Photography Gear
Posted on March 1st, 2005 in No Comments »
What a great gift from all my ‘parents’ for my 30th birthday. In some sense this is an entry-level camera, but the features and the quality just blow away anything else I’ve ever owned (or even handled). The 300d is what is known as a digital SLR. This means that it is a digital camera just like the A40 (or any other digicam), however it is an SLR. The lens that is used on the camera can be taken off and any other in a series of compatible lenses can be attached. This flexibility allows a creative photographer to work at so many more levels than when working with a typical fixed lens. Add to that the various filters and flashes that can be used for various effects, and suddenly you’re looking at a seriously cool camera.
The camera is equipped with a 6.1 Megapixel sensor, meaning the level of detail in the picture is absolutely stunning. Some claim we’ve actually reached a point where digital pictures are better than film, as even film introduces artifacts. Along with the camera I have the battery pack and a UV filter – something I want to play with as I tend to take landscapes and the UV filter is supposed to increase the clarity of outdoor pictures.
Along with this camera I was given a 256MB memory card. I’ve already decided that I’ll need to buy something larger if I intend on being away from a computer for an extended amount of time. The larger pixelspace of the pictures results in a rather large file per image. The 256MB card will only store around 70 images if I use the highest quality setting on the camera. So before my trip to Russia in the summer of 2004 I bought 3 more 256MB cards, meaning I took 1GB of space with me to Russia. It ended up being battery life that was limiting me there, not picture space – though I did take images at less than full resolution to ensure I had sufficient space for every picture I wanted to take.
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I decided that for my trip to Russia I wanted a lens that could grab a little more detail of all the buildings and sculptures I was bound to see. They say you should buy the best glass you can afford, and frankly that’s what I did. This is the bottom of the line of these lenses. It doesn’t have the fancy quiet focus motor, or the image stabalization. It is just the simple lens, and it was expensive enough.
But boy did it perform! I quickly found out why image stabalization is a good thing, because when you zoom in to the maximum, the slightest arm quiver results in fuzzy photos. So I often had to brace the camera again railings or buildings when taking those kinds of pictures – and to good results. The reviews suggest that the Canon glass is going to give better quality photos than a cheaper no-name like Sigma, and I have to agree – this lens gives great photos at almost any zoom level. There is some truth to the statement that at the highest zoom levels the pictures come out a little ‘soft’. The details are slightly amiss. However the power of the zoom offsets this – when you partially zoom in you get great photos and a nice closeup.
The only real complaint I have is that the aperture of the camera doesn’t open quite as wide as I would like – but this is a complaint almost every photographer makes of almost every lens. Overall the lens is relatively light – allowing me to operate the camera without the battery grip’s aid. It is also sufficiently quick to focus, though it lacks the option to switch to manual focus without actually flipping a switch – something the more expensive lenses offer. Big deal, I say.
I’m very happy with this lens – it complements the kit lens the camera came with perfectly (that is 18-55mm lens), giving me so much more range in photographs that I can’t really complain at all.
A wonderful birthday gift this year – exactly what I was asking for! This is what I call a “fast” lens, as the f-stop number is very low. it is not a zoom lens at all but the fast speed of the lens means I get to play with the depth of field a lot more than any other lens I own. I think of it as a good portrait lens as it captures fantastic detail in the short range. I’m still learning how to use it, but I think it compliments my lens collection perfectly.
My first digital camera, the A40 was designed to get me into the field without having me spend a mint on features I didn’t know how to use. I purchased it with a collection of moolah I acquired for graduation as well as Christmas at the end of 2002. I picked up a 128MB CF card as well as a nice little camera bag to go along with it via gifts at Christmas. A few months later I also bought a little tripod about the size of three pencils stuck together, small enough to fit into the camera bag.
I did a lot of research into the purchase because at the time I knew next to nothing about digital photography, or photography in general for that matter. I have to say that the people at Ars Technica, specifically their Audio/Visual forum, were incredibly informative in terms of knowing the top few choices on the market at the time.
I purchased this camera knowing that it was a point-and-shoot camera that came with a few extra features. It was these features that made this camera so great for its price range. It allows selection of a shutter speed (and to some extent some control over the aperture size). It presented a camera that, when used as a P&S it produces good to great pictures. It also let me push my knowledge of photography. I wasn’t sure if I was really going to get into the photography side of things, but I wanted to leave the room in case it did pique my interest. Well the gamble paid off, and now I’m finding that those extra features just aren’t quite enough.
I’ll always keep this camera around, as it is a high quality P&S with the ability to apply some artistic ability to the pictures taken.
Canon A40 Reviews
