embracing old camera gear: canon rebel xt

Today may be Black Friday in North America, a day filled with rampant consumerism and buying more than one could ever want. Instead of racking up deals on new gear, I dust off my very first DSLR, the Canon Rebel XT (350D) paired with the curious EF 28-70mm f/2.8L lens.
The Canon Rebel XT was released in 2005 and I am the first owner of this copy. Tracking down a CompactFlash card reader was no easy feat!
I bought the Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L lens on eBay from a seller in Japan. It's a chonker, weighing in at 830g.
Filmed with Sony a7C II and FE 20-70mm f4 G lens.
Filmed in November 2023 in Ontario, Canada.
Chapters
0:00 Grumpy intro
0:40 Canon Rebel XT and EF 28-70mm f2.8
2:30 Less grumpy
2:45 Sample images
3:28 Nostalgia monologue
5:08 Walking around forest floor
6:01 Complaining about 2005 technology
6:39 Calmed down
keywords: EOS Kiss Digital N, entry level camera, vlogging sample footage, sony alpha, alpha 7C II, mark ii, mark 2, mk ii, woman photographer, female photographer, solo woman travel, woman photography, lens review, rare lenses, rare lens, L-series lens, heavy lenses, japanese lenses, forest, landscape, woodland photography, zoom lenses, wide angle, telephoto lenses, retro lenses, retro cameras, retro digital, elder millenial interests, fully expecting no one to watch this video
#Sonya7cii #a7cii
sub count: 819

[@ruffprophetproductions]

*beginner magic* yesss I agree. I love that point

[@shanefera]

Constraint can be such a great driver of creativity.

[@BadSloucher]

It certainly can. Thank you Shane 💚

[@kuvisit]

Only today I held my Canon 450D for the first time in forever. I never used it with an actually good lens, so it might be the time to try

[@BadSloucher]

Yeah! Put a good lens on it and take it for a spin!

[@thornton]

"because what else is there to do in life" I feel this so deeply when making stuff... great video 🌞

[@BadSloucher]

Thanks Tom 🌞

[@countingcook]

lol currently going through the same thinking pattern….. miss the old days…. Trying to recapture the passion.

[@BadSloucher]

All you have to do and go out and shoot! Anything, really! thanks for watching

[@zcounts]

great video! blessing!

[@Fifthimagez]

I truly enjoy this video😊

[@surfntrucks]

You forgot to bring your ND filter. That sky is blown out. I just wanted to add to your "Grumpy intro." I love your videos, keep them coming.

[@BadSloucher]

I forgot my brain! 😆

[@Spaceherpy]

I still have my rebel xt. Loved the vid!

[@BadSloucher]

Glad I'm not the only one to kept theirs! Hope it inspires you to try and shoot with it!

[@neorat]

Great video, just getting started with photography and enjoying it so far.

[@BadSloucher]

I'm glad, thank you for watching. All the best with your photography journey

[@zr2jake]

What else is there to do in life? Well said Justine. I sometimes choose violence on a cold day too. Well, I wear it off hiking. I think as more and more people look for hobbies after the covid onslaught, we have more people with new pro-level gear and less knowledge. Nothing wrong with this at all. I just believe that to fully appreciate the art of photography, one gains the most from starting at the basics and working up. I gained so much from my early rebel cameras. I am now fully comfortable and appreciative to use new Canon Mirrorless Bodies and feel more at home. I like the nostalgia

[@BadSloucher]

Agreed, thank you for watching!

[@patrickstarr2000]

Doing vlog too but just using Android phone but have bad quality but it's okay thank you for inspiring me from the very beginning. Your video is very informative.❤❤❤

[@Vivid_Clicks]

No camo for that tude being Real in the Wood 😜✨🥰

[@bock1965]

Justine , you need to remember that the pain of the past only appears as pain to you. Compared with todays cameras yes the XT seems painfully slow , painfully under appointed in features and painfully limited in mega pixels. But coming from the other direction the XT was $999.99 MSRP, a sum still painfully out of reach for most photographers at the time yet still considered affordable as compared to cameras like the Canon EOS 10D that was $1999.99 and only 6 MP. The reason for the price was that it was leaps and bounds ahead anything a lot of photographers had ever used. It was a first DSLR for many making the migration from Film SLRs. It was far from painful to use , it was sheer bliss ! Ah , the dopamine ! Imagine 36 shots per roll with film and most camera owners not being able to blow through 10 rolls in a setting , let alone pay for 10 rolls to be processed at once. Now with the XT in hand , Canons 2nd sub $1000 DSLR a photographer could shoot 100s of shots in one setting with out increasing their cost 1 penny ! Cameras like the XT were revolutionary for the average photographer moving to digital from say a Canon AE 1 or a Pentax K 1000. I shoot with a Pentax KS2 that to you would seem out dated compared to modern mirrorless cameras but it is revolutionary compared to the Canon XT. My Pentax has a 20 MP sensor. An articulated screen. WiFi. In Body Image Stabilization. 1080 p Video. 1/6000 second shutter 51200 top ISO and 5.4 frames per second shooting . My Pentax for some today is a dinosaur but it really is a great performer. BTW I just picked up a Canon XT with 18-55 mm lens , charger , battery and a whopping 2gig CF card for ....... 15 dollars on Facebook Mkt Place. Came with camera bag , all documentation and original Canon software CD. My cell phone is nice but even a now inexpensive camera like the XT is better by far for "Real" Photography. Btw thank you for a great video ! I have subscribed hoping to help you hit that 1000 mark !!!

[@BadSloucher]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and share your thoughts

[@t_mcb_1342]

i enjoy your videos... please stay awesome...

[@filmmakerevolution]

I still have my Canon 5D2 in my dry storage cupboard for purely nostalgia reasons, that and its worth next to nothing now lol.

[@BadSloucher]

I don't blame you for keeping it! I love the look of images that come out of any of the 5D cameras, there's a certain crispness yet smoothness that I can't quite describe in words. But I know it when I see it. Give it a spin for fun some time!

[@filmmakerevolution]

@@BadSloucher yeah exactly! And yes I take it out periodically and just snap for fun 😄

[@misterleo4164]

What do you think of the 28-70mm you used in this video. I’m thinking of purchasing it paired with my canon 90d

[@BadSloucher]

It's so good, so underrated. The auto focus misses at times, but still good for 30 year old technology. It's very heavy, but such good value for what you get.