A new era. From P&S to SLR.
- Thread starter cshontz
- Start date
Grim Reaper
Expedition Leader
My point and shoot Digital is suddenly taking out of focus shots (got dropped again). I really miss my old Minolta SLR and been thinking about making the jump to a Digital SLR as well.
So what camera did you end up with?
So what camera did you end up with?
cshontz
Supporting Sponsor
I got a Canon Digital Rebel, Grimmy. I just got it yesterday. I'm excited to go shooting with this thing. I love how fast it works compared to the point and shoots I've owned. A full press of the button and *BAM* you have a picture! 
:REOutShootinghunter
The whole thing is still very novel to me, but I'm sure I'll take it for granted soon enough.
:REOutShootinghunter
The whole thing is still very novel to me, but I'm sure I'll take it for granted soon enough.
Grim Reaper
Expedition Leader
I hear good things about that camera.cshontz said:I got a Canon Digital Rebel, Grimmy. I just got it yesterday. I'm excited to go shooting with this thing. I love how fast it works compared to the point and shoots I've owned. A full press of the button and *BAM* you have a picture!
:REOutShootinghunter
The whole thing is still very novel to me, but I'm sure I'll take it for granted soon enough.
Wish Minolta would make a camera that would work with my old lenses.
Dirty Harry
Adventurer
Congrats on the new camera Chris!
Grim Minolta was bought by Sony, who is now making D-SLRs that will work with your existing lenses.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=3769
Grim Minolta was bought by Sony, who is now making D-SLRs that will work with your existing lenses.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=3769
spressomon
Expedition Leader
I'm in the same situation right now. Spent time with my Dad's F2 and F4's growing up until I could afford an FM which I used heavily for many years including packing it on the mountain bike, motorcycle, bc ski trips, etc! It took a beating but stayed reliable. Moved up to the FM2 which saw little use; Leica Minilux (proved to not be as reliable as my old FM inspite)...which I used consistently until the DPOS took over. Now that I'm back into wheeling size/weight isn't as big of a concern but getting better images is now a must. About to pull trigger on the D80...sure like the robust construction of the D200, along with additional features, but can't justify the larger physical size/upgrade for my uses.
cshontz
Supporting Sponsor
I'm not sure about this camera, guys ... but I'm hoping its due to 1) my total inexperience with DSLR, and 2) only having it for 24 hours.
The pictures I've taken are usually pretty soft. I anticipated this somewhat, as you guys mentioned the kit lens is fairly mediocre ... but I expected it to at least be on par with point and shoot. I took a few pictures of the Cherokee in the driveway, and I was surprised by the blurriness of the letters on the license plate. Don't get me wrong, its not bad bad - it just doesn't seem as crisp and clear as my S80 point and shoot.
Also, I thought the pictures seemed a tad underexposed. This could really be me being paranoid. Some of the pictures I've taken seem perfectly fine, but many just don't seem as bright and vibrant as I would expect. I did a little searching, and to my alarm, people claim that some of these cameras are in fact underexposing, and folks have been returning them to Canon to be "fixed".
Yeah, I just got this camera to replace a broken camera. That is not what I need.
I'll post some samples later. What are your thoughts on this?
The pictures I've taken are usually pretty soft. I anticipated this somewhat, as you guys mentioned the kit lens is fairly mediocre ... but I expected it to at least be on par with point and shoot. I took a few pictures of the Cherokee in the driveway, and I was surprised by the blurriness of the letters on the license plate. Don't get me wrong, its not bad bad - it just doesn't seem as crisp and clear as my S80 point and shoot.
Also, I thought the pictures seemed a tad underexposed. This could really be me being paranoid. Some of the pictures I've taken seem perfectly fine, but many just don't seem as bright and vibrant as I would expect. I did a little searching, and to my alarm, people claim that some of these cameras are in fact underexposing, and folks have been returning them to Canon to be "fixed".
Yeah, I just got this camera to replace a broken camera. That is not what I need.
I'll post some samples later. What are your thoughts on this?
spressomon
Expedition Leader
cshontz said:I'm not sure about this camera, guys ... but I'm hoping its due to 1) my total inexperience with DSLR, and 2) only having it for 24 hours.
The pictures I've taken are usually pretty soft. I anticipated this somewhat, as you guys mentioned the kit lens is fairly mediocre ... but I expected it to at least be on par with point and shoot. I took a few pictures of the Cherokee in the driveway, and I was surprised by the blurriness of the letters on the license plate. Don't get me wrong, its not bad bad - it just doesn't seem as crisp and clear as my S80 point and shoot.
Also, I thought the pictures seemed a tad underexposed. This could really be me being paranoid. Some of the pictures I've taken seem perfectly fine, but many just don't seem as bright and vibrant as I would expect. I did a little searching, and to my alarm, people claim that some of these cameras are in fact underexposing, and folks have been returning them to Canon to be "fixed".
Yeah, I just got this camera to replace a broken camera. That is not what I need.
I'll post some samples later. What are your thoughts on this?
Are you shooting RAW or JPEG? Try both and also check the sharpness setting.
spressomon
Expedition Leader
DaveInDenver said:
Well the size of the D80 is preferable...but the construction of the D200 seems more robust (however I haven't read any reports addressing the weather and shock resistance of the D80).
The biggest obstacle for me regarding putting the FM2 back into action is the time it takes to get film shots developed and scanned. No question the image quality is better...but time and convenience now take a higher priority for my non-professional use.
cshontz
Supporting Sponsor
The best exposure is the very first picture I took. Actually, not the best exposure per se, but the best "certainly-not-underexposed" picture. This picture would lead me to believe all is well. The only thing I've done since then is lower the resolution.
Filename: IMG_0001.jpg
Filename: IMG_0001.jpg
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Yeah, I hear ya. I guess I'm lucky since my local shop has a very good lab and slides are normally next day turn (they'll do same say if you get it to them before lunch and ask nicely) and color negative film is 1 hour. I do a lot of B&W and that is usually a couple of weeks between darkroom sessions, so that tends to get backed up in a hurry.spressomon said:
spressomon
Expedition Leader
cshontz said:The best exposure is the very first picture I took. Actually, not the best exposure per se, but the best "certainly-not-underexposed" picture. This picture would lead me to believe all is well. The only thing I've done since then is lower the resolution.
Filename: IMG_0001.jpg
How much lower resolution? Go back to full res and see if you don't see a difference...
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
That looks OK to me (although we have pretty crappy monitors here at work). Maybe a little over exposed, the bricks washed out pretty badly for sure, but there's some detail still there and they aren't blown out completely. Remember that digital sensors don't have a ton of range, so a contrasty, mid-day shot like that is going to test them and the exposure will be a compromise.cshontz said:
spressomon
Expedition Leader
cshontz said:The best exposure is the very first picture I took. Actually, not the best exposure per se, but the best "certainly-not-underexposed" picture. This picture would lead me to believe all is well. The only thing I've done since then is lower the resolution.
Filename: IMG_0001.jpg
What settings are you using (Fstop, shutter speed & ISO)?
Scott Brady
Founder
your lens is most sharp around F8. You might also want to shoot underexposed by .5 to 1 stop.
I actually have my 20D permanently stopped down by .5 stop.
Also remember that the spot metering is center weighted with your camera (standard setting), so use caution on the area you take your exposure from. Don't be afraid to off-center exposure meter (hold down the shutter half way), recompose and then take the shot.
Also ensure that your shutter speed is in excess of your focal length (number wise, then multiply X1.6 for the CCD factor). Camera shake will kill your sharpness.
I actually have my 20D permanently stopped down by .5 stop.
Also remember that the spot metering is center weighted with your camera (standard setting), so use caution on the area you take your exposure from. Don't be afraid to off-center exposure meter (hold down the shutter half way), recompose and then take the shot.
Also ensure that your shutter speed is in excess of your focal length (number wise, then multiply X1.6 for the CCD factor). Camera shake will kill your sharpness.
