Give me your dog. That is the cutest dog face i have seen In awhile!
Her name is Abbie, and I got her for my wife just over a year ago. She is the replacement for another dog (Kayla) we had to put down because she was quite ill and suffering. My wife was devastated, since both of them were quite close to each other. Kayla was completely attached to my wife, and so my wife to her. Although my wife still sheds tears when remembering Kayla, Abbie has brought a smile to her face. She is quite gentle, but physically strong. She can easily escape from two large kennels we bought for her, so we not longer use them. She has also figured how to escape when tied to a long steel cable in the backyard. She plays with the metallic link at the end of the cable tied to her leash. We tried carabineers, and those she can open, too
She can also open doors by turning the door knobs, so we have to lock the doors if we don't want her to get in the room when we aren't home.
Now that you have mentioned it, Abbie opened an unlocked door while we were away from home, and then closed it behind her. She probably panicked a little and forgot how to reopen the door. That's when she decided that the only way out would be under the rug, and proceeded to take big chunks of it by the threshold. The problem was that under the rug was a concrete floor
She still managed to take out a section of approximately 3' of rug. By then she was tired, I imagine, so she crashed on the bed where my wife found her asleep when she returned home. Thanks God it's al old rug! From that moment on, she hasn't gone back to that room unless somebody is there.
Hey AlaskaMoose - what lens did you use for that dog portrait? I like the lens angle, and the nice soft background blur.
And ... I also so-o-o-o-o want a 40D ......
And ... I also so-o-o-o-o want a 40D ......
I used a Tamron 17-55mm f/2.8 at around 17mm or so, 200 ISO, f/8. The dog's face was pretty close to the lens. "Abbie" was staring at a snack I had for her in my left hand on the lens barrel.
The white background sort of enhances her black color providing good contrast, but I decided to play with PhotoMatix, and tone-mapped the photo. It would have been just as nice enough as it was. The sort of dark or blurred background is the tone mapping effect done by PhotoMatix. You can blur the background with CS3, but all I have is PSE6 for the Mac.
I just upgraded from the XT to the 40D, and will be using the same lenses (EF 200mm f/2.8L USM, Tokina 12-24mm f/4, and Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. Will probably buy a EF 50mm f/1.4 in the near future, since it only costs $300.00. The same lens, but in f/1.2 costs nearly four times as much, but the one in f/1.8 costs around $80.00.
My attempt at doing a similar, but non-HDR version hasn't be so successful:
It takes time to bribe the dog to sit still. Once you do that, then it will get easier. Don't even worry about HDR. I was just playing with PhotoMatix to learn how to use it. Shoot RAW, and PP with PSE6. Also, take the dog to outdoors, let it play and be happy, and stand nearby taking pictures. The black/white spots on the dog would benefit from another background that is lighter. For example, a grassy field, the leaves that fall from the trees in the Fall, or anything that brings a little color to the photo. The deck planks are too dark or gray.
You will notice that in my photo the dog was sitting. Her nose was perhaps 10" from the front glass on the lens. At 17mm, her face and shoulders were taking quite a lot of the frame (what I was seeing though the viewfinder). It's a sort of close-up photo of her face.
Don't get the dog bored by telling it to seat down and such. Just make it a sort of a fun time by taking it outside to play, and then ask him to sit. When he does that, give him a reward, maybe a low-calorie snack (you will need plenty in you pocket). It will take a little time, but eventually the dog will sit without a reward, except for a nice talk that would make him happy, etc.
By the way, my wife buys some snacks that are made in Alaska. I believe that this guy decided to create a snack that had salmon in it, and dogs love it. The word about the snacks caught national attention, and now the stuff is all over the place in the US. The name is "Chummies" (for Chum salmon). The snacks are very small, and that's how I bribe the dog without over-feeding her.
