I was shooting with two bodies (my 20D and my Rebel XSi) with different lenses, but I took most of my images with my Rebel XSi. During the game, I surpassed the 10,000 exposure mark with my XSi, just over a year since I added it to my arsenal. That probably doesn’t mean much to more avid photographers than myself, or others that shoot on a more regular basis than I, but I thought it was neat.

10,000 on my 20D

That little milestone in just 13 months made me pause and ponder how long it took me to hit that same mark on my first DSLR, the Canon 20D. It took more than 3 years to hit 10,000 on my 20D from my very first photo back in ’06 to just this passed September at the Maui Photo Festival.

In all fairness to the 20D, I did put it on limited duty late last year when my XSi arrived. I decided to go back and check the last shoot before I became a two body shooter, and my 20D had logged just under 9,500 photos at that point.

They’re Only Numbers

Sure, they’re just numbers and don’t mean a heck of a lot. For me, at least, they highlight the fact that I am making a more dedicated effort to go out and shoot more and practice, practice, practice. While I’m still not to the point where I’m shooting everyday or even every week, I’d like to get closer to that as soon as I can free up more time and plan accordingly.

Looking back at the last 13 months shooting with my Rebel XSi, I’m pretty happy with all the shoots I’ve done. Here’s a short list of the highlights.

• My first photographic visit to the local forest preserve.
• 4 professional hockey games – 3 of the Chicago Wolves, 1 of the Blackhawks
• 2 trips to Maui – 1 in February and most recently at the Maui Photo Festival
• 3 visits to Door County, WI – although the last one was mainly washed out
• 2 aerial shoots – one helicopter flight without doors over Maui and a plane ride above Door County.
• Fireworks at the Taste of Chicago
• 2 semi-serious portraits shoots – including my great-grandmother’s 95th birthday bash.
• A handful of time lapse sequences – including our Christmas Tree last year.
• An initial curiosity with infrared shooting.
• And last, but not least, a new found interest in shooting HDR images.

So, you can kind of see it’s been a busy year for me, but in my overall plans for my work, it’s really just a beginning.

So, Now What?

Well, I’ve had my eye on the Canon 7D as my next DSLR for about two months now, after agonizing whether I can afford to go full-frame yet (and deciding I can’t). With its HD video capability and a emergence in fusion shooters out there, I’m not sure I’ll have a desire to shoot video just yet.

I’m more interested in getting that 3rd DSLR body so I can have my original 20D converted for IR shooting without filters next year. I think that’s going to be a fun tool to have in my camera lineup.

More immediate, though, I think my main goal of getting out and shooting more is really the first order of business. With winter coming any week now here in Chicago, I get to go out and do more winterscapes (which I really enjoy) and focus more on building out my online portfolio here on the website and with my new Flickr account.

That, and looking into the prospect of making fine art prints and finding a few local art fairs in the spring have me pretty focused for the next six months. All good times if you ask me.

It seemed like the popularity of the iPhone just exploded the popularity of taking photos and uploading on the go. Take a look for yourself with the Camera Explorer on Flickr. The iPhone actually had over 3,700 users upload photos taken with it yesterday, posting over 24,000 pictures. Wow. My former HTC Mogul (aka Titan) is obviously tailing off because of it’s age. The photos, however, never seemed to be that great.

I started wishing my next phone was going to be so much better, and even considered switching to AT&T just to get an iPhone. A little drastic, I realize. Then, my phone met its watery grave on an otherwise amazing day in paradise. That meant getting a new phone when we got back, and from a mobile photo standpoint, it was a blessing in disguise.

My new phone? The HTC Touch Pro, with a larger 3.2 megapixel camera, was a great improvement. While not nearly as popular on Flickr as the iPhone, the improvement in picture quality over my HTC Mogul was such a pleasant surprise. See for yourself.

When I stop and think about it, my very first digital only had 2.0 megapixels and a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. Sure, that was 6 years ago, but still, having a smartphone with a better camera in it still is unbelievable.

Now, the toughest choice I have to make when I see a scene I want to capture on the spur of a moment is whether to whip out my phone or my latest everyday camera (currently the Canon Powershot SX110 IS). Can you imagine how amazing these cameraphones will be 2 years from now when I’m looking for my next phone upgrade?

Wanna see more? Check out my Mobile Photos set on Flickr for photos from both cameraphones, or just the ones from my Touch Pro.

This guy popped up in my Google Reader this morning from a couple different source, and I instantly fell in love.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been using my Rebel XSi since last October and I’ve really grown attached to it. While the controls were quite different than what I was used to with my EOS 20D for the previous two years, I found my way around and am now to the point where I can adjust most of the settings I need on the fly.

But right about the time I picked up my XSi, Nikon and Canon initiated the newest feature fight within the higher-end DSLR market… 1080p HD Video. On the Canon side, where my loyalties currently lay, was the EOS 5D Mark II. Between the reviews and samples of its video capabilities and the thought of me owning a camera with a full-frame sensor seemed like the ultimate dream.  Seeing that the price tag for the 5D Mark II was still too high for my skill level, I was debating whether the EOS 50D model was going to be my latest upgrade or if the fan favorite EOS 40D was next.

Since I’m not made of money, any of those were going to have to wait until the end of ‘09 (at least). The best thing about the digital photography market these days is that so much can happen in that long of a time frame.  Looks like today was evidence of that.

Enter the Canon EOS Rebel T1i
Some very smart people at Canon figured there was a big enough market of folks like me out there with eyes on the video capability of the 5D Mark II and the budget of the Rebel line, so they decided to bring the two together. The result in their announcement today was the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. In short, it features similar full 1080p HD Video as the 5D Mark II combined with a 15.1 MP sensor and Digic 4 image processor similar to what’s found in the EOS 50D. All this for under the $1,000 price range. Nice!

Due out sometime in May, there haven’t been too many folks that have been able to put this one through the ringer yet. One of the early reports I read this morning said that the Rebel T1i will have a very similar, if not exactly the same, form factor as the Rebel XSi. That would be ultra cool, seeing that I stumbled a little bit last month when I was dual-shooting with my EOS 20D and my XSi at the same time. Having a consistent feel and control between the XSi and the T1i would make dual-shooting a breeze for me.

I’m setting my hopes up high as more details come out closer to launch, and making a little extra room in my piggy bank for a late ‘09 acquisition if the reviews are on target. That is, of course, something even cooler comes about between now and then. You never know these days.

More Details
Here are some of the links that I came across through my blog subscriptions related to today’s announcement from Canon. I figured I’d pass them on as well.

Engadget – Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i Now Official

Canon – Official Press Release

Canon – Official Product Page

Amazon – Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i

Digital Photography School – Canon EOS 500D | Rebel T1i

We leave Sunday morning, and earlier this week I started packing up my camera gear and getting it ready for the journey west. I’ve always brought a lot of tech toys with me on our Maui trips, but this year more than ever, it seems to be almost all I’m bringing with. I took a few shots of the camera gear I’m bringing this trip, along with an inventory just to make sure everything makes it back. Photos and details below.

My DSLRs
First up, my two DSLR cameras. This will be my first trip carrying two, and while they won’t both be going everywhere with me, it will come in handy in a few key situations.

Pictured:

• Canon EOS 20D Body
• Angle C Finder
• Remote Switch RS-80N3 (for 20D)
• USB Cable for 20D
• AC Wall Charger CG-580 (for 20D)
• Additional Battery BP-511A (for 20D)
• Canon Rebel XSi Body
• Speedlite 430EX II
• Difuser
• Canon Powershot SD890 IS
• AC Wall Charger CB-2LX (for SD 890)

Lenses

Pictured:

• Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
• Canon EF 18-55mm (bringing the IS model from my XSi, though)
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

More Cables

Pictured:

• AC Power Adapter ACK-E2 (for 20D)
• AC Power Adapter ACK-E5 (for XSi)
• USB + Video Cables for XSi
• Remote Switch RC-1 (for XSi)
• AC Wall Charger LC-E5 (for XSi)
• Additional Battery LP-E5 (for XSi)

Video Gear
In addition to the camera tech, I’m also bringing our HDD video camera, too.

Pictured:

• Sony HDD HandyCam DCR-SR82
• HandyCam Station + AC Charger + USB Cable
• Standard Battery NP-FH40
• Extended Battery NP-FH70
• Video Light HVL-HL1
• Wide Angle Conversion Lens x0.6 VCL-HA06
• Telephoto Conversion Lens x2.0 VCL-2030x
• Filter ND8 30mm
• UV Protector 30mm
• RCA Video/Audio Cable

Filters
Things are getting a little crowded here, aren’t they? Here’s a list of the filters I’m bringing for my different lenses.

• 52mm Quantarray UV Filter
• 52mm Quantarray Circular Polarizer
• 58mm Qunatarray Circular Polarizer
• 58mm Hoya Circular Polaraizer
• 58mm Canon UV Haze Filter (2x)
• 77mm Tiffen Neutral Density 0.3 Filter
• 77mm Hoya Circular Polarizer
• 77mm Hoya UV Haze Filter

Rental Gear
In addition to everything above, I’ve also rented the following gear from CameraLensRentals, which is making the trip with me.

• Canon 400mm f/5.6L Telephoto Lens
• Canon 1.4x II Extender
• Giottos Tripod MT-8340

Why all this stuff?
I plan on covering quite a bit of ground during our two weeks on Maui, including a wide arrange of shooting conditions, subjects, and locations. Pretty amazing for such a small island, actually. Everything you see above is being brought along for one or more of those different situations, and while I wish I had the time to list them all out now, I’ll have to save that for future posts.

From the “If I only had the money” category, I thought I’d share a link to reviews on the latest and greatest DSLR from Canon, the EOS 5D Mark II.

A quick check on Amazon shows that even at a price of $3,499.99 (sold by Amazon) it is hard to keep in stock, although it is available for a premium from other merchants there.  The only bad customer reviews at Amazon for this camera are for the price.  While other merchants seem to be way overcharging for this item, Amazon itself doesn’t seem to be that far off.  I took a look at Adorama, another place I shop for camera gear online, and they were selling the body + lens kit for the same price as Amazon. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have any in stock, either.

When I tried to shoot the flurries outside here in Chicago yesterday during my lunch break, all I had with me was my SD890 (again anywhere, anytime). Trying to catch the giant snowflakes whizzing around my car window with the normal modes from the SD890 just wasn’t working. They snow was flying too fast and the shutter was taking too long. Everything was coming out blurry.

The Solution
Flipping through the Scene (SCN) options, I found the ISO 3200 setting and gave it a shot. To my amazement, the photo appeared on the screen almost instantly, way faster than using the normal shutter mode. After a few attempts, I was able to snap the photo on the right here, which was just what I was looking for. While you can only see the biggest snowflakes in this small thumbnail, click on the image to view the large size on Flickr to see the tiny flakes in more detail.

Not only was I happy to get the photo I wanted, I was also excited because I had a way to capture a wider range of photos for moments that wouldn’t be possible with slower shutter speeds. Remember, I’ve been shooting mainly with a DSLR, so this was a new problem to me.

Drawbacks
Of course, something this helpful will also come with it’s share of drawbacks. The first is in relation to the photo’s size, which isn’t too bad. Shooting with the SD890 in ISO 3200 mode puts your image size to a maximum setting of 3M, which is roughly equivalent to 3 MegePixels. It also restricts the resolution of your image to 1600×1200. Still, that’s pretty decent to use in cases where you would otherwise miss out on a shot altogether.

Now, just like with DSLR and even film cameras, the higher the ISO setting for film or an image processor, the more “noise” you will see in your photos. Depending on the situation, this can mean quite noticeable degradation in the fine details and quality of a photo. For example, the photo on the left here was taken in ISO 3200. Now, this is just a set scene and there’s no real reason why it has to be taken in the SD890′s ISO 3200, but it proves the point about the image noise that can result.

Once again, click on the photo to view the larger size on Flickr. If it was taken with the normal shooting mode of the camera (which I should have done for further comparison here), the details of the handwritten note on the Post-It would be a lot more legible, and you could probably even read my own chicken scratch on the pages underneath the bottle of water. With a proper settings and exposure time, this image, and all of the camera’s 10MP glory, would have been so much better.

What took so long?
Why did it take so long for me to figure this out? I can’t really tell you, other than the fact I don’t really read instruction guides as much as I should. I have known for years now that, for low-light and night photography, raising the ISO setting will allow you to shoot with faster shutter speeds. But I guess I never applied that line of thinking to a point and shoot camera like the SD890. Live and learn, I guess.

The first one I shot was taken back in September, when it was still nice out here in Chicago. A little background, a few coworkers and I spent most of the summer rollerblading during our lunch break, and this little clip was me following them down the overpass on our normal route. As you can tell, the audio isn’t that great on a windy day when you’re whizzing down a fairly steep hill, but it kind of clears up near the end.

Even though I’ve only had my new Canon Rebel XSi for about a month now, I still like to look toward the future and for a replacement for my EOS 20D. As a big fan of Canon and with an existing investment in their lenses and accessories, there’s no trouble sticking with their expansive offering of prosumer models. The trouble I’m facing right now, though, is deciding between the fan favorite and battle tested EOS 40D or the new shining star, the EOS 50D?

(Photo Credit: Amazon)

Canon EOS 40D
The Canon EOS 40D is indeed a fan favorite although it has only been out for just over a year now. It comes with a great track record and it’s 10.1MP would be a nice upgrade from the 8.1MP sported by my 20D. It can shoot at 6.5 frames/sec and utilizes the DIGIC III image processor paired with it’s CMOS sensor.

What also makes the 40D very appealing right now is the slight freefall that it’s price is experiencing with the recent release of the 50D (below) and the huge anticipation for the HD, 1080p video shooting EOS 5D Mark II, retailers are apparently making room on their virtual storeroom shelves by emptying out their stock in the 40D. A few hundred dollars saving on a body-only purchase of the 40D over the 50D can go along way in procuring a top notch lens that I can use for all my cameras. Very tempting.

(Photo Credit: Amazon)

Canon EOS 50D
Now, with all the advances in technology I was just mentioning earlier, the latest and greatest in the 50D sounds like a no brainer, right? On paper, the 50D boasts a 15.1 MP CMOS sensor and the new and improved DIGIC 4 image processor for quicker photo processing and writing out to storage media. It also features a brighter LCD review screen with a higher resolution than the 40D, and an HDMI output jack for viewing photos directly on your HDTV or monitor.

So where does the tough choice part come in? Even though the 50D is only beginning to make the rounds with photography enthusiasts out there, I’m starting to see a concerning contrast between the rave reviews and marketing fluff from Canon and some initial reviews and feedback from photographers that have used the 40D and made the switch to the 50D. Just this afternoon I was reading a few customer reviews over at Amazon and picked up on a theme starting that bigger isn’t necessarily better in terms of megapixels and new processor and it doesn’t automatically mean better photos. And at the end of they day, isn’t it really the photos that make all the difference?

The Verdict
Well, there really isn’t a verdict at this point. I do plan to keep an eye on the type of reception that the 50D receives as more and more people rack up the exposures with it. I realize that there is no one camera that will be perfect for everyone or every situation, but in a technology race with Nikon, Sony and others, it wouldn’t suit Canon well to just push out cameras that beat the other guys in the numbers alone at the sacrifice of quality and user satisfaction. I’m not in a position to say that is the case here, since I haven’t had the chance to use either of the cameras yet. I will say, though, if the price on the 40D continues to fall in comparison to the 50D, that might push me to try it out next year and save my coin for the EOS 5D Mark II in the years to come.

Time to wait and see.

Personally, I’ve played hockey since I could walk and have been a fan my entire life, so being able to shoot at hockey games is a combination of both passions. This was only the second time I went to a game fully intent on taking photos, and the last time was with my Canon EOS 20D. That gave me a good base comparison for how the Rebel XSi would fare in similar use.

The Seats

To start, I was behind the 8-ball from the opening face-off because we were sitting in one of the Suite boxes that was directly behind one of the goal nets. Great seats if you’re a fan (which we are, and we loved the seats), not so great if you’re trying to take photos through the giant protective netting that goes from the top of the glass up to the rafters. I knew that if I was going to get the types of shots I wanted, I’d have to sneak my way into some other seats (which I did).

For the Hawks game last year, we had the perfect seats, both from a fan’s perspective and for taking photos with my telephoto lens. Where I moved to this game with the Wolves, I ended up setting right near the goal line about 40 rows up. The best shots I could get from there were of the opposite end of the ice to clear the glass that was in front.

The Camera

So, to what really matters, the photos. Initially, the auto-focus wasn’t playing nice for me, which was do in most part to the netting and the glass that was in the foreground of my shots. I tried to stick it out, but ultimately had to switch to manual focus for the climatic shootout at the end of the game.

Being indoors and in a constant lighting environment for the entire game meant I didn’t need to play around with too many settings between shots. That made taking pictures quicker, but didn’t really test the entire range of features and usability like other situations would warrant. Overall, though, I was fairly impressed with the outcome.

One of the first noticable differnces from my Canon 20D was that the Rebel weighed a little less (about half a pound less according to the Canon specs). That is, however, until you put the telephoto lens on and then you don’t notice the difference that much. The large LCD screen was a big upgrade from the tiny little window on my 20D, so that made reviewing photos much easier. It also was a change for me to see and control all the settings on the screen itself, since the 20D has the display panel on the top of the camera, but that was only a minor adjustment.

The Photos

Out of about 350+ photos that weren’t total throwaways when I shot them, I ultimately ended up with about 40 or so keepers, which I’d say was pretty good. One of the issues I need to learn to correct when using the Rebel has to do with the Auto Focus settings. Even when I wasn’t shooting through glass or netting, I still had more than a few shots that seemed like it would only focus on a single point in the frame and not multiple areas like my 20D would. I adjusted the focus settings to use mutli-area and tried the different AI and Servo modes, but to be honest, it was mainly trial and error at the time. I need to do my homework on that one.

I do struggle a little with indoor shooting from a white balance perspective, so trying to get the right balance in some of these photos, both during the shot and in the digital darkroom, was a little bit of work. Compared to the shots I took at the United Center last March (when everything turned out with yellow and orange tints), I think these came out a little better, but not the level I wanted to.

With a fast-paced sport like hockey, I like to throw my camera in continuous shooting mode and catch some of those moments in action. For hockey, some of the obvious favorites are slap shots, body checks, and face-offs. I was also fortunate enough to get a few shots of the shoot-out after the game finished overtime in a tie, so that was neat as a fan and as a photographer.

The Rebel XSi, however, was only able to shoot at 3.5 shots/second, while my 20D made it up to 5 shots/second. If I had brought both cameras with me (like I intend to do on vacations and maybe future games), I would have switched to the 20D for that part of the game.

You can view all the photos from the game at on Flickr here.

For a camera so small, a good part of the backside of it was the screen, which was larger than I’m used to.  I’ve shot with Cindy’s Nikon E5600 from time-to-time, so using the LCD instead of the viewfinder isn’t that big of a change for me, but the nice, clear screen on the SD890 made it very effective.  Even in bright sunlight, where Cindy’s Nikon sometimes suffers, it was still bright enough to get a good shot.

I was pleasantly surprised with how well the SD890 captured true colors with even the basic shooting modes.  I had some success with adjusting white balance and exposure settings, but even out of the box or with one of the program (SCN) modes, it held up to the Canon name.  As you can see with the colors in the photos here, everything looks crisp and vibrant, and for the few times we had clear skies that weekend, these shots came out great.

When the clouds started to roll in, I did have a little trouble adjusting the exposures to compensate.  In all fairness, that is one of my current weakpoints and something that I’m always working on.  That aside, I’m pretty happy with the SD890 as my everyday, everywhere camera.  Even my wife has started taking a liking to it, which is good because once we’re back in Maui next year, my quality shooting time is going to be spent with my DSLRs.