Best upgrade

[hdrider]

I purchased a Canon EOS Rebel XTi camera in a package deal a few years back that came with a EFS 18-55mm and a EF 75-300 zoom lens. It has been a good setup for me but what would be the single best thing I could purchase to make it better? Something or a combination of things under a cople hundred dollars. I'm a novice.

[Vetteran]

It rather depends upon what you want to do.

Macro?

Long distance?

Low light?

Short depth of field?

If you do not already do so then shooting RAW and converting

in DPP will give you better detail.

[hdrider]

 Most of my pictures are of landscape. We travel fulltime in a RV so I'm normally taking pictures of outside. 

[Vetteran]

Buy or make a Panorama bracket, mount your camera vertically, take consecutive pictures overlapping by about 30% and stitch them together in Microsoft ICE. 

[amfoto1 · Accepted solution]

 "A couple hundred dollars" isn't going to go very far, I"m afraid.  

1. LENS.

The first thing I'd suggest you consider, especially for landscape photography, is a wider angle lens... But most cost $500 or more. Among those, the Canon EF-S 10-22mm USM is one of the very best... but it's also more than you say you want to spend.

A new and lower priced alternative is the new EF-S 10-18mm IS STM Canon has just announced. I haven't used it (few people have) because it's not in stock anywhere yet... and may be a bit hard to find for a little while. This lens appears to be reasonably compact (uses 67mm filters) and is going to be selling for about $300. The separately sold lens hood (EW-73C) also isn't available quite yet, but appears to be priced under $30. Not sure I need IS on a lens with such short focal lengths... but, hey, it never hurts to have it! STM focus drive should be good, too. Now, none of us have had a chance to use this lens yet, but taking Canon at their word with what they say about it, should be quite nice.  

Some other things that may be within your budget of "a couple hundred dollars"....

2. TRIPOD

If you don't already have one, I'd suggest a good tripod.  But, be careful. Do not go too cheap, too compact or too lightweight with this, or you'll find yourself not using it or replacing it pretty fast. One that seems a really good deal to me is the Adorama Flashpoint F1228 kit for about $220 including shipping. This is a clone of Gitzo "Series 2" Reporter carbon fiber tripod, with a rather standard, but decent looking ballhead with quick release. (I use several actual Gitzo, which are excellent but a whole lot more expensive, but I also use much heavier cameras and lenses than you).

I have also heard some good things about Dolica tripods, but have no real experience with them. They offer several carbon fiber models, which is what I'd recommend. There are some other fairly affordable brands, as well as some that cost a great deal more. Just be careful, check them out in person if at all possible, and try to avoid too light, flimsy and poorly made.

Bought right, a tripod might be a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. A carbon fiber tripod costs a bit more, but is lighter than aluminum tripod of the same capacity rating. Also, carbon fiber absorbs small vibrations, where metal "rings" and reverberates. Plus, CF is a bit nicer to handle in hot and cold weather.

A tripod does a number of things for you and a lot of landscape photographers wouldn't think of shooting without one. Of course a tripod steadies your shot and allows you to make longer exposures than are possible handheld. Another thing a tripod does is force you to slow down and more carefully consider the shot(s) you are going to take. This usually results in much nicer photos. Someone already mentioned doing multi-shot panoramas, and a tripod will nicely facilitate doing that, too.

3. LENS HOODS

If you don't already have them, get the matching lens hoods for your lenses. I believe the 18-55mm uses an EW-63C hood, and the 75-300 uses an ET-60 hood. Just get in the habit of using lens hoods. They protect your lenses from oblique light and physical bumps. I see people shooting without hoods all the time... and that makes no sense at all to me. A lens hood is a simple, quick & easy to use, and inexpensive accessory that can only help your images. I rarely shoot without one.  

4. FILTERS

And, if you don't already have some, a filter or two might be really helpful. First and foremost, I'd recommend a high quality Circular Polarizer. I believe your 18-55mm lens uses 58mm filters (double check that) and I'd suggest one to fit that lens first, since it's probably the lens you'll use most for landscape photography. A C-Pol filter will deepen the blue of the sky and make white clouds "pop". It also intensifies colors by cutting reflections from foliage and other surfaces. You can use it to control reflections off water and other surfaces, too. It's one of the most widely useful filters, as well as one of the most impossible to replicate with digital softwares. I recommend B+W MRC, XS-Pro, and Kaesemann; Hoya HD, HD2, HMC an SHMC; and Marumi DHG; among others. You don't want to leave a C-Pol on your lens all the time... it cuts one to two stops of light. But you will find it useful many times, once you learn to use it.

Another type of filter thats popular is a Neutral Density or ND. These are overall gray, come in varying strenght and are used to reduce the amoung of light reaching the sensor... so that slower shutter speeds and larger apertures can be used deliberately. You've probably seen those scenic shots with creamy looking moving water... whether a stream, waterfall or ocean suft. Most of those types of shots require some sort of ND filter, when shot with a digital camera. That's because most digital cameras don't got below about ISO 100 or even 200. A few go to ISO 50. This limits how slow a shutter speed can be used when shooting in daylight. If you get this type filter, you will probably want a couple different strengths... they come in one, two, three, 5, 8, 10 and even more stop strengths. There are "variable" (rotate to change the strength, similar to a C-Pol), but these tend to give uneven effects and sometimes cause unwanted color tints. Note: ND filters are also often needed for videography, where frame rate limitations limit the aperture that can be used in available light.

Another type of filter that's historically been quite popular among landscape photographers is the Graduated Neutral Density or ND Grad. These are half clear, half gray in varying strengths, and are used to balance an overly bright sky with a foreground in an image, for example. With this type filter, don't buy the round, screw in type. You need to be able to position the gradation line differently for each image, so need to use the rectangular type of filter, that fits into a special holder that mounts on the front of the lens, allowing you to rotate and slide the filter as needed.

I have a nice set of ND Grads that date back to when I shot with film, but frankly I hardly use them anymore. Shooting digital, I now can do a better job with post-processing techniques... combining multiple exposures, or multi-processing a single RAW file and then recombining the "correctly exposed" portion from each. This is far more accurate, precise and controllable than was ever possible with the filters.

5. SOFTWARE

BUt that leads to another thing.... If not already doing so, learn to shoot RAW and post-process your images. The Canon supplied softwares that came with your camera are pretty good, but you might want to look at an all-in-one package with some more capabilities, such as Adobe Elements. If so, get a book or two about it, too... to help you get up to speed using it quickly and more easily. RAW image files are like a digital negative, of sorts. It's everything the camera captured at the time of exposure, but nearly always needs some more work to turn it into a usable image (a JPEG, TIFF, PNG, or whatever). In contrast, a JPEG shot in camera throws away a lot of data, and is far less "adjustable" after the fact... so you have to get your exposure settings, white balance, etc. right the first time... there is less opportunity to change or correct it later.

6. CALIBRATION

You also might consider calibrating your computer. There are various devices and softwares available for this purpose, but the general idea is that most computer monitors do not give very accurate color and nearly all are way, way too bright. This makes it hard to accurately work with your images and can drive you up a walll trying to make prints. The secret is calibration. This doesn't have to be terribly expensive... and can pay for itself if you make a lot of prints, in savings of paper and ink, or reprints if you send out your printing.

7. BOOKS & CLASSES

In general, the $18 book "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson might be the best money you ever spend on your photography. I highly recommend it, no matter your level of experience but especially for novices. Buy it. Read it. Study it. Learn it. Your photography will be much better and you'll get more out of your gear. 

There are other good books you might look at. Some are specific for your particular camera, field guides that will help you get the best out of it. Others are specific to a type of photography or subject matter or techiques. Look for things that most interest you.

And/or, you might take some classes or seminars... or get involved with a photography club... or sign up for a photo tour or safari. All these can be a great way to learn and expand your capabilities, too. Might be as good an investment, as gear would be.  

I'd also suggest you set up a plan, with future gear upgrades or additions to work towards when budget allows. For example, maybe you don't shoot macro now, but would like to try your hand at it sometime in the future. It might be any number of things.... Justg start researching and developing a list of things you think you want to try or items that you want to improve upon. It might be a simple upgrade. For example, if yours is the 18-55mm kit lens that was originally supplied with the XTi, there are newer and improved versions in the EF-S 18-55 IS and EF-S 18-55 IS STM. The latter's "Stepper Motor" focus is faster, quieter and more accurate. An even more premium and, of course, more expensive upgrade would be the EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM lens.

Don't know how much you use it, but there are also a number of possible upgrades from the 75-300mm lens you've got. The more affordable is the EF-S 55-250mm, now also with STM focus drive. There are also several 70-300L IS USM is the most premium build and image quality. Any of the EF 70-200mm lenses would be very nice upgrades, too... these are real "workhorse" lenses you'll find in most pro shooters' camera bags. The IS versions of these are stabilized, which can be important with telephotos. The f4 versions are more compact and lighter weight, which might be nice for travel.  

You may not have the funds for any of these now, but someday you might. And if you have a plan of gear you'd like to add or upgrade in the future, you can prioritize based upon your usage and needs, and start working toward the eventual upgrade. No plan is set in stone, either. You can always change it, if your needs or the available options change.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

[hdrider]

 Wow, I really want to thank everyone for the responses especially you Allen for the detailed version.

I really enjoy taking pictures but as I mentioned I really am a novice. In fact a lot of the pictures I take are with a small Canon Powershot that I carry in my pocket almost all of the time. But use my Rebel XTi when I know I want to take pictures of areas we are in.

 I tossed out the $200 budget number I guess out of lack of knowledge. It seems I need to bump that up to maybe closer to $1000 and make some real changes with maybe just 1 really good lens and some filters ect.. And no, I do not use a hood on my lens. Always see people with them but just never looked into them.

 Thanks again for the information.

[ebiggs1]

Even your "upped” budget of a $1000 is likely not enough to make a dramatic difference.  Possibly not even $2000 is not enough !

First thing and most important is ask yourself, "How am I going to use my camera?"  And, "How do I intend on displaying my photos?"

Until you know these answers you can't make a rational decision.

If the answer, to the second question is Facebook, you all ready have good enough equipment and need nothing more. No matter how much reading and web site advice you get, everybody is different and needs are different. Find out yours first and than buy equipment.

[hdrider]

 The pictures I take are mainly for our own purposes. We travel so we keep a few on a revolving picture frame in our motorhome for our viewing and we keep a blog where we post our pictures. Sort of a diary for us and a way to share with family and friends.

 And yes, I guess a few make it to facebook but I'm certainly not worried about that part of it.

 As I mentioned, the setup I have now does just fine for what I do but I would like to have sharper and more crisp photo's.

I will be honest in sayinmg that the talk of taking pictures in RAW and converting them is right over my head at this point. So the book mentioned earlier is also on my list. And if we land someplace long enough where I can catch a class I think I will jump on that as well.

 I have alway been a point and shoot kind of guy but now that I have retired and have more time to smell the roses I feel the need and desire to take better pictures.   

[amfoto1]

Well, in light of the info you've added...

I'd suggest you watch for the new Canon EF-S 10-18mm IS STM lens to come available (deliveries are supposed to begin next week) and get that for about $300. Also get the matching lens hood (not avail until the end of June, I believe), costing another $30 or so.

You'll find more info on this lens at: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_s_10_18mm_f_4_5_5_6_is_stm...

Also get a 67mm Circular Polarizing filter to use on it. A good B+W MRC, Hoya HD2 or Marumi DHG will cost around $100 in that size.

Total cost should be around $450 at most and this should make for a very nice landscape shooting setup with your XTi. You already have an 18-55mm lens for other purposes.

Yes, you also might consider getting a book or two, because the only thing better than new gear is knowing how to get the best out of it.

Traveling a lot, you might have difficulty taking a class or joining a photo club. However, thanks to the Internet there are online classes and clubs you might look into. That may be the easiest way for you to expand your knowledge, while still roaming around.

Now, for future reference, consider eventually getting an upgrade to your standard zoom... such as an EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM or EF-S 15-85mm IS USM. These two would be a bit more expensive and can't use the same filter as the 10-18mm.

Another option would be the EF-S 18-135mm IS STM... this is a bit more affordable, gives you a bit more reach, and uses the same 67mm size filters as the 10-18mm, so could share the C-Pol and any other filters you might get. There is also a non-STM version of this lens, that costs a little less.  

Also think about adding a tripod sometime.

A two lens kit, such as the 10-18mm and 18-135mm, would be quite versatile and probably can handle most of what your needs. But if you ever feel the for longer lenses or macro or whatever, they are available.

Really, for online sharing and display in one of those digital picture frames, this is way more than you need. But if you ever want to make a bigger print or otherwise use your photos for a higher purpose, you would have the quality needed for all but "pro" level work.

By the way, so long as you have plenty of memory cards and hard drive storage space, it's also possible to shoot RAW + JPEG, so you can have both. The reason to shoot RAW and post-process it yourself is it gives you the most control and highest possible quality with that camera. All digital cameras shoot RAW to begin with.... When you set them to JPEG they do an automatic in-camera conversion before storing the image. That process literally throws away a great deal of the informantion captured in the original image. RAW files are 14 bit (interprolated to 16 bit by most softwares) and JPEGs are 8 bit. That's a difference of millions of shades of colors vs thousands of shades. If you shoot an image RAW + JPEG and look at both files side by side, you will notice the RAW file is much larger than the JPEG. In making the JPEG, a lot of data is simply thrown away.

However, to be completely fair, so long as they are shot with correct exposure, color balance, etc., JPEGs really are more than adequate for what you are doing with your images right now (RAWs cannot be directly displayed or printed in most cases). You would really only need the RAWs if you wanted to do something more advanced with your images. I'm just mentioning this because after around 40 years shooting, over 10 years digitally, there are times I look at old negatives, slides, and digital files that I really like and wish I'd shot them with something better at the time.

But take it a step at a time and don't overwhelm yourself. You have a hankering to expand your photographic capabilities and that's fine. Get a new lens and go to town with it. Just don't get too much stuff right away. Maybe start to think about what's next, to add 6 months or a year down the road.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

[ebiggs1]

"You will get better landscape pictures by using a prime lens and a panorama bracket -..."

If take this route, buy a magnifying class along with it.  As a small viewing screen is going to have a very skinny and very long picture on it.  Sorta like some movies that are resized for TV with the black bars at the top and bottom.

Likely the same for any of the blogs you are on.