*Almost* a month later

And I'm slowly finally getting some use out of my new camera.

As previously mentioned, I bought the Canon EOS Rebel T7i DSLR Camera Bundle Canon EF-S 18-55mm STM Lens + 32GB Sandisk Memory + Canon Case + TTL Speedlight Flash (Good Upto 180 Feet) + Accessory Bundle. I got a little worried after buying it because I thought the wide angle lens that comes with the bundle (plus the zoom and macro lenses) would be crap, and they're okay. Not the best in the world (see pictures on wide angle), but I figure it like this: For what I paid, the whole bundle was free.

Think about it: I paid $799 for a camera and a fourteen piece accessory kit. The T7i with lens alone is selling for the same price. Okay, so I also bit the bullet and got the 4 year warranty on the camera too. With the T3 having internal dust spots and a itty bitty crack in the back lcd screen (no big deal; really), the warranty may be a good thing. So I can't complain that the "Commander 58mm 0.43x Wide Angle Macro Auxiliary Lens" creates a vignette effect around the edges. Or the tripod came broken (yup, you read that right. It's a cheapy deepy plastic-moonlighting-as-metal tripod).

I was going to try out the tripod when I opened the bag. Proof something was funky when the tripod was in a carry bag and not in a shipping box. Tell tale sign #1: small dinky tripod, in a flimsy canvas bag, no box, no brand name to search. You know it ain't going to be all together.

So I did write to Amazon and tell them the tripod arrived in pieces, but I wasn't about to return the whole box of stuff because I had just finished registering the camera on the Canon website. The challenge is, when you open up a claim with Amazon, they offer you several options, but most end up being that you have to ship the whole box back to them. They don't offer to replace just one item if it was part of a bigger package. I won't delve into all the details on what happened, but I will say that Amazon was nice about what went down and I am going to further enjoy buying from them. Everyone is different in their purchases and I don't recommend always fighting the store for something, but if it's legitimately warranted and under good cause (state the case and see both sides), things can happen. Amazon kept me as a customer for what happened.

Anyway...

Briefly testing some of the accessories, I found out that the wide angle lens does a vignette. It's okay; it adds character. Using some of the internal filters the camera comes programmed with, proved that I need to do some dusting around my room.

I am almost 100 pages into the manual, but also wanted to freelance and test out the camera too. So I turned on the creative effects mode and starting taking pictures of the England Nodding Dog and Manchester United FC Official Champ Football/Soccer Crest Garden Gnome on my dresser. Again, this proves I need to dust. Don't mind the mess.

Effects used: Grainy Black and White, Fisheye, Water Painting.

Trying the wide angle lens, I took a photo of my bathroom door.

Yes, I said my bathroom door. Why? Because of the decals I've got on it. I can't find the exact branded phrase I have hanging (because I bought it at an after Christmas sale at a local store), but I found the phrase online in other materials: "Christmas Calories Don't Count" with a Glow in the Dark Skeleton Skull Hanging Figure.

Interesting combination, I know, but I've had the skeleton since college and he's been hanging on the bathroom door for a while now. I added the calories thing this Christmas because I thought, "why not".

But you'll see a difference in when I use the lens and when I don't - black around the corners (wide angle makes it seem rounder) and no black on the edges (normal lens; seems flat).


Therefore, "why not" show the pictures, or this whole post is for naught:
Oh, and I did some minor editing in Photoshop....

 

 

 

 

 

 





That's it for now. Thought I'd add some fun into the mix.

Be safe and keep warm if you're in the New England area tonight and into the beginning of the week. I hear schools are closing because y'all are expecting snow! Yay?




Cheers;