DSLR - Shall I Do It?

As I mentioned in my last post, my wonderful, trusty Canon finally fired its last shot shortly before my son’s 6th grade musical performance, giving me permission to camera shop since I am most sure it is not repairable (that's my story & I'm stickin' to it!) In record time, I ordered it’s replacement – the same model only better. The Canon Powershot SX10 IS: 10 mega pixel, 20x zoom. All the bells and whistles that my 2004 model never had. And then (shock!), it was backordered! And then the order canceled! I was surprised to find it is not readily available on many of my favorite internet stores and quite pricey by comparison where it is “in stock”.

Since I needed a camera NOW, I bought a less expensive Canon to get me by. While at Sam’s Club looking at the point & shoots, I was drawn to what to me is the king of the road: The Canon Rebel. I’ve longed for a DSLR. I picked it up and powered it on. Although the display that appeared on the LCD was foreign to me, I looked through the viewfinder and zoomed in on a banner in the store. I didn’t know how to focus this type of camera, but instinct took over. It was all so clear. I clicked the picture. And my mind drifts to my tack room. What can I sell on Craig's List or eBay to justify the cost above and beyond what I was planning to spend on a new camera? I've got to have this bad boy!



I love to take pictures. I have a good eye for what I want to capture though my skills have a bit to be desired. But I take enough pictures that sometimes I get lucky. The Pioneer Woman has hooked me on Photo Shop. I think this Canon Rebel will help me stack the deck.

I don’t mind big and bulky. Actually, I have a harder time holding the smaller cameras. My old Canon was not quite as big as a DSLR, but not compact by any means. With a DSLR, I only worry that I will always have to “fiddle” with the camera and can’t take quick shots? Is there an “automatic” button to just click & shoot if needed?

My subjects are pretty vanilla. My kids at their school functions & sporting events. My horses & trail riding. My dogs. The sky. Scenery and sunset. It'll spend a lot of time in my saddle bag, nicely padded, of course.

So help me out! Have you crossed into the DSLR world? What are the pros & cons? What do I have to buy besides the camera? Is it a big learning curve? I'm pretty loyal to the Canon brand -- is there one Rebel that stands out among the other (I see a few models online). What are your recommendations? If you aren't a Canon person, what do you use?

Help!

No Camera

My camera is broken. I never realized how much I used it until I have nothing but a cell phone for snapping pictures. How does anyone use that? The screen is too little for me to see without my new cool new glasses with progressive lenses which gives me a headache if I wear -- but that’s another story! And to top it all off, I went a whole week without riding. Up until this weekend, the days passed in a blur. Some of my down time was due to company, some days weather related and other evenings I had school events to attend.

My sister Ann (right) and me (left, with cool glasses that don't work!)

Oh, life goes on. My sister and brother were here and we attended a family wedding. One niece got confirmed and the other is preparing to go to Iraq. My youngest son had his last elementary school music concert (the event which crashed my camera) and I cried as they sang their traditional “graduation” song, “Friends Forever” (a rap song, not the country one). And my older son had his concert. Both of these events were captured via Motorola. (If I could see the pictures, I would share them.) But since this blog is horse related, without time on my horse or at least pictures of the herd, I’ve got nothing to blog about. Nothing!

Back to the camera. I love (loved) my camera! It is a Canon Powershot S1IS. Older model, only 3 megapixels. But it has been perfect for me. So even though I was upset that it has failed me, secretly, I’m thinking “hot damn, I can go camera shopping!” I have wanted a DSLR for a long time, but know so little about it that I can’t have that for an only camera and I need a camera NOW! So I upgraded to the 10 megapixel model of the same camera I love so much. Waiting, waiting, waiting for the tracking number. Then BANG! Backordered!

From the archives, Ritz & Bodett guarding the house

So tomorrow, between work, a baseball game and yet another end of year school event, I’ll try to find time to make the obligatory trip to WalMart to buy yet a cheaper digital camera to get me by for the upcoming events. And there are a lot of them planned!

We did have a gorgeous weekend. Yesterday morning we moved the dumb cows down to the lower pasture. (The only thing good about having cows is when we get to herd them!) Dinked in the yard most of the day and rode again late in the afternoon – some arena riding and then out to the field. Today, we headed over to Oak Creek Trail to check the trail for next week’s Friday Before Mother’s Day Ride.

I'm excited that a fellow blogger from out of state -- who I have met only through blogging -- is coming to Nebraska for the ride! How cool is that?