Digital cameras 101

[riley]

I am an interior designer.  I have a Lumix DMC FX35 which is great because it is small and does well with general shots of furniture.

But I want something more serious with a longer flash range, and that will turn out GOOD QUALITY SHOTS (8 x 10) of rooms for my portofolio.  Most of the rooms do not have bright light.

Obviously a wide angel lens is important.  Any recommendations?

[ShutterbugGail]

I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any DSLR produced in the last year or so. My understanding is that some of the best low light DSRLs are those made by Nikon and Canon.

Depending on the distance you take wide angle interior shots, you'll want to get a wide angle diffuser for the pop-up flash. For even better flash performance, get an external flash.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/accessories/external-flashes/flash_benefits.php

When buying a DSLR, you're buying into a system. So take time to look at what lenses and accessories are available before deciding.

One of your best investments may be a fast, wide angle lens. A lens is called fast because the larger aperture lets more light pass through during a given time span. When more light falls upon a subject, pictures can be shot with faster shutter speeds.

Please do your homework, because some wide angle lenses have more lens distortion than others. A great place to read the pros and cons of lenses (and cameras) is the Fred Miranda site:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/

It is important to understand that some DSLRs have focal length multipliers, so you will need a wider angle lens than if you were using a 35mm camera. For example, my Canon XSi has a FLM of 1.6, so a standard 28mm wide angle lens has an effective focal length of just under 45mm, not useful for most wide angle photography.

If the cost of a fast lens is too much, be sure to get and use a tripod (and use a remote or self-timer to trigger the shutter).

If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Related reading

Focal lens multiplier:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/11/flm.php

Fast lenses:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/accessories/lenses/lens-speed.php

Tips on photographing real estate: (some are applicable to interior photography)

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/special-subjects/property.php

[riley]

Gail -

Thanks for your feedback.  I have called some large camera stores in the Los Angeles area and they both recommend the Canon Rebel XSI.

They also recommend either a Canon 10-22 lens or Tokin 11-16.

Can you point me in a direction with specific reviews?

Thanks.

[Mike54]

riley, here are the reviews from Fred Miranda;

Canon 10-22

Tokina 12-24

and just for good measure Tokina 10-17

All three are rated pretty highly though I admit I have not personal experience with these ultra wides.

[admin]

I'd like to add a few additional thoughts.

If you're torn between two lenses, buy the fastest lens you can afford since you will be taking a lot of inside shots.

I bought the Canon XSi 450D and have written about it extensively in my blog. You may find some of the information helpful:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/12/

Someone emailed me information about getting the best out of a DSLR flash. When asked, they agreed that I could post it as an article. You may find it helpful down the road too:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/taking-photos/lighting-techniques/dslr_flash.php

Some photo editing programs have lens correction tools that you may need for some wide angle shots.

Canon's Digital Photo Pro, which is included on the CD that comes with the XSi, automatically corrects for vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberration when editing RAW files. However, it works only with some Canon EOS lenses. If this interests you, you may want to take that into consideration when buying a lens.

[bdery]

Hi,

I will add a few thoughts.

Regarding flashes, if you get an external flash, get one with a head that swivels and tilts, so that you can send the light on the cieling and not diretly in front of you. Doing this is called "bouncing" the light, and delivers results that are much softer and pleasant. If the cieling is coloured, however, this can lead to weird colour results.

Second, since so far you are considering the XSi, and that it does not have image stabilization built-in (Canon and Nikon prefer to place image stabilization in specific lenses, while other brands place it in the camera body so all lenses are stabilized) consider getting a tripod if you end up not using an external flash. this could be a better idea, actually, since by doing so you could control the way the room is lit (with light coming from windows, lamps, etc). Using a tripod helps you get sharp pictures even in very low light. If you use a flash, then a tripod is less useful, because you no longer will be in a "low light" situation.

Third, while there is no doubt that a DSLR is a better camera tool, it might not be necessary for what you have in mind. Only five megapixels are required to make good 8x10 prints, so any current P&S can do the trick, especially if used with a tripod. This could be a solution if money is an issue.

Last, while there is nothing wrong with the XSi (or any other DSLR for that matter), large stores is one of the last places I would personally go for advice... the recommendations are usually in line with the brands giving the higher profit margins.

regarding lenses reviews, two excellent sires are www.photozone.de and www.slrgear.com

Good luck!

[riley]

THANK YOU everyone for your feedback.  This info is extremely helpful.  I want to preface this at the risk of sounding like a dope -- I really am a "point and shoot" type of person.  So the less complex the better.

I do like the image stablization feature of my Lumix.  In order to have that feature with a DSLR should I stick with the Canon lens?  

When I photograph a client's house I don't have time for setting up a tripod; I need to get in and out.  So it sound like I need the external flast.

bdery - The reason I am going with a DSLR is because the lens on my Lumix DMC-FX35 is not wide enough.  I don't have any other alterative do I?  I realize that stores may higher profit by recommending a certain brand.  I am open to exploring options if you have other ideas...I just don't know where to start.

Since I will be shelling out quite a bit of money here I want to ask an important question.  With this flash capability and the use of the DSLR -  will my 8x10 prints BE MORE SHARP?

Thanks again!

[bdery]

THANK YOU everyone for your feedback.  This info is extremely helpful.  I want to preface this at the risk of sounding like a dope -- I really am a "point and shoot" type of person.  So the less complex the better.

No problems with that... you can use any DSLR in Green, Simple or Auto mode. You can also experiment and learn slowly, at your pace.

I do like the image stablization feature of my Lumix.  In order to have that feature with a DSLR should I stick with the Canon lens?

Sadly, the short answer is "no". Canon and Nikon have decided to place the image stabilization in their lenses. This means that the preview in the viewfinder is stabilized, but that not all lenses are stabilized , and that you have to pay for stabilization each time you buy a lens.

The other three leading brands, Pentax, Sony and Olympus, placed the stabilization on the sensor, which means that even though the preview is not stabilized, any lens placed on the camera becomes stabilized. With Pentax (and to some extend, Sony) this means that even 30 years old lenses get stabilized.

By all means, Nikon and Canon are excellent choices. But if stabilization is paramount for you (as it is for me) then considering the other brands might be a good idea. For the record, I personally chose Pentax. But don't take my word for it, other chose other brands and love them.

[bdery]

When I photograph a client's house I don't have time for setting up a tripod; I need to get in and out.  So it sound like I need the external flast.

Indeed. some large aperture lenses (called "fast" lenses) might let you photograph without a flash in low light, but this forces you to use a wide aperture, and thus reduce the depth of focus. Such fast wide lenses are often "primes", lenses that do not zoom if you will.

bdery - The reason I am going with a DSLR is because the lens on my Lumix DMC-FX35 is not wide enough.  I don't have any other alterative do I?  I realize that stores may higher profit by recommending a certain brand.  I am open to exploring options if you have other ideas...I just don't know where to start.

Where to start... this can fast be overwhelming...

Your camera does not accomodate converter lenses, which can sometimes be mounted on P&S to widen the lens field of view. This creates distorsions, however. An alternative could be to get a P&S with a converter, but at this point the DSLR route makes mode sense, I think.

We do not recommend specific brands here. I would not be confortable telling you that brand X is a better or worse choice. What I hope to do is to point out aspects to think about.

[bdery]

Some things to help orient your thinking:

1-since you like stabilization, if you prefer Canon and Nikon make sure the lens (lenses?) you like comes with stabilization

2-Olympus, while excellent, is not recognized for its low light performances, generally speaking. Tokina and Tamron, two third-party manufacturers, currently do not make lenses for the Olympus system (called Four Thirds). Four third lenses are more compact, though.

3-Sony has a fastly growing lens line-up, but it is currently the smallest on the market. Nikon and Canon have the largest lineups.

4-Pentax supports all lenses ever made for their mount, meaning bargains can be found on older lenses. You sometimes have to be willing to use the manual settings, however, and this can be overwhelming at first.

Since I will be shelling out quite a bit of money here I want to ask an important question.  With this flash capability and the use of the DSLR -  will my 8x10 prints BE MORE SHARP?

Feel free to ask questions! My answer is long-winded, but hopefully useful.

DSLRs usually have higher resolution figures, usually because the lenses are much better, and because the sensors have a higher megapixel count. They shine in low light, when compared to P&S. You cannot go wrong with any brand, really.

However, remember that there is more to photographs than sharpness. Colours rendering, contrast, all play a role.

I hope this helps!

[riley]

bdery - Boy, I do have homework, but THANKS!

One last question.  In the old days I faithfully used my Canon EOS 10S with regular film.  Will these DSLR photos look like those taken with my old EOS 10S with regular film?

[bdery]

One last question.  In the old days I faithfully used my Canon EOS 10S with regular film.  Will these DSLR photos look like those taken with my old EOS 10S with regular film?

The look of digital images is somewhat different than that of film. What's more, different film types used to give you different textures (Kodachrome, Velvia, for instance) and now different DSLR brands give you different renderings. Sony tend to give very saturated colours, Nikon is very neutral (and thus responds well to processing), Pentax is said to be "film-like", etc. What's more, with each camera you can tweak most image parameters to your liking.

In general, you can expect a DSLR to perform the same way your Lumix does. After all, it's th same type of sensor. The biggest differences will be the much improved low light performances, the better lenses, the wider dynamic range (you can find a definition of dynamic range here :
http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/glossary/dslr-glossary.php ).