DSLR Choices

[mattbeals]

As soon as my house has sold and everyone is paid I'm looking at buying a DSLR and put my PowerShot S5-IS away. I am partial to Canon but Nikon's are quite nice too. Looking at bodies that are under $1k what do you suggest? Depending on which body I can find some kits/bundles at Costco or online. I like the Canon 500D and the Nikon D5000 which seem to be comparable. I really like the live remote shooting of the Canons though. All that aside, what do you like? I'm not going to be a professional or semi-professional photographer, I'd just like to graduate to the next level.

Thanks much!

 

[gordo]

[SNIP] All that aside, what do you like? I'm not going to be a professional or semi-professional photographer, I'd just like to graduate to the next level.

The camera should feel right in your hands. Its operation (the interface) should not get in the way of your taking photographs.

After looking at the features, interface, and price, I bought the Sony a350 with the Sony 18-250mm lens as my only lens (I didn't want to be carrying around a bunch of lenses or changing lenses in the field) - no regrets at all. The big things that sold me on this camera were the articulating live view lcd screen, the ease of switching from optical to live view, in-body stabilization, and controls accessible via one lcd rather than two (back and top with Canon/Nikon).

You can see samples of my photography here:

Gordon Pritchard's Photography

best, gordon p

 

[mattbeals]

those are gorgeous photos. Do you sell prints of them?

I'm not sure about Sony though. I have a DSC-W7 I gave to my son and it's a good little camera. It's no DSLR, but I hadn't really thought of them. I'll have to look at it.

 

[TerryWyse]

Mac or PC...Canon or Nikon or.....something else?

Mac or PC...Canon or Nikon or.....something else?

Hi Matt,

I was going to tell you to run out and get a Canon 5D MkII...but then I read the budget of $1K!

Seriously though, I'd add Pentax to your list of DSLRs to consider. I've had three of them and currently have the K10D and K20D. The K20D is a LOT of bang-for-the-buck in my opinion ($600-700 these days now that Pentax introduced their new flagship K-7 DSLR). It uses a 14.6mp APS-C sized sensor (you can forget about full frame sensors with your budget) and offers a lot of pro and semi-pro features. Pentax isn't at the top of the heap in terms of FPS (frames per second) or auto-focus speed but they have some of the best image quality in their class and their DA* and DA Limited series of lenses are some of the best in the business. Pentax, in their in-camera processing, typically takes more of a hand-off approach to noise reduction so they're not particularly good at high ISOs...but this hands-off approach shows up as images that are typically sharper than other DSLRs in their class....and you can always apply more noise reduction in post-process if you prefer.

Other huge asset of Pentax is that their current DSLRs are all backwards-compatible with the entire range of older Pentax K-mount lenses, of which their are MANY.

Gordo mentioned Sony as well. I like what they have to offer also, especially their new A900 full-framer...stacks up well against the Canikon crowd.

Lots of choices these days and there's some REAL alternatives to simply going with Canon or Nikon.

Regards,
Terry Wyse

 

[gordo]

those are gorgeous photos. Do you sell prints of them?

Thank you. Yes, I sell prints. I also sell them for stock usage. Not a lot but it does help pay for the pixels I consume

Hopefully you've checked out the reviews on this site: Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ

A big difference between digital and film cameras is the fact that the captured images are manipulated during analog to digital conversion, as well as post processing. It makes comparing the technical merits of one camera lens system to another very difficult - if not impossible. With film-based cameras the film was pretty much a constant so, if you compared two cameras taking the same photo with the same film then you'd be able to directly compare how the lenses performed.

You should decide on the resolution you want - anything from 8-14 mp is plenty for the vast majority of shooting.
Then decide if you really want to be buying a variety of lenses to go with it. I decided I didn't want to - so, although there are hundreds, if not 100s of lenses available for my Sony it was not a deal maker for me.
Decide about the importance of low light performance to you. Currently Canon is tops. For me, I use ISO 100 for 90% of my shots. If I shoot in low light at higher ISO then I use noise reduction in post processing. Works good enough for me.
You should decide if you want video capability. This is a feature that's gaining popularity in dslrs. I wish my Sony had it, but that feature wasn't available way back in 2008.
You need to hold/play with a few different cameras. For example, for me the Pentax was too small in my hands - it just wasn't comfortable to hold. Get a feel for where the controls are located and how easy it is to make changes to the camera setup. For me, the Nikons were too complicated/confusing.
Remember that most dslr buyers don't know about cameras but do know the Canon and Nikon brands - so that's what the camera stores push and that's what people buy.

Say...this wouldn't have anything to do with a certain upcoming birthday would it?

Remember: age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese!

best, gordon

 

[mattbeals]

Say...this wouldn't have anything to do with a certain upcoming birthday would it?

Remember: age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese!

best, gordon

Cheese????? No, I think it only matters when it comes to single malt Scotch whiskey.
If it's old enough to drive it's fine, if it's old enough to vote it's divine, but if it's old enough to drink it is sublime.

No, I wish it had something to do with my birthday. I thought it would be a way to get my kids and I more into photography together. Moving to Georgia there should be some real opportunities for outdoor photography that would be a great way to explore the region. And damn it, "I'm good enough, smart enough and people just like me..."

I have checked out DPReview for several cameras when buying my PowerShot S5-IS. A wealth of information. Checking out a link I found on CNN for UsedCameras.com - The Biggest Selection of Used Cameras and Equipment Online . They've got some Sony, Pentax, Canon and Nikon bodies as well as lenses and other accessories.

For my purposes an 18-55 lense and up to 200/250 mm lenses will be everything I need. More MP is nice, but anything over 8 for me is really over kill. I'm not doing enlargements over 10x12. It is interesting to see the differences in noise reduction inherent in the camera's themselves. Quite a difference. In some respects Nikon seems to have a bit less noticeable noise at 800 ISO. But 1600 and over is way to high for anywhere I think I would be shooting. I think I'd mostly be in 100-400. So in that region it's a net wash from what I've see. Maybe at maximum zoom distance there is some extra noise. The only practical way I can see of comparing the brands is really the stock lenses at default values or matches settings.

You guys are dead on about the ergonomics of the camera. I tried an Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Nikon and Canon when looking at my S5-IS.The Olympus and Pentax were bizarre to me, couldn't use them. And the Olymps had horrible barrel distortion and noise even though it shot in RAW. But those are the hybrid sized cameras and not DSLR's.

I'm open to the idea of a non Canon/Nikon camera. But as you said it's kind of all that is out there in the retail stores. I'll have to check out Kits Cameras/Wolf's Cameras to get a real sense of them.

P.S. - While writing this the bartender was kind enough to let me sample a 15 year old Mcallan Cask Strength. Holy crap is that good!!

 

[joz2k]

Hi Matt,
I would recommend you Nikon's platform - Nikon D300, Nikor 16-85VR and Nikkor 70-300VR lenses... Here are two links to Thom Hogan and Ken Rockwell sites: www.bythom.com; www.kenrockwell.com; both photographers are great, especially Ken. Dont trust DigitalPreview i guess they are Canon's unofficial advertising agency... If you are interested i could give you more sites for reviews and tests of cameras and lenses... it took to me more than a month of reading them to decide which brand, model, lenses and it was a kit Nikon D80, 18-70 and 70-300 VR... many of other platform users are envy at nikonians because of lenses and nikon's creative light system(flash units control)... Also Nokon's lenses works on Kodak's and FujiFilm's pro bodies, i have Kodak DCS pro 14N. If you want take a look at Joz Photography Main Page - my photo site... there you'll see how D70, D80, D200 and Kodak DCS pro works with Nikkors 28mm, 50mm, 105VR micro, 16-85VR,70-300VR... etc.
I hope this info will be usefull to you
have a nice day
Joz

 

[TerryWyse]

Pentax has poor ergos?

Pentax has poor ergos?

You guys are dead on about the ergonomics of the camera. I tried an Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Nikon and Canon when looking at my S5-IS.The Olympus and Pentax were bizarre to me, couldn't use them.

re: Pentax ergos
Really? Which Pentax DSLR did you try? Pentax is known for their great ergos so this came as a surprise to me. My Pentax K20D w/ battery grip feels great and they put a lot of the controls you need on a regular basis accessible via a button instead of having to delve into the menu system and fool with the 4-way controller like on most cameras. The new Pentax K-7 is supposed to be even better in the ergo department and it's even a bit smaller/lighter than the K10/K20D that it replaces. Price is still a bit over $1K but I suspect that will come down in a few months as supply catches up with demand. They've normally settled in around $700-900 after about 6 months or so.

Also consider the fact that Pentax, and I believe Sony also, have in-body shake reduction/stabilization instead of in their lenses. It's not QUITE as efficient as in-lens stabilization but with it in-body, you've got it for EVERY lens you own...and you won't have to pay through the nose for each lens purchase just to get stablization. Something to think about.

If you want to focus(!) on the pure technical merits of a cameras, the DXO Labs site is pretty good. They do so some pretty rigorous testing/evaluation there.

Regards,
Terry

 

[SES]

I have a Canon 40D and am very happy with it. I'm not a big fan of the smaller bodies (e.g. XSi, T1i, D5000, D40, etc.), which is why I went with the bigger Canon 40D. I picked it up used and couldn't be happier with it.

Just remember, it's all about the lens.