Scott Brady
Founder
My understanding regarding AZ Highways is that some features are acceptable for digital, but not a cover. Jonathan and Roseann can detail the specifics as they work with the magazine.
Which SLR to get
- Thread starter Ursidae69
- Start date
JMyerz
Adventurer
another option would be the newly released Nikon D200. $1699 gets you a 10.9MP camera with 5fps and a 45 frame buffer.
Combined with nikon glass or the newly developed Carl Ziess glass for nikons and you will get supurb results.
The canon 5D is a tempting choice, however unlike the nikon d200, d2x or the canon 1 series it is made without a metal body and without seals so the elements can and will get in.
For the price the D200 is a full metal frame and fully sealed and at almost 11 mp you will have no problem submitting to any magazines or stock agency. Currently, Corbis (one of the leading stock agencies) has set a 11mp minimum.
Now with anything over 8MP you start to reach the limits of your glass, which one is best? IMHO Nikon has a better contrast range and detail with their glass and with the addition of Carl Zeiss you should get un matched color reproductions and calrity.
Just my two cents...
Justin
Combined with nikon glass or the newly developed Carl Ziess glass for nikons and you will get supurb results.
The canon 5D is a tempting choice, however unlike the nikon d200, d2x or the canon 1 series it is made without a metal body and without seals so the elements can and will get in.
For the price the D200 is a full metal frame and fully sealed and at almost 11 mp you will have no problem submitting to any magazines or stock agency. Currently, Corbis (one of the leading stock agencies) has set a 11mp minimum.
Now with anything over 8MP you start to reach the limits of your glass, which one is best? IMHO Nikon has a better contrast range and detail with their glass and with the addition of Carl Zeiss you should get un matched color reproductions and calrity.
Just my two cents...
Justin
Mlachica
TheRAMadaINN on Instagram
Last March I bought a Canon Rebel (not the xt) with the 18-55 ef-s lens. This was my first slr so I don't have much to compare it to but I know that it's a perfect first slr for me as far as capabilities/quality go. July comes around and I wanted more zoom so I picked up a canon 70-200 f/4L and LOVE it. The quality of the pictures are so much better with the L lens than the one it came with. And just yesterday I got the canon 17-40 f/4L lens - of course the quality is outstanding and far superior than the 18-55. Glass is so much more important than the body, IMHO.
In retrospect, I wish I bought just the rebel body and the 17-40 f/4L lens. It could have saved some cash. Now that I have the 17-40 and the 18-55, I doubt the 18-55 will see much use. Another good option for a general use lens that was recommended to me by a lot of people is the canon 28-135 with image stabilization which is less expensive than the 17-40.
When I bought my lens last night I played with some macro lenses like the tamron 90, canon 50 and canon 100. They are so much fun! I think the canon 100 will be my next purchase.
I don't know if there's a samys camera near you, but I like there customer service and the prices are very competitive. sorry if I rambled, I got excited :victory:
In retrospect, I wish I bought just the rebel body and the 17-40 f/4L lens. It could have saved some cash. Now that I have the 17-40 and the 18-55, I doubt the 18-55 will see much use. Another good option for a general use lens that was recommended to me by a lot of people is the canon 28-135 with image stabilization which is less expensive than the 17-40.
When I bought my lens last night I played with some macro lenses like the tamron 90, canon 50 and canon 100. They are so much fun! I think the canon 100 will be my next purchase.
I don't know if there's a samys camera near you, but I like there customer service and the prices are very competitive. sorry if I rambled, I got excited :victory:
Scott Brady
Founder
Great feedback on your new L lenses. Now that my truck is mostly finished I will be spending more cash on glass. :elkgrin:
Scott Brady
Founder
yeah, if I put anymore crap on the thing the wheels will just fall off 
Time to stop wrenching and start driving! :archaeolo
Time to stop wrenching and start driving! :archaeolo
Life_in_4Lo
Explorer
JMyerz said:
Nikon is the only one that makes it's own glass. Canon glass is made by Tahmron.
The only thing that was holding Nikon back was the AF. Canon really was the king for digital but Nikon has caught up in AF and imo, the Nikon stuff is better made and simply takes better pics.
I was really into Canon, but I feel the Nikons are a cut above. I just got a D70 and it is very nice. I can't wait to really get into it and see how it does for the long haul.
No complaints w/ my Digital Rebel but this is the next step up for sure.
I am not into it enough to justify the more expensive bodies- "pro-sumer" level is fine for me. I plan on a couple good, fast lenses and that will be my kit.
CAPTAIN COORS
Adventurer
chuck, i just upgraded to a canon 5d my old canon 10d is for sale, body only for around $500
pangaea
Adventurer
Although the subject has probably been beaten to death, I thought I'd add my 2¢ since I've been away for the past couple of weeks and haven't had a chance to chime in:
Nikon vs. Canon - Many folks will tout the advantages of one over the other. IMO, the bottom line is that both are great systems. If you can go to a local camera shop, try them both out and see which one works for you. Maybe consider what your travelling buddies shot with, because of the shared lens factor. I shoot Canon mainly because I grew up with it. My dad shot Canon, so I had a familiar system and some lenses right off the bat, but I've shot Nikon SLRs before and think that they're great too.
Body vs. Lens - Assuing that we're talking about Canon here, the difference in image quality between a Rebel XT and a 20D is pretty negligable. Your going to get better images by stepping up to the L series glass. If it were me, I'd buy a Rebel XT, and spend the money you saved on a 70-200 f/4L. Super sharp lens that will give you great images. If you have aspirations of going pro, you should still be able to sell images from a 20D, I've sold to a few mags before and they always seem to print great.
Later on Down the Road - Again, assuming you have aspirations to go pro, learn the Rebel, get everything that you can from it, and when you can afford it, skip the 5D and go straight to the 1Ds Mk II (or MK III if its out then) This is definitely the camera body to get if you're serious about your shooting. If you're planning to sell to stock photo houses, they require a 45MB image IIRC, and this is the only one out there to deliver that straight out of the can (as far as I know). Yeah, its pricey, but the Rebel XT will keep you going for a while, and if you're really serious about shooting and are starting to get some work, the 1Ds will pay for itself.
Nikon vs. Canon - Many folks will tout the advantages of one over the other. IMO, the bottom line is that both are great systems. If you can go to a local camera shop, try them both out and see which one works for you. Maybe consider what your travelling buddies shot with, because of the shared lens factor. I shoot Canon mainly because I grew up with it. My dad shot Canon, so I had a familiar system and some lenses right off the bat, but I've shot Nikon SLRs before and think that they're great too.
Body vs. Lens - Assuing that we're talking about Canon here, the difference in image quality between a Rebel XT and a 20D is pretty negligable. Your going to get better images by stepping up to the L series glass. If it were me, I'd buy a Rebel XT, and spend the money you saved on a 70-200 f/4L. Super sharp lens that will give you great images. If you have aspirations of going pro, you should still be able to sell images from a 20D, I've sold to a few mags before and they always seem to print great.
Later on Down the Road - Again, assuming you have aspirations to go pro, learn the Rebel, get everything that you can from it, and when you can afford it, skip the 5D and go straight to the 1Ds Mk II (or MK III if its out then) This is definitely the camera body to get if you're serious about your shooting. If you're planning to sell to stock photo houses, they require a 45MB image IIRC, and this is the only one out there to deliver that straight out of the can (as far as I know). Yeah, its pricey, but the Rebel XT will keep you going for a while, and if you're really serious about shooting and are starting to get some work, the 1Ds will pay for itself.
Ursidae69 said:
I would say that if you wanted a camera that you would be able to use for years you might actually look at a film camera. Nikon FM3 is a manual focus bomb proof unit. It will work as long as they keep making film. It is ultra reliable and I believe will even work w/o batteries. I have an Olympus OM-4, which is similar but Nikon gear is better supported and easier to find.
Digital is like a computer and puts you on forced obsolensence every few years. You would not want to be using a 486 chip and win 95 today, and you will probably find your digital camera to be just as outdated in 2-3 years. There are some nice advantages, like free processing, but all the required extra stuff (cards, readers, hard drives, photoshop cs, laptop for field use)adds up and needs regular replacements (like still using a 32mb CF card).
Having said that, the Canon Rebel XT is in the current sweet spot of dslrs. You get the Canon 8mp chip. It is a better imager than the 6mp Sony sensor that Nikon, Pentax, and Minolta use. It costs a little more but you get a little more. Canon has the the best modern lenses. Canon is also the most stable camera company. You may have heard Minolta quit the biz recently (sold it to Sony). Nikon is is good too but Pentax is a little bit of a question-they build some great stuff but Canon really is the 800 pound gorilla of the industry.
BTW-Pentax has lowered the price of its dslr kit (w/lens) to $599, so that would be a great bargin buy.
Finally, the big photo show PMA is the 26th of Feb and some new models will probably be announced, so if you are still looking, check dpreview then for info and maybe some preice drops too.
Good luck!!
One more idea- do not rule out the used market for equipment, especially for lenses. www.keh.com is a great place for good stuff. They grade equipment very conservatively so even bargin level equipment is better than "mint" on eb&y. They also give you a few weeks to try it out and have a good return policy. Prices are fair too.
UncleChris
Adventurer
Hey guys,
Thought I would drudge up an old thread.
I have been reading everyone's post and getting a lot of info out of this.
My issue is that I have a Nikon Pronea 6i which uses aps. I got it a few years ago and loved it until I realized how convenient digital is(I love taking pictures...but I am lazy).
So after reading all of the posts, I figured these are what I am looking for;
Something that is relatively bulletproof. (dustproof, sealed)
Something that could take my old Pronea 24-70mm zoom(?Is this possible)
Something that is not too expensive (~$700)
I am looking at the Nikons (D50, D70). Would it be worth it to even try to use the old lens?
My old boss at work is big time into photography. He is a big Canon guy. He claims that he has one gray hair for every time I mentioned the N-word(he is pretty gray!)
Does anyone know how bulletproof the low end Nikons are?Canons?
Thanks
Thought I would drudge up an old thread.
I have been reading everyone's post and getting a lot of info out of this.
My issue is that I have a Nikon Pronea 6i which uses aps. I got it a few years ago and loved it until I realized how convenient digital is(I love taking pictures...but I am lazy).
So after reading all of the posts, I figured these are what I am looking for;
Something that is relatively bulletproof. (dustproof, sealed)
Something that could take my old Pronea 24-70mm zoom(?Is this possible)
Something that is not too expensive (~$700)
I am looking at the Nikons (D50, D70). Would it be worth it to even try to use the old lens?
My old boss at work is big time into photography. He is a big Canon guy. He claims that he has one gray hair for every time I mentioned the N-word(he is pretty gray!)
Does anyone know how bulletproof the low end Nikons are?Canons?
Thanks
JMyerz
Adventurer
The lower end canons and nikons are roughly the same with a slight lead to nikon. I've had a D70 as a backup for a while and it works great and rarely am I worried about dust. I worry more about vibrations in a car than I do anything else.
I'll actually have my D70s up for sale soon, so PM me if you would like more info.
J
I'll actually have my D70s up for sale soon, so PM me if you would like more info.
J
At the low end dslr (calling $700 low end, seems wrong on so many levels) the Nikons are more solid than the 6mp Canon. The 8mp Rebel XT is very nice (some claim it is too small to hold with larger hands) but it runs $750 just for the body.
D50 is suprisingly well put together for under $600.
Do not think your Pronea lenses will work on the Nikon digital SLR lines.
Panasonic will be making Olympus style 4/3 dlsr's that use Leica lenses and have traditional analog dial controls on the lens if you are old school and like to see and set your aperture and shutterspeed.
D50 is suprisingly well put together for under $600.
Do not think your Pronea lenses will work on the Nikon digital SLR lines.
Panasonic will be making Olympus style 4/3 dlsr's that use Leica lenses and have traditional analog dial controls on the lens if you are old school and like to see and set your aperture and shutterspeed.
S
Scenic WonderRunner
Guest
Finepix S5200 5MP Digital Camera w/ 10X Opt. Zoom
Would this be a good camera for the first time digital owner?
I've taken pictures for 30 years but never owned a digital.
The: Finepix S5200 5MP Digital Camera w/ 10X Opt. Zoom
I found a Great deal on it for only $233 after $50 rebate........wait!.....they just lowered the price...now it's $223........!
I like the specs.....and really don't know how much better it could get.
Any thoughts?
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=cnet&sku=FJFPS5200#productIncludes
The changing price seems to mess with the above link. So if the link does not work just go to www.buydig.com .....then do a search.
edit.....Wait!.....I blinked again and the final price just went down to $221....! Now my credit card is doing flips!
Would this be a good camera for the first time digital owner?
I've taken pictures for 30 years but never owned a digital.
The: Finepix S5200 5MP Digital Camera w/ 10X Opt. Zoom
I found a Great deal on it for only $233 after $50 rebate........wait!.....they just lowered the price...now it's $223........!
I like the specs.....and really don't know how much better it could get.
Any thoughts?
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=cnet&sku=FJFPS5200#productIncludes
The changing price seems to mess with the above link. So if the link does not work just go to www.buydig.com .....then do a search.
edit.....Wait!.....I blinked again and the final price just went down to $221....! Now my credit card is doing flips!
Last edited by a moderator: