Sunday, July 06, 2008

Gone Shoppin': Roxy's New Baby is a Canon EOS Rebel XSi Digital SLR Camera!

My loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know that I take a lot of pictures...as Grammy and Grandmom put it, "They take a picture of those two girls every time they turn around!" (Note: and sometimes they don't even have to turn around, they're so cute just sitting on the steps on our porch in Bay Head, eating ice cream cones) Now, I may not share all of them with you...just like LadyJava with her paper bags that make me laugh so hard, I'm not comfortable showing my face online, but I take about 12,000 pictures per year.

This new camera will be my third Canon Digital Rebel, and as you might guess, I swear by these cameras for serious digital photography. I bought my first digital SLR camera, the original Canon Digital Rebel, in January 2005. I sold it to Lynnette and Tom and bought the Canon Digital Rebel XT in January 2007. And now it's time to step up to 12.2 megapixels and the Canon EOS Rebel XSi.

Monday Morning Update: I'd like to respond to a comment or two about WHY I like the Canon Digital Rebel series. Please keep in mind that I am a "family photographer," not a professional photographer, but that is just what makes this line of Canon digital SLR cameras perfect for me. Back in high school and college, I learned a bit about F-stops and aperture and lighting and all the adjustments you can make to SLR (single lens reflex) film cameras. And, now that I'm too busy enjoying my children and my social life while simultaneously wielding a camera to want to set up the perfect shot every time, Canon lets me have it both ways. You can set it for "everything automatic" and the camera takes care of everything for you, point and shoot. Or you can use all of your photographic expertise to set up the camera for the type of shots you're taking each time. I presume this is the case with other digital SLRs, but I'm here to tell you why I love my Canons, not to offer you a comparison with all the others on the market.

For my purposes, the most important feature of a digital SLR (that sets it apart from a "regular" digital camera) is the speed. I was at Lynette's 7-year-old daughter's birthday party a couple of months back at Pastime Lanes in Mendham, NJ and realized too late that I had the wrong camera with me for a kid's bowling party. Kids are hard to keep up with, especially when they're engaged in sports, unless you have a single lens reflex (SLR) camera.

I first started using a digital camera (an Olympus CAMEDIA C-2000 ZOOM) back in 1999 to take pictures at Rex's sons' high school basketball games, and continued to use it until digital SLRs were introduced and I bought a Canon Digital Rebel in 2004. With the Olympus and all subsequent non-SLR digital cameras, I have found that the camera can't keep up with the action and I end up with a lot of pictures where the subject had run out of the frame. All I have left is a glimpse of hair, a tennis racket, a bowling shoe.

While you might assume that the answer is that the digital SLR is the answer for all occasions, I've discovered that I really need different cameras for different activities.

I have three digital cameras:

  • Canon Digital Rebel XT (soon to be replaced by the Canon EOS Rebel XSi): Fast enough to keep up with my kids on the tennis court, or the Duke Blue Devils on the basketball court.
  • Pentax WPi Optio: The WP stands for waterproof, but it is also somewhat sand-proof. While I rarely take the bulky digital SLR to the beach, and therefore miss some shots of the kids riding a wave in to shore, a small waterproof digital camera fits in your beach bag and still works if it gets wet.
  • Apple iPhone: I use an iPhone, but most cell phones seem to come with a camera option these days. Because it's your phone, it fits in your purse, pocket, or briefcase and is almost always with you.

The last item I'd like to mention about the Canon EOS Digital Rebel series of cameras is that, if you are the proud owner of a Canon EOS film camera, and accesorized with various telephoto, wide angle and zoom lenses, the EOS lenses are interchangeable across the Canon EOS line of cameras, whether film or digital.

15 comments:

Matthew S. Urdan said...

Can I have your old camera?

RoxiticusDH said...

Matt,
I'm already down the path of selling it to my neighbor at the beach in Bay Head, but if she changes her mind, you're first on my list.
Roxy

LadyJava said...

Ok.. the paperbags are being fedex even as we speak...lolzz!!!

MamaFlo said...

Interesting. I've been doing research into buying our first DSLR and still haven't made a decision as to what brand I want as I keep reading that you buy not just into a camera but a family of lenses.
Why do you like Canon?

Anonymous said...

Roxy, I'm in the market for a new camera, but I'm hardly the DSLR type. But thanks for the Canon endorsement. --mudge

Matthew S. Urdan said...

Thanks Rox, I need a good digital SLR! And something tells me your throw-a-way would be the best camera I could ever hope to own.

_________

All, it's Sunday and I'm catching up on comments for the week. This is in response to your comment on my post: 1968 vs. 2008: Where Have We gone Wrong?

jlpro--Sometimes the only language that is appropriate are words like "no shit." I'm glad you enjoyed the read.

Mrs. Mecomber--I know, and isn't it sad that those of us who were kids in the sixties with all this freedom haven't learned any measure of restraint?

Jan--so what do we do about the whiny ass minority?

ireland5--great comments...I suppose the hard part is to figure out HOW to bring back personal responsibility, eh? And you're right, it's not the whole generation, just like what Jan says--the whiny ass minority.

hparis--I agree, the rise in social welfare is bad, however, it began during the depression and according to Tom Brokaw, "The Greatest Generation" turned out all right with social welfare. The thing is, social welfare, including social security has been institutionalized. How do we break away from it and stop this cycle of entitlement and taxation?

Roxy, thank you as always for your kind words. Do chime in on the debate if you get a moment.

sizzlingpopcorn--Your rant is indicative of the frustration that I think most of us feel.

Shelia--I really appreciate your awesome blog, but even more that that I appreciate your sharp mind. I think we think along the same lines on many subjects, it would be great to collaborate on some posts in the future, and if you had the time, it would be great if you could start an opinion-oriented blog.

threecollie--how could I possibly tell you graduated in 1970 just because you think this post is a good one?

Cheers!

Bugz said...

I would love to have a new camera, but as my husband says, it doesn't matter what kind of camera I get, I still suck at taking pictures hahaha.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh....
I drooool....
Very sexy camera!
It rocks, Rox!

maiylah said...

congratulations!!!
got mine a few months ago ... and it's my first dslr. lol. :)

Mariuca said...

Wowie!! New camera for Roxy! I'm thinking of getting a new one myself but with unexpected additional expenses piling up, this has to take a backseat for now. Have a good day Roxy! :)

Here with MPG! :)

Mariuca said...

Hiya Roxy, am back here on my second round. It's 4.55pm right now and I have been hit my the sleepy bug, can't keep my eyes open! Hope to finish my round before I doze off right here at my desk! ;)

Anonymous said...

I love my canon rebel. LOVE it.

Anonymous said...

Exciting. I'm in the middle of researching new cameras (mine was purchased in 2004, so its time) and appreciate the info on yours.

Mariuca said...

Phew! 5 more votes to go, glad I made it! Good luck Roxy! :)

Anonymous said...

I love a good Camera I have a Pentax MZ60 with Sigma Lenses

And then I have a Lumix DMC TZ15 Digital..

And I have a SonyHDRSR5E Handycam
- these are all relatively newish apart from My Pentax which I have had for a bit longer
These are superior products and I Just love them :)

I love taking photos/videos of my kids