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Posted on 19/05/05 12:17:14 PM |
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eventer
*** Posts: 165 Reply  |
cameras
I am upgrading from a point and shoot (that I love) to a dslr (I have no idea what dslr means). I have been asking around and have got to - Canon Rebel XT. I am truly going on advice and reviews since I know diddly squat about cameras other than the fact that I want to be able to do more than I can with my PaS. Weight/size is important as I haul it with me all the time. Anyone any advice? |
Posted on 19/05/05 1:08:18 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6844 Reply  |
Re: cameras
Well, it's a tricky issue. On the one hand, cameras like the Canon will give you superb quality pictures, even on fully automatic mode. Because it's an SLR you view and focus through the lens, by squinting down the viewfinder - just like pre-digital cameras. This means you can see exactly what you're getting, even in bright sunlight. Since you're not using the LCD screen for image capture, it also means the battery lasts much longer between charges: I get an average of over 400 pictures from each charge on mine. That said, the camera is bulky, which means you'll only have it with you when you make a special effort to take it. So as well as the Canon I also have a Casio Exilim, which is just 3.2MP in resolution but which I always, always have in my pocket. Most of the Friday Challenge images were taken with this, as it means I can always take a photograph when the occasion arises. It's a tough choice! That's why I sidestepped it by buying two cameras! |
Posted on 19/05/05 2:10:23 PM |
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Glen
Montage Maestro Posts: 282 Reply  |
Re: cameras
I too use two cameras, a little ancient (1999) kodak point and shoot but gives good quality images though it is a bit large by todays standards (I need big pockets to carry it!) and a Canon EOS10D which is a digital SLR (dslr) it gives superb results, the only downside is the weight of it which is slightly less than a small car. My advice would be to go to your local camera store and try em out, make the sales team work for their living and get a feel for what you are about to buy. then go home and trawl the internet for the best buy. Good hunting _________________ most of the lack of sunshine in our lives is caused by us standing in our own shadow |
Posted on 19/05/05 3:27:09 PM |
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trinityofone
Guest Reply |
Re: cameras
The 350D is a little smaller and has a larger sensor (8mp), it's still not pocketable though. It does mean that the cost of a 300D has plummeted, which is good. As Steve says, the 300D gives great results and it's fun playing with the manual settings. I have my Canon with me almost all the time but then I shoot for stock, so I need the resolution it gives. Tamrac make a nice case that fits it, with pockets for spare batteries/cards, etc. Your only worry after that is filters and lenses (if you are going to get into the hobby that deeply). I use a rucksack for work, so carrying it is not too much hassle. _________________ It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays |
Posted on 19/05/05 7:28:26 PM |
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julie
* Posts: 35 Reply |
Re: cameras
I love my Canon 10D but it sure is big. That's not too bad actually - I thought the size and weight made it better balanced than the 300D. As others have said, try 'em out before you buy. But no matter how small the dSLRs become, there's still the issue of lens size. Some of them need carts to push them around on  That's why I also have a small Canon S70 that I carry around in my purse.
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Posted on 19/05/05 7:29:12 PM |
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Atomicfog
Virtual Visualizer Posts: 238 Reply  |
Re: cameras
With that kind of resolution, you should post a link to an even higher-res picture on the Friday Challenge. _________________ -Atomic |
Posted on 20/05/05 08:25:49 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6844 Reply |
Re: cameras
It's a question of bandwidth! I currently have 50Mb space for the Challenge entries, and it's not enough (I've been removing some of the earlier links). But I'll be switching to another server woth 500Mb shortly, so that should help. |
Posted on 24/05/05 2:55:06 PM |
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eventer
*** Posts: 165 Reply |
Re: cameras
Thanks everyone for all the advice. I am going to go spend the afternoon of my day off in a camera shop. That seems to be a very good idea indeed. I have been doing all my research online and nothing hands on. I am going to keep the PandS that I have. It's a 2001 fujifilm 6800 6mp resolution - so it does a great job. It has a viewfinder and I have never used the lcd to compose photos. After reading your posts, I can see that the likelihood is, that I will end up using my Fuji more than the DSLR just because it is light and easy to take with me, but I still crave the settings available on the dslr and hope that I will develop the time to go on 'photo shoots' - I live in a Canadian wilderness paradise that begs for me to get out there and see if I can get a sense of it on film. You have a Canon Steve? and from David's post I take it you have the 300D? I was aiming for the 350D because of size, weight and bells and whistles. Is this way more camera than I need? I am interested in photography and my interest has increased because of my interest in photoshop. I want to be able to do the most 'things' I can afford. I like learning stuff and playing with effects. Originally, I was looking at the high end PandS - Nikon 8800. Maybe I should stick with it and not try to get so fancy. |
Posted on 24/05/05 3:23:59 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6844 Reply |
Re: cameras
Yes, I have the 300D, and it's a fantastic camera. But I always have my Casio with me, and that's the difference! |
Posted on 24/05/05 3:49:21 PM |
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trinityofone
Guest Reply |
Re: cameras
I think the main thing you need to ask yourself is what type of photos you want to take. A compact P&S will take great 'standard' images but will start to falter when you want to get a little more creative with things such as depth of field. Prosumer cameras are better as they give you more manual control but are still restricted by the fixed lens, although some have the facility to attach converters such as fish-eye. DLSRs are relatively restriction free, they all have scene modes, partial and complete manual settings and there's the obvious advantage of not being bound by a single lens. Of course, that is also a downfall because you have to buy the extra kit (which can be expensive) and then carry it around, which isn't a problem if you plan a photography expedition but not something you really want to do if you're just after a few snapshots of a visit somewhere. As Steve says, having the power of the Canon is great but it's still worthwhile having a more portable alternative. _________________ It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays |
Posted on 24/05/05 4:36:36 PM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply  |
Re: cameras
I used to have a SLR film camera and studied photography for 3 years at college yet I'm quite happy at present with my Fujifilm S5000 although it's a fixed lens digital camera it is built to look like a SLR it has Auto and 4 presets (Sports, Lanscape, Portrait, Night), as well as Manual, Shutter Priority, & Aperture Priority settings. It's autofocus with the ability to switch to manual focus and the light metering can be set to Centre-weighted, Matrix or Spot reading. It suffers for not having a manual white-balance only preset ones, but apart from this it can do pretty much what I expect a SLR to do. The lens whilst being fixed has a very decent 10x optical zoom and a 2.2 digital zoom making it in effect a 22x zoom. It has exposure compensation and exposure bracketing. Fujifilm give great colour rendition and sharp clear pictures and compare well against far more expensive camera. http://www.fujifilm.de/bilddatenbank/DIGITALE_KAMERAS/S5000/S5000_400.jpg In short you don't need an all singing all dancing dSLR if you're still learning the basics of photography, start on something far more cheaper and save you money up whilst you're learning to get your dream dSLR camera. That's just my advice. _________________ mad as a badger and twice as furry |
Posted on 24/05/05 6:19:52 PM |
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eventer
*** Posts: 165 Reply |
Re: cameras
Advice consumed and much digesting going on....<burp> I am going to take another look at the Nikon 8800 too My biggest fear is that I won't have time to learn enough to justify the Rebel xt, Will look at the fuji you link to, I love the one I have. Until I started researching this I thought it was quite simple. I filled out an online questionaire and it told me to buy a Nikon 8800 to get the features I wanted. But then i wanted more......  |
Posted on 24/05/05 11:52:11 PM |
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Atomicfog
Virtual Visualizer Posts: 238 Reply |
Re: cameras
I have an Olympus 2.0 megapixel camera (It is a bit old). I love it though, because it is really sturdy, and small. I just got some good pictures of, and from the Stratosphere (famous building is Las Vegas), when I went there the other day. _________________ -Atomic |
Posted on 25/05/05 03:10:59 AM |
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Einstein D Kid
Teen Trickster Posts: 281 Reply  |
Re: cameras
where's this online questionaire anyway _________________ If you lend someone 20$ and never see them again... It's money well spent |
Posted on 25/05/05 08:31:57 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6844 Reply |
Re: cameras
If you really want to compare cameras, Steve's Digicams (no relation) is a great site that shows loads of samples of the output from each camera - usually of the same scenes, so you can compare them. Do you want a camera mainly for outdoor, or indoor use? This makes a big difference. Cameras like the Canon will take good pictures indoors with natural light: more compact cameras will really struggle, because of their tiny lenses. When I bought the Canon it was partly a question of resolution and general build quality, but largely because I need to take interior views without a flash (all those montages need backgrounds!). |
Posted on 25/05/05 08:55:04 AM |
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Atomicfog
Virtual Visualizer Posts: 238 Reply |
Re: cameras
While we are on this topic, two awesome sites. http://www.gigapxl.org/ http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/gigapixel.htm _________________ -Atomic |
Posted on 25/05/05 09:27:52 AM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply |
Re: cameras
Great link Steve, I'll certainly bookmark that. Here are the sample pics from the Fujifilm S5000 (3.1 megapixel/ 6 megapixel with interpolation) which has been superceeded by the S5500 (4.1 megapixel) http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/fuji_s5000_samples.html _________________ mad as a badger and twice as furry |
Posted on 25/05/05 5:07:16 PM |
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NW Rain
* Posts: 37 Reply |
Re: cameras
Another good site for comparing cameras can be found here - dpreview |
Posted on 25/05/05 5:30:04 PM |
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Einstein D Kid
Teen Trickster Posts: 281 Reply |
Re: cameras
what's interpolation? _________________ If you lend someone 20$ and never see them again... It's money well spent |
Posted on 25/05/05 5:44:55 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 6844 Reply |
Re: cameras
Interpolation is the method used for creating new pixels when you enlarge an image. In Photoshop, when you make an image bigger it uses a method called bicubic interpolation, which 'intelligently' looks at each pixel and creates new ones of an intermediate shade between them. Some cameras claim to have a higher resolution than they really do: they take, say, a 2 megapixel image, and enlarge it to a 4 megapixel image after it's captured. It's a bit of a cheat, since the results are always a little fuzzy. |
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