Wednesday, April 30, 2008

My new DSLR test shots!


Yes, yes, yes, I did it! A few days after posting my delirious DSLR craving, I took the plunge and took home my new toy! The Canon EOS 400D for a song! But all the photos before today's are still from the Sony DSC-W50 point-and-shoot. Why? Because... Tomorrow is Camemberu's first year anniversary and I will kick off the DSLR photos then and thereafter!


Besides, I need a few days to practise and get to know the new camera. Even though one of the smallest and lightest DSLRs around, it's still a monster compared to the ethereal nothingness of the slim Sony. My preliminary photos turned out worse than with the P&S! LOL! But I'm comforted to read that it can take 3-4 months getting acquainted with the quirks of a new camera.

Thanks majorly to hubby who bought this for my birthday. He says it's long overdue and believes I can go much further in photography! He instantly wins "Best Hubby in the Worlddddd!!!~!1!!" award. I'm less certain of my potential but I'm not returning the camera!

Upgraded kit lens to one with Image Stabiliser
I upgraded the kit lens to one with the Image Stabiliser feature. Canon's image stabilising function is not on the body but within the lenses (meaning costlier lenses too! Yikes!). Photo taken with the 60mm standard macro lens which I tested at the shop but did not buy. The guys at John 3:16 are very friendly. They are hardcore Canon supporters!

Did you know Canon's name is loosely based on Kannon, the Japanese goddess of mercy? Yes, it's the Guan Yin bodhisattva. And the name EOS is the Greek goddess of spring (and dawn). What divine roots, my new toy has!

Jolie sleeping
My biggest challenge is taking shots at night in dimlit situations without tripod or flash. Must hold it so steady! And pick the right aperture, ISO and shutter speeds!

Jolie Polie needs some crawling exercise!
Daytime shots are a bit easier but it is still tough indoors. My house needs more natural light! Still practising to get the much coveted blurry background! It makes Jolie look so 3D, doesn't it?

Cloudy day at Vivocity
Outdoors at 18mm widest angle. This is taken soon after I collected my FREE additional rechargeable battery (April promo) from the Canon office at Harbourfront.

Decorative pebbles
Trying out the macro mode. I can't disable the flash here (bummer!) as I can with the Sony, so I literally closed the flash unit down manually while locking in focus. Will have to figure out the manual modes in future.

Nadine and her sushi chef impression
Portrait mode, with flash (which is superbright and a bit harsh but what to do, it's night time and subject is moving all the time!). This is Nadine pretending to be an overworked sushi chef.

Double orchids, smiling
I love these. I probably will need a macro lens. But first things first, I can't even hold the camera steadily enough yet!

Boy, do I have a long way to go! Any experienced photographers out there willing to share tips and advice?

But tomorrow - food photos! I will show what I took over the weekend. Stay tuned!
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14 comments

  1. Congrats on hitting the 1yr mark! Always love your well-written reviews & well-taken photos.

    All the best and good work =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You need to buy more XXX lens and YYY accesories and ZZZ stuff for this new monstrosity of a hobby! :P I hope the best hubby in the world is reading this.... heh heh....

    Can't wait to see tomorrow's photos and happy birthday in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  3. congrats on yr new toy! i've heard lots of good things about this gem...yeah, i'm also learning how to play with the aperture, shutter speed and iso...and i heard the 50mm lens will do this 400D wonders! go get it.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jolie is sooo cute & chubby!! You're a fan of French names? :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. congrats!congrats!congrats!
    hope to see more good food photos!!

    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  6. Omg! I can't believe that 1 year passed so fast!
    Still remembered the time when I was finding reviews on a buffet and came across your url. >_<

    ReplyDelete
  7. gosh! u got it already! hahaha. congrats so happy for ya! i know exactly how u felt. lol!

    Yr blog is only 1 year? it seems so long already. hahaha

    i'll be getting mine soon, but not getting canon, mine's a nikon : )

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy Birthday Camemberu!
    Happy Birthday Camemberu Blog too!

    The pictures are already looking great! Want to see tomorrow's! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great Review!!!
    Please stop by at DSLRCHAT.com and post any reviews or comments that you like!

    This site is now in my top Favs.
    Thanx again for the review.
    dslrchat

    ReplyDelete
  10. Woah.. you've finally got your dslr. Very nice trial shots. Looking forward to see your food shots.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Welcome on board!!!

    I prefer to shoot in Tv mode, as only shutter speed is affected.

    For indoor, try to use ISO 400 and above. Sunlight, 100 - 200 ISO would be sufficient.

    ReplyDelete
  12. yipee, how exciting and congratulations on everything - birthday, blog birthday, new camera!

    ReplyDelete
  13. one of the more useful sites with lessons and posts with not much technical jargon I like is: digital-photography-school.com/blog/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wah so many comments!

    Reychen: Thank you!

    Southernoise: Haha! Wait til I grasp the XXYYZZZbillion basics about photography I need to learn first! Thanks for bday wish!

    Nic: Have you started using a 50mm lens too? :-) Your photos look great

    Ju: Hehe. Nadine and Jolie have French surnames, so we had to choose first names to suit.

    Wenn: Thanks!

    ETLS: Haha, sometimes it feels like it's been a long time!

    LIC: You getting a Nikon? Then better not go John 3:16 cos they are such Canon supporters. They wouldn't even let me touch a Nikon (in jest). Ya, can't believe it's only been one year. My blog is younger than yours too! :)

    Keropokman: Thank youuuu x3!!! From me, blog and photos.

    Didally: Yes I did it! :P Thanks

    Thoo2: Ah, I'm toying with the Av mode. Control aperture and let camera figure out shutter speed (which I am hopeless at)!

    Foodhoe: Thanks too!

    Budak: hey long time no see!!! yes, I like that blog!

    ReplyDelete

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