Ack! So I am the new owner of a Canon Rebel xTi.........

cindys732003

cindys732003

Sweet Shoppe Designer
hubby bought me one for my b-day! YAY! I so far just got the kit lens 18-55mm, but plan on getting a zoom lens in a couple of months
I was using a Kodak DX7590 point and shoot (with some manual options) before this. So I was playing around with the Canon a bit tonight (finally had the time to, because we were at the beach all day) and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am a bit disappointed with the photos...............
I know this is probably just a beginner thing, but I was just taking a few photos of Ashley in auto mode, in the house with some natural light coming in the window. First, the photos have kind of a yellowy tone to them the colors seem a little "off" ie her shirt and eyes look kind of aqua instead of light blue. Plus, I could not get a perfectly clear photo, I though I was holding perfectly still and I managed to get clear shots with the Kodak. Please tell me this is a beginner thing! Are there any adjustments I should be making with the camera even though I am shooting in auto mode? I shot the same photos with my Kodak and my pictures look better LOL! I know I've got a lot of practicing to do, but I was hoping for some decent shots hahha!.
Let me say though, I am thoroughly impressed with the speed of the camera.....wow, plus it is pretty easy to figure out how to use it and navigate the menus etc.....
So any tips, suggestions....etc?
 
Congrats on the camera Cindy! My only suggestion really is to really read your manual and learn your camera. Secondly, I'd just play play play with it! I still get yellowy pics inside but the lighting in my basement is just blah. I color correct most of them lol..outside though I love my photos!
 
Happy birthday! What a great gift. I have an Xti too, it's a awesome camera. I bought a book on Amazon that is for the Xti that helped supplement the owner's manual quite well ... and Understanding Exposure is my best friend right now too.
 
Woo hoo!! Happy Birthday and congratulations on the new camera!!

I just got a new Nikon D300 and I have to tell you I have taken some really bad photos with it! hahahaha!! It's an awesome camera and has the capabilities to take unbelievable pictures but you do have to know a bit about what you're doing. I'm assuming your new cannon is going to be the same way. It sounds like your white balance needs adjusting a bit. That might be why your colors are off.

Another thing that has helped me tremendously is I bought a book just for the D300. I didn't read the manual but this book is much easier to read and understand. You might see if they have a field guide for your Cannon.

Anyway have fun! I can't wait to see some of your photos!!
 
Congrats on your new camera Cindy!! That's awesome!! I do have to agree with Meghan - definitely read your manual - it will help so much!! I just got my first DSLR in April and I'm STILL learning about it!! Have fun learning and experimenting with it!! You'll end up loving it!! :) I just had to add that I've taken some really bad photos with mine too!! :P
 
Cindy, happy birthday!!!

Im still trying to learn my xti (which is over a year old) -- but yes, it seems it doesnt take great pics at first because I (the photographer) didnt even know what to do with it. Play play and play some more, and the sooner you get out of Auto and use Manual the better :D
 
Congrats and happy birthday!!! I have no tips or helpful advise, I just wanted you to know that I am really jealous! lol! :p
 
I got the XTi at the beginning of the year and I'm still taking bad pictures with it. LOL! Camera shake is my problem, especially indoors because the light is bad. I'm constantly using flash so I can shoot in manual mode and it just doesn't look as good as natural light of course. Outdoors it is fabulous!

My first pictures were icky too. I think I expected perfection right away because of the camera. I soon learned that there is quite a learning curve with an SLR. There is a field guide for the camera, and it's very good. A quick search on Amazon will bring it up.

Have fun playing!
 
I have no advice but I too wanted to say congrats and Happy Birthday and that I am a little jealous....at the top of my list for bday present for me!
 
Make sure you have auto-focus on and click on the shoot button lightly before you take the pic to have it auto-focus for you. (auto-focus should be on the front, left hand side, up by the lens)
And, click on the WB button down on your directional pad, that should help balance your color, sounds like it's heavy on the tungsten. I'm still learning mine, too.
 
CONGRATS Cindy!
I was determined to get an XTI in February, but totally chickened out at the last second and went with a littlf Fuji hybrid.
I have poured over the manual for that time and again...so I would suggest hat you do that, devour that thing...LOL
I think I have talked myself out of a Canon now, and am going to go with a Nikon when my savings gets built back up...
Dang-I'm babbling!
 
Congrats!! I just have an XT but i still LOVE it. My pics don't turn out very well indoors either and i've had mine for a year and a half. and yes, thought there is a lot to learn (i'm still learning!) try to get out of the habit of using auto and practice with manual. i found out that if i'm ouside i can use manual no problem. if i'm inside i have to have LOTS of light or they are blurry. Plus, i almost alwasy edit my pics in photoshop too, to fix problems like sharpening or color. And when you finally take a great shot, its all worth the trouble (and the cost of the dang camera, lol)! Have fun and can't wait to see some awesome pictures!
 
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Congrats on the new camera Cindy!!! I don't really have much to add, you have already gotten some wonderful advice. I got my first DSLR almost 2 years ago and I was slightly dissapointed at first. But don't freak just yet about the pictures you got...it will get better I promise :). Someone else said "the quicker you get out of auto mode the better"...and in my opinion I COMPLETLEY agree. You'll be able to adjust the color balance and that alone makes a huge difference. Good luck!! :)
 
Congrats on the SLR, Cindy!

I would say, you will see a big difference in your photos once you start learning how to shoot in Manual and once you just get to know the camera a little bit more. I'd pick up the book Understanding Exposure.
 
I have a Canon Rebel {not xti} and I LOVE it...it takes LOTS of practice in auto mode...I use auto mode the majority of the time and alot of times my pics are out of focus becuase it is so sensitive that it focuses on something other then my subject....but the more you practice the more you will learn to LOVE it!!! I promise! and CONGRATS on a GREAT gift!
 
juliebee70 said:
I recommend getting the Canon Rebel XTi Field Guide. It's been really helpful for me! I need to just sit and read the whole thing and experiment, but I can say that I'm happy with the guide so far!
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I totally agree with this! I got the Magic Lantern Guide book and it made a huge difference.

And for me- practicing different settings outside in natural light first made it easier to take indoor photos.

Oh- and try using the P mode instead of the green box. You are able to change basic settings like ISO and focus points and have more control without getting into the advanced stuff.
 
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Oh Congrats Cindy! I would definitely echo what the other girls said... just play with it as much as you can. Really push yourself to get into shooting only in manual mode and you will learn SO much faster.

The other thing that I found that helped me was to get the 50mm lens. Because it allows for a much lower aperature, you can shoot so much better indoors with just natural window light. I've found with my kit lens, I'm only realy happy with the photos if I am outdoors.
 
Congrats Cindy! Tony has an XTi, and bought me an XT for my birthday, that I got on Friday. I was shooting with his XTi in manual for the past week or so, and this weekend we went all touristy and he brought me places to practice with my camera. It was great, I shot in manual all the time, and though some of the pics were blown out, most were not, I am slowly figuring it all out, and I say, just go and shoot, shoot, shoot!

I have found a new hobby! Have fun!!!
 
Thank you for all your responses everyone, all the tips and tricks are so helpful and I really appreciate it! I didn't really expect to get a perfect photo right off the bat, but the poor color and blurriness just threw me off. I picked up the field guide that Julie suggested, so I'm gonna start reading it, hopefully it will help!!!

One more question......how much do you all edit your photos in terms of brightness, color, etc. Are you ever happy with the photos that come directly from your camera???:)
 
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I try really hard to get my exposure right when shooting, so that I do not have to edit brightness. But sometimes with indoor shooting, it's inevitable.

I'm a lazy photographer and I do not enjoy the post-processing, so I would rather spend the time and effort on getting the lighting right while I'm shooting.

When I do have to edit brightness, I mostly use just simple level adjustments or actions because that is easiest. The one thing I do end up editting a lot is blemishes... LOL! I have a baby with excema and you would never know it to look at my photos would you? LOL!

I meant to say also Cindy that I know that in some ways the camera manual and books can be a bit overwhelming. I learned the basics from a friend of mine and I really preferred having her talk me through it, so if you ever want some help just PM me and I would be glad to help where I can!
 
mrs_jb said:
I try really hard to get my exposure right when shooting, so that I do not have to edit brightness. But sometimes with indoor shooting, it's inevitable.

I'm a lazy photographer and I do not enjoy the post-processing, so I would rather spend the time and effort on getting the lighting right while I'm shooting.

When I do have to edit brightness, I mostly use just simple level adjustments or actions because that is easiest. The one thing I do end up editting a lot is blemishes... LOL! I have a baby with excema and you would never know it to look at my photos would you? LOL!

I meant to say also Cindy that I know that in some ways the camera manual and books can be a bit overwhelming. I learned the basics from a friend of mine and I really preferred having her talk me through it, so if you ever want some help just PM me and I would be glad to help where I can!
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Ya, I don't think I would be able to tell you edited your photos....they are gorgeous! If you have time, could you link me up to the lens that you have? TY! And thanks for your offer to help me out, I'm sure I will have more questions LOL!!! :)
 
cindys732003 said:
Ya, I don't think I would be able to tell you edited your photos....they are gorgeous! If you have time, could you link me up to the lens that you have? TY! And thanks for your offer to help me out, I'm sure I will have more questions LOL!!! :)
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Awww, thank you Cindy! I'm really happy with how far my photos have come, because when I started about a year and a half ago I never thought I was going to be able to get it. But if you just keep at it and make yourself try, you'll pick it up fast!

I have these two lenses, in addition to my kit lense...
Tamron 25-75mm
50 mm

I learned on the 50 mm. It is really a portrait lens, but because it is prime (doesn't zoom) you can really learn a lot about your settings. I would keep this lens on my camera more if it weren't for having kids that move so fast! LOL! That's one thing about this lens, it's NOT for action shots, but I still love it anyway.

The Tamron lens I only got this Spring and it is awesome. You have more control than you do with the kit lens and it's just great for so many different situations. This is what I have on my camera 95% of the time.

My first tip for just starting out and learning your settings would be to set your display (for after you take the photo) to show you the histogram. This will show you the exposure on your photos and it will instantly help you see what setting adjustments do and what you want to do to lighten or darker. I've learned not to trust what I see in the LCD screen too much because it's not always a good representation of what you will see once you download.

I'm always happy to help!
 
mrs_jb said:
I have these two lenses,
Tamron 28-75mm
50 mm


The Tamron lens I only got this Spring and it is awesome. You have more control than you do with the kit lens and it's just great for so many different situations. This is what I have on my camera 95% of the time.
Click to expand...

I also have the Tamron 28-75 2.8 and I keep it on my camera all the time. I am really loving that lense! It seems to be the perfect combo of speed and zoom for typical pics. And because it is fast, it doesn't need a ton of light to get clear shots. I need to purchase a super zoom for sports photography and distance shots like at the zoo, but that might be a looong while. You'll find that having a camera like this can turn into a very expensive hobby! LOL
 
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