Replacement Camera

When my mother called me to tell me that she had won a golf outing in a raffle at her place of employment, I thought she was calling to offer it to me.  Even though I live in New York City, and she was in Phoenix, I was optimistic. But alas, the call was to find out what sort of camera I would recommend she purchase.  She didn't golf, so she was going to take the cash option.  

At the time, I didn't own a dSLR, though I had access to one at work, a Canon Rebel XSi.  I knew the limitations of the camera, and I know that my mother had experience with a Minolta film SLR.  My sister had two daughters, and my mother was basically just interested in taking good pictures of her grand daughters.  

I looked at all the options available at the time, and because I had Canon experience, I focused primarily on Canons.  I presented three options, the Rebel series (I don't remember the exact model at the time), the 50D, and the EOS 5D Mark II.  I tried to talk her into just purchasing the 5D Mark II and then just handing it over to me.  Needless to say, that plan did not work out, as she wanted to buy a camera for her use.  I ultimately decided to recommend the 50D for her.

It turned out to be maybe too much camera for her. The camera rarely sees any action outside of full auto.  But it was my first introduction to a camera that was above the Rebel line.  I wanted an xxD if I couldn't get a 5D I had decided.  It felt a little more solid in my hands then compared with the Rebel series.  The shutter sounded beefier, the burst rate was higher, everything was able to be tweaked just a little more.

Fast forward two years, and after owning my first dSLR, a Rebel T3i, for about 5 months, it was stolen from work.  My parents came into town shortly after this, and I was able to play with my mom's 50D again, deciding that my replacement would be a 60D instead of another Rebel.  After saving for a couple of months after the theft, I purchased the 60D from B&H Superstore in Manhattan.  I have now had that camera for two years, and am very happy with it.  Currently, I have no interest into upgrading to the 70D.  The only upgrade I would like is to a full frame camera, ideally the 5D Mark III.  But realistically, the 60D will be with me for a long time.

I fondly remember the print of one of my mom's shots from the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.  I always wanted to be able to capture something I would be proud to display in my home.  The first photo in this post is from my mom's camera when we took a trip to Hyde Park, NY to visit Franklin D. Roosevelt's home.  These flowers were captured in his garden.  After understanding a little more about post processing, I revisited this photo to edit it how you see it now.  It also is one of the first photos I tried printing on metallic paper, and it is now displayed by my front door, though only a 5x7 print size.

The first shot in this post is from May 22nd of 2010.  Canon 50D EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 42.0mm
Shutter Speed: 1/200s
ISO: 100 

The final photograph is from March 30th of 2012. Canon Rebel T3i EF 50mm f/1.8

Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 50.0mm
Shutter Speed: 1/640s
ISO: 100