ping phoTogs

[AquaPython]

thats fun to say...

what would you recommend as a good started DSLR ?

i have always loved Canons, and they seem to always get the praise for best photo-quality and lenses, which in the end, seems to be the most important feature of camera, no?

[marko138]

Rebel XTi. I love mine. Takes nice pictures. Get good glass though.

[Avatard]

Do you have an old SLR?

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/mirror-less-cameras-the-death-of-dslrs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Ind ex+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

This may influence your choice in camera body.

[Trip]

I think nikon makes a better cheap slr camera body. The low range ones are more durable than the Rebels.

I would probably go with a canon if you were looking to go midrange or above.

If any of your friends have slrs. Get the brand they use so you can share lens and other equipment.

[Papa_Complex]

Actually Olympus gets high marks for the quality of their lenses, with their mid-grade lenses essentially a match for the top level Canon and Nikon glass in actual testing, rather than people's beliefs.

The best thing to do is sit down and come up with a list of the things that are most important to you in a camera, then compare them to the feature-set of each camera and manufacturer. Canon and Nikon are the two major players and you can't go wrong with either, if you put enough money into it. Other manufacturers may suit your specific needs though.

[Avatard]

Panasonic continues to tear a hole through the high-end camera market with an update to its original Micro Four Thirds camera, the G1.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/panasonic-g2-adds-touch-to-shoot-screen-1080p-video/

[goof2]

I shoot with a Rebel XSi. It has worked well for me. My sister-in-law has a Rebel XS and likes it a lot. A friend got a Nikon D3000 for christmas and is happy with it. They are all good enough now that you would have a hard time getting a bad camera. Depending on what you want to do for glass in the future it may be worth it to shop for one of the package deals. A lot of them are $100-$150 more than the body/kit lens but come with a longer image stabilized lens, memory card, bag, etc.

I have never personally been burned, but I have been told to stay away from the Ebay deals and the majority of the New York camera stores.

[Avatard]

I have a first gen EOS Rebel XT, and I love it. I also have an EOS RT (pellicle mirror) 35 SLR body and lenses, and have some interchangeability. This Micro Four Thirds format looks cool, though, as with the right adapters, literally ALL old 35mm lenses become a cheap and valuable resource.

[Papa_Complex]

Panasonic continues to tear a hole through the high-end camera market with an update to its original Micro Four Thirds camera, the G1.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/03/panasonic-g2-adds-touch-to-shoot-screen-1080p-video/

I've played with the G1 and own an Olympus E-P2. If focus speed is critical, then for the moment the u4/3 cameras aren't the way to go. Great as a day-to-day carry around unit though, and I have my E-P2 with me every day.

*EDIT* At the moment u4/3 has something like 10% of the total UK interchangeable lens camera market.

[goof2]

I have a first gen EOS Rebel XT, and I love it. I also have an EOS RT (pellicle mirror) 35 SLR body and lenses, and have some interchangeability. This Micro Four Thirds format looks cool, though, as with the right adapters, literally ALL old 35mm lenses become a cheap and valuable resource.

It is interesting, but the way I read it there is currently little to no communication between the camera body and lens. Older lenses would be fine, but if you want autofocus and the ability to control things like the aperture with the camera body you are stuck with micro four thirds lenses. That isn't bad, but some people prefer the newer Canon or Nikon lens families instead.

[Papa_Complex]

It is interesting, but the way I read it there is currently little to no communication between the camera body and lens. Older lenses would be fine, but if you want autofocus and the ability to control things like the aperture with the camera body you are stuck with micro four thirds lenses. That isn't bad, but some people prefer the newer Canon or Nikon lens families instead.

You can use both u4/3 and 4/3 lenses on u4/3 camera bodies, though the latter requires an adaptor. The shallow flange depth on both 4/3 and u4/3 camera bodies permits the use of a number of adaptors for MANUAL lenses. Yes, you have to use them fully manually, but you can set them so that the in-camera IS functions. This is especially useful with old manual prime lenses.

I've used an old OM 50mm F1.4 on my Olympus E-3 and E-30, with IS functioning properly. The camera was actually capable of automatically metering the scene, by reading the light levels.

You'll never get autofocus with a non-4/3 or non-u4/3 lens.

My usual walk-around setup with my E-P2 is a 40-150mm F4.0-5.6 4/3 lens, via adaptor.

[Avatard]

Look for Nikon and Canon to maybe make a Micro Four Thirds camera with a "hot" adapter.

[Papa_Complex]

I doubt that they'll jump on the u4/3 standard. If anything they'll try to create a Micro Four-Thirds killer. Olympus frequently gets to specific technology early (live view with tilt-able screens, anti-dust systems, in-body IS...), but is soon forgotten when the two biggies throw their weight into it.

*EDIT* Shot this a couple of days ago with the E-P2, using a Zuiko u4/3 17mm F2.8 pancake lens.

http://www.morallyambiguous.net/multimedia/gallery2/d/48497-3/P3030237.jpg

Still hoping for the OP's feature wish list.

[AquaPython]

i am starting to lean towards the T1i

slightly better than bottom of the barrel, lots of good reviews, and i really like that it had 1080p video.
the T2i just came out, but i don't see the difference
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=18385

[Papa_Complex]

I'm not a Canon guy, but look into the kit lens that is included. I think that I remember the 18-55 IS got a recent re-work and that the new lens is substantially better. The old one was apparently quite a dog.

*EDIT* Maybe it was the 15-85. Like I said, not a Canon guy.

[goof2]

There doesn't appear to be much difference at all outside of the expected pixel creep which really won't matter anyway. For whatever the difference in price ends up being you should be able to pick up some accessories or maybe even a lower end lens.

[goof2]

I'm not a Canon guy, but look into the kit lens that is included. I think that I remember the 18-55 IS got a recent re-work and that the new lens is substantially better. The old one was apparently quite a dog.

*EDIT* Maybe it was the 15-85. Like I said, not a Canon guy.

There was an 18-55 that was Canon's default kit lens until they introduced the Rebel XSi/450D about 2 years ago. It didn't have image stabilization though. The "new" kit lens does have IS and is supposed to be a nice improvement.

[Papa_Complex]

I thought that I had read about an IS kit lens being pretty crappy and getting an upgrade. Oh well, I guess I'll need to pay better attention to the "lesser brands" :lol:

[goof2]

I thought that I had read about an IS kit lens being pretty crappy and getting an upgrade. Oh well, I guess I'll need to pay better attention to the "lesser brands" :lol:

Plenty of people complain about both the old lens and the newer IS lens, but I haven't seen anything about a Mark II version. Then again I don't pay much attention either unless I am getting ready to buy something. The IS lens takes decent pictures in my opinion but the main complaint seems to be that neither are built as well or have the aperture of the thousand dollar 17-55 USM.:lol: It is the typical "all kit lenses are crap" mentality.

[Mr Lefty]

I'm more of a Nikon guy myself... but one thing that does frustrate me about Nikon is the price of glass (if I want Nikon glass that is) compared to Cannon, the number of lenses available is fewer and the price is higher... but I just like the way the Nikon functions.

I had a Reble Xt and it wasn't bad, but felt cheap when i compared it to the Nikon D200 I wanted... and the D300 I ended up with.... but of course it's understandable when comparing a $600 camera(when I bought it) to a $1200 and $1500 camera respectfully.

like Papa said... make a list of exactly what you want... then do some research. don't rely on what someone says is better.. as we all have different things that are important to us...

also... REMEMBER... don't get a camera that's over your head... odds are if it's too complicated for you to use with out the manual near by... you're not gonna use it. I found that out with my D300... it sat for a couple months because it was intimidating, as far as all the damn settings went... but I forced myself to go out and fuck around with it... now I really do love the thing... still have quite a bit to learn, but find myself taking it with me more, and taking more and more pictures

[Papa_Complex]

There's also some point in getting a camera that you can grow into a little.

At the bottom of this page you'll find a feature to feature comparison of the T1i and T2i:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/CanonEOS550D/

[Mr Lefty]

There's also some point in getting a camera that you can grow into a little.

At the bottom of this page you'll find a feature to feature comparison of the T1i and T2i:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/CanonEOS550D/

yeah... definitely a fine line there, but being he's just starting with DSLR's... the XTi should keep him occupied for a while...

fuck the D300 still has a lot to teach me... I'd just like a couple more lenses

[Papa_Complex]

I could build a 3 lens + teleconverter kit, with a D300, that would likely do everything that I need. It wouldn't be cheap though.

[Mr Lefty]

I could build a 3 lens + teleconverter kit, with a D300, that would likely do everything that I need. It wouldn't be cheap though.

yeah... that's the problem... $$$

actually... before I start sinking shit loads of $... I wanna upgrade to the D700 and the full frame... I'd use my 50mm prime a shit load more on it than I do on my D300 due to the crop factor... but as it's $1000 more than I paid for my D300 I'll wait till I get a bit more comfortable with the D300...

[Papa_Complex]

I hear ya. I should post a picture of my gear sometime. Let's just say I won't be "brand jumping" any time soon :lol:

[azoomm]

also... REMEMBER... don't get a camera that's over your head... odds are if it's too complicated for you to use with out the manual near by... you're not gonna use it. I found that out with my D300... it sat for a couple months because it was intimidating, as far as all the damn settings went... but I forced myself to go out and fuck around with it... now I really do love the thing... still have quite a bit to learn, but find myself taking it with me more, and taking more and more pictures

:dthumb:

I vote Nikon as well. And THIS paragraph is the most truth in this thread than anything else. The wide range of functionality doesn't mean shit if you don't know what the hell to do with it. I started with a D80, simple enough to get started.

[Papa_Complex]

Maybe if Aquapython could give us his budget constraints, we could give him a list of some good body/lens combinations and he could check to see which best fits his needs?

As far as Canon vs. Nikon, they tend to go back and forth over which has superior focus speed and low light performance. Right now Nikon is slightly ahead in the high end cameras, but I would say that either would be a good choice without too deep an evaluation of user preferences.

[TommyHotWheel]

I love my Olympus Evolt 410, great starter camera and it comes with two good lenses. The 420 is better and getting better reviews, but its been a while for me. Well under a grand for the camera with lenses a battery and a bag.

[AquaPython]

made the purchase!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290414498230

400 rebate, plus $99 bing cash back, plus i can sell the printer for like 250

excited!

[goof2]

Nice, good choice and good luck.

[shmike]

Baller.

[AquaPython]

Baller.

:lol

thank you i was waiting 24 hours for that!