Monday, October 21, 2013

No Sewing Here...

I think I've gotten that once a year "yuck" that puts me down for a few days...so no sewing here AT ALL this weekend...

However, my grandson dropped my trusty Canon ELPH and broke the lens...



I had been going back and forth over whether I should upgrade to a Canon Rebel. After this accident and reading a few reviews on the internet, I bought a Canon Rebel T3i...





...and people this thing scares me! *LOL*  I've known for awhile that I probably should upgrade my camera but I was comfortable with my ELPH...plus it was gifted to me by my old boss.  So it was important to me and I was loathe to part with it especially since it still worked.

Because I had no service contract on the ELPH, when I took it to Radio Shack to see if it could be fixed, it was suggested that I purchase another one.  Cost of repair vs. cost of new one plus wait time for it to show back up 'cause no one does repairs in-house anymore, meant I bought a new one.  Now I have to learn another camera. It's been here a few days and I've managed to get the date and time set, get the lens on, remember to take the lens cap off when shooting and do a few other basic adjustments by reading the instruction manual.

I know that a year from now I'll be twirling the lens, touching all of those buttons with ease but right now, it's just overwhelming.  So overwhelming that I cheated and bought another ELPH, just in case.  I think I'm going to take the ELPH back and learn to use the Rebel especially since it's unboxed now!  *LOL*

Any hints or tips that you can share with the neophyte would be appreciated. Here are a few of my first photos taken of the sewing cave...






...oh yeah and I might have bought a couple of pieces of fabric...but I was stressed alright?! I think the quality of the photo is better than my ELPH but I still have to learn how to make this sucker work...

Finally, I will be picking two new winners tomorrow because I haven't heard from the previous winners.  I'm a little sad about that but I need to move on because believe it or not, I have another giveaway to offer and I need to get it up on the blog!

...as always more later!



34 comments:

  1. Carolyn, that red, white, and black ponte on the ironing board, I received some this week and so disappointed with the streaking.

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  2. OMG! OMG! I've been drooling over that T3i for a year now. so happy for you. it is an AMAZING camera!

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  3. Amazing clarity on those pics. I can tell what all is in your library! Get well soon, I miss your sewing reports and can't wait to see the coat.

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  4. I have had a little Canon Powershot since 2010 and I just this weekend learned how to use the self-timer -- don't be as slow as I am:) Look online at some user tips --the photos you put up are great, and I think you will love it once you get the hang of it.

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  5. The pictures are way clearer and sharper than any you have previously published. Stick with it. You've got a keeper.

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  6. I had an Elph very much like yours (but pink), and about a year ago the little motor that makes the lens go in and out decided to quit. I got a new camera that looks very like your new one, but I'm ashamed to say I a)don't recall the actual name, and b)can't figure out where I put it. It takes great photos, but it took me months to fool with it enough to be confident I wouldn't miss a shot. Two things I learned right off: I don't need the cable to transfer pics to computer, I can just pull out the card and stick in PC.. and b)if I forget to put card back in camera, I can't take more photos. :) Please learn yours, then teach me! K

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  7. The resolution of those shots is
    SO clear ..really great. But I get
    ya .. it's just a pain to learn new
    tech equipment of any kind when
    you're not 22, and I just hate
    those kinds of changes.

    Hope you get over feeling under
    the weather really soon. LOL .. I
    sure understand letting your
    fingers go walking at online
    fabric offerings. I admit it .. I
    am a fabriholic. I was just
    thinking today when I got Fabric
    Mart's email: boy, they sure know
    how to get me.. it's like showing
    chocolate candy to a 4 yr old,
    darn them (but I've resisted, so far).

    Take care of yourself ..winter's soon here.

    ~Joy~

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  8. HI!

    Hope you feel better soon!

    We have three canons (2 rebels). The T3i is awesome! While you're learning, the auto on that camera takes beautiful pics. However, Pinterest has a ton of resources. This is the link to my photography board http://www.pinterest.com/hsengland/photography/ that has a "few" handy resources if it'll help.

    Can't wait to see what you create next!

    Holle

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  9. I love Canon DSLRs and pretty soon you will too! I agree, start by setting it on Auto. Canon lenses are excellent and you will be so happy with your images! Truly, you can use Auto as long as you want to - it will do a lot of thinking for you. When you're ready, take it in baby steps. I started by taking some kind of class on-line (years ago). Then for a long time I only adjusted the aperture (the size of the hole that lets in light to the sensor), only one piece of the picture! You are going to have so much fun!!! And you will feel completely fierce toting that nice big lens around! Congratulations on a brilliant camera purchase!!!

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  10. I have an earlier Rebel version, and I loved it from the moment I bought it. Read the manual, take your time and practice playing with all the buttons and knobs. Try different modes on the same subject. Take tons of pics of your grand babies. You will love this camera! I am jealous now and want to upgrade!

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  11. Pretty much all my photoshoot pics are done with my Canon DSLR set on "Auto" -- Outside, in particular, it takes wonderful shots. Great choice of camera!

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  12. Oh I think you'll be happy with your DSLR! I used to be afraid of my camera too, but found that with time, its actually a rather fun hobby. I'm by no means a professional, but it is fun to get behind the camera and start shooting. You'll be excited when you start delving into lenses, though they can be pretty pricey. But they are like sewing machine feet, so much fun to play with. I have Nikon DSLR and my absolute favorite lenses are my prime lenses - meaning they only have one focal length so they don't zoom in or out. You actually have to move your body to get a good image. But they have magical properties such as bokeh (the beauty of the blurry parts) and their depth of field range. I took a few classes on linda.com and was absolutely stunned by how much I learned. Highly suggest! Easy to watch the videos and easy to get the hang of. I'm sure you'll love your camera! It's like sewing - just another way to express your creativity.

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  13. Wonderful clear photos and I love my Canon DSLR. I take all my photos with mine on Auto using a tripod and digital remote, which I purchased on ebay for a very small price and makes life so much easier and saves my head being cutoff by my husband LOL.

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  14. Enjoy your lovely new camera Carolyn, and I'd love to see the new fabric, too! Hope my name is still going in those fabric draws :)

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  15. How exciting to get a new camera! I have a similar swivel out LCD screen on my camera (a Canon 60D) and it is so useful for taking self photos because you can see where you are positioned in the shot before taking it - no more cutting off your head or feet!

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  16. Your shots are so much clearer and the colours pop. I think its a a keeper!

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  17. I need a new camera too. My Olympus has become obsolete. Who would have thought. I really liked it too.

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  18. The pictures are crystal clear.. love it. I am overdue for a camera, but learning something else new keeps me at bay, but oh the clarity of those pics.

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  19. Sorry you aren't feeling great, but glad you were able to brighten your day with some retail therapy. Good luck with the camera! Pretty sure it will be worth it.

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  20. I have had a t3 for a couple of years and one thing I do is shut my flash off for most pictures. If you press your shutter button half way and look in your viewfinder it will tell you if you are overexposed or underexposed in the manual settings.
    Invest in a Canon 50mm or 85mm lens and you will be set for a long time.

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  21. That is the exact camera that I use, Carolyn, and I LOVE it!!! So much to love about it, but I especially love how I can put it on a tripod and take my own pics. When I do that, I swivel the screen so that I can see the pics from my angle. No more running around to the back of the camera to see.

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  22. I have one of these and I love it. I only got it a short time ago and the first thing that my FIL (who has won multiple awards for his photos and has a very expensive camera) said to me was that I needed to purchase a protective filter like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Tiffen-58mm-UV-Protection-Filter/dp/B00004ZCJI/ref=pd_cp_p_2). I'm still learning about mine, but if I come across a cool tip with mine, I'll let you know.

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  23. I have the T2i and I love it also. It takes amazing pictures. When I am in a rush, I use my iPhone 4s camera and I like it. But not like my Canon.

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  24. Canon's are awesome! I loved the flip out screen view thingy on the one I had a few years ago. I don't think it was an slr though, like maybe the one below that but still looks like an slr camera. I def want a real deal one in the future. Your pictures look so clear.

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  25. I have the same camera and I love the quality of the pictures, I set it on auto and just shoot. I don't have the patience to read the manual so I let me teenage daughter take care of that part. I stick with the simple and basic part of it.

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  26. Sorry to hear about your old faithful camera :( but I'm sure in no time you'll get the hang of your new one even if it's just using the auto feature... that's what I do my hubby's DSLR thingy lol. I do need to learn to use our a bit more as well. Hubby got me a tripod and a remote so I could take my own pics but I'm a bit slack and still prefer him to be my own personal photographer plus it's more fun taking pics that way especially as hubby always manages to make me laugh at myself while he's making fun of me. I usually tell him just keep clicking like the pros do and surely I'll fluke at least one good shot out of the shoot. I've asked him to learn how to edit so he can make me look like a super model but he reckons it would take him years to get that good hahahaha Have fun exploring your new camera and I'm sure you'll have years of enjoyment out of it... and like everyone else has said your pics already look nice and clear so there's a bonus and you've only just got started with it :)

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  27. Your test photos have amazing clarity and sharpness! I can't wait to see how your garment photos turn out!

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  28. Congratulations on the camera. Do get the UV filter and if you get another lens, get a filter for that one too. I got one for this last Christmas and love it. It's definitely a learning curve. There are lots of youtube video about this camera.

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  29. Oh, I hope you're feeling better soon. But.. new camera! The picture quality with this model is fantastic, so I'm sure you'll be happy you have it. I have a Nikon DSLR, and started out enthusiastically changing my camera settings, but now I'm lazy and 99% of the time I just set it to auto, and flash off. The quality is usually just as good if not better than when I fiddled with the settings.

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  30. The best thing is to take lots and lots of photos. Just keep clicking until all the controls become second nature--like threading your sewing machine! The best thing about digital is that you can delete whatever you don't like. If your pc doesn't have a media card slot, buy a media card reader to plug into your computer. It will save your camera batteries. You will love it for taking family photos as well as documenting your sewing creations. Enjoy!

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  31. I should of known better than to think I would be one of the first to comment on the beautiful clarity of this new camera. Good for you... hopefully your memory cell is downloadable/working still.
    Hmmmm, maybe you need to get out and about a bit in the fresh air? I do hope that your feeling your ole self soon.... the weekend is coming!

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  32. Carolyn,
    I hope you feel better. Sorry to learn you have gotten the "funk" bug.

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  33. Also, your camera takes wonderfully clear pics. I think it is a keeper.

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  34. Enjoy your new camera! If it didn't come with a good manual it will be online. I find that reading the manual while playing with the camera is a good way to learn. Take a lot of pictures and try all the settings. I assume that the camera has a raw setting which is really the best for taking photos you want to keep, like of your grandkids or even for your everyday stuff if you have the time since it can be adjusted by several stops in each direction for exposure after you've taken the picture. You can't post in raw, it has to be converted to tiff, which is where you want to edit and then to jpeg. I love Cannon's; I find them very user friendly. Good choice!

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