My New Toy
For my birthday, which was back in February, my husband gave me a Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I will be working hard over the next few months trying to understand the thing. Above is one of the photos I took earlier this week, a dried up oak hydrangea leaf with snow on it and evergreen leaves waving on the sides.
My kids can’t understand why I wanted a new camera, but Robin and Mojo get it. Thanks to both of them for their encouragement a few months back in taking the plunge into DSLR land. Next step: buying one of those long telephoto thingamajiggies so I can shoot photograph birds. And maybe figure out which birdie is which.
Ilana-Davita says
Wow, you are lucky. I can imagine I'd want to play with such a new toy! Lovely shot.
I've just had to buy a new phone and I've been playing with the digital screen a lot since I got it (yesterday).
Looking forward to the great photos you will share with us.
Leora says
A digital screen on a phone? Sounds cool.
WolfishMusings says
Enjoy the new toy!
I bought the XSi when it came out last April and (as you can tell from my blog), I'm having LOTS of fun with it. Over the last year I've collected a few lenses and have learned quite a bit about photography just from reading and experimenting.
If you ever have any questions (the XTi is pretty similar to the XSi), feel free to email.
The Wolf
Leora says
I'll take any advice I can get!
Robin says
Yay! Congratulations on your new toy - and say goodbye to your family, because it may be a while before you see them again, at least without looking at them through a lens ;-).
Seriously Leora, you're going to love DSLRland.
Leora says
Except now I want all these lenses... and the stock market dropped again today. Boo hoo.
ramblingwoods says
I have the Xsi also as above, but I take the older Canon out in bad weather..LOL....
Leora says
I suspect my trusty Canon Powershot will come with me on trips. Especially if we ever go canoeing again (we all loved it, except my daughter who hated it).
phyllis says
ooh mazel tov:-)
Jew Wishes says
What a lovely photo...the leaves still beautiful in their dried state. Nice textures and contrasts.
Mazal tov on the camera!
East Gwillimbury WOW! says
You're going to love it! I've had a Rebel since last fall and I'm still learning new things about it. LOL Maybe you're a faster learner!
Leora says
I think since my Powershot and the new Rebel are both made by Canon, there are a lot of similarities. I already poured through the Powershot manual last spring, to get it to work as well as I could.
What I really want now are lenses...will have to wait a bit for those...
medam961 says
Crystal clear subject and blur background make really a beautiful photo.
You got really great gift for your birhday, lucky you! :-) By the way, I too was born in February.
Leora says
Medam, that's exactly why I wanted a new camera, that clear-blur combo. But now I crave the telephoto lens (especially for birdwatching), waiting until spring, plan to make some more $ first.
The Jewish Side says
Enjoy your new camera!
Looks like it has good focus.
What's DSLR?
And if you see the birds you would recognize what type it is? That's cool.
and nice flowers on the comments.
Leora says
>DSLR
Google it.
>if you see the birds you would recognize what type it is?
Excellent question. Easy answer is I post the pics I take and ask my friendly bird experts (some local, some bloggers). More work is I plow through bird guides or Google images for similar birds. I've used Google images more than once to identify flowers.
The Jewish Side says
I wiki'd it, and sounds interesting, seems like its the professional type of camera, where you look into it, rather than using the preview screen.
So long as you enjoy the bird watching that's what counts, and that you learn what type of birds they are too, from that, sounds cool. Enjoy!
Patti V. says
Enjoy playing with your new camera, Leora. I love hydrangea. Sure looks different all dried up.
Good idea not to "shoot" the birds. (tee hee)
Leora says
Sunday is supposed to be a delicious spring day here, so my camera is coming out with me!
Graham says
Love the photo!
I bought my wife the regular film Rebel EOS when it first came out, and she still prefers it to digital. She does have a Powershot, but it hardly ever gets used.
Her latest toy was a Canon Mini DV camcorder, and she's only played with it a little. Actually, I bought her a 750mb external drive so she could get the movies onto the computer. Next purchase a firewire cable so she can actually connect the two. Can you believe they wouldn't include that as standard?
Leora says
Yes about "not included"... I assumed when I bought the camera, even though it said "kit," I would need to make future purchases. I've learned.
Our kids' local school is having a Chinese Auction. My middle son (the filmmaker, who uses my ancient Powershot for making movies) wants us to enter for the camcorder. Sounds OK with me. Better than my daughter's choice, the trip to Orland for two.
Batya says
Very impressive, enjoy your new toy.
I still haven't learned all the tricks on my Canon 620
Leora says
I am still a big fan of Canon Powershots. For one thing, they are so light! You can take great shots with them. With the DSLRs, though, you can get more of the crisp vs. blur in one photo, the artsy effect I love.
Graham says
I have to say, I have somewhat of a fetish for photos taken through something, providing a kind of frame effect. Also where the sun is behind the subject, creating a "halo" type effect.
Leora says
I used up my three nested comments. Responding to Graham.
Graham, if you examples of frame effect and halo effect, would love to see. I've seen people use trees and fences to frame nature pics, if that's what you mean. Not sure why one couldn't create that with a simpler camera, though.
Please leave a comment! I love to hear from you.