So since a couple of my friends have just recently gotten themselves some dope Rebel XTi cameras, I thought it would be fun to put a post in place (similar to my Firefox and Computer Security posts) that is a listing of tools, resources, and books that I have found useful in the foray into the world of dSLR. Of course, I welcome any additions and insights in the comments (Joeycat and Swifty, I’m looking at you). Not all of these are dSLR/Canon specific – a lot of them were resources I find useful in my S2 IS days.
Books
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
Get this book. Read it fifteen times. Take a bunch of pictures. Read the book another fifteen times. Your pictures will be about 100% better. This is a fantastic book that helps you understand the basics of aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, but more than anything else, makes you realize that it’s not about just getting a good exposure, but that there are lots of different creative exposures in any situation. I love this book.
The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby
I’m a big fan of Scott Kelby, especially his Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers. This book is different than the Peterson book, in that it’s short on theory and long on practical “here’s how to make a picture that looks like this”. It’s an easy read, and covers a lot of ground and you’ll walk away from it with quite a few practical tips you can use right away (the same is true of his Photoshop book, which I recommend highly, if you’re going to be doing any Photoshop stuff).
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Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT/EOS 350D]6_
This particular book covers the 350D, not the 400D, but I know Magic Lantern has a version for just about every dSLR out there. There’s a series of books for OS X called “The Missing Manual”, with the tagline “the book that should have been in the box”. That’s the case with the Magic Lantern guides – this takes the manual that Canon provides you with, and expounds upon it in great detail. If you want to know what you can do with your new camera, this book is a must.
Websites
Matt’s del.icio.us photography links
This will give you an updated copy of all bookmarks I create related to photography. Not all of them are going to be useful, but there will be a lot more there than what I am listing here.
Digital Rebel XT Lessons from Canon
This is a set of basic, Flash-based “lessons” on using your camera. This link is for the XT, but I think they probably have one for the XTi somewhere.
Canon Digital Photography Forums from Photography-on-the.net
Covers more than just the dSLR models, but a very good resource if you’re having any kind of issues or questions.
A major digital photography site – one thing that I think is cool is they have “assignments” you can participate in, which help expand your photography skillz.
Gear
Opteka Battery Pack Grip with 2 NB-2LH Batteries
This is a pretty good grip, and it’s a lot cheaper than the Canon-branded one. Plus, it comes with two batteries. Here’s a tip – don’t buy the Canon branded batteries; the third-party ones are much cheaper and just as good. And you always, always want extra batteries.
Is this the best lens you’ll ever buy? Not by a long shot. But for the price, you really can’t justify not owning it. Yes, it’s plastic-feeling and light, and the autofocus hunts for years when shooting in low light, but if you want that really shallow DOF, you can’t beat it for the price. Buy it. You’ll thank me later.
I’ll be honest. I don’t own this bag – yet. But it will probably be the next thing we buy. I currently have the Lowepro Off Trail 1, and I’m pretty unhappy with it. Not only does it make you look dorky (and if you’re pudgy, it really accentuates your gut), but there’s no room in it for anything other than the camera and two lenses. A co-worker of mine has the Veocity 7, and he carries his 30D with a lens, two extra lenses, as well as three extra batteries and two CF cards.
This is another piece of gear that I don’t currently own, but really want. You really have to get the flash off of the camera to use it – although since I don’t have $200+ laying around right now, I am suffering through with the on-camera flash. This is an area that I still have more research to do on, but I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about the 430EX. You can get a cheaper flash, but you’ll lose the ability to bounce it (among other things) so I don’t think it’s worth it..
Lowepro SlingShot 100 All-Weather Digital Camera Backpack
I got this bag right before we went Up North this summer, to replace my Off Trail 1, which I hated. And I like this bag a lot. It’s not very heavy, and while the “sling” portion took some getting used to (it must be worn on the opposite shoulder than I am used to for my messenger bag), I find it pretty comfortable. I can store my 350D with kit lens, both of my other lenses, all of my memory cards, extra batteries, our point and shoot, and my filters all in the same bag. Pretty nice.
Software
I’m actually not going to be TERRIBLY useful for non-Mac users on this subject, but some of it applies. My software workflow is pretty straightfoward these days, but I’m also still just getting into using RAW, so it might change. I use Aperture (Mac only) to manage my photos and do my RAW conversions. For additional editing and color correction, I use Photoshop CS2. I store my photos online on Flickr, and use Flickr Export for Aperture to upload my photos.
So that’s that. I will keep this post updated as I get/learn about new gear and resources, and of course, any tips and comments you all might have.