Anyone know Digital SLRs?

[XJGrl]

I am lookin' to buy one before the end of the week. Can't decide between the Nikon D50 and the Canon Rebel XT -- I am leaning towards the Nikon due to price difference. Not lookin to spend much more than $700. I also know that Pentax is coming out with a new SLR too. Anyone have an opinion? Anyone have one or the other?

Thanks.

[ECKSJAY]

Can't go wrong with Nikon or Canon. Most stable on the market and best companies to deal with (for SLRs anyway...I've no experience with anyone else). I've got a Nikon D70 which I bought mostly for the fact that it kicked the hell out of the DigiReb at the time and secodly because I was familiar with the Nikon systems already (had a couple of their film SLRs). The Nikons I've looked at were just as fast as their film counterparts for 'boot up' and 'shutter lag' times, while the Canons I looked at a couple years ago (haven't looked lately) still had issues with taking too long. I snapped off 2 photos with the Nikon in the time it took the Reb to boot! For what I use mine to do it IS a big deal to have it boot up and snap a photo NOW. I DID give the Rebel every chance because I was totally willing to start fresh since I jumped the line into the digital realm (it took a LOT to do that...TRUST me), but Nikon still held it for me. YMMV, as they say. ;)

[ECKSJAY]

On another note, if you're getting into digital I highly recommend a color calibration kit like the kind from Pantone. I got even one of their cheapies and the results were AMAZING. What it does is calibrates your monitor to standard color/brightness/contrast settings so that any photo editing software adjustments are 'real'. Makes a WORLD of difference in the print quality. You're on the right track with a digital SLR, so make sure you've got a good printer and calibration tools. :) Takes only a few mins to calibrate and I think I paid about $149 or so for the ColorPLUS kit. I'm looking at one of their high-end setups to synch my printer and monitor exactly for my photo biz. Check 'em out! There's NOTHING like printing exactly what you see on the screen. :)

Here's a review.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0404/04040501pantonecolorvision.asp

[ChiXJeff]

I've got a Canon Digital Rebel, and I've been pretty happy with it. Big problem that I've heard about the XT is that battery life just plains sucks.

[DrMoab]

Pentax has had one out for quite some time. Actually it isn't a bad camera. My father has one and I have used it several times.

If I was going to buy a new one and didn't have any older 35MM cameras with lenses I could share with the new one I would buy a Cannon or Nikon.

Most likely I will buy the Pentax just because I have several lenses that will work from my 35MM days.

[XJGrl]

That was one thing that concerned me about the Rebel XT -- it doesnt COME WITH rechargeable batteries like the Nikon does. That has always been my biggest problem with digi cams -- the batteries get sucked up quick!! Makes me wonder about Canon...........

As for Pentax -- there is some new one coming out soon -- 100? I could be wrong, but the lady at Ritz did mention it -- for the mere fact that I could use the lenses that I use on my K1000 on their digi. But -- thats not so important I dont think.

[DrMoab]

That was one thing that concerned me about the Rebel XT -- it doesnt COME WITH rechargeable batteries like the Nikon does. That has always been my biggest problem with digi cams -- the batteries get sucked up quick!! Makes me wonder about Canon...........

As for Pentax -- there is some new one coming out soon -- 100? I could be wrong, but the lady at Ritz did mention it -- for the mere fact that I could use the lenses that I use on my K1000 on their digi. But -- thats not so important I dont think.
This one has been out for a couple of years
http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/digital_camera--*ist_DL/reqID--6552159/subsection--digital_slr

The new one is a K100D or the K110D

Both of these are more entry level cameras that are a little cheaper.

When my dad bought his he got it from 49th St Photo on Ebay. he got a deal that included two lenses, a 1Gb card, rechargable batteries, a charger for said batteries, a nice bag and some other stuff for less then 1000.00

[Eddie G.]

Read the reviews of the cameras you have in mind on this site, compare the pictures and functions and decide which one best suits you.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Also look at www.photographyreview.com for consumer comments.

Good places to buy camera from are: www.tristatecamera.com, www.Adorama.com and on ebay from Cameta Camera. Make sure you buy the US version with US warranty.

I am a Canon fan because it seems like it takes Nikon a couple of years to follow on Canon's inventions, and because the lenses from first generation EOS are still fully compatible with their latest digital ones, but Nikon has kept on changing the mounts.

If you want to stay on the cheap side, but still get a good lens, look into Sigma EX series lenses. The consumer grade Canon or Nikon lenses are not that great.

[Root Moose]

I've got a Canon Digital Rebel, and I've been pretty happy with it. Big problem that I've heard about the XT is that battery life just plains sucks.

I haven't seen this. We can easily shoot a many GB cards of pics on one charge. FWIW, I shot ~1000 images at the Grand Prix test sessions at Montreal. Maybe ran the battery down 1/3? Maybe? And that was making heavy use of a EF 200 mm lens (i.e more draw than a EF-S lens).

To the OP: I may be off but IIRC the Nikon D70 is the closer match to the Rebel XT. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. We have a D70 at work and our AV guy has been very happy with it. I don't think you could go wrong with either camera.

Also read the reviews at dpreview.com.

[XJGrl]

Yeah, I have realized that I may not be comparing apples to apples -- I think Ill end up going with the Nikon D50 -- I can get a pkg with a Nikkor lens for $650 locally. I dont really want to spend much more -- reviews of the cameras seem to agree that it is a good started DSLR -- which is pretty much what I need. If I get a higher priced DSLR with lots of bells and whistles, I may never even use the features that I paid for.

Ill be buying this week -- before my trip to Denver. Ill post a pic.

M

[ChiXJeff]

I haven't seen this. We can easily shoot a many GB cards of pics on one charge. FWIW, I shot ~1000 images at the Grand Prix test sessions at Montreal. Maybe ran the battery down 1/3? Maybe? And that was making heavy use of a EF 200 mm lens (i.e more draw than a EF-S lens).

I've got a number of friends who were early adopters of the Digital Rebel. One of them is a semi-pro. At least 2 were considering picking up a Rebel XT but dropped that idea, citing issues about battery life.

For BOTW 2005, I would generally get a full day on a single battery, minimal flash, heavy use of auto-focus, ran through around 1gb/day. From what my friends cited, the Rebel XT would have needed at least 2 batteries for the same job.

[Root Moose]

I've got a number of friends who were early adopters of the Digital Rebel. One of them is a semi-pro. At least 2 were considering picking up a Rebel XT but dropped that idea, citing issues about battery life.

For BOTW 2005, I would generally get a full day on a single battery, minimal flash, heavy use of auto-focus, ran through around 1gb/day. From what my friends cited, the Rebel XT would have needed at least 2 batteries for the same job.

I dunno, I can only go by my experience owning/shooting a Rebel XT. In my example above, that was around 3GB if memory serves. I tend to be the multiple test auto-focus before commit type as well. Also, this was trying to capture F1 cars coming in at warp speed to the hair pin from the stands... lots of screwing around.

Now that I think about it (you're making me second guess), maybe I used more battery than I posted above... But I definitely only used one battery with juice to spare and I had another battery to use if I needed it. I didn't.

For messing around with family snap shots and such we need to recharge the battery every few weeks it seems. My wife is kinda crazy shooting images lately... she's gettin' all artsy and stuff.

Certainly not onerous or excessive battery consumption by any stretch.

$0.02

[ECKSJAY]

In contrast w/ my D70, I shoot about 2GB per session with flash as fill or full on...which equals about 320 each of high-res JPG and NEF (Nikon RAW)...and can get about two sessions on a single charge. See stages below, but I've talked to folks who have been able to get literally a few thousand JPG 'Normal' res images on a single charge w/o flash. I've been MORE than pleased with the results.

On a 1GB Sandisk Ultra II card (I carry three) I can get 178 RAW, 291 JPG 'Fine', 573 JPG 'Normal', 1100 JPG 'Basic', and 158 RAW + JPG 'Basic' shot simultaneous. That last feature has been extremely worth it to have something 'now' for immediate burning or whatever. No need to open Photoshop or Nikon Capture to view the RAW, I can open them with the standard Windows viewers.

[5-90]

Pentax has a small series of SLR digitals out right now - Google "*ist" and see what comes up.

I've been leaning toward that myself, mainly because I want a good "technical" camera, and the *ist uses the same lens mount as my old K-1000, so I won't have to drop another eight grand on lenses...

5-90

[XgeekstarX]

my friend ryan is a photo journalist and swears by his D70 nikon. my friend frankie uses a canon and you can definitely tell the better picture quality of the nikon.

[XJGrl]

Thanks for all of the info -- I think Ill go "hold" a few tonight.

[XJEEPER]

Another great place for digi-cam reviews is http://www.dpreview.com/

[Root Moose]

In contrast w/ my D70, I shoot about 2GB per session with flash as fill or full on...which equals about 320 each of high-res JPG and NEF (Nikon RAW)...and can get about two sessions on a single charge. See stages below, but I've talked to folks who have been able to get literally a few thousand JPG 'Normal' res images on a single charge w/o flash. I've been MORE than pleased with the results.

On a 1GB Sandisk Ultra II card (I carry three) I can get 178 RAW, 291 JPG 'Fine', 573 JPG 'Normal', 1100 JPG 'Basic', and 158 RAW + JPG 'Basic' shot simultaneous. That last feature has been extremely worth it to have something 'now' for immediate burning or whatever. No need to open Photoshop or Nikon Capture to view the RAW, I can open them with the standard Windows viewers.

Good points. We shoot JPG fine... 1GB card is about 270 images on the Canon Rebel XT.

[Dirk Pitt]

I regularly use a Nikon D100 and D200 and wouldn't even consider going with another brand.

Excellent photo quality, easy to use, durable...

I am a very novice photographer (i.e. complete newb) and still take very good pictures.

HTH

[FitchVA]

i've never had any issues with the battery life in my Canon XT. i can take gobs and gobs of pictures an never run out of juice. a few weeks ago, i snapped about 800 long exposure night shots over the course of 3 days and never ran out of juice. and i'm not sure the battery was fully charged when i started.

i had the original 300d digi rebel when they first came out but sent it back. i am 11ty billion times happier with the digi rebel XT over the original 300d.

[brtb]

That was one thing that concerned me about the Rebel XT -- it doesnt COME WITH rechargeable batteries like the Nikon does. That has always been my biggest problem with digi cams -- the batteries get sucked up quick!! Makes me wonder about Canon...........


The Rebel XT comes with a rechargeable 720mAh Li-Ion battery and charger... I don't think I've ever seen a NON-rechargeable battery for it. In practical numbers, I've taken 4GB worth of long-exposure shots with an image-stabilized lens (two power-hungry options at once) and there was still power left over.

No problems with startup time on the XT either; Canon used a new image-processor chip and I can't ever remember waiting on the thing.

I've found Canon cameras and lenses to be slightly cheaper than Nikon with comparable quality. Remember with an SLR, the lens is as important as, if not more than, the camera... the cheap little 18-55mm kit lens on the Canon, or the 18-70mm Nikon equivalent, just won't do the camera justice. It's no expensive pro-L-series lens, but I use one of these most often and love it: EF-S 17-85mm IS-USM (http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/ef-s_17-85_review.html)

The Nikon sensor seems to be a bit noisier in low-light to very-low-light situations, which I work in quite a bit, so Canon was the choice for me.

This might help decide between Nikon/Canon:
http://www.digitalreview.ca/cams/NikonD70versusRebelXT.shtml

And this guy seems to know his stuff, in Canon areas anyway:
http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/

[yardape]

Pentax has a small series of SLR digitals out right now - Google "*ist" and see what comes up.

I've been leaning toward that myself, mainly because I want a good "technical" camera, and the *ist uses the same lens mount as my old K-1000, so I won't have to drop another eight grand on lenses...

5-90

do I understand you to say that these cameras will fit the old screw mount Pentax lenses? I've got a whole box of the while shooting with an Olympus Camedia. I have really been wanting to update my camera to get something faster. Trying to shoot action shots like my son's soccer games is impossible.

[FitchVA]

what do the pro's use? ... who can spot the canon lenses? ;) might be faster to count the nikons (:peace: all in fun nikon guys - i'm not trying to start an argument)

http://viewsfrommylens.com/Gallery/albums/misc/nikonVScanon_01.jpg

http://viewsfrommylens.com/Gallery/albums/misc/nikonVScanon_02.jpg

[Eddie G.]

my friend ryan is a photo journalist and swears by his D70 nikon. my friend frankie uses a canon and you can definitely tell the better picture quality of the nikon.

You may want to compare lenses too. Your photo journalist friend most probably is using a high-end pro lens made by Nikon while your friend with Canon is using a cheap consumer lens which is made by Tamron for Canon. The only lenses made by Canon is their "L" series pro lenses.

[Eddie G.]

do I understand you to say that these cameras will fit the old screw mount Pentax lenses? I've got a whole box of the while shooting with an Olympus Camedia. I have really been wanting to update my camera to get something faster. Trying to shoot action shots like my son's soccer games is impossible.

I think he is talking about PK mount lenses, not the old M42 screw mounts. However, if you want, you can get M42 adapters for your SLR mount on ebay. However, you have to shoot it in stop-down mode. I have both Nikon and M42 mounts for my Canon EOS, and I even have adapters to use my medium format Kiev and Mamiya 645 lenses on the EOS. Search ebay.

If you want to shoot action shots, the autofocus lenses with widest possible apartures you can afford are the best way to go.

[yardape]

I think your right. As I Recall the Spotmatic was tha last of the screw mount and you have to use the lenses manually if you adapt them which is a PIA.

[5-90]

I think he is talking about PK mount lenses, not the old M42 screw mounts. However, if you want, you can get M42 adapters for your SLR mount on ebay. However, you have to shoot it in stop-down mode. I have both Nikon and M42 mounts for my Canon EOS, and I even have adapters to use my medium format Kiev and Mamiya 645 lenses on the EOS. Search ebay.

If you want to shoot action shots, the autofocus lenses with widest possible apartures you can afford are the best way to go.

Yeah - the old PK "bayonet" mount lenses. The *ist won't support some of the features of the older lenses, but they'll physically fit, and I'm used to controlling everything anyhow (which is why I got the K-1000 - since I was also into microphotography and telephotography for a while, and therefore had adapters to both my microscope (for crystalline microphotography) and my 1.5m Newtonian (for telephotography, meteor trails, and astrophotography.))

5-90