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Anonymous
Oh god.

I went Canon. I have a Rebel XTi, a 50mm F1.8, kit lens, and a Tamron 28-75 F2.8.

To be honest, I feel I kinda fucked up.

I don't feel motivated enough to take it out to take pictures because my Tamron (400 bucks) is heavy as hell, not inconspicuous enough, and sometimes not wide enough either, even if it's good quality.

I've come to love my prime lens, however (50 1.8). It's small, inconspicuous, light, fast, sharp.... but it's too narrow. I can't always use it.

The competition looks tempting. Nikon and Pentax owners speak of wonders and happy stories, and hear nothing but criticism of Canon, not that this last bit is too important. I cannot, however, now that I've done such an investment, switch brands, not any time soon.

For the moment, I find more joy in shooting a small manual film camera than I do my DSLR, and it irks me. What should I do? Do you think getting something I'm more comfortable using regularly such as a 35mm F/2 will cure this?
>> Anonymous
Eh, maybe. I have owned a couple Canon DSLRs (20D, 1D) and didn't like shooting with them. Then I bought a few Nikon DSLRs (D1x, D200, D2x) and like them a lot better, but still don't particularly like shooting with them... they were all too big, heavy, and ergonomically poor.

I love to shoot with my Leica M3, but really wish it were digital. An M8 is out of the question for the moment because of the price.

In summation, I don't really think swapping systems will really solve your problem. Unfortunately current SLRs just suck to use. The 35mm f/2 is probably a worthwhile piece of equipment to have though.
>> Anonymous
Leica M8
>> sage
I enjoy shooting with my XTi, but do find it less appealing than shooting with my Canon A-1. Unfortunately, I lack the funds, skills, and resources to do any good film processing myself and I'm an impatient fellow like many new amateur photographers. I just got the 35 f/2 last week and so far I like it. The auto focus is about on par with the 50mm f/1.8, the bokeh is quite good, but I just wish I could manual focus while it is also in auto focus mode (but that's the cost of using cheap, older primes). You may want to look into one of the 28mm lenses, as the 35mm is not terribly wide on the crop sensor. It makes a better walk around than the 50mm, but I find it can be too narrow at times.

And always remember, every camera brand and every camera has its own quirks and disadvantages that another brand/camera deals with better.

Also, if you don't have a battery grip for your XTi, I recommend one. Makes it easier to hold, and I personally like the added weight. It never leaves my camera now.
>> Serenar !m827jEgWi.
I purposely got an outdated camera because I like film cameras and digital convenience, and I can't afford an M8 (RD-1 <3). As a result I get frustrated at its shitty low light performance and sometimes get annoyed when I miss focus in dim light, and also get pissy when I think about how I can't afford anything wider than a 53mm equiv. But that's what you give up when you decide you'd rather not have modern-er technology.

I see no reason why Canon DSLRs specifically suck though - a Nikon or Pentax owner with that massive Tamron lens would have the same problems. Try out the kit lens - it's cheap, light, and is wide enough at the short end, even if the image quality isn't perfect.
>> Anonymous
welcome to canon ;D

personally your options for primes are:
28 2.8 (on the cheap)
28 1.8 (on the costly, but with USM and nice build)
30 1.4 (on the costly, but nice build, HSM/USM and is the fastest of the lot)
35 2.0 (again on the cheap and prob similar results to the fitty)

personally and honestly ive only used and currently own the sigma 30 1.4
i love it, its a great match to a fifty, though somehow i feel you may not have the funds for it :S
in that case going by reviews and your budget id prob go with the 28 2.8 or the 35 you mentioned.
the only catches are that the 35 is sorta close to the 50(only 15mm focal difference :S)
however, the 28 is a bit wider but its also slower and only as fast as a nice zoom, like the 28-75 youve got, though its smaller.
you need to consider all these sorta things, though it sounds like you want the 35, so ionno.

also, i looooove my canon! ive quickly used a nikon d70(?) and i really missed the wheel on the back! its a huge advantage personally.
though i did prefer the more rounded right hand side of the nikon.
personally i dont see myself changing just yet though ;p
>> Anonymous
>>207355
OP, you might consider getting a small point and shoot with manual controls.

Pretty much any manual Ricoh will do you, Canon G series, and any Panasonic with raw support if you're willing to shoot raw, as you should anyway- JPEG processing isn't good at all on them, but otherwise they're great.
>> Anonymous
>>207361
yea, but wouldnt one of those richoh GR's cost nearly, if not more than one of those cheap 28/35's?
>> Anonymous
>>207369
Yep, but they'd be better suited for the task, and wider, if the OP wants that.

There's also a zoom model with the awesome feature of a detachable shoe-mounted EVF.
>> Anonymous
>>207338
>Unfortunately current SLRs just suck to use. The 35mm f/2 is probably a worthwhile piece of equipment to have though.
That does indeed seem to be the case. : / For the time being, however, at least it's a small camera body, nothing too big (though something tells me a 5D would be well worth the size... but then again I cant afford that).
I would like to have a Leica some day.

>>207344
>You may want to look into one of the 28mm lenses, as the 35mm is not terribly wide on the crop sensor. It makes a better walk around than the 50mm, but I find it can be too narrow at times.
I've heard that about the 35 F2 a little bit, but the angle vs speed seems marginal. I've become a little spoiled by the 1.8 and would possibly take the F2 over the 28 F2.8. I have that length and speed on the big lens too. The film camera I have has a 50mm lens but the viewfinder doesn't really match the picture, it's more narrow than the lens. It might be that I actually would like it to be a little bit more narrow than 50. Perhaps it wouldnt be too bad for me. I'll have to check samples though.

>Also, if you don't have a battery grip for your XTi, I recommend one. Makes it easier to hold, and I personally like the added weight.
I was originally considering getting one (long hands), but didnt go through with it. I haven't had the chance to try one though, so I still dont think I'd put it as a main priority.

>>207346
Rangefinders seem like really fun cameras to use, though you're right in that their lenses are quite pricey. Perhaps I'd be able to get a Bessa much sooner than a Leica (doesnt take care of the lens though)? heheh... not out to buy a new body/system though, really.
I'm just a bit disappointed with my lens angle of view choices. I'll give the kit lens a shot, even though it feels a bit regrettable. Spent so much cash on that big lens to end up using the 'weakest' one? Hrm... Bah, I already have it anyways, don't I? I'll try it out.
>> Anonymous
>>207355
Weeeell... new to canon is relative. I've had the camera and the lenses for about 6 months now. Yes, the 30mm 1.4 does look like a nice lens, though I personally rather buy only EF lenses (that can be used for both film and digital) so that option's pretty much discarded by default. :[ What you said about the speed on the 28 is true; it's only as fast as my big zoom. The 28 1.8 looks very nice too, specially because of the build and FTM. It's too expensive, though. I'll be getting a little bit of cash soon, so I might get to buy either the 35 or the 28 soon enough (actually leaning towards the 35 as yo guessed).

>>207361
Hmmmm I personally would like to keep on using my SLR, definitely over a point and shoot. One of the biggest problems with even manual point and shoots is that their lenses arent fast enough, their DOF is too wide for my taste (no selective focus, or even manual focus), and their lenses' apertures tend to have only two settings, which seems a little bit pointless, considering the DOF is so wide. As for RAW, I do shoot in that format all the time with the XTi. I would too on my point and shoot. Point and shoots might offer some control on speed, but their lenses generally dont have much control over aperture or even relevance on whether you control it or not, and I'm not exactly sure how big the advantage of using RAW on a point and shoot would be over simply using it as usual. Well, other than white balance, which actually is important. I don't know, I think I rather spend the 200 bucks on the small lens instead and use my good gear more.

>>207369
He's right about the GR-Ds. They seem like fine cameras, but they probably are a little bit over budget.

Thanks for the replies everybody, the absence of trolling is greatly appreciated. I'll look into these lenses and will try to put all of my gear into heavier use. Again, thanks a lot.
>> Serenar !m827jEgWi.
>>207373
Ah, if you're willing to use film, you have many options now.

Ricoh GR series: Spawned the GR-D, and thus have wide lenses too - 28s and 21s, I think. A little pricey though.

Fuji's premium point n' shoots: I think the Klasse W has a 28mm.

Olympus XA: Aperture priority rangefinder with a 35/2.8 and is actually pocketable.

Leica III series with 35/3.5 Elmar: Mediocre lens quality and somewhat silly ergonomics, but you get to be a Leica snob and also have a teeny camera.

Canon P: Excellent Leica screw mount rangefinder. Affordable too. Try:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-P-Leica-screw-mt-with-50mm-lens-CLAd-Excellent_W0QQitemZ160250192855QQihZ0
06QQcategoryZ30027QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-Serenar-35mm-2-8-RF-lens-Leica-M39-for-IIB-II-F-P_W0QQitemZ310058366366QQi
hZ021QQcategoryZ30027QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
or something similar. Other old Canons are good too.

and so on. Though you should probably work on making your Canon kit something you enjoy using first.
>> Anonymous
why dont all you winey fags get the olympus E-420 its supposed to be small and you can get the pancake for it. smallest dslr and lens combo on the market i do believe.
or you could just stop bawwing about the size of your camera
>> Anonymous
>>207382


Well it's not a Canikon so lol it's no good lol lol
>> Anonymous
I do walk-around shooting with a 5D and a 24-105 f/4L. If that's too heavy for you, you're a fucking pussy who needs to go lift some weights and quit bawwwwwwwwwwing.