What Digital Camera Should I GET? [Archive]

andres_pad

July 16th, 2004, 08:19 PM

my best suggestion for this is to write out a list of what you actually need. for example, my list (6 months ago when i got mine) was;

small
digital
usb or similar data tansfer
high level of expandable memory
prescision lens
decent zoom
some sort of carry case.

now i would also reccomend going with a well trusted brand (for example olympus), this way you know that you will be buynig a quality camera, and not just some mass produced chinese sweatshop camera. Decide wether you want to get something that has a changeable lens or not. When it comes down to it, you can basically buy two sorts of digital camera. the yuppi small pocket sized camera (there is nothing wrong with these) but you cannot normally change the lens on these. The other sort is the several thousand dollar digital camera with changeable lenses (a friend of mine has a several thousand dollar one that is 12 mega pixel or something (FUCK)). <<-EDIT: BAAAHAHAHA, that seemed so outrageous back then!

My biggest reccomendation is to write a list of what you want and need and then go and talk to a sales assistant in a well known camera shop.

finally, good luck

i ended up with a olympus mju: 400 and it has been the most awesome camera ever. i would highly reccomend it to anyone

brkofdon

July 16th, 2004, 09:37 PM

andres_pad - thanks buddy!!!!

H.Evans

July 16th, 2004, 10:04 PM

RUFKE

July 16th, 2004, 10:40 PM

I bought an olympus D-575
small, cheap and good quality!
I love it!

krispee

July 17th, 2004, 05:38 AM

i also have a fuji finepix but the s602 with the hard drive in it....
does for me.....

krispee

gent

July 17th, 2004, 08:01 AM

brkofdon

July 18th, 2004, 06:57 PM

thanks for your input guys!!! researched a bit further...might get a nikon coolpix 4300, it has pretty much everything that i want...pretty much. and the price is affordable being in the 300-400 area. has manual controls along with the normal automatic settings....plus ive had a photography class before and my instructor had a coolpix and it took really nice photographic type images...

...ill research a little bit more...thanks a bunch! :cyclops:

SylkX

July 18th, 2004, 10:57 PM

I personally got the Kodak easyshare dx7440, it was rated the best in its price range(350 - 450) by a digital camera magazine. I found it for 295 at buydig.com with free shipping. Its pretty simple to use and takes nice pictures with room for options.

Anemos the Storm

July 20th, 2004, 02:45 PM

I have the Fuji Finepix s5000 and I love it. It has all the settings you need (basics) as well as 10x Optical zoom and decen macro capabilites for a great price.

H.Evans

July 20th, 2004, 08:44 PM

I found it for 295 at buydig.com with free shipping.

I ordered mine from buydig.com also. I was very pleased with their service and pricing.

BadMange

July 23rd, 2004, 02:03 PM

Check out the features comparison guide at Digital Photography Review\ (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp) before you commit to the Fuji Finepix.

Btw, anyone know of a similar guide for Mini DV cams?

-Bad Mange

Morbid

July 25th, 2004, 05:28 AM

brkofdon

July 25th, 2004, 06:38 PM

great! thanks for all your input on your digicams! looked up some of your guys's cams and they are all pretty good...Morbid that swivel screen does sound handy for those extreme angled shots! hmmmmm... BadMange thanx for the link! i also found a link that helps guide you through a bunch of questions/specifications you want in a camera and at the end it shows you all the cameras that fit your answers...but as im looking through my favorites i cannot seem to find the freaking link! so as soon as i find it ill post it up...sorry hehehe

Fog_cartoons

July 27th, 2004, 08:16 AM

New problems for you.

I want to take up photography as a hobby or maybe even a job after a while but, I have no clue what so ever on digital cameras. I could really do with some help from whoever can give it. I don't understand any jargon either, so you would have to help me out there as well.

Specifications would be:

<£400 not $
Any weight
Must be durable
Have no idea about pixels, as long as its a decent amount
Must have USB function

All in all, as long as its good but not too good

acuna_read

July 27th, 2004, 10:10 AM

Assuming you havent already got one then the main thing to consider is what sort of photo your taking.

Ive got an Olympus C-720, which is a great camera with good adjutability for my photo's. I just arse around etc...

My one problem is that I've started taking alot of pictures at motoring (mainly motorbikes) events and obviously they travel at high speed. My camera would be perfect for what I do if I only took pictures of flora and fauna etc (which i do alot of too). But theres a slight delay when taking pictures from me pressing the button to a picture being captured. I therefore have to work out when to press my button to get a good shot.
This happens with all cameras, but this one is particularly slow. So if you want fast moving pictures then get something that has a small time delay.

Use that photo comparison website shown as its the best one around(to my knowledge).

My camera cost about £240 (equivalent to $450-US) that was about a year+ ago. Camera prices change so rapidly it's unbelievable. could probably pick my camera up for nearer $350-us now, probably less.

Make sure its got 3.0 mega pixel capability at the minimum, most in the price range your talking have now.

Fog_cartoons

July 27th, 2004, 01:51 PM

Thanks!

To be honest, there wouldn't be problems with a delay because it really wouln't affect me at all. I'm not going to leap into buying it just yet, I want to read some other peoples advice first. Although, the C-720 seems to match everything I want.

Johannes

July 30th, 2004, 05:28 AM

Hi
The thing thats always talked about are megapixels. But in fact many (and I agree) claim that 2 megapixels are enough.
It is especially true if you (like me) want to use it for thumbnailing and inspirational images to draw/paint from. :D

So if you want to go cheap, find a camera with a good 2 megapixelchip, a quality lens (zoom or not) and a good signal processing chip. You see many cameras have many pixels, but perhaps bad lenses or mess things up by coding the info bad or then just mess all up when they compress the files to jpg.

Im biased towards nikon (this is because I have an "analog" F90 since 10 years and some lenses and friends with more lenses...), my brother has an "old" coolpix 2100 that i find very attractive and extremely easy too use. :)
Im thinking of trying to save for a Nikon D70, which seems really good and in the right pricerange (which for me is "just within reach" ;) ).

Some links:
http://www.fotosidan.se (sorry itys in swedish, but like me theres a lotta swedes here ;) )
http://www.dpreview.com
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d70.asp

GL :)

Fog_cartoons

July 30th, 2004, 08:14 AM

Great, thanks

bear

July 30th, 2004, 09:44 AM

I'm happy with my canon powershot a80. Somtimes I wish I could zoom in more but that's not something you get (at least not with some trade-offs) wihout going up in price.

Before I got it (in the last quarter of 2003) I did pretty much research on cameras that offered a number of manual controls but didn't cost too much, my impression then was that most cameras in the same pricerange were pretty equal in terms of image quality and features and the swivel screen was pretty much what tiped my decision over in the a80's favour.

Now there are probably several new models out on the market though and prices will be different so I don't know what I'd choose today without looking around at sites like http://www.dpreview.com

All the photos I've posted here on CA are taken with my a80.

Morbid

August 2nd, 2004, 12:53 PM

There is a tele/wide lens converter thingie for the A80... dont know how much it is but if you want more zoom you could check it out Bear! :confident

Fog_cartoons

August 2nd, 2004, 03:35 PM

I don't think I would ever need an extreme zoom and my budget probably wouldn't cover it, even though fate usualy makes me need one as soon as I start snapping away.

lordarka

August 2nd, 2004, 03:47 PM

there are less expensive digital s.l.r.'s with manual controls, i use a fujifilm finepix s5000, works alot like a modern 35mm slr (ie: minolta maxxum 5) as far as having Programmed, Aperture metering, Shutterspeed metering and Manual controls, also has additional features that a 35mm slr does not have, like flouerescent light compensation, and what not, ...

The S5000 is not an SLR in any respect. As a camera, it's a decent unit for the price, but you can't compare it to an SLR, because it does not have a Single Lens Reflex setup, or any of the attendant optics. There do exist true digital SLRs, and at this time, all of them price out at around $1000. The key advantage to such systems is easy access to manual controls, and a TRUE OPTICAL VIEWFINDER that sees THROUGH THE LENS. This is a very important thing to many photographers; All digital cameras that are not SLR, rangefinder, or medium format back use an LCD in the back to preview the image. Additionally, many of these cameras have a separate small LCD in the viewfinder. These LCDs can't refresh or update changes in the scene as quickly as a true optical viewfinder can, so that's an important difference to consider. Also, the ability to change lenses, and buy different lenses for different purposes, is another hallmark of SLRs. Also, ALL digital SLRs can compensate for lighting temperature changes (It's the white balance setting.) Film SLRs need not do this because the analog medium does not require such correction.

The prices of digital SLRs, and in fact, all digital cameras, should be seeing an adjustment around September, when Photokina in Germany gets started. Expect a flood oa new cameras announced, and price drops on all updated or discontinued model. It would be to your advantage to wait a few more months and see what kinds of models are announced at Photokina this year, as the compeition between the digital big boys (Canon, Nikon, and Fuji) is starting to heat up.

Hope that helps!

Arka C.

alithenake

August 3rd, 2004, 09:25 AM

It is a good site indeed, but have you tried Http://www.steves-digicams.com ? In my opinion is one of the best in camera reviews.

Also IR is another good one: http://www.imaging-resource.com

Consider these before buying any camera :)

Regards,
Ali the Nake
===============
My Portofolio (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27476)

brkofdon

August 4th, 2004, 03:11 AM

alithenake - fantastic links! especially image resource they do such a detailed review of cameras its insane! thanks for the links!!! much appreciated!!!

Fog_cartoons

August 5th, 2004, 04:10 PM

Right, thanks for all the help. I've decided to get an Olympus C-720 UZ

brkofdon

August 7th, 2004, 01:40 AM

well i finally ordered a nikon coolpix 4300! will hopefully getting it this weekend!!!

this thread has started to become a very informational thread...i dig it!!! thanks for all your input and sharing your digicams!!!! <3

keep takin pictures everybody!

Ideaspark

August 12th, 2004, 11:26 AM

I sell cameras quite a bit....don't buy a Kodak or a Fuji or a Panasonic or a Sony ...

Basically stick with Olympus/Canon/Nikon seriously those brand's cameras are FAR beyond the quality of other cameras.

I'll post more to this thread later, a helpful site is www.dpreview.com

Fog_cartoons

August 13th, 2004, 12:36 PM

Ach, C-720 turned out to be in New york rather than England, even though it directly said, "Item Location - England"

Im going to consider the Fujifilm FinePix S602Z, anyone got any pro's or con's about this?

Ach, again! I could really do with a decent SLR like camera bundle because I have no idea what kind of extras I would need to get.

:ah: :ae: :ae: :ae: :al: :ap: please :bashful:

Ideaspark

August 13th, 2004, 12:49 PM

as far as Fuji's go the 602 isn't bad...

the really lame thing about Fuji's (and Olympus cameras) is that they use the XD memory card, which is just a smaller version of the poorly designed smart media card...more on this when i get back from the wedding i'm shooting...

jamtob

August 17th, 2004, 06:29 AM

hey guys! been wanting to get a digital camera for a long long time now. and im getting real close to getting one. the thing is im not sure what to get. i definetly want something that can take easy point and shoot, but also want manual control for more artistic images! now as for price i could possibly afford something in the 500 n lower area..

any suggestions on what to get? o and if you all can tell what digtal cams you have that would be cool.

thank you!

Hello friends,

well I've just become a member and this my first ever post, so be patient with me lol.

Hi brkofdon,

for the digital camera question i take u re looking for a cam u can carry easily and lets say could just hide in even ur best suit's pocket to be capable to take pics whenever a chance comes along.

well lucky you lol this has been my intention half a year ago, when i was in a similar situation and i found a camera that matches my needs perfect.
its a Kyocera Finecam SL300R Finecam SL300R (http://www.kyoceraimaging.com/product.asp?itemnum=300238).

The cameras features are great, the fast shots ability works great with a Secure Digital memory card model ScanDisk Ultra II, if you go for lets say 256MB card (a 16MB is incl.) its also possible to capture videos in good quality and lenght.
I am just crazy over the twist-able lens part, its so easy to shoot a quick self portrait for e.g. a grimase study - yeah I do use this option frenquently lol.

The package also includes software, a USB cable, a pocket and wrist-strap (not sure if I translate this right, sorry).
Now for the price it was back in December at around 400 Euros in store, but I got mine via Ebay (all new, warranty and so on) for less that 350.
Although I'd recommend to have a look around some shops and online stores before you buy, prices really vary here.

Well, I hope I could provide a little help and shopping advice,

greets Tobs

Anemos the Storm

August 18th, 2004, 04:13 PM

Im sorry to disagree with you on the Fuji camera. I have had no problem with my s5000. The Xd card is cheaper than most other media cards and the camera runs forever on AAA batteries. I have 2 sets of rechargebles and have pracitially no downtime. At the time I researched, it had one of the longest battery times out there. I have the ablility to change my exposure and shutter speed and take continuous shots. I agree that no, its not the beat all camera, but for the 300 bucks it costs it is very comparible to any out there. The 10x optical zoom is a plus.
Example of the multishot
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/Anemos/Clearwater/firebreather2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/Anemos/Clearwater/firebreather.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/Anemos/Clearwater/firebreather3.jpg

brkofdon

August 18th, 2004, 06:37 PM

looks like a good camera Anemos the Storm s5000 what brand is that?

jamtob - hey thanks for your suggestion but i already ordered and have my nikon coolpix 4300 and im super satisfied with my purchase..only 320 bucks for the camera. i also got 128mb mem card a carrying case and lens cleaner..not bad! um the close up shots are incredibly close. it also has continuous shots, the res for this camera can get really large. its fully automatic as well as fully manual. the scene modes are an xtra plus! its a 3x zoom and 4 megapixel and thats fine with me. its pretty compact, but the battery life isn't as long as i thought..well maybe because i haven't actually fully charged it hehe..i got impatient and wanted to take pics.

here are some close up shots...to test it
http://www.oraclewoods.com/donflores/temp/DSCN0005b.jpg
http://www.oraclewoods.com/donflores/temp/DSCN0010.jpg

Fog_cartoons

August 19th, 2004, 06:08 PM

Aha! A Olympus C-725UZ came through in the post today, which is strange seeing as we haven't had any confirmation for it in an e-mail. Anyway, its really good! I'll go out some time soon and do a bit of snaping and post the results here

Ideaspark

August 20th, 2004, 11:47 AM

4300 is a much better camera technically than s5000, not to be overly harsh but the fire shots you posted are a good reason not to get that camera, the fire breather is out of focus and overexposed even though he's the subject. Plus Fuji tends to blow the colour saturation through the roof, and once it's done that you can't get it back.

If anyone is really serious about digital photography but don't want to spend HUGE amounts of money get either the Nikon D70 1800 CDN, Canon 300d (i think it's 1500 CDN) (both SLRs) or the Olympus 5060 if you want something with a load of features and a realy high quality flip out screen.

On the low end the Canon S50 is quite nice at 5 megapixels.
Basically don'y buy Fuji, Kodak or any of the "electronics" manufacturers. Some of these companies have a few decent models (the Fuji s602 was ok) but for the most part they don't have the raw guts and solid bodies of the big 3.

Ideaspark

August 20th, 2004, 11:50 AM

oh and i'm shooting a Canon 300d

http://photos.imageevent.com/pipmoo/stripshit/musashi/huck.jpg

Anemos the Storm

August 23rd, 2004, 12:32 PM

I think it may be overly harsh to say "Don't buy Fuji's" The fire breather being out of focus is my doing not the camera's. It is on a setting of "Chrome" to exagerate those colors, but yes the colors on the do tend to be on the bright side, but not 'through the roof'.
I guess not a lot of money to you and me are 2 different things. :)300......1800...... :nohope:

The s50 is comparible in price, but it only comes with 3x zoom to the 10(optical) of the Fuji, its movies are 15fps to the 30fps of mine. Plus, I don't like the feel of little squares for taking pictures. And I can buy macro, tele, and wide angle lenses to go onto the camera where the s50 cannot.

Are there better cameras out there, heaven's yes. Would i take an 1800 dollar camera over this one, you better believe it! I am not saying this is the ONLY camera. However I still make my stand on this camera being one of the best in a truly reasonable price range and should not be so generally cast aside. I guess it all depends on what you want. For me, an ameteur, I wanted a 300-400 dollar camera that had a nice zoom, good feel, easy to use settings, but still some freedom in manual. This camera has exceeded my expectations. And I hate proprietary batteries. My rechargeable AA batteries, last forever.

Oh and here are some more of my pics just in case:
The World of Anemos (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28664)

Nice pic btw! Good lighting, aperature setting for the background, nice contrasting elements, and most of all nice timing :) The flowers really draw my eye

Ideaspark

August 23rd, 2004, 02:03 PM

in the end it's not so much the camera that takes the picture but the person. And it comes down to how much post work you want to do. I like to start with a very neutral image with maximum image information, I'm not sure if the Fuji can shoot raw but if it can that's where I personally would start, from there you have the maximum range of editing possibilities, it's like starting from a negative as opposed to a print.

The s50 does take extension lenses though they are 3rd party. ANd if you mean little squares for the CCD well the Fuji ccd is mostly hype, the edges don't come off any smoother. If you want a super smooth image you have to go with the CMOS sensor. I'm not just saying this as a Canon owner, there are plenty of cameras from other manufacturers that are very well constructed and will give you a fine image...and when i'm shooting film i only shoot Fuji, i'm certainly not a brand by any means :) but I have sold cameras for over 5 years and for the models i've seen the Fujis just don't measure up. Those are pretty good prices, are they american ? the 1800 i mentioned is canadian, i'm not sure what the U.S. conversion is right now.

Those other shots you've posted are a much better selection of what the camera can do (i like the soft coloured frosty morning shots), and don't get me wrong, depending on the kind of photography you want to do the s5000 will get you by, all i'm saying is that if I was doing any sort of pro shoot I wouldn't take that along (mind you other pros would say that about my camera too and i shoot weddings with it all the time).

Anemos the Storm

August 23rd, 2004, 04:20 PM

Sure, if I was shooting pro, I definately would have a better equipment. I was just following the original post of "500 or less".

Yes, I can shoot RAW, I don't usually, not sure why :) never played with it i guess.
My little square comment was directed at the shape of the camera body itself. I like the "slr feel" of the Fuji body for my big hands.
I think the 1800 converts to around 1300 but not sure.
Wasn't trying to start anything, just wanted to say that it isn't a bad camera and should be given a chance. If anyone couldn't tell, I really like it :) But I understand where you are coming from.
Thanks for the comments on my pics too.

dancyr89

September 4th, 2004, 01:22 AM

i use a 300d --see my pics (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29547)

chalcosoma

September 22nd, 2004, 07:32 PM

I used to use a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707 (5 Megapixel). Check out my website to see my work; www.InsectaCulture.com

I have since upgraded to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828 (8 Megapixel).

Best regards,

Robert Coral
www.InsectaCulture.com
www.ReptiCulture.com

threelegged_chicken

September 23rd, 2004, 10:56 PM

How do the Canon Rebel 300D and the Nikon D70 compare in y'all's experiences or opinion? this will be my first digital camera. im taking photography at school using a canon rebelx. 35mm.

brkofdon

September 24th, 2004, 08:55 PM

threelegged_chicken - well im not the most knowledgable photographer, but from my own experience, one of my photography classes the instructor was using a nikon coolpix for demonstrations/excersizes which worked just fine, and i just recently got a nikon coolpix 4300 which works awesome..its fully manual when you want it to be. but you might want to buy an extra battery. anyways ive always never had issues with the nikon brands. i dont know much about canon rebel 300d.. my dad has a canon a-1 which is an awesome camera. your picking the right brands at least.

hope that helped..i dont think it did. peace. :tihi:

threelegged_chicken

September 24th, 2004, 09:21 PM

yeah well... i haven't gone through and looke at each individual feature side by side. i figure they're pretty close together.

Katsushiro

October 26th, 2004, 03:51 AM

Well, some background first....My name is David, I am a professional Photographer, I also work on the side at Best buy for just this reason, to help people figure out what would be good for them. There are several things to consider when you begin looking. The size you want to be able to print at. The extent of zoom you would like, the cost of the memory, the life of the batteries, and obviously the overall size of the camera itself.

As far as megapixels are concerned, the average person doesn't need to go over 5mp...at that resolution you can get a perfect 8X10 print with very little if any noise. The benefit of going higher though is that you have more room to crop anything you feel like cropping and still can pull a decent print.

Next is the zoom factor, there are 2 types of zoom...optical and digital. For those of you that don't know the differece here it is. Optical utilizes the lenses to get you closer to your subject without losing any quality. Digital takes the image you have, crops it down and enlarges the result, effectivley lowering the resolution of your new toy. Be weary though, at 10X optical zoom on a point-and-shoot camera you almost have to have a tripod in order to get a decent shot, these camera simply don't have the shutter speeds or aperatures to compensate for less than adequate light and shaky hands.

Canon uses the least expensive memory cards around (Compact Flash) while Nikon and Kodak run a close second (SD cards). Sony uses their own proprietary cards which will cost you over twice as much as the Compact flash Cards. Then there's Olympus, and Fuji using the most expensive memory out there (XD cards). Speaking from the standpoint of convience and financial ease, camera that use Compact Flash cards are going to be the best for you. The cameras are a little more expensive but after the cost of the memory you end up paying less for everything you'll need along with the camera in the first place. Plus if you decide to upgrade to and SLR later, most all of them use the same Compact Flash cards, so you save there too.

Battery life is a big thing here as well. A lot of cameras use AA batteries, try to stay away from those, the batteries don't last long and if you go on vacation you'll need a seperate bag jst dedicated to carrying your batteries with you. The lithium-ion batteries last longer on a charge and provide constant power until they run dry. The only downside to them is that after a year to two years they need to be replaced. That's a small price to pay though for the convience they provide.

Overall size strictly a personal thing, you have to decide that for yourself.

If you are looking into getting an SLR then most of what I've said may be old news, but if you new to those then the Digital Rebel (300D) from canon is a great entry-level camera. You can get the camera and still be able to afford some nice lenses (those are very important after all) Also look at the new 20-D, for the price it's at, it's the best camera on the market.

So far the best camera I've seen that combines the size of a point-and-shoot with the features of and SLR is the Canon G6.

Personally I shoot with the 20-d and the older 10-d. Both of them are great and you can easily get wonderful shots.

here are some examples straight out of the 20-D no editing
http://thumbs.deviantart.com/300W/fs5.deviantart.com/i/2004/287/b/2/After_the_Breeze_by__katsushiro_.jpg
http://thumbs.deviantart.com/300W/fs5.deviantart.com/i/2004/292/2/e/Arboretum_falls_3_by__katsushiro_.jpg
http://thumbs.deviantart.com/300W/images3.deviantart.com/i/2004/161/1/b/rainy_day_macro_1.jpg

Hope I was able to help a little bit, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

David

Shaz666

November 2nd, 2004, 11:23 AM

Hi my name is shaz666,

I am new to the forum and have been reading all the threads on the above subject.

I have an Olympus stylus 300 all weather proof digital camera

My 15 year old daughters has aNisis pocket DV4 digital video camera

My 9 and 11 year old boys are getting for Christmas Nikon digital Coolpix 3700 camera

:teeth:

moo

November 6th, 2004, 12:59 AM

power shot g3 im kinda new.

psg3 is a very nice camera.
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~mav8989/1.JPG

darth massacre

November 14th, 2004, 10:40 PM

Well, Moo....that's a rather, errr, huge picture innit? If it was reduced in photoshop it'd be more web friendly for most. It's a nice picture though....I'm a sucker for sunsets myself.

anyway....

I play around with photography myself, not as a serious photographer, just enjoy picture composition. I think Photography helps in drawing and painting in a very large way.

I guess no budget camera can compare to the higer end ones.....you really get what you pay for. If someone is half serious, a 'cheap' digital SLR like the Nikon D70 and the Canon Rebel EOS 300D will still set you back a few grand....if you include the whole list of items you will need besides just the body and lens setup.

Prosumer camera models...or the higher end setups for each of the brands out there....actually gives the best of both worlds. Its not exactly digital SLR but they come with many of the SLR type functions. It will, in no way, outperform a digital SLR of the same generation.

Just to clear something up.

Sony uses their own proprietary cards which will cost you over twice as much as the Compact flash Cards. Then there's Olympus, and Fuji using the most expensive memory out there (XD cards)
Sony's newest camera the F-828 has slots for both Memory stick and Compact Flash. Olympus C8080 and C5060 has slots for both Compact Flash and XD. As far as I know, its the higher end prosumer models that have options for different storage media....XD cards are more costly due to the size....its so darn small. I'd take Compactflash anyday.

I operate the Nikon Coolpix 5700. Old piece of technology, but still one heck of a camera. Man I gotta earn some bucks and get myself that Coolpix 8800.....

If anyone's interested, Canon's introducing a fully black Rebel 300D Digital SLR for a limited period only......which they probably should've done when they released it. The fully black Nikon D70 swayed a lot of buyers just by the color alone.

TANDRUM_6996

November 17th, 2004, 03:01 PM

If you are planning on becoming a professional photographer I would recomend Cannon's Digital Rebel. It has the capabilities of a SLR(single lense reflex) and the capabilities of a digital camera. You can get a wide array of lenses, various sized memory cards, and the mega pixels are just right. The camera should last you for a while.

djfournr

November 18th, 2004, 03:21 PM

Which digital camera to buy? Thats a can opener. I really liked andres_pad's comment to make a list of what you want and then go looking for it. Its really easy to get caught up in the debate about which camera is best and brand and all that. I know of a lot of people who buy high end equipment because they are techno geeks who feel they need the best even though they rarely take photographs and seldom use more than 10% of the technology available to them. At least they support the industry though right!

I think Katsushiro's comments were quite helpful, especially in regards to batteries and explanation of optical/digital zoom. About the memory cards though I think his comments might be a little dated as almost all camera manufacturers are using multiple types of cards now, I know my Nikon uses Compact Flash.

Anyway, I'm just rambling and giving props to whats been said before. Figure out what you want to do and then figure out what you need to do it. I highly recommend the DPREVIEW.COM (http://dpreview.com) as the source for reviews, forums, etc. related to digital cameras.

ScRaMbLe

November 26th, 2004, 09:20 AM

I've got a fuji s5000 and it rocks! 10x optical zoom for under $500 australian and that was 3 months ago, but then again, i'd say anything rocks after my kodak dc215!

fadedoak

December 8th, 2004, 10:35 PM

My little Canon A75,under 200 works like a dream, it gets great Macro imaging, I got a great picture of my little leo geckos face, with no blur. Sorry not much to say, computer has lots of things wrong with it and likes to shut down.

Legato

December 13th, 2004, 03:35 PM

i know that this thread is basically over, but for anybody who is still interested, i got a cannon a95 for 350$ and it is beyond amazing. its 5mp, 3x optical zoom, swivel screen, the ability to change lenses, full manual control as well as tons of presets and a small and compact design yet not too small make this camera spot on. got a 50$ 256mb card for it and it works like a dream. other than using 4 aa batteries (which i got rechargeable) i have nothing but praise for this. it gets colors great, has the ability to set the white balance off of a picture, the ability to stitch picture together w/o an external editor, simple gui and a great audio note system also make this camera better than most.

im no professional, but i wanted something that could take artistic photos and this is it for me

Banshax

December 26th, 2004, 04:44 PM

brkofdon,
Im a bit ahead of you camera wise, but it looks like you'll walk the same path.
start of with a digicam on a budget a budget. youll likely end up increasing the budget as u do more research. The curve of improvement is steep but so is the price.

What it boils down to:
500 should be plenty for your demands. Pay more, and ulll get a load more flexibility, better autofocus in dark places, less noise, better lenses etc etc etc. Its kinda impossible to stick to 500 unless u start shooting pics and stop bothering with the technical part. <- i suggest you reread that, so far its been more than true for me.

Eventually, what it boils down to (again) is:
Be able to shoot what u want, and be as little limited in what u wanna do. Pretty much most cams with a good review will do just that. "that" being able to shoot pictures u want to shoot. There is some excellent advice what to look for in here already. Keywords like size, batterylife, lense quality, etc etc are very valid options to look into. But keep in mind, stretching ur budget is very tempting.

How tempting?
Two years ago I started with a budget of 250,- increased it to 340 to get a better lense / diafragm options. Lateron went for a DSLR i was dieing to have, never looked back. but sure hurts the wallet. Now im on an on switching lenses and the original budget of 250 is now more then easily tenfolded. Can't complain, i mean ive completely grown into photography in the process, its however, very, very easy to get more green. Still in most cases, a decent digicam wud've done the job reasonably good, to excellent.
Its not so much the camera, its the photographer and his skills / experience. Why else would there be pro photographers making money, even now with digital camera's that allow everyone with a large stack of cash to buy and not bother with film / printing etc.

Good luck with your choice

ambient-whisper

January 25th, 2005, 01:09 AM

brkofdon,
How tempting?
Two years ago I started with a budget of 250,- increased it to 340 to get a better lense / diafragm options. Lateron went for a DSLR i was dieing to have, never looked back. but sure hurts the wallet. Now im on an on switching lenses and the original budget of 250 is now more then easily tenfolded. Can't complain, i mean ive completely grown into photography in the process, its however, very, very easy to get more green. Still in most cases, a decent digicam wud've done the job reasonably good, to excellent.
Its not so much the camera, its the photographer and his skills / experience. Why else would there be pro photographers making money, even now with digital camera's that allow everyone with a large stack of cash to buy and not bother with film / printing etc.

Good luck with your choice

agreed. you shouldnt blow your wallet right away. learn some photography with lower end models first. get a feel for taking decent pictures. then when you feel that your being limited by the camera and want to do more photography, get something better.

in my case. i got a coolpix 2500 a few years ago and it was a fun little camera ( well still is. ) but when travelling around and wanting to do higher quality photography it limits me. so my answer to this was to get a nikon D70. its been great so far :)

-sideshowbob-

January 25th, 2005, 03:41 AM

get one mirror reflex..

and get one with changable lenses... u got more possibilatys thru this.. static lense not that good

i got canon eos 300D ;>

try get this one

Bacchus

February 8th, 2005, 03:39 PM

I might be a bit late on this thread and it might have already been said.....

An important things to look for in a small digital camera is that you get one with an Optical zoom and not a digital zoom, the quality is always much better and you really need to look for one that has at least 3.5 mega pixels.

My other half has just bought a Canon PowerShot A85 and its spot on. As well as having all the usual "fire and forget" settings on it, it also has Manual focus, shutter and aperture control. Plus it has the option of limited interchangeable lenses. I've had a play with it and it's hard to knock.

Personally I use a Nikon D1x (Soon to be a D2x) with 17-35mm f2.8, 35-70mm f2.8 & 70-200mm f2.8 lenses along with 2 SB80DX flash guns.......but fortunately my company pays for them ;).

I hope this helps

Bacchus :^^:

AXK

February 10th, 2005, 08:02 PM

if u could raise the bar a bit further, i would recommend OLYMPUS C8080,its a porper SLR style camera with everyting u will possibly need packed in the box, and , it has a superb razor sharp lens, i brought one just before X'mas as a back up/take anywhere camera and im very happy with it.
but there is one thing i must say which is , the reviewing is a bit slow, it will take around 5 sec for each RAW file to be loaded. but if u r happy with just taking JPEG format, then everything will be just fine. :^^:

skankatie

February 20th, 2005, 11:43 PM

What about the Canon Powershot A80? Im thinking of getting that one, it has got some good reviews. Also it has a swivel screen which makes it easier to take shots high up or close to the ground, without putting your cheek in the dust.

I have the Powershot A75, its very similar to the A80 but it lacks the swivel screen. I wouln't recomend the swivel screen, it will break with one drop or with a srong amount of pressure. I love my A75 and wouldn't mind putting my cheek in the dust once in a while. :)

skankatie

February 21st, 2005, 12:05 AM

What about the Canon Powershot A80? Im thinking of getting that one, it has got some good reviews. Also it has a swivel screen which makes it easier to take shots high up or close to the ground, without putting your cheek in the dust.

I have the Powershot A75, its very similar to the A80 but it lacks the swivel screen. I wouln't recomend the swivel screen, it will break with one drop or with a srong amount of pressure. I love my A75 and wouldn't mind putting my cheek in the dust once in a while. :)

newbies13

February 21st, 2005, 12:08 AM

Beware of any site that sells the canon digital rebel for less then 700 with the lens kit, or less then 600 for just the body. There are 3-4 sites out there that are advertising it for DIRT cheap, and as always you get what you pay for. Your best bet is one of the auction sites honestly, I got my canon digital rebel with a lens 512 meg memory card and spare battery for $650 bucks an AWESOME deal.

Love the camera too it's hard to take a bad shot with it, and at max resolution you have some seriously large photo's to work with.

wazzup

February 23rd, 2005, 04:36 PM

what kinda cameras good for landscapes and nature like under 500 us $ good zoom like 10x and good picture quality and not to many buttons :^^;:

scott_ewen

April 5th, 2005, 01:58 PM

I have the Minolta Dimage A1 and I love it. It's an SLR type camera with a ton of options. Huge lens is great for detailed landscape pics and really capturing the light.

They've come way down in price. pricegrabber has them listed for around 530

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=1229859&search=dimage+a1

Wes Mordine

April 7th, 2005, 06:18 PM

For an affordable yet very high quality digital camera, consider the Sony DSC-P93!

3x optical zoom, 5.1 megapixels, LCD monitor, plenty of options for exposure and apperture, and many other goods.

Highly recommend it if you have about $350.

I should probably post a couple of pics to sell the idea...

blueeyedfairyinpink

April 13th, 2005, 03:15 AM

Boyd

April 13th, 2005, 04:53 AM

Im gonna guess that you dont want to spend a bucket of money on this, so I'd recommend any of the Nikon Coolpix line. Reliable as hell and decent enough image quality for a point and shoot. As D-SLR's go, I agree with blueeyedfairyinpink on the D70, but also check out the Rebel XT. The only thing that it lacks is the 20fps of the D70. The Xt's got 12. But other than that, its comprable in every aspect. But not as costly :wink: .

I'm picking up one next week.
Digital or Die! :dead: :dead: :dead:

Himtim

April 13th, 2005, 07:49 PM

DragonGX

April 14th, 2005, 01:08 PM

You should get the Nikon D70. It's the best camera ever and it's both Digital and Film ready. I love that camera and wouldn't change it for anything. You can get it for about $400.00 at Amazon.com You just have to look and find your self a great deal. They also have the Cannon SLR and you can get that at Wal-Mart.

I'm new here and still learning my way around so if you have any advice please let me know. I still haven't figured how to post pictures in my page yet. So please feel free to help me. Blueeyedfairyinpink!

Eh, a D70 costs at around $1000 (more or less depending on the store and rebates) and is NOT film ready. There aren't ANY DSLR cameras that are "film ready". There are some film cameras (mostly extremely expensive medium format) that can accept a digital back, but non of the 35mm based DSLRs can take film...

You might want to check your facts before giving them to other people.. :P

Johannes

April 15th, 2005, 08:31 PM

Himtim

April 16th, 2005, 06:52 AM

Im a nikon guy since my first camera...
Ive practiced at a sportphotographer the last 6 months, so this is what i found out so far:

Ive tested the D1h, which as not to my liking, but may be cheap. Beware of the expensive rechargeble batteries though - dont get one with a halfdead battery. It does however have a peculiar rgb sensor which make it difficult to handle in PS.

D1x which is ok, but still too few pixels, but good rgb sensor, good colors, a fine camera, but "old"

D2H, expensive and fast, but to few pixels and a bit "noisy" on the image. also its totally too expensive

D2X - only tested this on a fair, looked and felt good, many pixels, Id like the firm to get this one.

D70 - this i like, while its not as fast as the others, it have good amount of pixels and a steady rgb sensor and not much noise. Good battery price on this one too. It has all the features I would need and more right now at least, except an flashcable adapter which for some reason it has not - i have to put an 800 flash on it and stick the cable into the flashs flashcable thing...

D100 - only tested this a little, felt good, but had a noisy image.

coolpix 2100, my brother have this one, few pixels but fast, good alrounf "partycamera" that still kicks the butt of many other brands in its pricerange. Good starting camera (thinking of buying my brothers when he gets the newer model).

Also on a DSLR (the kind you can change lens on) its important to get a lens with a large F, like 2.8 or better. This is expensive, but its worth it. The 50mm F1.8 is a great startlens (but perhaps a bit boring).
Also get at least a 512mb card for the camera, preferably from some well known manufacturer, we use sandisk mostly.

gl with the choices :D

The number of pixel doesnt mather, its the quality of the pixel that mathers, 4mp resulotion is OK for newspaper/magprint. but it is noisy wich is a problem for a sportphotographer like yourself...

D70 is a good cam, but not for pro-sportphoto, it doesnt have the speed, also the build is not fit for a proshooter, it dont take bumps and rain and so on like a pro-house does. it doesnt even have usb 2,0 which is important for a profesional user, it doesnt have a vert grip, also something most pros would use.

D100 does not have that noisy images, d70 is better but on lower iso you cant see any differens. Also it would be a good idea to wait and see how Nikon d90 turns out (follow up to D100)

You recomend "large f stops" but you dont explain why. large f numbers let more light in to the sensor and that means you can shoot in places with low light without crankin up the ISO or using flash, this is good for sportphotographers like you, if you shoot sport you need a good tele lens, 400 and over(take a bank loan;)..).

Also large f stops give you the chans to make very creative photography, you can play around with the dof on a whole different level...you mention the 50mm 1,8( 75mm on a 1,5x crop digital sensor), what is boring about it?????? its the best normal lens you can get for that money. perfect portrait lens for face and halfbody shoots.

Just some thoughts from me/T

Johannes

April 16th, 2005, 11:26 AM

Himtim - Good thoughts, I agree.
I didnt elaborate because I dont the average user needs to know so much - it just confuses things on the early stages. Plus I was certain it would spark someones interest and they be writing an clarifying, and that "someone" was you. :D
The D70 is not a good sportscamera, but its an excellent allround camera, something that could fit a member here on CA.
The usb have not been an issue to me, as i load the cards in via a cardreader.
Perhaps somewhere we could discuss lenses that are good and cheap, Id be interested in that. :)

Banshax

April 17th, 2005, 05:16 PM

Gotta agree, the sony p-series is doing very well.
the p10, p93 etc etc handle autofocus in dark places very well,
flash pretty balanced, resolution isnt a problem with any cam anyway,
dono bout batterylife but its worth checking out

Wes Mordine

April 19th, 2005, 01:44 AM

The Sony P-93 has quite an impressive battery life! It comes with two rechargeable Nickel-Metal batteries, which are good for about 400 shots. The charger is included, of course.

The resolution of a 5.1 megapixels is basically ridiculous (in a good way, that is)! Anything more than 5.1 most be intended for the purpose of giving the owner bragging rights.

I was reading the reviews of expert sites on digital cameras, and they all hold the P-93 in very high esteem. They say it's among the finest non-proffesional digital camera.

And that makes me happy.

Frogbeast

July 20th, 2005, 09:48 PM

Hey. One of the better things that I've found useful is to check out Consumer Reports magazine or thier website (which is a paysite unfort.) they do really nice comparison's of price vs. options and quality. PS watch out for digital zoom=no good

Iliou

August 11th, 2005, 01:22 AM

before I bought my camera, i spent a month researching which would be best for me. What I realized through all the reviews and all the forums is that a camera is individual to the persons needs and wants.

I have a Nikon D70s, and I love it. It's versitile, good priced, and great quailty. I reccomend it to any and all.

siphis

August 14th, 2005, 03:20 PM

I'm looking to buy a digital camera in the price range of $150-250. I'm intersted in the Sony Cybershot DSCS40 4.1 MP more than any other camera so far. Does anyone know about this camera?

DavePalumbo

August 17th, 2005, 12:55 PM

cybershots aren't that great from what I hear. I second the earlier comment to stick to canon/olympus/nikon

I myself have been using the Canon digital rebel for a couple years and it has not once let me down. Full manual control, easy to understand the controls, superb quality, the batteries even seem to last forever. It also goes up to ISO 1600. Try finding a point and shoot that can do that! Of course it's a bit pricey and it's a bit big. You can find cheaper ones online, but they're often "grey market" and not covered by any sort of manufacturers waranty.

I wanted a camera that I could carry in my pocket (sort of a camera sketchbook) for when I'm out and wishing I had one. Nothing fancy, no need for super high megapixels or anything. Just something tiny, reliable, with good quality and at least some manual control. I shopped around plenty and ended up with the Canon SD200. It only has 3.2 megapixels, but they also make higher resolution models (SD300/SD500). All in all it fits my purpose beautifully. It's one of the smallest of the mini digital cameras, but it has a canon lense and I can adjust settings instead of being forced to use the "preset modes". My mom has a Fuji that's similar and I can't stand it. No manual control at all! I hear that Canon makes the best lenses on compact cameras and from what I've seen, this is absolutely true.

Artschmart

August 20th, 2005, 05:05 AM

Been thinking about getting a Canon Digital Rebel SLR @ 8 megapixels. Are they good? I just want a point and click camera but a high end one.

DavePalumbo

August 22nd, 2005, 03:21 PM

the Digital Rebels do give the option of being highly automated, being essentially a point and shoot. Personally I think if you want a point and shoot, it's a bit of overkill. Like swatting a fly with a mallet, you know? They're also fairly bulky for what I think of as a point and shoot, which should be portable and lightweight enough to carry around in your jacket pocket in my opinion.

I think it'd be a waste of potential to use one as just a point and shoot, unless you plan to learn more about how to use the manual controls in the future.

Layil

August 23rd, 2005, 02:11 PM

What about the Canon Powershot A80? Im thinking of getting that one, it has got some good reviews. Also it has a swivel screen which makes it easier to take shots high up or close to the ground, without putting your cheek in the dust.

my dad has that camera (its the one i took to prague) and it drove me crazy the whole trip. it takes nice pics but the button layout is annoying and the small swivel screen is SO small you cant see that your pics are blurry until its too late. I guess you could get used to it, but i had the A75 and i liked it alot better because it had a bigger screen. Also, these cameras tend to cool the color of the pics alot, so accurate color is a problem. Theyre a bit big and heavy too and theres at least a two second lag in shooting at the bigger resolutions, which bugged me. otherwise, they work great and have a nice battery life to them. I also agree that Canon makes the best lenses on smaller cameras, and ill probably look into getting another one, just a different model.

just my two cents. im in the market for a new digi as well since mine got stolen, and i wont be buying another one of the Canon A75 or A80s...

magenta

October 17th, 2005, 02:17 PM

Pixels, resolution, quality , memory size and Zoom length are some of the things to consider before getting a new Camera.
nikon, Canon and Olympus are some good brands..

Barret_wallace

October 18th, 2005, 08:07 AM

Been thinking about getting a Canon Digital Rebel SLR @ 8 megapixels. Are they good? I just want a point and click camera but a high end one.

i got the canon 350D it wery similar to the rebel.
if you just are going to point and shoot it's a waste to spend
that mutch money. the powers of a SLR is that it got a
mutch bether ligth strenkt and you can affekt the depth of the image aso...

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/barret_wallace/CA01.jpg
if you study the backround you wil se that it's blury.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/barret_wallace/CA02.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/barret_wallace/CA04.jpg
a SLR lens is stronger that what on ordinary cameras.
alowes you to take pictures of great distances whitout it geting dark

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/barret_wallace/CA03.jpg
(Picture taken by Slash)
masive collor and details, also the lens.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/barret_wallace/CA05.jpg
when using a fockal length smaler than 24mm (?)
you are using a broad angel objektive (not sure how to write this in english)
the front weel of this bike apears larger than it realy is

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a326/barret_wallace/CA06.jpg
white ballance and aperture let's you chose what's white and how brith the image sould be. this image is however an faliure. but look at the one to the right, it the cutest of them all Slash =)

the megapixels of a camera is actualy not that interesting.
the lens is the most important to a camera.
and if you are considuring an SLR, remember that
it's not a point and shoot camera, but a powerful camera that
you need practise to master.

Delight

October 18th, 2005, 08:22 AM

Slash

October 19th, 2005, 06:06 AM

Such an expencive camera, and all he ever does is stand outside my window, taking pictures of me in my underwear.. :nohope:

Welcome to conceptart.org barret!

c-thru

November 5th, 2005, 02:58 PM

Until recently, I've been using my grandfather's Olympus OM-2, which I found satisfactory. I'm hoping to move away from film since I recently discovered that film and photo paper is usually based in gelatin (possibly derives from cow bone/hide). I'd like to find a dSLR which can replace it. I've noticed that both the Canon EOS 300D and the Nikon D70 have been discontinued, both of which I was seriously considering.

Can anyone tell me what they're being replaced by, and whether such cameras would be suitable instead of the old OM-2?

It seems that some models are quickly replaced by others, e.g. the D70 replaced by the D70S, with new gadgetry attached. How safe is it to buy one of these dSLR cameras at the present, given that the model may soon become outdated? Would suitable spare parts, lens and memory-cards still be available?

Thanks.

Barret_wallace

November 5th, 2005, 06:27 PM

as the dealer said to me, it dos realy not mather what dSLR
you chose, you wil be equaly satisfied any way.

nikon's D70s got å mutch beter kit lens than canon's 350d kit

canons 350d hous got 8mp and nikon d70s got 6mp
that is the only real diference.

you cannot go thinking aboute what new will come when bying a camera.
no mather what you buy it wil get out dated.

all nikon lenses can be used on all nikon slr cameras i think, (bout dSLR and SLR)
canon lenses can't be exchanged betven SLR and dSLR,
canon got two types of lenses EF and EF-S,
the EF-S type can only be used by the cameras 350d 40d and 20d
the EF lenses can be used by all canon dSLR's.

i would advise you to buy the d70s, whit this camera you get the
most out of your money.

Adam Nowak

December 7th, 2005, 06:22 PM

A photographer came to our school today to take pictures of our clubs for the yearbook. I started to get into a conversation about cameras with him because I was interested, and i asked about his camera. Here's the problem.

I'm pretty sure it was the Nikon D100, as he said he would recommend me that camera to get. What I don't remember is if he said D100, or F100. He did say that the 200 version is coming out this week. I tihnk D200. Is that what he was talking about? I'll look into it.

infinitemonkey

December 7th, 2005, 08:59 PM

I have Canon T-70 (not digital) with a set of Tamron lenses. I'm thinking of going digital in the near future and I want to use the lenses. I'm told it's possible, probably just have to get a chip upgrade in the lenses themselves. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?

madpencil

December 31st, 2005, 04:19 PM

I bought the Canon Digital Rebel 350D a month ago, It's fantastic, I got a telephoto/macro lens wih it, I'm very happy with this camera. I recommend it to anyone whether it's your primary or back up camera.

Barret_wallace

January 1st, 2006, 07:52 AM

the 350d is the best camera in it's price class :)
i got it myself and it will be many years before i need a
camera of more power

Adam Nowak

January 4th, 2006, 12:32 AM

Really? Because that was the first camera I was interested in. 350d eh? I'll check it out once more.

forum803

January 9th, 2006, 04:43 PM

The olympus C-575 is good....but i am a fan of the lumix...AWSOME lense.and some manual setting available...most the powershots are good as well

SplendidArt

February 6th, 2006, 08:49 PM

Im going to suggest my camera it is very nice, and takes sharp photos its the NikonD70

claudeEGYPT

February 9th, 2006, 03:20 PM

Canon Rebel XT 350 ... end of story..

http://www.canon.com.au/images/image_library_low_res/eos%20350d%20slv%20front%20front.jpg

Barret_wallace

February 14th, 2006, 04:07 PM

There is only one dSLR of interest in the amateur class
http://www.ixbt.com/digimage/canon350d_ixim/canon350fl.jpg

:)

samsite999

March 8th, 2006, 06:06 PM

Can i add my 2 peneys? I have had a Kodak DX6490, great starter camera, but only 4MP, takes some great pics, quick and easy to learn, nice LCD display, robust, mine took a few nocks, its just a great camera it has 10X optical zoom and this can be added with additional lenses, and it also accepts filters for the more creative user and it also has all the manual settings a starter would need. I have now got a nion coolpix 8700 which is 8.1mp i think, again great camera, but a difficult and challenging learning curve to get the best out of it! basically, pays ur money take ur choice, personally i wouldn’t go for a digital SLR if your just coming in to things

Bill Beaton

March 17th, 2006, 04:55 PM

I'm afraid that I'll blow my savings on a prosumer digital camera and then be left in the dirt of some newer, cheaper more effective model.

Barret_wallace

March 18th, 2006, 05:03 AM

I'm afraid that I'll blow my savings on a prosumer digital camera and then be left in the dirt of some newer, cheaper more effective model.

if you buy a prosumer model like nikon D50 or D70(s) or
Canon 20D or 350D you will be satisfied.
in some years all prosumer models will contain a fullframe sensor.
my tip to you is to buy a camera now.

Bill Beaton

March 18th, 2006, 06:34 AM

Now, RIGHT NOW? k brb

samsite999

April 10th, 2006, 04:05 PM

If im looking at somthing on he original price range of the Nikon Coolpix 8700 what do you think i should be looking at, i realy liked the camera untill i fell in a rock pool with it. Its a discontinuewd modle now. I would like nikon again so any idears?

Barret_wallace

April 11th, 2006, 05:00 PM

Fingers

April 12th, 2006, 01:25 AM

I recommend Canon as well. One thing that's cool about them is their digital SLR's and point&shoot cameras both use the same "Digic II" processor that's really good... I've got a tiny "digital ixus" and a $2000+ D20 setup and they're both great (in their own way of course :) )

Bill Beaton

April 14th, 2006, 09:25 AM

I can afford a D70S, but is it a vast improvement over a D50?

Barret_wallace

April 14th, 2006, 09:59 AM

then you should rater buy the Canon 350d digital rebel
you get mor out of your money

ShadeOfDawn

April 14th, 2006, 10:17 AM

I'd reccomend the Canaon 20D. It recently dropped in price with the release of the Canon 30D (which is a minor improvement over the 20D - it has the same sensor and same megapixels. There are differences but they arent that major)

The 20D has a larger and sturdier body than the Rebel XT, and it has some more pro features. I'd reccomend the 20D for better longevity.

Bill Beaton

April 14th, 2006, 10:46 AM

ajaja, I love the pictures you've taken with the Canon20d, but it's pushing my budget a little. Most sites seem to be 1000-1300 dollars, without a lens, wheras I can get the d70s for that price including a lens.

With this review in mind i'm leaning towards the d70s again
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/20dd70.htm

It's very tricky.

Bill Beaton

April 21st, 2006, 11:25 AM

I went for the d70s. I got it today, and took a few test pictures. I'm very impressed so far!

http://www.nudnik-headache.net/foto/DSC_00181.JPG

http://www.nudnik-headache.net/foto/DSC_0023.JPG

ukanfoff

April 21st, 2006, 07:41 PM

yea mines with a 20d.. i poured so much money for my gear.. i got 2 L lenses.. about a grand each.. i wont be buyin a nikon cam soon
sometimes i think im in the wrong camp.
im more of a color guy... after takin thousands of shots, u do notice the suttle differences with nikon and canon. even with post processing.. theres a difference.

but its all up to u what do u want out of your shots. more color?.. less noise?..

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/ukanfoff/ZERO00002481.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/ukanfoff/ZERO00002475.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/ukanfoff/ZERO00002473.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/ukanfoff/ZERO00002469.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/ukanfoff/ZERO00002472.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/ukanfoff/ZERO00002179.jpg

Fingers

April 22nd, 2006, 04:43 PM

The 20d is a great camera but it may be total overkill unless you're either wealthy or very serious about photography. A lot of its potential is wasted if you don't spend a couple grand more for great lenses. One of those sub-$1K cameras with a built in 12x zoom lens and image stabilizer will be just as good for most people if not better as it'll be easier to use and carry around.

ukanfoff

April 23rd, 2006, 04:50 AM

u can afford any cam u want.as long u find a way to pay for it thats all.

i aint rich.. nor serious about photography,,,
its more of a hobby really..

but i sell enough pictures to pay for my cred card bills.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/superslloyd/REX1567.jpg

so its a go go..
did this person buy a cam yet?

DarkMuse

May 15th, 2006, 01:03 AM

Hello! Camera wise, for companies I recommend Cannon or Nikon
For you a simple point and shoot with usb trans and can do photo effects Nikon coolpix 7600, I actually have one of these and am very pleased with it, mine is a 7.1 megapix with 7.8-23.4mm zoom, I baught extra memory, so I have a gig mem card (trigger crazy). Other then that go for something small, you can get a good deal on some of the 5-7 megapix cams, good luck!!!

Heat

May 16th, 2006, 01:45 PM

i think this link is interesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Georgia_Aquarium_-_Cuttlefish_Jan_2006.jpg

the photographer had this to say

"Taken by myself with a Canon 5D and 24-105mm f/4L IS lens at ISO1600"

id love that camera to have for checking out HDR in PS

Le Gab

May 18th, 2006, 09:53 AM

So i decided to give up my A75. Sad day today, but i somehow did it.

No I get to choose one of the following:
-Olympus SP500
-Finepix S5600
-Hp 945

Pls Help. 10x

samsite999

May 18th, 2006, 10:25 AM

If you can get a DSLR > I know i am not going back on what i said before, after having one now there is so much more you can do with them. Stupid things that used to drive me crazy like shutter lag, and power on time are no longer a issue. Also just the way the camera feels. to go back here, i found the most anoying thing on Pro sumer, i think thats what there called... 1) ISO even the new fuiji that clames its the closest to a DSLR you can get the amount of noice produces at 1600 makes it unusable. (ISO is basicly the gain on the CCD) the higher the ISO the more light that will be regesterd so this help in dark conditions + you can increes the shutter speed with a high ISO so your less likely to get camera shake, 2) Power on, because the lence is allready there and attached there is no power on time, i flick the power butten and can take a picture in less than a second 3) Finaly shutter lag, there was nothing more that upset me than going to take a picture that was on the moment like my dog doing somthing stupid and actual getting a image whcih occurd a second after i wanted to take a shot...thats my 2p...

Le Gab

May 18th, 2006, 10:32 AM

Well, I guess that rules out the 945?:zzz:

What do you think of the SP500? Thats my first pick

samsite999

May 18th, 2006, 01:22 PM

Le Gab > what kind of money are you looking at spending, or are you like me, as little as possable

Le Gab

May 18th, 2006, 02:19 PM

As little as possible! :^^:

Thomas Dickinson

May 20th, 2006, 03:14 AM

I wonder if this digital back can produce a better image than Kodak T-Max 100 (120 film). I'll appreciate all inputs!

Morbid

May 20th, 2006, 07:41 AM

I wonder if this digital back can produce a better image than Kodak T-Max 100 (120 film). I'll appreciate all inputs!
It should, at that price!! ;)
Sorry I dont know, but I know that digital backs cant reproduce the same contrast range yet. The whitest whites and darkest blacks always have more detail with film. (so far)

Thomas Dickinson

May 20th, 2006, 11:05 AM

It should, at that price!! ;)
Sorry I dont know, but I know that digital backs cant reproduce the same contrast range yet. The whitest whites and darkest blacks always have more detail with film. (so far)

Thanks for the input. I'm planning to purchase the 503CW but haven't decided which film back to buy. I'm very familiar with black and white films so I prefer to use films rather than the digital one. However, since I live in a small town and have no access to a well equipped darkroom at this moment, I thought I might be better off with a digital camera. But as you suggested, the quality of the digital camera is still not as good as that of a film camera, even if you pay thousands of dollars for it.

I wonder why the contrast range of a digital camera is still not wide enough.

Morbid

May 20th, 2006, 05:07 PM

Thomas Dickinson

May 22nd, 2006, 02:06 AM

When the digital pixels reach white it just cant go any further, there is a finer graduation in film. But then digital has so many advantages. You can control the white balance and its much much more convinient.

There is a great site on the issue here:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filmdig.htm

Thanks for the link to the article.

Do you know if today's top class portrait photographers use digital cameras when they shoot black and white? I wonder if such photographers as Helmut Newton and Patrick Demarchelier use digital cameras.

Morbid

May 22nd, 2006, 07:48 AM

I can't say for sure. I have seen a few professional portrait photographers who use digital backs, but film is still superioir in quality. My guess would be they use film.

Thomas Dickinson

May 22nd, 2006, 11:15 AM

I guess I should purchase a 120 film back instead of a digital one. If I had enough money to buy a digital back, I'ｄ buy strobes and an enlarger.

By the way, what does "SSGXVI - The Unseen Sixteen" mean?

Morbid

May 25th, 2006, 10:35 AM

Thats my sketchgroup. See http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=871773&highlight=sketchgroup#post871773.
Basically a group of people watching and commenting on each others sketchbook threads.

kikikoman

June 7th, 2006, 01:14 PM

Hi guys I'm new here I just need some help because I'm torn between 2 DSLR cameras.

Firstly I'm pretty new to photography.( Yes I'm a newbie but I'm picking up since I'm learning photgraphy in the upcoming weeks and I need to do photography on my school project etc. heehee :bashful: )

Secondly, I'm currently looking for a camera that would most probably last me for quite some time as you know I'm not rich or whatever. So I've kind of decided to invest on SLR which would probably so.

my two choices: Nikon D70S or Canon Eos 350D (you guys can suggest better ones if the prices ranges around this 2 cameras and I would appreciate if someone could briefly elaborate the difference because I've read the specs but I'm not really sure about it. )

Lastly, I've always wanted to ask.

Can someone tell me how long have these 3 cameras in production? Which of it is easier to handle? and roughly the cost of it back then.

Canon EOS 500
Nikon F55
Nikon FE10

I would greatly appreciate if anyone can help. Thank you!

ukanfoff

June 7th, 2006, 01:51 PM

Hi guys I'm new here I just need some help because I'm torn between 2 DSLR cameras.

Firstly I'm pretty new to photography.( Yes I'm a newbie but I'm picking since I've to do abit of photography for my school project etc. and you know I want good grades. heehee :bashful: )

Secondly, I'm currently looking for a camera that would most probably last me for quite some time as you know I'm not rich or whatever. So I've kind of decided to invest on SLR which would probably so.

my two choices: Nikon D70S or Canon Eos 350D (you guys can suggest better ones if the prices ranges around this 2 cameras and I would appreciate if someone could briefly elaborate the difference because I've read the specs but I'm not really sure about it. )

Lastly, I've always wanted to ask.

Can someone tell me how long have these 3 cameras in production? Which of it is easier to handle? and roughly the cost of it back then.

Canon EOS 500
Nikon F55
Nikon FE10

I would greatly appreciate if anyone can help. Thank you!

I could tackle the dslr question..
ok.. im no pro but i have seen a lot out on what these camera can produce.
ill just point out what i think is important ,well to me anyway.

first nikon.. i really like nikons way of producing colors, its like a national geographic type quality,its can produce really rich colors. good focusing in low light, but its so-so with the high noise . its get grainy but its all on taste.for skin tones ,nikon is awesome.

ok now canon ... photos come out a lil bit sharper,due to the lenses, but u gotta know which to buy. uhm as for colors, colors arent outstanding ,thier ok. skin tones, eh thier ok i guess. for high iso, it does a better job than nikon. price for canons gear is a lil cheaper than nikon.

with those things said. invest in photoshop- elements even

depends on what u want out of your picture, really.
if u want color go with nikon, if u want sharpness go with canon.

i used to have rebel xt but sold it .
i do have a canon 20d , its just im not satisfied with the colors, im planning to get a nikon d70s in the future. its pretty cheap and price is lowering everytime i check on it.

go to www.dpreview.com go between the brands and hang around the forums.

sony just came out with a dslr. 10mp for less than $999 . consumer use.
just wait on the reviews

kikikoman

June 9th, 2006, 02:27 PM

Thanks a lot! you really save me!

vinc

June 17th, 2006, 04:58 PM

well, what i ve read/heard so far the nikon D50 is equal to the D70s. and both are a real competion to the EOS 350D.
Like the others say, the 350D has damn good sharpness, its fast but small (with big hands like mine its dificult to handle sometimes), Nikon is great (from what i heard) with color, cause it has graduation-tools on cam etc. But with his high res and low MP (against 350D) it has problems with moire effects. also it doenst have ISO 100 only 200-1600, this is a point that scares me much.
The price line is D50 - EOS 350D - D70, in germany they cost with kit ca 580-950€. But there are more costs comming, like different objectives, SD/CF Cards, case, and and and.

I borrowed a EOS 350D and i like it very much, maybe i can try a Nikon too, we will see.
If so, i ll post my thoughts for you.

vinc

June 19th, 2006, 05:52 PM

allright, maybe its a damn fault, but i will buy a Nikon D50. I went to the service point today and told them about the offer from some other stores, they gave me a great offer!!! The big Kit (Case/18-55/55-200/1GB Hyper card) for 690€ (round about 930$)

Edit:
Changed my mind ^^ EOS is so much better after all and it costs 900$ in the kit now. Lucky me, that i was waiting.

kikikoman

June 24th, 2006, 04:48 AM

Alright guys! I just got my D50 instead of D70s because i find there isnt much difference btw those 2 and it is much lighter. Now I'm wondering is there any suggetive lens that a beginner can use? The kit gave me a 18-55mm lens. Lastly I'm wondering is there anyway to prevent the lcd from scratches? Furthermore what else do i need? I don't have a drybox( i'm keeping it in the bag they gave me but I was wondering will it be safe?), lens filter(my friends told me to get 1 and I dont really know what is it for.) etc. ( I'm saving for those though) Thanks a lot I really like the camera a lot even though i'm still improving on my shots so I really hope someone would tell me what necessary tools i should get to keep the camera in tip top condition! :yayca:

Fingers

June 24th, 2006, 08:58 AM

The filter you'll want to get is known as a "UV filter". Its nominal function is to keep ultraviolet light out so it doesn't cause purple artifacts in pictures taken in bright daylight. In practice, you use it to protect the front of your lens from scratches and dirt as it's a lot cheaper to get a new filter than a new lens. Plus it just might help the picture quality.

The 18-55mm lens is good for general picture-taking... Kit lenses usually aren't the best quality, but unless you're printing things out at A3 it won't matter too much. At some point you'll want to get a telephoto zoom lens (like a 70-200) and a tripod to expand your range.

Affordable "Super-zoom" lenses like Sigma 18-200 or 28-300 also exist and might be a good option for you as you won't have to swap out the lens in the field and get a good range. Again, their image quality won't be the best, but it'll be plenty good for a beginner especially if you're showing the pictures digitally in a small size like here on the forum. Composition, lighting and colors are what's most important and those are up to you, not the lens...

Cat

June 27th, 2006, 04:55 PM

ukanfoff

June 28th, 2006, 01:02 PM

What do you guys think about the lumix fz7??

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz7/

i'm a total newb when it comes to cameras but i am looking for one that i can use to take pictures of sculptures.. busts aswell as close-ups of wrinkles and pores.
I kinda fell in love with the lumix when i first saw/read about it :bashful:

i would say keep looking around. and not judge so much on the bells and whistles on the camera, take a look on how the photos are.

dpreview is a great site and heres another for ya.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html

Arp

July 6th, 2006, 09:15 AM

ukanfoff

July 6th, 2006, 12:18 PM

XXXJanitorman

July 6th, 2006, 01:08 PM

I believe I posted a topic in this forum a few months ago. I have an old canon SLR with 2 lenses. I had been trying to decide if I should get a dSLR or stick to film. Since I already had a film camera then I stuck to using film. After using it for several months, I have found out what I like and what I don't like. I don't like taking many pictures of portraits, or animals. I love landscapes and buildings though and I like to take some candid shots. Lugging around the SLR is getting to be a burden too. I keep it in my car, but I cannot take it everywhere. I have been trying out the idea of getting compact digital camera. I think it would suit my needs a bit more. I'd like to find one reasonably priced, with 6-8megapixels, I don't need a swivel screen (I think I would just break it off by accident), and it would have to be good at landscape pictures (Strong blues and greens are what I like best :) )

I've already started doing some research but if you guys have any recommendations, please post them.

Arp

July 6th, 2006, 06:13 PM

y not shoot for a dslr? nikon d50 $680 and $780 FOR A CANON REBEL XT on amazon.com and 1 gig cards are like $30-$50 each these days..

Oh, thanks for the help, I haven't even checked amazon.com yet, and I found a package offer that offered Nikon D50 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 28-80mm f3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor Zoom Lens+1gig card for $646.44.
And about the lens, is 28-80mm fairly good and is 18-55mm that much better?

EDIT: now I saw "Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S."

Smeagol71

July 6th, 2006, 07:29 PM

Sony Cybershots are pretty good, might want to check them out as well. The colors are RICH!

ukanfoff

July 7th, 2006, 12:32 PM

Oh, thanks for the help, I haven't even checked amazon.com yet, and I found a package offer that offered Nikon D50 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 28-80mm f3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor Zoom Lens+1gig card for $646.44.
And about the lens, is 28-80mm fairly good and is 18-55mm that much better?

EDIT: now I saw "Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S."

18-55mm kit lens? i would always try to avoid using the kit lens..... i would go with the 28-80..

Le Gab

July 25th, 2006, 08:14 AM

Sooo, i need help. Been here before but i need help again.

I need your oppinion on this cam i wanna buy.

The article can be found here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/accessories/B000B4FVK4/ref=hl_ac_03/202-5199607-3727839?ie=UTF8

The ideea is that this is the best price i could find fitting my pocket at this moment. :)

10x!

Y-S

July 28th, 2006, 04:11 AM

I think I'm about to get canon EOS 30D......and I'm kind of new at photography...

ayame

August 1st, 2006, 03:08 AM

I work at Best Buy in Delaware, as a "technology educator" with Digital Imaging.

We have two DSLRs on Display. One is the Nikon D50 and one is the Canon Rebel XT.

6/8 MP.

I think I remember the main difference with the D50 and D70 was just megapixels.

I played with both the rebel and the d50 and I have to say I prefer the Nikon over Canon. The canons screen was small, and harder to use. The nikon was easy to use (as usual) and very responsive. After playing with it/selling it/ I have to say I'm a huge fan. I wouldn't mind owning it. Even though I already have a 35mm Minolta.

699 this week. :)

Lauren Short

August 1st, 2006, 03:25 AM

tsk tsk shameful plug for best buy, quit fueling the fire! (also a best buy employee, except i install car audio stuff :bashful: )

if you're going to drop 700 bucks on a camera, either get something of the d70(nikon)/ 20d(canon) range or go for the 1200+ models like a d200 on up, much better than the "pro-sumer" models like the rebel xt and the d50.

though the differences are few in the d50 to d70 they are pretty big differences.

but yea, just a quick tip

Cypher

August 4th, 2006, 04:01 AM

I'm Planning on buying a Nikon D50
is this a good investment? : O

I would like to hear some Nikon users about the camera,

And i DO believe that its not really about the body with a SLR but its about the lens, so thats why im not saving money up for a more expensive body because I want to invest in lenses,

BUT... plz correct me if i´m wrong, because this is going to be a great investment for myself.

I saw an ad for a new camera on the Nikon global website, said to have 10.2 mp and such... not much is known about it but it will be released within 5 days.
I´m very curious about that camera, IF it has the same chip as the Sony Alpha then i won´t buy it in a million years
(that chip sucks quite a bit )

DrKilljoy

August 11th, 2006, 02:37 AM

God...if my dad had a digital camera (or even a scanner) he'd be able to put some rather amazing photos on here. Some of his black & white ones are beautiful from the Kansas City plaza.

Banshax

August 11th, 2006, 10:13 AM

Cypher, you`re refering to the nikon D80, which uses the same chip as the higher end nikon d200. quite a nice chip, nothing wrong with it. The body is half the job. So a D50 is an excellent choice.Yes, the glas in front of it makes all the difference.

Cypher

August 12th, 2006, 05:26 PM

Thx for the advice ^^

I liked the Nikon from the start... now to put it to the test,
that d80 is way the expensive for my budget, I COULD buy it.. but it would really be penny work :( .. would not leave any room for acces.

I'm gonna buy myself a sweet lens and batterygrip if I like the D50 :D

emmillius

August 24th, 2006, 04:44 PM

Hello There!

I have a Nikon D70 SLR and I think it is the best camera in the world. I've had it for 2 years and when I bought it it was around $1200. I'm sure now you could get one for a lot less. Here are a few photos I have taken with it. http://www.icecoldawesome.com/ppage

Since the D70 is a rather large camera I now often use my b/f's Fuji F10. As far as a 'point and shoot' camera goes I have to say that it is the best I've ever used. Response time is quick and image quality is awesome. The price is somewhere around $300, but well worth it. It also has a nice macro feature and a few advanced options.

If you are looking for more advanced options in a 'point and shoot' I suggest the Fuji F11, I would have gotten it instead of the F10, but it wasn't available when i was buying last year. =)

drewpac

August 25th, 2006, 05:32 AM

i'm pretty much in the same boat. if i were to able to save up some money, i would definitely go for a nikon d2x... but in the real world, i wouldn't be able to afford something half that.

so, right now, i am having a dilemma. will i get a canon a620 or a canon a700. they are pretty much the same except for the swivel screen, a megapixel difference, more optical zoom an the 720, 4 AA batteries on 620 as opposed to 2... the dilemma goes on. they say that there will be a replacement for the a620 right about this time... i'm holding on to my hard earned moolah for that one... i have no idea what it's going to be, but maybe that is the thing that i will be getting soon. hope this helps ^_^

Cypher

August 25th, 2006, 07:53 AM

Sounds like a difficult situation indeed, i would get the new Fuji F11 or the Fuji S9600, they seem to handle ISO speeds very well!

I got my D50 this week = D
OW MAN i love it ! What a great cam indeed, the speed, relialibility and such are just to good to be true.

I'm using my fathers old Nikkor lens from 1975 the most and it works perfectly ^^ bot thumbs up for this cam!

euphoriafish

August 27th, 2006, 04:47 PM

What I don't think has been mentioned yet, but I wish I knew when I was buying my camera:

Decide on batteries and memory options first. Check whether the camera has a special kind of battery and whether its battery will be hard to find if you can't recharge it anymore. Think about what the daily reality will be of charging the batteries and getting the pictures off the camera.

I love SD cards because, A) I don't trust Sony's trendy data formats, B) I have a card reader that fits in my purse, C) I don't have to worry about shorting out the whole camera by removing the usb cable improperly, and D) I can take cards to the camera store, take lots of pictures with the demo cameras, and then compare them on my computer at home.

That said, when I actually bought my current digital camera, I chose it mostly based on the written specs (I was in Japan, my old camera broke, and I forgot to take cards with me to Bic Camera but wasn't sure if I'd be able to come back). I got a Nikon Coolpix P4, and for the most part I'm really happy with it.

I can't afford a DSLR yet, but this camera gives more manual control than most point and shoot cameras, the colors are great and it performs well in low light. I also need the vibration reduction because I physically have a poor sense of balance and have trouble carrying a tripod around unless I absolutely have to. And it's 8 megapixels, OMG. If I take a picture of my hand, I can see every wrinkle, pore, and bit of chewed cuticle. The one thing I don't like about it is that the zoom is rather fast and it is hard to get exactly where I want it. But as far as lighting and color are concerned it is great. I think it has a pretty good meter, and I leave the flash off most of the time (holding my breath and using vibration reduction to avoid blurring). I also like all the menus that give me lots of data on the aperture and shutter speed of my shots.

samsite999

August 27th, 2006, 05:14 PM

Fuji S9600 > i have sceen the results of this camera and hi ISO settings, trust me it does not handle hi ISO settings at all well. It realy does try to look like a DSLR, but trust me ur better off with the real thing.

there is a lot of wisdome to what euphoriafish has said, and i thank him for taking the time to type all of that.
I read a good artical about buying a camera earlyer on. The main point the righter was trying to make was deside what you want to do with a camera first, how you want to use it. Are you taking pictures of your kids, are you looking at taking it up as a hobbey, ect. Because invaribly you will need a differnt type of camera. Diside what memory format you want to use, and then how many mega pixals you think you will need based on how your going to use the camera, i.e photos for a web page or on the flip side printing because that will requre more. What size do you want to print at? if A3+ then your going to need a min of 6-7MP. Do you want a point and shoot, or do you want manual controle over apture, ISO, shutter speed?
only then can you start to actual look at cameras. and only then are u realisticly going to be able to diside howmuch you need to spend. Anything less and your going to be dissapointed.

things i would recomend, use SD or Compact flash, there cheeper then other brand formats like sony.
look who makes the lense for your camera, is it a well known company, with out a good lence your camera is a large expensive paper weight.
how much zoom do you need

hope this helps

Sleep_Eden_sleep

August 29th, 2006, 10:25 PM

Hey guys, new to photography here. I just wanted to ask for advice on which camera I should get. I'm not necessarily new, per se, but I just haven't used an actual high-tech digital camera before. I just use my phone camera (I know, cheap) and used Photoshop (when I had it) to create something out of it. I really loved capturing moments, as much as I would like to deny it due to the fact that they're disposable unlike memories, but anyway, getting a little off-track here.

I just have a couple of criterias: Cheap as possible (I don't mind whatever the price is, just cheap as possible - working student here, lol), but very, very good quality. I'm not after a professional camera (yet), maybe just a day-to-day camera, but at the same time I do want it to be durable (I've heard of cameras that break easily) and since I don't have Photoshop anymore, I'm going to have to depend on the camera for vivid imagery, so maybe beyond 6 MP? I'm not sure though, but I'd rather hear what you guys would recommend.

PS - Maybe waterproof would be nice too, but I don't necessarily need it. I'm just gonna be around lots of water is all.

Fingers

September 1st, 2006, 05:26 PM

There are no "cheap" digital cameras that are durable or water-resistant (weatherproof). Sometimes they have waterproof enclosures you can buy separately and use on the beach or whatever. They're basically watertight transparent plastic cases with buttons that let you operate the camera while it's in the case. It'll protect the camera from impacts too... But obviously the image quality will suffer from shooting through an extra sheet of plastic. These enclosures are most likely only made for point-and-shoot cameras without interchangeable lenses.

Sleep_Eden_sleep

September 3rd, 2006, 08:05 PM

Well, I didn't necessarily meant it to be cheap, by looking around various sites I understand that digital cameras are very expensive, but I meant just as cheap as possible, so there's a difference. And as far as water-resistant, I don't really need it; it was just an "if possible, then that would be nice too", but it's definitely not something I really need.

Fingers

September 3rd, 2006, 11:54 PM

Well, the cheapest Canon digital SLR cameras that could be described as durable (metal body) are the 20D and 30D, around $1300 for the body. The Nikon D200 may be the cheapest weather-sealed body at $1600 or so. But if you're looking for your first digital camera, all of these are total overkill. A reasonably good $500-or-less fixed-lens camera will do everything you'll need for a long time. Just make sure it has manual controls for things like aperture and shutter speed (e.g. shooting modes called "aperture priority" and "shutter priority") and it lets you turn off the flash... An image stabilizer is always nice to have too.

incolorinred

September 13th, 2006, 01:08 PM

I have just started using the Nikon D50 and I like it a lot. Reasonable price ($669). I think Nikon is going to replace is shortly with a new model for this pricepoint. Not sure when it will happen. But the current D50 is great with a good amount of features. You could get the D80 but it is more expensive and probably unnecessary for a beginner.

Crimson Dark

September 19th, 2006, 12:49 AM

I am currently looking at buying a new camera the 2 that I am looking at are the fuji finepix 5200
and the Pentax ist DL
my dad says I should get the fuji cause its a lot more auto and it can do video:\
I personally like the pentax due to that I can switch lenses and my uncle has an old k-1000 and I was told that you could use those lenses and he has a few wide angles macro's and a telephoto.
Which one would you guys say to get I really like the whole manual control on the pentax plus its not super expensive versus a canon which would cost me over a thousand.
Any help would be great thanks.

Atlantis_Drift

September 23rd, 2006, 04:13 PM

At the moment I have some avant low-price camera, and I'd like to have something more spicy, but as Im new to cameras I don't really know what I should go for,

Canon PowerShot S3-IS, Canon PowerShot S2-IS or any other camera for max 750$, and for that price I want rechargeble batteries, atleast 512mb memory and.

I too am in need of a camera. I have been looking at and am interested in the Canon PowerShot S3 IS.

-Does anybody own or have used this camera before?
-What is your opinion on it? Advantages/Disadvantages?
-Is it the best pick, or is there a much better camera out there for approximately the same price?

From what i have seen, and what people at the electronics store have told me, this camera would be my best bet. Any advice/help/etc... would be much appreciated!

My main focus for the camera is not insanely high resolution (I believe 6MP is plenty for my uses). I am, though, looking for good optical zoom, relatively quick shutter speeds for action/motion shots. I also heard this camera has the new DIGI2 processor, which makes the camera operate and process information much faster than the old processors. What are your takes on this new technology?

let me know what you guys think!!!

SPECS LINK: http://www.dpreview.com/REVIEWS/SPECS/CANON/CANON_s3is.asp

klips

September 24th, 2006, 05:41 AM

I got myself a Pentax *istDL and it is perfect for what I want. It has a lot of preset modes, but you can also go fully manual, shutter priority or aperture priority. As it is now discontinued I got the camera + 18-50mm kit lens, 1GB card, 5 year warranty and a shiny red bag for $869 Australian (US$652). I'd recommend it for a beginner (as that's that I am and I like it) but my experience is very low so keep that in mind.

Other good stuff:
manual or auto focus
SD memory
Uses AA batteries (not proprietary ones)
Comfy grip for extended shooting sessions :D

Apfe

September 28th, 2006, 10:57 AM

I am not sure, if this is the right place, but I would really appreciate your opinion on this. The thing is, that I've just sold my former camera, but I'm not sure wether the replacement should be a Canon 350d or the new 400d.

I am living in Denmark, where unfortunately almost everything is a bit more expensive than elsewhere. The cheapest 350d available at the moment, including lens, is at about 850$ whereas the 400d costs 990$ (including lens aswell)

So what do you think is the best buy? Does the 400d really add improvements worth 140$ extra?

thank you in advance :)

claudeEGYPT

September 28th, 2006, 01:49 PM

no, not really.
It is lighter in weight, has a 10 mega pixel instead of an 8.. but other than that.. no difference..

Apfe

September 28th, 2006, 02:06 PM

Ok, thanks for the reply. I might consider getting the 350d then :)

Does anyone else have some thoughts on it?

Morbid

September 28th, 2006, 02:17 PM

It has a dust protection system, which is nice but not essential. The 400d has a bigger LCD but has lost the separate status screen. It also has a bigger image buffer.

Either you get the 400d or you get the 350d and put the money into buying a better lens. (the lens is more important than the camera in terms of image quality)

samsite999

September 28th, 2006, 02:18 PM

im looking at getting a imitation DSLR for my girlfrend, bit of a half assed post, ill update you on my choises when i get back from the pub...

Apfe

September 29th, 2006, 11:22 AM

thanks for the input. After having searched around the net, I decided to order the 350d due to the lower price. Looking at comparisons photos of the two cameras, I realized that the image quality really isn't that much different.

But this leads me to my next question: Which lense would you recommend for the 350d, when I sometime will be able to afford a new one?

ukanfoff

October 3rd, 2006, 07:54 PM

T.Luu

October 11th, 2006, 01:21 PM

But this leads me to my next question: Which lense would you recommend for the 350d, when I sometime will be able to afford a new one?

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Is said to be a good walkaround lens. It has a nice broad (can I say broad?) focal length, has an image stabilizer, handles quite well in dim lighting and isn't very expensive. In all, a good quality lens with a reasonable price tag :)

EDIT: Also worth a look is Tamron's 24-135mm lens ;)

homey69

October 18th, 2006, 07:34 AM

i suggest u get this kit for a start

Canon 400D or Nikon D70's

Norwin

October 18th, 2006, 07:46 AM

i suggest u get this kit for a start

Canon 400D or Nikon D70's

Or the new pentax reflex-cameras. Pentax rockz!!! (If you want to see examples just check my photos here @ ca)

NyCwill

November 4th, 2006, 01:15 AM

I have the D70s and its a great camera.
here is a 2 photo that i took of my friend.

http://static.flickr.com/110/259601960_709f9d4ad1_b.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/99/259589944_79d1a05bbc_b.jpg

no matter which DSLR that you want to get, i highly recommend gettng a 50mm 1.8 lens.

homey69

November 4th, 2006, 10:38 AM

there are lots of bad and good review about sony alpha, but i tried olympus, 330 and 500, nikon D80, canon 400D, pentax ist D and Sony alpha,

so far i was satisfied in sony alpha in daytime shots, but at night time im more impress in canon, nikon is also good

i recomend Canon 400 next is sony alpha and then nikon d80

boomheadshot45

November 4th, 2006, 01:45 PM

Hello, I'm kinda a 'noob' to photography. I have about 600-700 $ to spend on a digital camera. I'm going to be taking pictures of just about everything. I want something that will last me some time. Does anyone have any comments/suggestions? Thank you very much for reading my post and I hope you have a nice day!

klips

November 4th, 2006, 05:27 PM

My big suggestion is this: read through this thread. People have ben sayin what is good and bad not only about particular models, but what is desirable/undesirable in a camera itself. After reading this and doing other research I got myself the pentax *istDL, but that was based on my reasons, yours may be different. After doing this look through the forums and find whose work you really like. If their camera is listed in their sig (most people seem to) then ask then what are the good and bad points about it. After doing this, go to your camera store/electronics place armed with knowledge so they won't bullshit you (because you'll know the facts) and you will be able to make your decision then, if not before.

Tetsuo

November 21st, 2006, 02:59 PM

OK guys....deciding if I should get either of these...cause price wise they look decent. Any thoughts?

OLYMPUS E-500 Black 8MP Digital Camera w/14-45mm & 40-150mm Dual Lens Kit Depends On Lens Optical Zoom - Retail $697 (w/o tax and shipping)
-comes with a Transcend 4GB (CF) card at no extra cost (combo deal)
or

Canon Digital Rebel XT (body w/ EF-S 18-55mm Lens) Black 8.0MP Digital Camera with EF Lens Mount - Retail $639
-comes with 1GB transcend (CF) card at no extra cost.

Both look like sweet deals; esp the olympus with 2 lenses :o but I want to see how the photophiles on here chalk this one up? I am looking to get either as a nice camera for wedding pictures (do it yourselfer) and for reference photos as well :)

I currently have a powershot A75 and it kicks ass for such a wee little camera.

ukanfoff

November 21st, 2006, 04:55 PM

well...depends on what u want out of the camera?
if u want colors.. go with nikons.. personally nikon noise never bothered me.
for low noise go with canons.

as for oly .. dunno where i stand on that. does sound cheap but most of the time in dslrs , u get what u pay for.. mostly in the lenses anyway.

for wedding stuff i go here: http://www.joebuissink.com/home.php

OK guys....deciding if I should get either of these...cause price wise they look decent. Any thoughts?

OLYMPUS E-500 Black 8MP Digital Camera w/14-45mm & 40-150mm Dual Lens Kit Depends On Lens Optical Zoom - Retail $697 (w/o tax and shipping)
-comes with a Transcend 4GB (CF) card at no extra cost (combo deal)
or

Canon Digital Rebel XT (body w/ EF-S 18-55mm Lens) Black 8.0MP Digital Camera with EF Lens Mount - Retail $639
-comes with 1GB transcend (CF) card at no extra cost.

Both look like sweet deals; esp the olympus with 2 lenses :o but I want to see how the photophiles on here chalk this one up? I am looking to get either as a nice camera for wedding pictures (do it yourselfer) and for reference photos as well :)

I currently have a powershot A75 and it kicks ass for such a wee little camera.

PianoForte

November 27th, 2006, 01:34 AM

i'd say the E-500 any day, the rebel? i presume thats the 400d where i come from. the stock lens that you get on the canon is rubbish, canon don't even sell it! the E-500 has the 4/3rds mount system which means any previous olympus lenses won't fit, but to get yourself going its a much more comprehensive kit, not forgetting with the 1.5 times conversion your acctually getting a 28-300 range, which is going to cover most things your likley to encounter,

both cameras come equipped with sensor cleaning, which is a bonus, neither of them have the built in command unit to be found on the nikon D-80 but thats probably not going to be a huge issue for what you want the cam for, were it i then i would be going for the E-500 hands down

(i shoot on a 30d with 70-200 2.8 telephoto, 60mm macro, 16-24 wide angle. i am planning on getting an E-500, same lens kit for my 6 month stint in europe, its a great cheap SLR that i won't worry about breaking)

tskl

November 27th, 2006, 12:43 PM

tskl

November 27th, 2006, 12:50 PM

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Is said to be a good walkaround lens. It has a nice broad (can I say broad?) focal length, has an image stabilizer, handles quite well in dim lighting and isn't very expensive. In all, a good quality lens with a reasonable price tag :)

EDIT: Also worth a look is Tamron's 24-135mm lens ;)
If I may Add try the Tamrom 18-200 or the 28-300 lensAs my choice of walk around lens. I also use the Canon 20D

Shantih

December 4th, 2006, 03:11 PM

I've got the Canon 400d with the 18-55mm lense for my birthday, getting it this friday. I'm hoping to use it for gathering my own references and if I prove any good at photography then that'd be grand :bashful: I do enjoy photography but whether or not it's my forté is yet to be decided. I managed to get it for £460, which I think is around the area of $1000USD.

Danzap

December 11th, 2006, 11:42 AM

boogz

December 20th, 2006, 06:39 AM

I have a question.

I have been looking on some cheaper cameras for bout 600-900 € and they seem fine.
The answer i get in stores is that they are more for a amateur and they are good as a starterkit.

But i wonder if its worth to get a more expensive camera like my favourite Nikon D80 for in sweden 1150€.

If i buy a camera for 700€ and wanna have more out of it it feels a bit stupid not to buy a more proffessional from the beginning.
Wouldnt it be better to buy D80 then?

But would i notice that big difference?

I'm going to add my 2 cents here, and although I'm not a pro, I have been working at a photostudio (for school, so I don't get really paid) for the past couple of months.

Here at work we mostly use a Canon Mark II 1D, though that's totally out of your price range, so lets forget about that for now. We also work with the 20D and we have 2 D60's here.

Forget about the D60, since it's slow, has bad quality and the white balance is way off. The 20D in my opinion is a great camera, has everything you need as long as you don't have to make HUGE prints. This camera costs around 1000 euro's, I think so that's pretty close to the Nikon D80 which brings me to my next point.

A similiar camera to the 20D, but cheaper is the Nikon D70s. A friend of mine has this camera and I can really recommend it to you. Great quality, great everything, except for that it has 6 MP, which is a little low if you want to do big prints (though if you want to do that you're gonna need more then double MPs, since there's little difference between 6, 8 and 10 MP).

The D80 is little better then the D70s, and even in some ways it's worse (shutterspeed and flashsync is a tad worse and the fact it uses SD cards instead of CompactFlash is in my opinion not so very nice, check comparison lists to see the differences), in any way you're better off buying the D70s (or better yet the D70, which is even cheaper, but has a slightly smaller screen. they've updated some settings for the D70s, but you can download an update so you have the same) and then buy some extra equipment like a lens, cards, backpack, etc.

Personally I have a 300D, but wish to sell this one so I can buy a D70, which doesn't have MUCH difference, but the small chances make it worthwhile for *me*.

Last but not least, try out a few cameras, hold them, get a feel of where the buttons are, see if it feels right, this is way more important than the slight difference in quality.

Anyways, hope this helps you find the camera you want, looking forward to hear which one you're gonna buy.

Shaz666

December 21st, 2006, 04:24 AM

hi

thats great advice

boozg

Willem

January 16th, 2007, 10:09 AM

Hi.

I'm also looking for a new camera. I dont need a professional camera, just something that works good, isnt too expensive, but has many adjustable things. Did some research, and i came up with the canon powershot a710 is.

product details for the camera:
http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/PowerShot/PowerShot_A710_IS/index.asp

it looks like a good camera to me, and its within my budget. Does anybody know if its any good, or just a pretentious waste of money?
sure has the things im looking for, options, technical capabilities, and for a decent price (about 300 bucks).

if i shouldnt do it, let me know. if you have other suggestions of cameras i could look at, let me know. thanks for your time, and advise in advance.

(yeah, i know i could look at nikons and stuff, but to get the kind of camera that im looking for, the price would be twice as high. since its for an amature who likes to take nice pictures, i figured this'd be nice...)

mobble

January 22nd, 2007, 10:01 AM

I made the mistake of buying the panasonic lumix 5megapixel camera. takes OK shots but the battery is ratshit and night time shooting has a 2-second delay. I've got a nikon film SLR but would like to get the D70 or D80 body and use my old lenses, mainly the 24-50 zoom. Someone told me that the new lenses for the D70 and 80 (18-70 and 18-115 I think) work better for digitals than the older ones, or rather that the older ones don't perform as well. Any ideas on this???

tiefight

January 23rd, 2007, 12:26 PM

First off: This is my first post on this forum, so..you know. Howdy :).

Secondly: I've owned a nikon D70 (original, not the D70s, though there is little-to-no functional difference) for about a year and a half and thought I would throw in my twenty-two cents.

Right out of the gate, I'd like to throw out http://www.dpreview.com as a great place to and pour over the specs and sample shots once you get your target narrowed down to a shortlist of cameras. It served invaluable to me when I was in the same boat.

For recommendations, I can also highly recommend the D70/D70s. As far as the D80: while I agree with boogz that the D80 isn't enough of a step-up to warrent me replacing my D70 and buying new, if I were buying new today I would likely move on to the D80 rather than opting for the older D70/D70s. I have two reasons:

1) The larger Megapixel size. Not a huge deal, but would be nice to have.
2) The better viewfinder. This, in my opinion, is the big reason to go with the newer model.

The viewfinder thing likely isn't as big a deal to some people, but it is something I consistently notice when switching from my D70 to an old nikon 35mm SLR (which typically had huge, bright, lovely viewfinders), or to a D200 (which, while not quite as nice as the old 35mm viewfinders, is still a signifigant improvement over the D70). From what I understand, the D80 uses the same setup as the D200 for its viewfinder.

As far as cameras outside of the D70 vs. D80 debate: Canon has some nice offerings, and I have friends who love theirs, but I have never used one enough myself to give advice one way or the other. Pentax as well has some good deals at similar price points but, again, I've never used them enough to give a strong recommendation.

I made the mistake of buying the panasonic lumix 5megapixel camera. takes OK shots but the battery is ratshit and night time shooting has a 2-second delay. I've got a nikon film SLR but would like to get the D70 or D80 body and use my old lenses, mainly the 24-50 zoom. Someone told me that the new lenses for the D70 and 80 (18-70 and 18-115 I think) work better for digitals than the older ones, or rather that the older ones don't perform as well. Any ideas on this???

Yes, some of the newer lenses for the dSLR line of cameras won't work properly on old film cameras. This includes any Nikkor lens listed with a "DX" or most any third party lens that says it is "specialized for digital", "for use with nikon's digital line", or other such specifications.

What this basically boils down to is that the CCD chip that actually senses the light on a Nikon dSLR is smaller than a 35mm film frame. "DX" lenses only throw a spot big enough to cover the CCD chip and, as such, won't actually expose the entire frame when used on a 35mm film camera. This also means that lenses have a "crop factor" when comparing how they function on most dSLRs versus how they function on a 35mm film camera.

For example, the nikon line of dSLRs have a 1.5x crop factor. This means that a 50mm lens on a nikon D70 will act like a 75mm lens on a film camera (i.e. your nikon n80).

As far as old lenses working correctly on the newer dSLRs, Nikon actually does a pretty good job at making everything compatible. There are some limitations, but they are mostly to be expected (i.e. you won't get proper metering when using a non-cpu lens). A full compatability chart is available here (http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html).

tiefight

January 23rd, 2007, 12:45 PM

Did some research, and i came up with the canon powershot a710 is.
...
if i shouldnt do it, let me know. if you have other suggestions of cameras i could look at, let me know. thanks for your time, and advise in advance.
Based purely on the dpreview.com specs and write up, it looks like an excellent little camera for the price. It will likely have a bit of a learning curve when compared to the less feature-rich point and shoots, but that isn't all a bad thing (should give you some room to grow and play around).

supermark

February 1st, 2007, 10:49 PM

Im thinking about getting a canon power shot s2 is or a Canon EOS Rebel K3 35mm SLR Camera with EF 28 to 90mm II USM Lens(not digital)

Which one would you get? Im in between right now and I could go either way,but im leaning towards the power shot, because devloping the photos will cost me alot of cash(at this point).

klips

February 2nd, 2007, 06:05 AM

I've decided that once I get my next lens (50mm 1.4) I will stop buying pentax. The reason for this is simple, and that is they have no pro model released and there is nothing on the horizon indicating that this will change any time soon. I am very happy with my istDL, but I figure that if I'm still snapping away when I wear out the body (I'm 1/5 of the way there in 6 months, but this is accelerating assuming a 35,000 shot life) and after this I will be going nikon, as the colours are amazing and they aren't canon (I have an irrational dislike for canon, based solely on the number of cameras they sell ;)).

Festival Bobcats

February 6th, 2007, 07:32 PM

Though I love cameras and have been wanting a new one for quite a while, I'm a complete newb to digital SLRs. After looking around this thread and researching review sites, I went with cheapest and highest quality I could get. I ordered just the body of a Canon Rebel XT and a 28mm - 80mm Canon EOS Rebel 2000 lens. Good choice?

Looped_Warrior

February 10th, 2007, 05:51 PM

Im a big fan of the rebel line and have been for a long time... all i hear are good things about the rebel's... so i would go ahead and say yes.

ambidextros

March 16th, 2007, 09:27 AM

i recently purchesed a canon powershot g7 which is a brilliant camera. the only draw back is high noise above 800 iso. it's a compact (sorta) camera and has an awesome 6x zoom ~300mm equiv. and a bigish lense for a little rectangular jobby. I love its manual controls, best i have every seen on such a small camera. i.e. a dedicated ISO selector and a MF wheel.

its kinda heavy for such a small camera but its pretty sturdy too.

about 550USD

DeakinLane

March 21st, 2007, 05:37 AM

I have a Nikon D40 DSLR with the Nikon SB400 flash and I love it thus far. It's my first real camera and don't know much about any of it to say the least, but for the price it is killer.

First off, I recently got a contract and eventually will be shooting some things a little bit further away (aka a runway shoot). Though the Nikkor 18-55mm lense is doing the trick now for my general shooting, it's a must to upgrade asap. I read that the D40 actually does not have the connection to use the camera's AF motor so I need a lense that has the AF motor built in (aka Nikkor lenses). I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for a great lense for this very occasion, but very very reasonable in cost.

Second...I am really going to need some kind of rotating flash bracket for portrait shots. I have no idea where to even start looking. Any help or suggestions of what else I may need to get my hands on would be fantastic.

boogz

May 4th, 2007, 09:13 AM

In response to tiefight (I know, I'm a bit late, but found this thread while searching on google :P), the reason I told him to buy a D70(s) is because it's a hella lot cheaper then the D80. In that case you can buy another quality lens and other equipment.

Of course, you've made a good point, the bigger viewfinder is a *really* big plus. I really miss that from the old SLRs. :(

Brett Bradford

May 25th, 2007, 02:21 AM

Hello... this is my first post and I am brand new to this website.

In regards to cameras, in the past 5 years I have owned...
Olympus E300 & E500
Canon 10D & 20D
Nikon D100 & D200
and finally, my Pentax K10D

I went through those essentially trying to find my personal "perfect" camera. And I finally found it with the Pentax K10D... and I really thought it was the D200 Nikon for a long time. The Pentax just seemed to have (a) a better, more "hi-def" image quality, an absolutely superb and intuitive (read "faster) control layout and (probably most importantly) an AMAZING in camera image stabilization that works on any lens I attach to it, even 30 year old manual K-mount lenses. I have never been more pleased with a DSLR in both image quality and usability. With the expansion of their pro line of lenses this fall, I feel that this is one of the most underrated systems available under $2000. I cannot stress enough how much more of a usable creative tool this camera is with the image stabilization technology built into it... it opens me up to using natural lighting in situations that used to require me to bring some form of flash/strobes.

I have several black and white (a few color) images from it at my online portfolio...

http://www.brettbradford.com

In particular the desert road photos and any of the female modeling shots.

Anyhow, just something to consider. The quality level of this camera vs. the price is amazing, and I could not be more pleased with the results I'm getting. FWIW, the D200 Nikon is also a superb camera.... I just found equal or better image quality in the Pentax... the image stabilization feature though just won me over bigtime. Very effective and worth it's weight in gold.

TheNightPainter

May 27th, 2007, 04:02 AM

power shot g3 im kinda new.
psg3 is a very nice camera.

Noise on your posted image is terrible, especially on the upper edges of the sky.

I suggest to everybody to visit www.dpreview.com , there are a lot of test shots for each camera.

P.S. I think the professional minimum is Nikon d80, the casual:wink: maximum is nikon d40

P.P.S. Never buy a camera from manufacturers that produces something else - like printers etc. Let the professionals do their best ;)

klips

May 28th, 2007, 07:02 AM

Heh, try telling that to Canon. I'm sure that they can produce a damn nice camera (such as the 1DMkIII) and some not bad printers as well :D

kischi

June 1st, 2007, 10:36 AM

Brett does that mean, that you can use all the old lenses like from a Pentax KX or Pentax ME Super ect. ? That would be awesome! Because my mom is a really good hobby photographer and we decided to switch to a digital camera.

At the moment she has a old "Pentax KX" which has a great quality.
And for here it is important to use the old lenses and to be able to put her pictures on canvas 60cm/75cm. (oldschool stile is to enlarge the original photo to the size needed and than it's transfered with heatmethod or so on linen)
So my main questions are:
-can we use the old lenses on the Pentax k10d
-and is it possible to get the same quality by printing the pics on linen or make a 60/75cm photo of the digitals and do it the oldschool way.

Thanks in advance would be a great help.

Brett Bradford

June 2nd, 2007, 02:13 AM

kischi,

I'd recommend it even MORE if you already had an investment in K lenses. Yes, a ME Super and the KX both use K lenses, so yes, those lenses will be able to be used on the new K10D. And as I mentioned above, you will still have OPTICAL image stabilization even while using those older lenses, plus autofocus confirmation. And the optical quality of some of those old lenses are just supurb. Their new DA lenses (for digitals) are just amazing (though definitely not cheap).

Seriously, look into one. I am absolutely in love with it.

Or if you're a REAL pimp with money to burn, there's the Pentax 645 "digital". It will ONLY cost you right over $30,000... no, that's not a typo.

As far as the image quality on a linen, they've got printing technology down lately.... I know that even the Kinkos here offers printing on an obscene range of materials...stuff I didn't even know you could put a print on. Or, yes, a 60/75cm sized print and doing it oldschool is definitely a way to do it. Image quality should be superb... maybe even better as there is so much control/ease of use with digital images.... so it would be relatively cheap to do some experimenting for certain "optimizations" specifically for prints on linen.

kischi

June 2nd, 2007, 08:52 AM

Thanks Brett thats good to hear! You helped me really much with this quick response. Btw. very nice photos on your website. The Corvette and the road closed pic are great.
(Is it right that the "Samsung bla 10bla" is 99% the same as the "Pentax k10d"?)
Thanks again!

klips

June 2nd, 2007, 09:08 AM

Yes, samsung and pentax cameras are made in the same factory with the same mounts. The only differences are price and I think the menus and enclosed software are different, and possibly the grips are slightly different as well.

Brett Bradford

June 2nd, 2007, 09:44 AM

What he said... Pentax makes the cameras for Samsung. The processing engines are different, software (not that I even use it), menus, and as mentioned, the grip (barely). However if you are buying a lens, only a Pentax branded lens will have their SMC (optical multi-coating) that is legendary in the world of optical glass. I also think (personal opinion) that when you wanted to sell it and move up when newer versions come out, a camera with the Pentax name will probably hold it's monetary value much better.

Pentax has some SUPER rebates going on now if you buy a lens or vertical grip with the body, by the way.

Oh and thank you for the kind words on those shots.... very much appreciated.

Leukeh

June 13th, 2007, 01:49 AM

Ok... I plan to buy myself a Canon 400D with the twin lens kit from here (http://photobuff.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=93). Considering that most big name retail shops in my area are selling it for about $1500, I think it's a pretty good deal, especially because it comes with a 2gb card. My question is, if I want to do macro work is it worth buying some extension tubes at the same time (I can get a set of 3 - 9mm, 16mm and 30mm - for about $40) and use them until I can fork out $700+ for a macro lens or should I just not bother with them? I'd never even heard of extension tubes until I started researching macro lenses, so I'm wondering what their disadvantages are and if $40 is worth it. It does seem so because on the Canon site they have it for $160, and that's only one of them...

FredrikHoeg

July 3rd, 2007, 10:01 AM

Hello people

I'm new to digital photography, and my experience is limited to using my old Nikon 301 with two different lenses (55 and 135).

I have decided to take a year of digital photography studies as an off-year, and my camera budget is at around 1800$. After some research I landed on the D80 kit, as I was told that the Nikon lenses are compatible (though they only have manual focus) with new Nikon cameras. It's not the lenses that concern me though, even though my old ones are in pristine condition, it's only a saving post.

I'm mostly wondering about the best value:price:quality camera in my price range at the moment. Any takers?

Sincerely,
Fredrik

chunkyostrich

July 8th, 2007, 04:11 PM

martin_r

July 12th, 2007, 09:50 PM

Reading reviews is a good way to familiarize yourself about a product you know nothing about and this is what I always do. My favorite site to visit is http://www.smartratings.com/photography/digital_cameras where compilations of expert reviews for various brands of digital cameras can be found. The thing I like about it is that I don't have to go from one website to another just for the purpose of looking for them because all are aggregated in one page already. Hope this helps.

boutiquecraft

July 16th, 2007, 05:32 AM

i like canon. it's colorful and easy to master it.

Leukeh

July 25th, 2007, 08:32 AM

I've been lookin' around for some cameras and I'm debating on the Digital Rebel XT or the Sony DSC-H9. I like to do a lot of macro shots, so that being said it would be great if you could give me your opinion on these two cameras.
Thanks

I have the Digital Rebel XTi (most recent model) and it's a excellent camera... But to do some decent macro work, you're going to have to get a macro lens or some extension tubes. Either camera can do macro, but if you want to get really close, it's the lens that does it, not the camera.

Macro lenses are very expensive, even off eBay. I don't own one (yet!) because of the price, but I do have extension tubes which I picked up off eBay for about $35. They do an incredible job at bringing the subject closer, the only problems with the ones I have is that you can't auto focus or change the aperture of the lens. You can get extension tubes that can do it, but they're much more expensive. If you can deal with manual focus then it's basically fine.

The major reason a macro lens is much better than an extension tube is that you have a greater depth of field. Sometimes a shallow depth of field can be a good thing though, so extension tubes do fine, especially for an amateur like me!

cannibalmushroom

August 2nd, 2007, 12:35 PM

This might sound a silly question, but I hadn't figure out this one even thought I have used digital SLRs few times: do those objectives, which are made for digital SLR cameras, have an availability to change the aperture's size without using camera's options? I mean, are those digital objectives really so similar to those good old 35 mm camera's objectives?

amandawithacamera

August 9th, 2007, 05:33 PM

Atlantis_Drift

August 11th, 2007, 11:35 AM

well after much time spent researching and Pros and Cons, it finalized my decision to be between the Olympus SP-550UZ or the Canon S3 IS. In the end, i chose the Canon since it cost almost $200 less and had much more useful functions than the Olympus. The only thing the Olympus had over the Canon was the 18x zoom and the 7.1MPs over the Canon's 12x zoom and 6.0 MPs. I can life with that knowing i will be taking advantage of the amazing featured the Canon has that the Olympus lacks! Im hoping to take some nice shots and show you guys what the Canon S3 IS can ready do!

when it comes to research and deciding which camera to get, the best internet resource is definately http://www.dpreview.com/

Alzorath

August 11th, 2007, 03:39 PM

Ok, bit hard to skim all 200-something posts on dialup (especially since this isn't my computer I had to hurry). I use this forum a lot, or I did until my computer died *sigh*, and am a traditional artist (still learning, but definitely improving). Currently a camera is on my short list for a project I want to start building up and I was looking for some advice on what camera to buy (since my list goes: New Computer, Digital Camera, New 2nd Monitor *to replace the 2nd monitor that died as well -_-*)

I will be wanting to buy this camera within the next couple weeks (under 2 weeks easily) - and have been shopping around and am in a bit of info overload, especially since I'm simultaneously shopping for a computer.

My Camera budget at the moment is looking to be in the $250-$300 range.

Now what I'm needing it for:

I'm going to be trying to set up some personal reference files that I can use as reference without worrying about copyrights and such (ie - I shoot em, get model paperwork/signatures/etc., and work with them - I want to know entirely what I have).

I will want to photograph a variety of things - ranging from environmental, to people, to animals - and it is unavoidable that a number of the latter 2 will be moving while I do so.

So basically I need a camera that performs relatively well in outdoor and indoor lighting (although I know a bit about setting up lighting for drawing/painting, photography is undoubtedly a bit different considering you have to take into account the camera's perception and its monoccular nature).

And this same camera needs to be able to capture motion fairly well. I've been skimming sites like newegg, amazon, and dpreview for a few days now and am simply overloaded with info lol (hoping someone can give me a simple answer for once out of all the wandering though*sigh*)

So essentially my needs are:
- Less than $300
- Able to Capture Motion with minimal blur (I can compensate for some though)
- Able to handle both indoor and outdoor lighting situations without major hassle.
- I have a preference for Nikon/Canon/Fujifilm brand names, but am open to other brands provided they have a good record.

These don't need to be "professional quality" or anything - just clear enough to use for references for motion studies, or studies of objects not easily accessable to draw.

Hopefully I didn't ramble too much - exhausted by the overnight shift (posting this at 2 in the afternoon...after working all night lol). I appreciate any help/advice.

PS - forgot to mention, that I AM more than willing to take the time to learn/relearn manual camera controls for the purpose of this project - in other words I do not need something entirely automated if that helps refine any help I can get :).

Nike

August 18th, 2007, 04:30 PM

Here's my first post...!

Ok can anyone offer me some thoughts on pro DSLR's, I need help making up my mind! I am hoping to turn photography into a full time job but to start out i'd be doing the odd portraits, wedding, fine art stuff etc. I currently shoot on film and my gear is pretty old hat now- manual lenses and second hand cameras (f100 + fm) so naturally I would like to upgrade my whole gear. It would need to be nikon so that my existing stuff could still be used. I had my heart set on the D200 but i really can't afford that, my question then would be...if there are any pros/ semi pros out there that think the d80 or even d70 would be ok. Just interested in hearing your thoughts really, even if you tell me things I already know!

Thanks

Hi

The D200 is a great camera, exspecially when you have to rely on equipment, that you can't always treat as friendly as you'd like in concerns of dust or rain..
If you need it also for thougher outdoor situations, I suggest you keep saving money.

A good alternative for the use you discribe might be Fuji S3 Pro. It's a cam used for studio photography where I've heard it's quite good, exspecially for portraits etc. (skin colors, are amazing for instance) etc., but it is slower than the D200, so worse for sport phtography etc.. It has become much cheaper in the past months, at least where I live.
Fuji never produced lenses, they use Nikon, so that should be fine.

I can't say much about the D80, because I've only used one once. A problem might be the compatibility of old Nikon lenses. It isn't compatible with all manual phokus lenses since 1977 like the D200 (but I think it works fine with all AF lenses since 1986).

Good luck with finding your camera!

SamIce

August 19th, 2007, 10:51 AM

Hey,

i'm wanting to buy a new cam to start with photography again and my question now is: "Is the Sony DSC-V1 a good cam for it?"

Ive been looking around a bit and this cam looks the best fitting for me atm but i still seek some more comments about it...

It would be nice if some1 would help me saying this cam is good enough or not..

Grtz

samsite999

August 19th, 2007, 11:47 AM

it all depends what you want to do, a camera is a camera is a camera. They all take photos and a lot of even the most basic cameras can take a good shot.

Its not a question of weather its good enough, its just what you want to do with it. How much of a hobbey is this going to be for you? its pointless spending money now to only spend it again in 6 months time when you want the flexability of a DSLR
how much do you have to spend?

SamIce

August 19th, 2007, 12:43 PM

SamIce

August 19th, 2007, 12:44 PM

okay, looks like lots off comment :)

Now what i was searching for was a digital cam lens didnt had to be replacable but you on that cam u can add extra flash lightings and it has a lot of option but i looked for the "fujifilm finepix s5000" that one is also looking verry nice. i'm gonna check all the tips u guys gave me and ill soon report what cam i bought ;)

Anyways, Thx for the help all!!!

Greetz

Sam

Btw, the reason i want to buy a new cam is because the otherone is doing weird from times to times even after 2 repairs (sony cybershot 7mpxl) and even after changing storage cards..

samsite999

August 19th, 2007, 12:54 PM

ahh ok then, well i have used the fujifilm finepix s5000 and i would go for it over the sony, thats just me though

distorted vision

November 6th, 2007, 01:08 AM

hey guys. ive been lookn into the pentax k100D super SLR. Has anyone heard good/bad things about this particular camera. also, i have been looking into the CANNON 400d. any feedback would be great :)
ps- this will be my 1st SLR camera, so any suggestions for other makes/models would be great also!

cheers, kev

klips

November 6th, 2007, 01:38 AM

If you want to do any form of action photography, shooting in low light or be able to get gear reasonably easily then you have two, maybe three choices, and none of them are Pentax. Canon or Nikon are the way to go, or possibly Olympus if the 4/3 sensor and possibility to use Leica lenses appeals to you.

Why not Pentax? As I said, faaaaar too hard to get a hold of stuff in Australia. It took me 5 months to get a prime lens for it, whereas it would take me a week at most to get nearly any Canon prime under $2k. Next problem is the terrible autofocus. Pentax don't yet have any HSM/USM equivalent, so your autofocus will be reeeeeally slow no matter what lens you use. You also have to shoot wide open, as the high ISO performance is miserable to say the least. There's a reason I've left Pentax, and that's a start to it.

Before I go any further, if you don't need either of these, then check out www.brettbradford.com for one of this forum's K10D users, he's got some great stuff there. If you do need them however, research your options on Nikon and Canon. Nikon are making a very strong comeback at the moment, and with the impending release of the D300 you may be able to pick up a Canon 30D or a Nikon D200 for similar price to a 400D.

[end rant]

Good luck, and I look forward to hearing how you choose.

distorted vision

November 6th, 2007, 05:48 AM

thanks alot klips.. very much appreciated indeed!!! :P

ReefFrog

November 6th, 2007, 08:11 AM

But if you also want to take pictures with an infrared filter you shouldn't buy canon 400d. Otherwise it's a pretty good choice..

distorted vision

November 7th, 2007, 01:50 AM

But if you also want to take pictures with an infrared filter you shouldn't buy canon 400d. Otherwise it's a pretty good choice..
at the risk of sounding like a complete tool.. what does infrared actually do? is it for dark/night shots? or isit something completely different?

thanks:)

cricket33bug

November 15th, 2007, 05:15 AM

how much memory is enough?

samsite999

November 15th, 2007, 08:40 AM

there is no ansew to that..... it depends what you shoot, how long you shoot for. the list goes on.......

chromedog

November 15th, 2007, 06:03 PM

Hi there, new member, just adding my 2c.
@cricket33bug: How much mem depends on whether your camera does RAW or not. If it does, don't go for less than 2gb. On an 8mp camera, this should give you around 50 RAW shots (yep, they're THAT big). If your camera doesn't use RAW, 1gb is plenty.

I've been playing around with photography since I was a teenager (which is 20-something years ago). I've done several photography courses (surprising the teachers with results from my 'antique' OM-20 - I still use it).
When my wife wanted to to take up photography as a hobby, she found my camera a little daunting so we went to a pentax MZ-60 SLR (lightweight, and easy to learn how to use. Nikon would have been nice, but out of our price range) - it was new at the time, but not overly complex.
When I was contemplating the move to digital, due to financial restrictions, and the requirement to not add a third camera/lens format to what I already had (6 lenses for OM, 5 lenses for MZ), I went to the pentax K100 (Olympus' DSLRs went to a new, non-compatible mounting).
It has enough resolution for everything I need. I can use the lenses for my MZ-60 with it (no problems) and flashguns. It can take RAW images as well.
I don't have a problem with moving subjects and the autofocus on my camera, as I mainly shoot static subjects.

I've not had any problems getting anything for it, but where I live, I have to order stuff in through the local camera shop anyway (even if I had a canon or nikon) - but this may not be true for others.

contra808

November 16th, 2007, 03:56 AM

uh... my question is.. i know lenses are more important than actual camera bodies... but im wondering how much of a big difference it'll make... so if you guys got opinions about lenses, please share..
heres my deal..
Im thinking about getting a relatively cheap Nikon D80 body and buying an expensive Nikon brand 18-200 lens..
or spending more on the Nikon D200 body and buying a cheaper Tamron 18 - 250 lens...
mostly for just shooting weddings, some sport (skate, surf), and probably a lot of 'bulb' shots...
any suggestions?

djkitt

November 18th, 2007, 11:26 AM

If you're going to buy a digital camera do it right. Buy a digital SLR, this way you will have the creative freedom it sounds like you want. You can pick up a Canon Digital Rebel XTi with a decent lens for $800.00. (I would suggest a 17-85mm kit)

If you have a little more money, there's the Canon 40D with a 28-105mm lens. Either one of these cameras is going to give you options and freedoms that a point and shoot just can't do.

I'm an IT manager for a big pro photography dealer in New England and I see people make the mistake of buying point and shoots to try and do artistic shooting with. It just doesn't work. You need a digital SLR. You'll be so much more satisfied with it's abilities. I bought a used Canon 20D kit with an 18-55mm lens for $500.00, and I've tried using point and shoots to get images for art projects, it just doesn't work. It's like night and day. I bought another lens for it and my options are endless.

If you're going to do it, do it right. Get a Canon digital SLR.

djkitt

November 18th, 2007, 11:45 AM

If you buy a D80 with a really good lens, it's going to give you better image quality then a D200 with a cheaper Tamron lens. Although that Tamron 18-250 is a decent lens, it doesn't have Vibration Control yet. They are making one with it very soon. This means you can hand shoot in low light situations or during longer exposures.

The Nikon 18-200 has VR, which stands for Vibration Reduction. This means you can hand shoot in low light situations. Because your exposure time is longer in low light, hand movements become a major problem. Plus the Nikon glass is a bit better.

Tamron calls it VC, Nikon calls it VR, and Canon calls it IS. It's all the same thing. One other thing to watch for is the lens glass. Nikon makes Nikkor lenses. That's their top glass lens line. If you can get a Nikkor lens and as long as the camera body is 8 megapixel or above, you're going to get unreal shots. Lenses are the most important factor in photography. You could have the new Nikon D3, but if you use a cheap Sigma lens on it, it's just not going to look good. If you are on a strict budget you want a decent camera body and a very good lens, rather then the other way around.

Also don't forget, buying a used camera is not a bad thing. If you can find a used D200 from a pro photographer that only used it as a backup to his D2x or whatever, go for it. I bought a used camera that was a pro's backup and it's flawless. Got it for a quarter of it's original selling price and it's only a few years old. Left me room to purchase a "good glass" lens. A Canon "L" series lens.

I know this response is kind of winded, but there's a lot to talk about when it comes to cameras, lenses, and what the best option might be. Email me if you have any questions. I work for a pro photography dealer, so I see and work with this stuff all day long.

uh... my question is.. i know lenses are more important than actual camera bodies... but im wondering how much of a big difference it'll make... so if you guys got opinions about lenses, please share..
heres my deal..
Im thinking about getting a relatively cheap Nikon D80 body and buying an expensive Nikon brand 18-200 lens..
or spending more on the Nikon D200 body and buying a cheaper Tamron 18 - 250 lens...
mostly for just shooting weddings, some sport (skate, surf), and probably a lot of 'bulb' shots...
any suggestions?

contra808

November 27th, 2007, 03:22 AM

thanks djkitt... that was an answer i was looking for.. i think the majority agrees on spending the money on a better LENS.
aloha

a/z

November 29th, 2007, 12:52 PM

Rolo

December 4th, 2007, 07:59 PM

All of you guys are way ahead of me! Ahh!

Before we get to me A/Z looky here.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0608/06082416canoneos400drebelxti.asp
Go to the youtube video, in there it shows how great the EOS is!!! Great cleaning system if you ask me! sadly my budget isn't as big as yours!!!
I have a Nikon and I love it, so you have pretty hard decisions there to choose from! But probably you would know this but it depends on what is your style and if you like to shoot sports n' stuff I recommend the canons, they have EOS and that will be great for sports pics and so.

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANNA SEE PICS OF CANONS AND NIKONS with different brands I found this on google, check it out it IS AWESOME!!!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/macro/discuss/72157600083121114/

Aight my problem!

At first I was thinking of getting a camcorder but I decided not to, first of all because well I don't have a crew to film stuff with, and well I can't think of short films to make without a crew to work with unless I work solo, and well it just isn't the same, I guess I will wait till highschool.

I want a good camera under the budget of $400! Hard I know! I was look through the pages here at this thread and I couldn't find something cheap enough!!!

Okay so I was thinking of getting the Canon Sx 100 10x optical zoom, this seems sweet to me cus it has + 4x digital zoom but meh digital zoom ain't so great emiright?

I am not sure any good choices?

harshdesign

January 6th, 2008, 08:21 PM

i'm loving my Canon EOS 400D with twin lens kit!

xcmiller

January 8th, 2008, 01:11 AM

I want a good camera under the budget of $400! Hard I know! I was look through the pages here at this thread and I couldn't find something cheap enough!!!

Okay so I was thinking of getting the Canon Sx 100 10x optical zoom, this seems sweet to me cus it has + 4x digital zoom but meh digital zoom ain't so great emiright?

I am not sure any good choices?

SX100 is actually a pretty good camera for the price, just be prepared to either get rechargeable AA's or Lithium AA batteries. Only other camera I can think of for under 400 that would get you the best shots you can for the money would be the canon SD850is. This would be if you wanted something a bit more compact. Pocket sized, 4x optical zoom, Lithium Ion batter, and Decend speed with good auto WB and Great color quality, bt you'd probably be better off with the SX100 because of the additional zoom so you have more options.

And you are right, digital zoom is bad. Never use digital zoom, It is better to crop your pictures afterwards than use the digital zoom while taking the picture because it does lower the quality the further you go in with digital zoom.

xcmiller

January 8th, 2008, 01:19 AM

Hi everybody!

I´m an almost noob photographer, long time reader, first time poster who´s looking for a DSLR for this christmas.

I´ve been using an old (very old really, but I still love it) Pentax P30, with some (equally old) Tamron lenses, and I´ve thought that´s about time to go digital, more than anything because I think that I will save some money in films and such, and because I think that with the possibilities of a digital camera I will improve faster.

I´ll use it mainly to shoot cities, landscapes, sports (MTB, Snowboard,..), and some more "artsy" takes, and obviusly, the camera will travel a lot. My budget would be about 1000$ (the less, the better, but if a small price difference makes a big quality difference, then, let me know).

I´ve been looking and I´ve got several models in mind, quite different one from another: Nikon d80, Nikon d40x, Canon EOS 400d, Canon EOS 40d (this is a bit expensive, but well) and Pentax k10d. I know, they are ver different and the price range is very wide, but what I´m looking for is a price/quality relation and for the camera that better fits the use I´ll give it.

Feel free to recommend what you think it´s better.

Thanks for your help and sorry for the long post.

a/z

I'd say if your photographing scenery a lot I'd suggest the Canon 400D. 40D is a nice camera as well but really you don't get a huge difference in quality unless your really looking to do some very fast continuous shots as well. The difference from the 400D to the 40D will be Speed(fps), Magnesium Alloy body(more durable on 40D) as opposed to 400D's plastic body, and the Liveview options which really you probably shouldnt even use anyway because your shooting scenery and it isn't supposed to be used with excessive light coming into the lens.

Reason why I suggest the Canons is because of the CMOS sensor in the camera as opposed to Nikon and Pentax's CCD sensor. You will lose less battery when out ont he filed because the CMOS is more efficient and it will also produce better shots with limited lighting(Less noise in high ISO settings). For referense since your a 35mm user, ISO is basically your speed film, but when you go to higher ISO's you also tend to get more noise in the picture. SLR's do a great job at reducing most of it but some are a bit better than others. Sony being the worst, Olympus next, then Nikon in a close second, then Canon.

I hope I answered some of your questions in this slightly long post and if you do have any other questions feel free to ask. Happy shopping :D

ukanfoff

January 8th, 2008, 02:03 AM

just pick a cam body via rebel xt or a d40 and put your money on a great lens...
dont really need the bells n whistle of the new cam bodies.

xcmiller

January 8th, 2008, 07:08 PM

In my opinion, the only pro-sumer camera that is really worth it is the 5D for the full frame sensor, others arent drastic enough changes to qualify spending the money for unless you really need the speed.

a/z

January 19th, 2008, 01:51 PM

Ok, so I´ve been looking around and I´ve totally discarded Nikon d40x and Pentax k10d.

Now I´m just looking the best combination of body and lens with the bodies I´ve got left (Nikon d80, Canon 400d and Canon 40d) within that price range (about 1000$-1200$, maybe a little bit more). I know that´s more important a good lens than a good body, but what I want is a body for many years, with a versatile lens that let´s me improve, and then, within a year or two, get two or three lenses.

Right now I´m falling more for the Nikon d80, but the Canons are also there (more after hearing some of your opinions), so I´m quite lost...

Thanks for your help and sorry for being so repetitive... :blahblah:

a/z

a/z

January 19th, 2008, 01:54 PM

Sorry, repeated post.

a/z

January 19th, 2008, 02:00 PM

Sorry, repeated post. Damn error...

kvitalij

April 2nd, 2010, 06:17 AM

HI All, :ilaekae:

Ok I had the same problem with choosing the right beast for the job.
I have started same as most of us. Questions Questions & Questions
Reading all the things photographers or amateurs has to say.
I got so much info, I couldn't really decide, and by that time I was confused with all info I had in my head.

So the things to be considered:

1. What are you going to use it for? Landscape, Portraits, Macro...
2. Go to the shop take for instance camera body’s form Nikon and Canon. See how good they fit into your hands. If you have big hands, battery grip could fix that problem. Ask question, annoy sales person, that’s why he is here. But, don't buy it straight away :) That's why he is there as well...
Size does matter, not only for hands, weight as well.
When you are on a journey and you have a heavy body and 1-2 lenses, trust me you won’t go mount-climbing that easily
3. Next step is lens. IF it comes with basic KIT LENS, don't worry and get it. Canon 550/500/400D, all of them are pretty good entry DSLR with kit lens 18-55 (IS -Image Stabilization - preferably) If you have spare cash. Get portrait lens 50mm F1.8 or even better F1.4 for good background blur.
4. I was never a Nikon user. But my friend is using it, and he get some really good shots with it, But very often it comes to optics that you use.
5. People are crazy about megapixels. Well at some stage it was important, but for cameras like Canon 400D and onwards it's not a problem anymore-lens is more important in terms of quality.
6. 8mp is enough for most things unless you are printing big posters

I started form 400D+kit lens, later on, my camera went swimming, so got myself Canon 40D, and it's a big good camera that fit's in your hands no battery grip needed. Lens was the same; it helped me realize what I need in a future for my projects. I'm not planning to change my body, unless I will hit a jackpot and then I will get myself 5D marks II. But for now I'm more than happy.
On the market it's sometimes cheaper to get OLD 40D/50D instead of 550D or whatever they release in a near future and thrust me, controls on semi pro camera like 40D are much user-friendly than on 500D. Thrust me on that one. Getting 40D is much better choice that 500D in a lot of ways.
Next thing you will want to get is a speed light. Maybe at the start 430ex or if cash available 580ex.

Just to point out one thing. Photography is very expensive hobby, unless you do make money with it.

Don't take old Nikon body’s, the only have 3 focusing AF system, canon are better in that case.

Back to lenses: I was never a rich person, so I couldn't afford a very expensive L lenses. So E-bay was and Is my solution for that.
My first L was old discontinued Canon 80-200 F2.8 and after I put it on my camera. My 18-55 kit lens went to the shelf of NO-return. Most images on that website are taking with that lens, please have a look: http://www.lifeisphoto.ru/kvitalij

What else can I say. I had my time of reading thru review. :oneye: And I can say I'm a Canon user, and yes I love L lenses with Red stripe. And yes I wouldn’t change it, for Nikon!

Money quite often is an Issue for everyone, so get yourself as a starter if you can 40D with kit lens or 50mm, if it’s too much, get 400D with kit lens, or 50mm. You will still get great results.
Nikon choice, read reviews on photography sites for specific models.

Hope it helps. And you will make you decision easier now!
Happy shooting and getting good DSLR

Questions, email me: [email protected]

Regards Evryone :lounge:

Jason Ross

August 8th, 2010, 05:44 PM

Well I was in need of a new camera and after doing research I stumbled onto this site from a thread here on CA.org.

Ken Rockwell (http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm)

If you are new to cameras like I am and are unsure about "what does what" and "what do I need", then I recommend browsing this site for about an hour. Very simple to understand and in plain language Ken educated me on the myths about camera "numbers" and such. I went with the camera he recommends; the Nikon D5000. This camera with lens goes for $650 at walmart (you'll have to have it shipped to the store or your house) or $750 at target and bestbuy...HOWEVER my wife found it online for $535.00! First thing I said to her was "Oh that's just for the body probably." [changed info here] my wife may have been lured into a scam so I'm canceling my order then going to Walmart probably.

Hope this helps.

overread

August 8th, 2010, 06:25 PM

Not sure how valid it is to post to an older thread so I hope I don't get shot for this- but having seen you post Jason I have an alarm bell for you;
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Daily_Deal_Digital

Resellerratings is a good website to check for online shop validity - it is just user reviews on shops, but it is a good place to start for researching lesser known shops. Having quickly read that the price was much lower I got a little worried (few places can afford to charge less than the market leaders like Adorama, B&H, Amazon etc..) and some of the reviews mention that it (Daily Digital Deal) is a bait and switch operation.

You might be lucky and get your order - however I would be tempted to cancel and make sure that right after cancelling your order with them you tell your credit card company to cancel payments to them as well - unless they already have your money. If they do cancel and make sure you get a full refund - if they start to take time or prove difficult put your card company onto them (note if you use a debit instead of credit card some debit cards are now getting more protections so all is not lost if you talk to your bank).

I do wish you luck with this and hope all comes out well for you.

Also I would recommend reading KenRockwells site with a heavy dose of salt - some of what he writes is correct, but a lot is mixed in with his own spin, missleading statements and is often tailored toward his own viewpoint in matters. Sometimes he hits the nail on the head, but often times he misses - and that leads to confusions for many. Simply put if you know the subject you can see where he is making mistakes or tailoring words to promote a certain feature more than it should be, but if you don't then its hard to sift the good from the bad.