Cameron Yee

Thought it would be nice to start a thread for those of us who own the Canon Digital Rebel (or 300D) to share tips, etc. I've had mine since October, but have only started using it more because of the better weather.

Is anyone using the 550EX external flash? I have used a Sunpak flash that I've determined is safe to use with the Canon, but am having some trouble getting consistent exposure with the flash's auto setting. The best I've been able to do is set the ISO on the flash one stop faster than the ISO on the camera. Normally I would have purchased the 550EX, but I read an article stating TTL flash exposure is not mandatory nor ideal, so I decided to try the Sunpak I had from my old system.

Max Leung

Consistent exposure with flash is tricky.

The camera tries to meter the scene as a 13% (not 18% used by older cameras) grey card, and if you are using single-point autofocus this becomes more tricky as it will use spot metering.

Experiment with using 7pt autofocus (the camera picks what is in focus...half-pressing the shutter will tell you what it is focusing on. Release the shutter, and half-press again and it may choose another set of focus points). E-TTL metering on the rebel seems to cover more area in 7pt autofocus mode, otherwise it becomes like a spot-meter in single point AF.

Be careful with your Sunpak flash...make sure it does not pull more than 6V! This can damage the camera's flash release system. I don't recall the website that compiles the voltages used by 3rd party flashes - a search might help there. Although looks like you may have figured that out already.

Notes on E-TTL: http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Gameshow host: "Is taking Viagra kosher during Passover dinner?"
Whoopee Goldberg: "Not if it leads to pork."
Kermit the Frog: "Hey, that's my line!"

Cameron Yee

Thanks, I did test the trigger voltage. The info can be found here. I have the Sunpak Auto 383 Super, which is listed as "your call" on the compatibility list. I tested mine with two different meters. One inexpensive meter measured it at 3.75 and the other, an industrial grade Fluke, measured it at 7. It's a bit of risk, but I feel okay about it based on the additional info on the site.

I had access to a Vivitar 283. That one measured at 261 volts! I'm glad I decided to test it first.

Thanks for the suggestions for metering.

Cameron Yee

I was able to put my camera through its first true test for my cousin's graduation from law school. Unfortunately the typical NW weather forced the ceremony inside. I think if we had been outdoors I would have had some even better shots - I was right under the recommended handheld shutter speed for the focal length, even at ISO 1600. The shots weren't tack sharp, but usable after some tweaking. Overall I'm very pleased. In the past I would have been stuck guessing the exposure for a stage lit with spots, surrounded by dark curtains. With the digital I was able to take a number of test shots and not worry about exposure when the time came. Flash exposure is still annoying, even with the built in one, but with Photoshop much of it can be remedied.

Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation. - Edward R. Murrow

Max Leung

You can try shooting in RAW - you get more lattitude in post-processing for exposure adjustments. It's a hassle though when you "only" have a 512mb CF card.

I have a Vivitar something-or-other electronic flash, that is a clone of a Sigma EF 500 Super (non-DG), which is a poor-man's 550EX. It's slightly cheaper than a 420EX, but you at least get FEC (Flash exposure compensation).

There is also a firmware hack for the 300D that allows you to set the FEC of the 300D (internal and external flash).

One thing that gets me though...a 5 cent index card still outperforms my Stofen-Omnibounce (fits on the 420EX) and Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer. Just use a rubber band to hold the index card on your external flash, point the flash up, and voila - cheap light dispersion for a nice well-diffused flash picture! No more deer-in-headlights look favoured by amateur papparazzis.

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Gameshow host: "Is taking Viagra kosher during Passover dinner?"
Whoopee Goldberg: "Not if it leads to pork."
Kermit the Frog: "Hey, that's my line!"

Cameron Yee

Thanks Max. I have yet to go for a truly "ginormous" memory unit and am still getting by with a 256MB! One of these days maybe I'll track down the Muvo2 and snag the Hitachi drive inside.

I've come to the same conclusion about the Omnibounce and Lumiquest products. They have their benefits, but more often than not I'm using a rubberband and a blank, white plastic PVC card (of which I get alot of discards because I do ID badges at work).

I considered bringing my flash unit for my cousin's festivities, but I figured most of the shots requiring flash would be informally posed, group arrangements and I didn't want to futz with it. The internal flash was just fine for that kind of thing, but got tricked out on one occasion when the group was in front of a dark gray, slightly reflective stone wall.

EDIT: The flash exposure thing is obviously not anything new. I was running into the same problems when I was shooting film, it's just that now I get to be annoyed right away rather than a week later

Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation. - Edward R. Murrow

Jeff Ulmer

I'm not a Rebel owner yet, but since I can get one by cashing in my Airmiles, I am pretty tempted.

Have any of you used your Rebel in the extreme cold? Up here winters are routinely -10C to -30C, but there are some gorgeous shots to be taken then. My sister has a Canon powershot that seemed to work fine in that cold (obviously not left out in the open for long). It is only rated to 0C, which is balmy for this area after October...

Also, is anyone using nonEF lenses with this camera? Are there adapters available? I know I'd lose auto focus and aperature, but I have a number of Pentax lenses that I'd love to repurpose until I can afford a collection of Canon lenses.

Max Leung

Careful using non-Canon lenses...getting the dreaded "Error 99" seems to be a common problem with 3rd party lenses. Compatibility is not guaranteed.

As for cold weather...I haven't really used my Rebel outdoors during the winter, so I don't know how well it would work. People suggest wrapping the camera in a plastic bag first before taking it back inside to avoid condensation inside the camera and the lens then wait for the camera to warm up before handling it.

Battery life will be terrible in the cold. Some people say hiding the camera in your jacket will keep it warm but the Rebel is a little big for that, especially if you have a larger lens like the Canon 28-135IS.

The Rebel isn't weather proof like the high-end Canon 1D cameras, so ya gotta be careful!

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Gameshow host: "Is taking Viagra kosher during Passover dinner?"
Whoopee Goldberg: "Not if it leads to pork."
Kermit the Frog: "Hey, that's my line!"

Ernesto.Morin

"I am pretty tempted, especially with the firmware hack that puts back many of the 10D features that were crippled in software."

Where can I find information about this?

Cameron Yee

There is a thread on dpreview.com. I'm not too tempted to try it at this point.

Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation. - Edward R. Murrow

Jeff Ulmer

So what lenses are people using on their Rebels, and what are you normally shooting with them? From the reviews it seems the kit lens is pretty good. Others I am considering (when I can afford them) are:

Canon 75-300mm IS
Canon 50mm prime
Sigma 8mm fisheye
Canon 5300mm

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