Finally

After months of preparation, I finally got my first DSLR. Canon EOS 400D with stock lens, the cheapest Canon that I can find. Even the cheapest, it cost me RM2280, which is quite a lot.

Then I realised some points that I was wrong about DSLR.

The first thing is, seeing everyone is using auto focus mode, I thought manual focus will be difficult to use. I was way too wrong. Manual focus is in fact far easier than what I imagined. And, using a lens as cheap as mine, using manual focus mode some times can be even faster than auto focus. "Some times". At least, to take a photo, I don't even need 2 seconds to focus to the best point. If for fast object, just point and shoot, I still need to practise.

So few people using manual focus, I wonder if anyone knows that the camera has good assistance to the focus. By half pressing the shutter button(which is to focus for auto focus mode), and turn the focus ring, when the object you want is in focus, the 9 AF point will blink in red, so you know it is ready to shoot. To play even more, you can half press then turn around to see the different object in focus by following the red blinks. The main reason I can get focus in less than 2 seconds is of course by the help of the blinks.

Straight after I tried the demo kit at shop, I knew that image stabilizer lens is far better than lens without. Same 400D, same lens 18-55mm, the image stabilizer lens create clear images, while the normal lens shows blur images. Then I know, how cheap my lens is. But still, I believe in practise makes perfect. If only rely on image stabilizer lens, I don't think photo skill will improve. At least, hand shake will be ignored for all the time. So I still prefer lens without image stabilizer now. Of course, don't have money is another important reason.

After seeing so many photos taken by DSLR, I thought the blur background effect will be quite easy for DSLR to create. No. I don't know whether is because of the lens, or because my skill isn't there yet. Narrow field-of-depth is far more difficult that I can imagine. Maybe I need to get a macro lens to feel that. Still, no money.

And I love the auto off function of it. This function is actually more useful for manual focus than for auto focus. At least I can take my time to slowly focus, then press to shoot while the camera is in auto off status. I don't know whether it will affect much, but I think the battery life can be extended so I can take more photos. Another good thing is that I can leave the camera on for whole day and play with the focus for many objects, when I finally want to shoot, just press and the camera will be in full power in no time.

Still a lot more for me to discover. I just know, I love my new camera.