A couple of questions... (Canon Rebel Xsi)

[tulips*n*truffles]

Hello there! I haven't been to this board in a while - been playing with my NEW CAMERA! Oh I love it - wish I hadn't waited so long to make a decision! But I'm thrilled with my purchase and it was worth every penny!

 

So back in February when you were all so helpful in talking me through my new purchase, a couple things came up that I wonder if you can give me more information about.

 

Renting lenses. How would I go about doing that? I really like the lenses I purchased. I've got an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, 50mm f/1.8 II, a 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS, and a 75-300 F/4.0-5.6 III. I also have standard wide angle and telephoto converter lenses, but I don't know how to use them (any advice?!).

 

I've been using the heck out of my 55-250 and I really like the quality I'm getting...but sometimes I wish the zoom was *just* a tad higher. Is there a lens you would recommend that I could rent for my cruise that I might be happier with?

 

Then also, I've been reading a lot about my SDHC cards. I'm only taking a mini laptop on the cruise and it doesn't have a lot of storage, so I need to rely on memory cards. Currently I have a 8GB Class 6 and a 4 GB Class 6. Both are generic brands. I wonder if I could get by spending less money and getting an 8GB Class 4? Would I regret it? Any advice on memory cards?

 

Then last - I shoot a lot. I mean a lot. I pray I'll get 10 good shots from every 50. :-) Can anyone give me a realistic idea of how much memory I'm going to shoot through in a week in Alaska?! :-)

 

Thanks a TON for your help!!!

[pierces]

Hello there! I haven't been to this board in a while - been playing with my NEW CAMERA! Oh I love it - wish I hadn't waited so long to make a decision! But I'm thrilled with my purchase and it was worth every penny!

 

So back in February when you were all so helpful in talking me through my new purchase, a couple things came up that I wonder if you can give me more information about.

 

Renting lenses. How would I go about doing that? I really like the lenses I purchased. I've got an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, 50mm f/1.8 II, a 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS, and a 75-300 F/4.0-5.6 III. I also have standard wide angle and telephoto converter lenses, but I don't know how to use them (any advice?!).

 

I've been using the heck out of my 55-250 and I really like the quality I'm getting...but sometimes I wish the zoom was *just* a tad higher. Is there a lens you would recommend that I could rent for my cruise that I might be happier with?

 

Then also, I've been reading a lot about my SDHC cards. I'm only taking a mini laptop on the cruise and it doesn't have a lot of storage, so I need to rely on memory cards. Currently I have a 8GB Class 6 and a 4 GB Class 6. Both are generic brands. I wonder if I could get by spending less money and getting an 8GB Class 4? Would I regret it? Any advice on memory cards?

 

Then last - I shoot a lot. I mean a lot. I pray I'll get 10 good shots from every 50. :-) Can anyone give me a realistic idea of how much memory I'm going to shoot through in a week in Alaska?! :-)

 

Thanks a TON for your help!!!

 

The XSi doesn't have blazing fast burst capability so a Class 4 card would probably work ok. However, with deals like two 4GB Sandisk Ultra II cards for $35 at Costco, there's no excuse for cheaping out on cards. You will see a big difference when transferring to the computer...that's where the faster card really shines.

 

Having pictures of your $5000 cruise taken with a $1000 camera getting lost or corrupted on a no-name memory card that you saved $10 on seems like false economy to me. ;) I have been using Sandisk Ultras and Extremes since I went digital in 2001 and have never had a problem. (I DO NOT buy from eBay, since most of the "deals" there are counterfeit!)

 

Here's a link to a three-pack of Sandisk 8GB SDHC Ultra II for $99 with free shipping. There's a $40 mail-in rebate that brings the final cost down to $59.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171348

 

Invest a hundred bucks (Sandisk takes about 10 weeks for a rebate, but they do come through) and put one more vacation worry behind you!:D

 

 

BTW, on my last trip to Alaska in 2006, I shot about 2800 images in 10 days. I used 24GB worth of card storage and was carrying 32GB. I regularly pack 40GB on a cruise and have never run out or regretted spending the extra few bucks. here's a link to an article I did on "how much memory" with some good information on size and quality settings. Newbie-friendly, so I told... http://www.pptphoto.com/ArticlePages/VivaLaResolution.htm

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

[TheRoff]

And I will simply add that this place to rent lens from (http://www.lensrentals.com/for-canon ) has gotten good reviews.

 

Larry

[tulips*n*truffles]

The XSi doesn't have blazing fast burst capability so a Class 4 card would probably work ok. However, with deals like two 4GB Sandisk Ultra II cards for $35 at Costco, there's no excuse for cheaping out on cards. You will see a big difference when transferring to the computer...that's where the faster card really shines.

 

Having pictures of your $5000 cruise taken with a $1000 camera getting lost or corrupted on a no-name memory card that you saved $10 on seems like false economy to me. ;) I have been using Sandisk Ultras and Extremes since I went digital in 2001 and have never had a problem. (I DO NOT buy from eBay, since most of the "deals" there are counterfeit!)

 

Here's a link to a three-pack of Sandisk 8GB SDHC Ultra II for $99 with free shipping. There's a $40 mail-in rebate that brings the final cost down to $59.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171348

 

Invest a hundred bucks (Sandisk takes about 10 weeks for a rebate, but they do come through) and put one more vacation worry behind you!:D

 

 

BTW, on my last trip to Alaska in 2006, I shot about 2800 images in 10 days. I used 24GB worth of card storage and was carrying 32GB. I regularly pack 40GB on a cruise and have never run out or regretted spending the extra few bucks. here's a link to an article I did on "how much memory" with some good information on size and quality settings. Newbie-friendly, so I told... http://www.pptphoto.com/ArticlePages/VivaLaResolution.htm

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

 

Hey Dave! Makes total sense. I don't mind spending $100 - I just panicked a bit when I found ONE 8GB SanDisk Extreme card for $110 online. That meant two things - I need to keep looking - and ask some questions! :-)

 

The link you sent actually goes to a single 8GB card for $26.70 with a limit of 2 per customer - which is fine - just fyi I think they've shuffled their inventory a bit. I couldn't find the pack you described.

 

I'm glad to know about your estimate on memory - that's a good measure for me to start with. I'd hate hate hate to run out of memory and have to spend time deleting pictures! And that article is GREAT! Thank you for sharing it!!

 

Natalie

[freestylecruizer]

The XSi doesn't have blazing fast burst capability so a Class 4 card would probably work ok. However, with deals like two 4GB Sandisk Ultra II cards for $35 at Costco, there's no excuse for cheaping out on cards. You will see a big difference when transferring to the computer...that's where the faster card really shines.

 

Having pictures of your $5000 cruise taken with a $1000 camera getting lost or corrupted on a no-name memory card that you saved $10 on seems like false economy to me. ;) I have been using Sandisk Ultras and Extremes since I went digital in 2001 and have never had a problem. (I DO NOT buy from eBay, since most of the "deals" there are counterfeit!)

 

Here's a link to a three-pack of Sandisk 8GB SDHC Ultra II for $99 with free shipping. There's a $40 mail-in rebate that brings the final cost down to $59.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171348

 

Invest a hundred bucks (Sandisk takes about 10 weeks for a rebate, but they do come through) and put one more vacation worry behind you!:D

 

 

BTW, on my last trip to Alaska in 2006, I shot about 2800 images in 10 days. I used 24GB worth of card storage and was carrying 32GB. I regularly pack 40GB on a cruise and have never run out or regretted spending the extra few bucks. here's a link to an article I did on "how much memory" with some good information on size and quality settings. Newbie-friendly, so I told... http://www.pptphoto.com/ArticlePages/VivaLaResolution.htm

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

 

Wow, I didn't realize this media was so pricy in the US. In Canada, you can pick up a Kingston 16GB SDHC for about $29.99. On another note, Sandisk is not always the best option, Kingston has better ratings than Sandisk in overal performance.

[tulips*n*truffles]

...good buy?

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134483

[pierces]

Hey Dave! Makes total sense. I don't mind spending $100 - I just panicked a bit when I found ONE 8GB SanDisk Extreme card for $110 online. That meant two things - I need to keep looking - and ask some questions! :-)

 

The link you sent actually goes to a single 8GB card for $26.70 with a limit of 2 per customer - which is fine - just fyi I think they've shuffled their inventory a bit. I couldn't find the pack you described.

 

I'm glad to know about your estimate on memory - that's a good measure for me to start with. I'd hate hate hate to run out of memory and have to spend time deleting pictures! And that article is GREAT! Thank you for sharing it!!

 

Natalie

 

Oops...my mistake.

 

Here's the link:

http://www.adorama.com/IDSU15SD8GB3.html

 

Glad the article helped!

 

Dave

[IBookHePays]

I've got an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, 50mm f/1.8 II, a 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS, and a 75-300 F/4.0-5.6 III. I also have standard wide angle and telephoto converter lenses, but I don't know how to use them (any advice?!).

 

I've been using the heck out of my 55-250 and I really like the quality I'm getting...but sometimes I wish the zoom was *just* a tad higher. Is there a lens you would recommend that I could rent for my cruise that I might be happier with

 

My favorite lens, that applies to most situations, is a 18-200mm. I think the fact that you can leave it on almost all of the time is a big plus. Sometimes (Zooming into rugby games, for instance), I'll use the 75-300 that I have, but I find it limiting for the close up shots. I'm an amateur, so take this info with a grain of salt...:)