[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Digital SLR Camera (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/9/2005 4:58:22 AM EDT
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I'm looking at getting a professional quality digital SLR. I'm looking at the Canon EOS Rebel XT, since the 8.0MP is only like 150-200 more than the 6.1MP Rebel. What sayeth the hive mind of cameras? I've seen the sample pictures on the Canon website, but I'm not a scholared professional photographer (I do have some decent experience with aperatures and lighting). Any thoughts of quality, features, ease of use, menu navigation, battery life and the 8.0MP question...QUALITY! ETC: My mistake, thought it was 8.2, it is really 8.0 |
FWIW, a Rebel XT is not a professional quality camera. It may be a good camera (I don't know) but a pro wouldn't use it. You'll have to step up to at least a 20D, and I'd still call that "pro-sumer." Having said that, I can't imagine that 95% of professional shooters would need more than a 20D offers. |
| I went with the Pentax *istDs because I already had some Pentax glass for a film SLR. Smaller and lighter than the Canon, 6.1MP, glass is tougher to find in stores, though you can order it. Pentax is very committed to backward compatibility as well. Very easy to navigate the menus. |
I am going to get one this weekend from this site for $650 |
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Be careful of the "good deals" on camera gear on the web. Lots of that shit has all the goodies taken out of the box and/or is grey market stuff with no warranty in the US. Sometimes you cant even get it repaired in the US. Caveat Emptor! Thats being said I know a lot of guys who own the Rebel and like it. The lens it comes with is crappy and anything wider than that lens is pricey. I havent made the move to digital yet because I havent been forced to. We all still use 35mm film cameras for our main work and the side work doesnt justify the expense for me yet. When I do go digital I'm going Minolta Dimage for several reasons. First is I've been shooting Minolta for years and all my peripherals, flashes, remotes etc, will bolt right on. It's not a true SLR but the lens is 28mm eqivalent and its way lighter than the Canon. If you arent making prints over 8x10 then you probably wont notice any difference over 5 megapixels. Canon also uses a CMOS image sensor, which I think is better than a CCD. |
Lucky you didn't get screwed. Look around online for stories about that place. www.photo.net/neighbor/one-subcategory?id=2 Take a look at Express Photo & Video, Express Cameras and Discovery Cameras in the link above. They're all the same place. B&H for me. |
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I just ordered a 350d from http://www.buydig.com Hopefully it will be here some time early next week. Those of you ragging on the 350d about professional quality may be right about a lack of more professional oriented features, but with the right glass and right user behind it, I have seen some professional quality results, so dont underestimate the camera. dont be hatin on the digirebxt! 
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Yes, I'd give www.buydig.com a look. I just bought a camcorder from them a couple of weeks ago. It took about three days to deliver it. I was skeptical at first because the price was about $100-$125 cheqaper than everyone else, including amazon, Best Buy and others. I'd buy from them again. |
i hope mine gets here soon 
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Just be careful. There are a lot of "gray market" (read: everything is in English but it's not a US camera and thus isn't covered by the warranty) cameras out there... |
Awesome. I am hoping to get a D70 (or D70s) kit in August...  I've read nothing but good (well a few klunkers... as with any camera) about that camera. RE: the money saved... I can't begin to tell you how much I've saved... Actually I guess I can. I have easily 6000 clicks on my two digital cameras (a Nikon 950 and a 5700)... It's become a hobby for me. I would never have taken even a small fraction of that if it were film! |
Thats the main reason i am going dSLR. I have a P&S digital camera, but it doesnt give you near the kind of control I get out of my old film slr's. |
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Don't get hung up on megapixels. I've shot 4 mp cameras that were sharper than 8 mp cameras. The best CCD is usless without a way to get proper image to it. Go for the largest, high-quality glass optics out there. I shoot an Olympus E-20p (5.2 mp)...had two E-10's before that. It's the best camera on the market (for the money) With a little practice, you'll get tack sharp images with perfect color. Here's my results.... 
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Unlike the H&K Catalog cover image, you managed to load the magazines correctly. Av. |
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You will be happy with the rebel XT, its size and weight is wonderful for being an dSLR. My only complaint is the battery is not the same as the original rebel, or the 10d/20d. Many of its adjustments are menu based instead of button based like the 20d...but no big deal really. It is a major step up from the 300d tho! If it would have come out before the 20d i would have bought the xt over it just to save some coin. but now that i have had the 20d.. it is effing SWEET! the nikons are no slouch, but I went with canon because of the CMOS sensor vs the CCD sensor. I do a lot of low light photos and the performanc of the canon sensor in low light is superior to almost anything out there. ISO1600 is better than ccd based sensor ISO400! invest in lenses, bodies can be upgraded. |
I've had great success with Sigma lenses. The L glass is fantastic, but incredibly expensive. I break a few lenses a year due to hard-use in real world environments, and it's a lot cheaper to replace a Sigma. |
Sigma makes some good lenses, but you have to know which ones to get, since they also make some lemons. I really like my Sigma 50-500 and 12-24 and I hear very good things about the Sigma 70-200 f2.8. As for the Canon L lenses, some are incredibly expensive and some aren't. The f4 70-200 can be had for around $500 and is an incredibly good buy. The 17-40 L is also a very good lens in the $6-700 range. |
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One strange (but good for Canon owners) thing I found out recently over at dpreview.com is that the Canon DSLRs (dunno about the Rebel...) can accept older Autofocus Nikon lenses that even the Nikon DSLRs can't. It takes an adaptor of some sort but still! I wanted to use my dad's old Nikon lenses from way back (he's from the old F body days) on the D70 when I get one... No dice there. |
You can use the older Nikon lenses on the D70, but some of the nifty-auto-metering stuff won't work. I use a 180/2.8 that is older than I am, no problems yet. |
Is it autofocus or 100% manual? /there's hope yet... 
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Need for what? If you want the ability to crop off part of the picture and turn the rest into an 8x10, 4MP ain't gonna be enough. And the difference between the CCD of a Powershot and the much larger CMOS of a Rebel or 10 or 20D is huge as far as clarity and detail go. |
100% manual. It's an old AI lens. NIkon D70 lens chart |
Some pros do use them for backups and second cameras for remote shooting, ect. I have the XT and love it. Well built and high quality with a great battery life. |
Sweet, thanks! *prints out for future use...* |
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I have been very happy with my Nikon D100. If you want professional, be prepared to spend quite a bit more than what a Digital Rebel or D70 costs. I personally prefer Nikon, but Canon is very good as well. Nikon just feels more natural and easier to use for me. You might be different. I would say D70 unless you need a true pro body. |
Ask them for a USA warranty. You wont get one. You get an international warranty that CANON will not honor in the USA. |
This is a first for me but +1 The new Canon 20D is the best on the market when combining PRO qualities, features, and price. You did say professional camera so that will rule out the Rebels and competing Nikons. I wonder how will Nikon answer the 20D? 20D... metal body, great autofocus speed, and very quick shutter. |
Yeah, at the time the D100 was the best, I think, but Canon has pulled ahead. There are rumors that the D100 replacement (D200) will still only be a 6MP, but I hope those rumors are not accurate. If so, I would say Canon would still have the edge in that catagory. |
Very good pics and fully adequate for your samples. I think the buffer and slow write speed would make it unsuitable for some professional situations like sports and it has a relatively slow startup time because of the lcd. |
Canon screwed all of there customers long ago by dropping their FD lens mount. None of your old lenses will fit on a modern Canon autofocus cam. Nikon will still accept all of their old AI manual focus lenses however. |
God bless AR15.com!! You guys saved me from buying from these morons! I'm looking at Dell's site and other "reputable" sites to get it now. Just saved me $650 and a potential murder charge! LOL Thanks again! |
No shit. I refuse to buy another Canon after I spent a lot of money on FD lenses. I still shoot with my AE-1 Program to this day. Av. |
You realize that there is a FD adapter, right? |
| The other thing that those places do is to strip the boxes of the accessories. Batteries and memory that are usually included are taked out or replaced with clones or lower capacity counterparts. I bought a Sony Cam and the 64 card was taken out and replaced with a 16. Also they will take included programs out of the boxes and will sell them separately. When you order online you will not be able to complete the order until you talk to a salesman who will give you the hard sell. They will also try to sell you warranties that are only good in that store. |