Wow. Canon updated the EOS-1D to Mark III. 10MP. 10fps. 3" LCD.Dual Digic III processors. Integrated sensor cleaner. ISO 6400.

Now I just need $3,999 US. Anyone need a kidney?

I’ve been jonesing for a zoom lens since I picked up my Canon XT back in June. The kit lens is not too bad (aside from some chromatic aberration), but a longer lens would be great. I had been eyeing the Canon 55-200 EF lens, at around $300 bucks at the local Black’s, but after reading some reviews, I want to stay far far away from that lens and its questionable build quality.

After a bit of poking around on The Camera Store’s site, I think I’ve found a much better alternative. A Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 APO Macro. There’s no image stabilization, so I’ll have to use a tripod when in the 200-300mm range, but at $320CDN, it’s a much better deal. And reviews suggest a much sturdier build quality.

Poking around some sample images shot with that lens, I’m pretty happy with it. Sure, it might not stack up against a $1500 lens with image stabilization and the works, but it’s cheap enough to be able to pick it up without many regrets.

Unfortunately, I think the lens is too slow for much indoor work. I don’t think it’s a suitable candidate for photographing workshops here at the TLC. But as an outdoor lens, it looks pretty darned good.

Update: On recommendation from Raffaella, I think I’ll hold out for the Canon 28-135mm f.3.5-5.6 IS USM. It’s a little more spendy (just under $600 CDN), and not quite as long, but the Sigma may be too long, and the build quality won’t be quite as good as this. And the image stabilization would help when shooting at the 135mm end of the lens. Now to go return some more empty bottles, and look under the cushions on my couch…

I’ve been trying to find an answer to this, but haven’t found anything definitive either way. Occasionally, I want to bring my Canon XT DSLR along when riding my bike. I might want to photograph something on campus at work, or along the path.

So, the question is – is it safe to pack the XT inside a compact LowePro case, and stuff that in a pannier? It seems pretty secure, but I wonder about vibrations from the ride (about half an hour, ranging from 20-60 km/h, depending on weather, traffic, blood sugar…)

I’m trying to avoid a backpack, so I’ve tried this a few times without any obvious issues. But, am I begging for trouble? Better to suck it up and use a backpack or messenger bag? I suppose I could also stuff the camera inside the LowePro case, and put that inside the larger LowePro/Canon carrying case, and bungie that to the top of the rear rack…

Update: Did some more Googling, and came up with:

• DSLR on a motorbike
• DSLR on a motorbike 2
• on a bicycle touring trip (using handlebar bag)

I was at the mall with Evan today, and we popped through the Toys ‘R Us store. They had a cool looking little toy digital camera for $19, so I just had to pick it up for Evan to mess around with. The box said the software was only for Windows, but I just assumed that MacOSX would be able to see it magically, as it does for everything else that claims to be Windows-only.

No luck. I’ve been googling for drivers or apps or hacks, without any success. Does anyone know how to get pictures from a VuPoint Solutions DC-M1082-VP onto MacOSX? I don’t care if I have to delve into obscure command line utilities, or compile some open source project. I just have to find a way to get Evan’s masterpieces off the camera. And, no, I am not going to buy a Windows machine to do it. It’d be cheaper/easier to just buy a new Canon XTi and hand him my XT

He’s been shooting pictures almost non-stop since I handed him the camera. That’s pretty cool.

So, 2 months after I finally get my Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D), they announce the upgrade. The 400D/XTi sounds pretty nice, but I’m not regretting getting the XT when I did.

Things I like about the 400D/XTi:

• 10 megapixels – more is better, right?
• dust removing shake-off of sensor
• new sensor – lower noise, apparently
• bigger LCD
• large continuous shoot buffer – twice as many rapidfire shots
• eyepiece sensor shuts off LCD automatically when you hold the camera to your eye
• RGB histogram, in addition to luminance
• slightly less costly than the XT

Things I don’t like about the upgrade:

• lack of second LCD. it was dropped, I assume, to make room for the bigger main LCD, but it’s really nice having the separate (dimmer) LCD for main settings without having to power up the main LCD. This is especially nice when shooting at night, when the bigger brighter LCD blows your night vision away, while the smaller, dimmer, orange-glowing secondary LCD on the 350D/XT is nice and handy
• my XT is technically obsolete. stupid progress…

So, while more pixels, and a cleaner (physically and image-wise) sensor are nice, the lack of the secondary LCD kinda sucks. But, the 350D/XT is still more camera than I know what to do with (yet) so I have absolutely no regrets. I didn’t think I’d be able to say that after my XT became obsolete, but I’m still loving my camera. However, if Canon wants to send me a 400D/XTi upgrade for my 60-day-old 350D/XT, I won’t complain… I’m curious to see how this new model stacks up against Nikon’s new D80, as well.

A test shot taken with my new Canon Digital Rebel XT. The lense cap was on, and the Vt mode was selected with a 30″ exposure. I count 14 visible bad “spots” (pixels?), but Photoshop’s Histogram counted many (i.e., dozens/hundreds) of bright non-black pixels in the image.

This will make photographs of stars basically impossible, as there will always be bright blue/red/gray spots on every dark image.

Father's Day came early at my house. And Christmas. And my birthday. And Kwanzaa. For the next several years. Janice got me my Canon Digital Rebel XT today. What a sweet camera.

We sprung for the Canon XT, with spare battery, vertical grip, case, UV filter, and some other goodies I'm forgetting at the moment. Not sure if/when/how I'll use the vertical grip, but the extra battery will come in handy. I've attached the UV filter as a permanent fixture, if nothing else than to protect the lense.

Here's a sample from the first roll I took with the new toy: