Pictures and Panic Attacks

About a month ago, I made an offhand statement to my friend, David Johnson, concerning buying a camera for my trip to Africa. I have a digital camera that my dad gave me, but since one of my responsibilities on the team to Africa is co-leader of photography and video, I felt that I needed a higher quality camera. Mine is great for nights out with friends, but I knew it couldn't handle safaris and capturing those split-second moments of joy in the orphanage.



So, I mentioned to David that I was looking into possibly, maybe, getting a new camera.

Tip 1: never mention to a photographer that you need a new camera.

Tip 2: never mention to a man that you need electronic equipment in general



David offered to sell me his. I was all over that, since it was the Canon 20D he used to shoot the book. But, after some talking, he (very patiently, I might add) explained to me that SLR's don't always come with the lens, and that the price he quoted me was body only (already out of my price range).



So, I told him to go with the other offer he had on it, and I would try and find another one. He suggested that at my price range, I try to find a used Canon Rebel. Little did he know, he was sending a mildly obsessive compulsive person out into the wild to find a professional grade camera (or, at least, what most people call the "bridge" camera from amateur to professional).

It has been about a month since that first conversation, and I have spent the past month researching, pricing out, making offers on, and finally purchasing different elements of the Canon Rebel.



Here is my quick lesson of things I have learned in the past month:





Camera basics 101: SLR stands for "Single Lens Reflex" and basically means the lens is removable. It is a professional camera, but there are different levels of "professional". DSLR is the digital version. There are about a bajillion and two different lenses, of which I am just now learning. My quick lens basics are that the "focal length" of a camera is basically how well it zooms... 35-55mm is standard for a Canon Rebel, and 75-300mm is the most common telephoto (not to be confused with a 35mm camera, which means film).



Canon Camera Basics:

A Rebel is basically the "intro" to professional photography. Still basic enough that a novice can use it, but has some advanced settings on it that a professional photographer could use as well (don't ask me to use those, yet!). The Canon Rebel has been around since the dawn of digital photography (and actually before, since it started as a 35mm). There are currently 3 versions that you can get in the store: XT (SRP: $550 w/lens), XTi (SRP: $750-ish w/lens), and XSi (SRP: $899-ish w/ lens). The XT is being phased out of stores since the addition of the XSi (the XTi and XSi are both 10.1 MP, the XT is 8), so it's getting harder to find new, but it's in Target and Wal-Mart now.



The next level are the "D's". Since these are all way out of my price range, I didn't do a ton of research, but basically there currently floating out there is 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, and 5D. You can't get the 10D and 20D new anymore, but they are still out there floating around in used camera world. This is the first level of truly professional photography. Like I said, no clue about these cameras.



So, after all of my month of research, making different offers on cameras, a lot of stress, and crunching and re-crunching numbers, I finally bid on (and won!) a new camera on eBay. I settled on a Rebel XT with 3 lenses: the standard 35-55mm lens, the 75-300 telephoto, and a wide angle lens (I have no idea the specs on this lens until I actually have it in hand... the price was good enough with just the first two lenses that this lens was just a "bonus" in my eyes!) The camera is new, less than 100 shutter activations, and comes with a lot of little extras, including a tabletop tripod, camera, and memory.

My new "baby" will be mailed Monday, to arrive sometime this weekend. Plan on lots of extra posts of "creative" pictures once it arrives. I'm really excited to practice before I head out to Africa. I'm hoping to take a trip to Columbia at some point to practice some shots there, and of course expect some NoDa pictures as well. :-) If anyone wants me to come out and practice with them, let me know! I will have fun playing over the next month!