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Please criticise me (Photography)

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Elysiana:
The major problem with having your film developed at a store is that they're honestly not going to take the time to properly develop each photo. They're not going to correct for over- or under-exposure, they're not going to dodge/burn problem areas, etc.. When you do darkroom processing yourself, you print out a proof sheet first and you're able to see what you'll need to do to each photo, and then you process them accordingly. I really, really recommend trying to take a class if you can, especially one that requires you to develop your own film. You'll quickly learn the best way to utilize your camera, and you can adjust your photos the way you want them to come out.

The best thing about a digital camera is that you can "develop" them easily, both on the camera and in Photoshop. Many of Photoshop's abilities are directly based on darkroom techniques - they're not there to cheat, they're set up to mimic what you'd be doing anyway. Photos don't just come out of the camera ready to print.

Anyway, like I said, my biggest recommendation would be to get the 10D and a few good lenses. And if you can't afford a few good lenses, just pick up the 28-135 with IS.

wrwight:
Hmm, yeah, a class is definitely in my future, 'cause I heard today that there's a darkroom around here, and that they teach classes. Now I just have to find the POC for it and see when the next class will be.

As far as the camera, it seems like it'd be around the same price range to pick up This, which is more or less what you posted, just together. I might do that if I can still get that kind of deal next month. I'll have to be good this month and not spend any more money on anything but bills though :/

Elysiana:
Yes, that would be around the same price. I would compare models on DP Review before buying anything either way; they're considered one of the most comprehensive digital camera reviewers out there, and their reviews are something like 25 pages worth of stuff. Here's the review on the 20D; I already posted the 10D earlier. If you don't want to read the whole thing, skip down to the Conclusion page and it'll give you a great idea of what the pros and cons are.

I also recommend going to a store and holding the cameras first, or at least something in the same line of what you're thinking of buying; Canon has a different feel to it than Nikon, and both feel different than, say, Sony. The Nikons don't fit my hands well at ALL, but I know people who love them. It's a great brand, I just don't care for how it sits in my hand.

But yeah, check out a class. Developing your own photos makes such a huge difference, honestly. You'll have much more control over your work, and you'll learn more of what can and can't be done.

In the meantime, every time you spend money on developing photos, put an equal amount in a jar or something lol.

Elysiana:
Another thing to think about - if you're really hoping for a full-frame at some point, you might want to look into the cheaper Rebel for now to get a good feel for using a DSLR, and later if you want to go pro you can look at cameras along the lines of the 5D.

wrwight:
Yeah, but even a used Rebel looks like it's going to run me roughly the same as a 10D or 20D, so if I'm going to go that route, I don't know what the difference would be. My current camera bodies are both Rebels, so I mean it wouldn't be any worse than those I'm sure. The 5D was the one I was looking at, thinking if I go digital I might as well go big. You're making me think about going the cheaper route though. I mean, it's not like I ever really plan to go pro, I guess it's just that so far the most I've paid for a camera is $75, so the jump from $75 to $850 didn't seem that much different than the jump to $2500, in that they're both many factors greater than what I've paid so far. On the other hand, a used body for $200 looks a little bit less daunting, and would save me lots of money on film, though learning to develop B&W is still something I'd really like to do.

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