give us those nice bright colors

[topaz]

As it turns out, my parents have also been considering buying a digital SLR camera.  Together we reviewed some of the literature last night.  (I really like this article: http://philip.greenspun.com/photography/building-a-digital-slr-system)

All in all I am growing increasingly convinced that for a photographer at my level, choosing between Canon and Nikon is almost irrelevant.  It's impossible for me to predict what lens family I will want to be using 10 years down the line, and I find it really hard to predict what kind of advanced features I will want.

But there is one thing I really know that I want to be able to do well.  Low-light photography.

Everything that I've read still indicates that all of the mid-range DSLRs excel at low-light photography, so I'm not too worried.  But my house, as dr_memory would say, is arguably the Kobayashi Maru scenario for indoor photography.  So I need to run some trials.

This is therefore an open invitation to the DSLR aficionados on my friends list to come over to our house, in exchange for lunch or dinner or drinks or dessert, and show me how you achieve those lovely indoor photographs with natural light.  Let me know if you're interested in showing off your equipment (heh heh) and we'll set up a time.

And pls hurry!  I don't know how long I can keep my finger from hitting this "Buy it now!" button!

Comments

[dbang.livejournal.com]

Coming over might be tough but I'd be happy to send my camera along with whichever of our household goes to tomorrow's Mosaic meeting.

But...what do you mean by "good at low light photography"? The really critical things are: highest possible ISO (1600 on the D50; dunno on the Rebel); widest open aperture (i.e. lowest f-stop number), which is dependent on the lens, not the camera; and vibration reduction, if you can afford a lens which has it, again a function of the lens, not camera. Beyond those variables, I don't see how different cameras are going to vary in how they handle low light.

You'll also want to be shooting in "RAW" mode which, although it takes more disk space and adds a step or to to your post-camera workflow, gives you the most control over troubling lighting situations.

Plus, of course, there are flashes. :-)

[penk.livejournal.com]

I'll go with diana here, the flash is a kicker. I picked up an olympus external bounce flash for my camera, and oi what a difference.

If I get a chance, I'll haull it over. It ain't DSLR, but it might be a nice baseline.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY get a 50mm (non-zoom) lens. With either Canon or Nikon, it's less than $100 and gives you f/1.8, which lets you take all KINDS of indoor shots you wouldn't otherwise be able to take.

If you can stand dealing with RAW files, that'll help. External flashes bounced off stuff will help. But seriously, buy the 50mm lens along with the camera.

ooh ooh!

[arfur]

Please post your findings. I'm starting to play with the idea of getting a DSLR. From the links and comments, looks like I need to get used to the idea of a prime lens.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I've got a Canon 10D ( prosumer version of the Rebel ) and I simply love it to pieces. Maximum speed is ISO equivalent of 3200 and using an older Canon 50 1.8 I've taken pictures in places I wouldn't have believed.

Taking others advice: A bounce swivel flash is a great boon, the ones that match the camera are awesome, but also awesome expensive.

Take some pains to get the older version of the Canon 1.8 if you go Canon, the new one has a polycarbonate lens mount and based on a hand to hand just feels trashy in comparison.

Good luck.

[mangosteen]

I'll have to chime in with "get a 50mm f/1.8" as well.

Besides the fact that it's fast (i.e. lets in a lot of light, so you can use faster exposures), cheap (<$100), and sharp, it also teaches you how to zoom using your feet, because different focal lengths do a more than "make the subject bigger or smaller."

[vokzal.livejournal.com]

I have a 50mm on my non-digital SLR, and yes, it is a good length. *g*

Get close, move in, don't zoom.