yummy!!! leave me some!! LOL!

 

I'd personally go Canon over Nikon.. Here's why.. Over the years, they've proven to have superior quality in their lenses.. Think to yourself, when you watch sporting events, or even see paparazzi, they all have those "white lenses" right? Those are Canon L series lenses.. So people that rely on their pictures to pay for their livelihood choose Canon right? Just something to think about...

The Canon XTI is a great starter camera.. Decent burst rate (3 frames per second) so you'll also be able to get action shots... Plastic body to save weight and cost.. (you'll find that in any consumer model until you get to the 40D)

Canon Rebel XTi

Here's Canon's full line of Digital SLRs
Canon Digital SLRs

I guess the proper question is, what's your budget? You know there's other expenses w/ a DSLR that need to be thought of.. The lens that comes w/ it is decent, but it's not going to truly allow you to shoot in a decent focal range. You'll need a decent midzoom.. I'd recommend a third party lens made by Tamron.. This is the lens that stays on my camera 90% of the time (unless I'm shooting cars, then I use my 18-55 kit lens for now).. It's also a very fast lens (high aperture) F2.8 all the way through the focal length, so it allows you to shoot even w/ very minimal light.. You don't want your lens to limit you on the shutter speeds you can use.. If you were to get the canon equivalent, you'd easily pay double for this..

Here it is:
Tamron 28-75

I've used this lens for action shots, portraiture, candids, bday parties (candle lit shots), you name it.. It's the best all around lens I've ever worked with and it's very economical.

 

Nope.. you can actually go as low as 80.. Check that link I posted previously w/ your specs..

ISO Sensitivity
Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 equivalent (Standard Output Sensitivity. Recommended Exposure Index)

 

Here you go T... not the raw image (size wise) but it's the image pre-photoshop...



EDIT: What I've learned after this is that it was WAY to bright for this... I'm sure there's some work I can do in photoshop (i.e. my avatar), but it was just super super bright sunday around NOON. hahaa

 

First off, I'm glad you're benefitting from the postings.. It's TRULY not my intention to bash anyone, or make them shy away from photography.. It's a form of self expression.. Just like modding itself.. However, there's certain rules and guidelines to help replicate what you see and what you produce with a camera.. Just trying to help bring some of those thoughts to the forefront and share what I've learned over the years as well..

Chris,

Overall: LOVE THE SHOT, GREAT IDEA!!!

Critique:This is one of those experimental composition shots as well that would have faired better from a little more attention to detail.. You've already mentioned the time of day, so I won't bother w/ that (strong reflection of the building).. But what really inhibits me w/ this shot is as I'm going down the line of the car (which you captured perfectly, great angle) I'm impeded by the wheel well, it breaks the smoothness of the texture going from your rim to your fender.. If the wheel were turned the other way, PERFECTION!!! In all honesty, I'd also like to see the front wheel not cropped, I keep finding myself trying to scroll or look around the wheel to see the rest of it.. What you don't include is just as important as what you DO include.. Keep that in mind.. Cropping is a very hard thing to master.. It can be very subjective..

All in all, I like the idea, and I like the pic.. black and white was a VERY good idea for this pic because it IS dramatic, and downplays the reflections, colors, and wheel well..

IDEA: Next time try auto bracketing (shooting the same shot w/ different exposures, normally 3 shots, "light, darker, dark"), so you can get the sky as well so it's not blown out (overexposed).. You'll have to layer the shot in post production but that shouldn't be hard if you don't move, and just expose the shot for the clouds.. Don't worry that the car will be underexposed, one of the 3 shots will be exposed perfectly for the car.. Clouds would have looked SICK in this pic, it would have created a natural termination point, and brought the eye back down to your car..

 

This is good info. I have the Cannon XSi, and I have been looking at some additional lenses.

 

I started w/ the digital rebel (300D) and kept it for years.. I graduated to my 20D when it first came out.. So the XSi will hold you over till you get ready to purchase a more expensive body.. I didn't get a more expensive camera until I started shooting for pay. I knew I'd recoup some of the expense..

Yeah, I'd just invest in high quality glass (lenses with high apertures, get as close to 2.8 as you can or below).. You can easily find used lenses on craigslist and ebay, and they work just as fine as if you got them at a camera store.. Couple of my prime lenses were bought used..

 

Hows this? Just a bit of photoshop work...

 

Nice editing.. Very nice..

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'll need to figure out how to do that with the D60. And I struggled with the placement of the car/wheel the whole day. I tried to experiment and throw some crazy stuff. There were a few shots I took where I purposefully capture too much with the idea of cropping in post. The other thing that kinda bothers me about this shot (attention to detail) is the SSR logo on the center cap. I know it's not that bad, but it would have really helped the shot in my opinion if it was parallel to the ground.

Nice edit. Subtle changes in the color and contrast. My roommate who owns the camera I was using is a videographer, so I've learned a lot about framing a shot, color, brightness, and contrast. Just need more experience actually doing it.

 

Found this for ya.. PERFECT LENS FOR PORTRAITS.. 50mm lens on slickdeals for 86 bucks..

Prime 50mm lens F1.8


Now you want to be VERY careful with this lens as it's got an aperture that goes up to 1.8. If you don't need to go that low, DON'T.. A lot of people complain when they shoot with this lens that it blurs TOO much. But this lens actually lets you get VERY specific with your subject.. If you focus on the tip of their nose w/ a 1.8 aperture, their eyes will be blurred.. It's THAT sensitive.. But that's a good thing because it allows you to take some REALLY creative shots.. Just wanted to give you the heads up.. Great lens, Great price.. I think this is a plastic casing though, not metal.. So you'd only want to keep it on your camera when you're actually shooting..

 

Yeah I have the nifty fifty lens. It's super light and super fast. You can shoot in very low light, but remember its not a zoom lens.

 

That's right.. you'll have to move your butt around w/ this one.. But that's why it's mainly used for portraiture.. I love the fact that you have to pay attention to composition w/ this lens.. Like I said, less to worry about w/ zoom, and you get more time to concentrate on creativity..

 

One thing about BlueBOB's picture that caught my eye was the sky. Detail to the sky is completely blown out. Again that can be attributed to the time of day and sun position. Using a polarizing filter can help darken up the sky a bit if it's cloudless

 

very interesting... yea, Sunday was a generally bright day though... i'm not sure if there were any clouds in the sky period... of course the blue would have been a nice affect...

again... I went with the b&w look for the "dramatic" affect