So…….it’s been thirteen days since I came down with whatever mess this is that makes me feel rather awful. Don’t get me wrong, I feel better. Much better. But this nasty-ass stuff will not simply go away quietly into the night. And I managed to pass it along to my wife, who is now down-and-out as well.
The timing was perfect too. I had just collected my “new” (meaning “used”) Canon Rebel XTi (which I think is the 400D in Europe) and wanted to get out and snap some test shots so that I could be certain that it was operating correctly and such. I managed to fire off maybe 15 or 20 shots before I was laid low by the monster head cold from hell. Finally getting around to viewing them almost 3-weeks later I can safely state that the camera appears to be operating according to factory specification. Yea!
I can’t tell you how nice it is to have this camera. And my pleasure at having it crosses a number of reasons: (1) having played with it a bit I have come to realize how fragile and entry-level this sort of camera really is. It doesn’t have any of the quality feel or look that my 40D has in spades. And the sound of the shutter curtain releasing and the mirror flipping up and then back down is not unlike finger nails on a chalk board when compared to the majesty of precision that is, in comparison, my 40D. (2) I wanted a camera that I could throw in the car and take with me at any moment. What I didn’t want was a camera whose theft would leave me in tears, cursing Bog and all the heavens for the injustice done to me. Not that I want this camera lifted from me either, but do the math: Canon 40D with monster glass or Canon Rebel XTi with 18-55mm. Yeah, it’s pretty much a no brainer. (3) Now I can snap lovely, lovely photos of all those things I have been seeing while I’m out, driving about town, but couldn’t photograph previously because my 40D was safe at home. Of course, now that I have the car-camera I am almost certain that I will never again see a gorgeous sunset, fantastic falcon, leaping deer, paddling geese, or interesting signage while out and about in my car. It’s just the way my life works folks.
Forkboy's Photographic Travails 
Those pancakes sure look tasty! 🙂
Glad you are on the mend!!
He dug right into them and was done in record time!
I’ve been thinking about this second camera…I like the idea but then, won’t you just get frustrated because the photos could have been a better quality?
The Rebel XTi is not that different from my 40D. While I don’t know this with any certainty, I have found plenty of info. on the web to suggest that the 40D and XTi share the same sensor. The also both use Canon’s DigiLogic III software. As such, the core of the cameras are the same or very, very comparable.
That said, even if the sensor and software were of a lower quality than what I find in my 40D, I would have made the purchase. It all came down to the desire to have access to a camera all the time AND to not have the expensive equipment sitting in the car, inviting theft.
Besides…….”quality” is a relative term. There is plenty of quality coming from folks shooting with entry level consumer dSLRs. It really is more about the person behind the camera than the camera itself. My reasons for originally purchasing the 40D are well-known and documented (here in WordPress) and had little to nothing to do with the core capabilities of the Rebel series or the Nikon D60, D70, etc.
And if one needs proof of the quality of images from the Rebel series one need only look at your images – you use a Rebel, don’t you?
good lookin stack ‘o cakes, right there. cool photo, especially the butter knife as a slice of mirror.
I started with a dSLR but now I use a nikon D60. And sometimes I got some nice photos with the earlier cheaper camera but I just do so much better with the D60.
The reason I worry about this is I love going for long hikes and a little pocket camera is so much easier to carry than my D60. I’d kind of like to have something to slip in my pocket someday when I can afford to but I worry that I’ll be disappointed in a lot of the photos. I’m already dreaming about the day when I can upgrade to a better camera and better photos.
There are plenty of good digital point-n-shoots, but oddly enough I’ll be addressing the issue of disappointment (as you state it) regarding digital point-n-shoots in an upcoming WP blog.
That’s so funny….I think of cameras like the Nikon D60 as being so small already! Not pocket-ready, of course, but pretty tiny anyway.
Just like a man—comparing sizes…tsk, tsk.
You cheeky bugger!
😉
It’s amazing how a good photographer can take something as simple as a stack of pancakes and make it come alive!
Lucky for me, I don’t like pancakes that much.
You know a photographer who can make pancakes come alive? Well please introduce me to them as I’d love to learn something about it!
😉