OT: looking for a new digital SLR, which one??

[markzed]

I have a Pentax K100D.
It is pretty decent, does everything I want, but it's at the budget end of the scale compared to the Canon 400D.
One benefit is that the lenses I had for my old Pentax (MZ-30) still autofocus on the K100D.

 

[BarneyBoy]

Canon or Nikon? Both good.

Personally? I've always had Canon and love them. Strong, beautifully made, take great shots.
My current camera is an early model Canon EOS. I plan to go digital, as it's just getting too hard to buy the speed film you need - everywhere seem to stock 400ASA and nothing else.

So anyway I have this nearly 20 year old camera, and if I go for the 400D (like you want), I can still use the beautiful lenses from my current SLR. How's that for backwards compatibility?

So on that basis, I'd pick the Canon - built-in future-proofing (on lenses anyway).

 

[stevie_gti]

i say go for the Nikon D40x

Much better build quality than the 400D, better to hold and easier to use!

Their picture quality etc is about the same.

 

[malkatraz]

I sell 'em all guys & girls, right up to Nikon D2's & Canon 1D's......

Nikon, Canon, Sony & Olympus. IMHO:

* Olympus E410/E510 great for 1st timers 4/3's digital specific lenses, good pricing

* Nikon D40x an awesome camera sub $1500.....buy if you have any lenses at home or portrait/landscape shooting the most

* Canon 400D agreat "sport/action" camera, if this is your main use, buy it sub $1500...or if you have existing lenses

* Sony Alpha's nice, but an ergonomic nightmare, cumbersome. Takes a damn fine image tho'. Buy if you have existing Minolta lenses (bought out, re-badged and tarted up)

* Best buy on the market (IMO) is the 40D....great all rounder, reasonable price, very well featured, yet the uninitiated can stillo pick it up and go

Can you do decent price on L IS glass for the Canon ? Recommend sweet point glass (price/quality) for the Canon DSLRs ? I'm not a Canon fanboy (though very happy with the cameras) so any good glass I'd be interested in. Cheers.

Sony's lens' (Carl Zeiss) is an absolute pleasure to use. I'd be hoping their Alpha is better in low light than the F series.

 

[-mission-]

I sell 'em all guys & girls, right up to Nikon D2's & Canon 1D's......

* Sony Alpha's nice, but an ergonomic nightmare, cumbersome. Takes a damn fine image tho'. Buy if you have existing Minolta lenses (bought out, re-badged and tarted up)

Like to know why you think a Alpha is ergonomically difficult? The A100 is modeled after pretty much every Minolta before it .... Just hope ergonomics is not being confused with familiarity (or something just different)? The Nikon V's Canon debate is like watching an Apple v's PC or Intel v's AMD debate. :biggrin:

As for image quality ... no issues here and taken with what is best described as cheap glass. * with Minolta D5 which is basically the same as an A100 (with a little bit of D7 thrown in).

Are you getting the A700?

 

[octagon]

Thanks for all the good advice. I settled on the Canon 400d with twin lens kit.

I think I have heaps to learn but I look forward to sharing some shots with you soon.

 

[REDMKVGTI]

Like to know why you think a Alpha is ergonomically difficult? The A100 is modeled after pretty much every Minolta before it .... Just hope ergonomics is not being confused with familiarity (or something just different)? The Nikon V's Canon debate is like watching an Apple v's PC or Intel v's AMD debate. :biggrin:

Yeh, the alpha cameras are a bit different to the Canon and Nikon, which has upset a few people set in their way. Once you get a feel for them (ie forget all the Canon/Nikon habits you have) they're actually not too shabby at all.

Personally, I think Nikon could stand to learn a thing or two about ergonomics....

 

[vwgtimkv]

Hi all,

My beautiful gf suprised me at midnight with my Birthday present!

An Olympus E-410 with twin lens kit.

I've been mentioning for a while that I'd like to get a D-SLR and she surprised me by getting me one! She said that she spoke to lots of different people and generally got favourable reviews for the Olympus, Nikon and Canon cameras in this prices level. She chose the Olympus because of it's apparent ease of use, it's live view function, and it's compact size, given that she was told quality was comparable.

But she's said that she's more than happy for me to swap it for whichever one is the best, and I really don't have any idea. It seems from this thread that the consensus is for the Canon 400D, with some fringe support for the Nikon competition.

Would it be advisable to swap the Olympus for the Canon?

Cheers

 

[zz2]

you lucky bugger! what a great gift!

personally i would rather have the 400D with the twin lens kit.. i just think overall its the superior camera. in terms of ease of use thats not really an issue if you already have a canon camera you will find its identical with its operating system and logic... you can pretty much pick one up and take great shots with out ever reading the manual!
sure the Olympus may be compact but the 400D is also very compact... its much smaller than my 350D. and besides who buys a digital SLR for its compact size? i have a canon IXUS 70 for when im out with friends or at parties etc so you can just use your old camera for that sorta stuff too.

 

[Lima]

That's awesome Steve. :thumbsup:

If I were in your shoes, my preference would be to exchange for either the Canon or Nikon, for the simple reason is that they are, generally speaking, the best. I was going to say the 400D has live view, but I think I'm mistaking that for the 40D, sorry.

Back to my Nikon/Canon theory, one of the key points of SLRs is changing lenses to suit your needs. You're never going to struggle to find someone that stocks a good range of Canon or Nikon lenses. They're the main brands and help and advice with either should be plentiful, either online or in stores.

Also, check this out. I also recommend going into stores and trying out the cameras for yourself. You're never going to get a perfect feel for cameras in a relatively short timeframe, but you'll get a better idea than just listening to us!

I've been very happy with my 350D which has almost 11,000 frames taken on it now. A friend just bought a Nikon D80 and it looks great as well, and its gridlines on demand for the viewfinder is something I miss from my old Nikon F80 35mm SLR. The Canon might still have the edge for low noise, def the case when I bought in March last year prior to the release of the D80, but I'd be much happier recommending the D80 now, although it does cost a bit more.

Anyway, enjoy your birthday and good luck with whatever you decide with your camera.

Cheers Liam

 

[Lima]

Just checking out the comparisons on dpreview.com, the E-410 looks quite good on paper, but one thing I noticed that stood out is the sensor size is a bit smaller meaning your multiplication factor with your lenses will be 2x, rather than 1.6x with Canon or 1.5x with Nikon.

You may know all this, so apologies if you do, but lenses are measured in mm, eg 28-70mm. Even with DSLRs, these measurements are given as if the cameras had a full frame sensor (eg. 24x35mm IIRC). But because the entry-mid level DSLRs have smaller sensors you then have this multiplication factor.

Therefore a lens specced as 28-70mm for the Olympus would actually be 56-140mm if compared to a 35mm film camera. For the longer end a 2x crop factor might actually be a good thing. However, for the wider end it may prove a bit troublesome in that to get something even close to wide-ish angle (say 28mm in film terms) you'll need a lens for the Olympus that is 14mm.

You may find that you will use the wider end more than you think. It's easy to get sucked in to how much reach you have (or want), great for motorsport etc, but for everyday use don't neglect the wider end. It may cost you a few shots if you do.

:thumbsup:

 

[vwgtimkv]

Thanks a lot for your advice Mark, and you're detailed help Liam.

I went into Ted's Camera Store today and spoke to a really (seemingly) knowledgable young guy about the cameras. He told me that he is a Nikon user, but he said in that range that he would definitely recommend the Canon 400D. The 40D was a bit too massive and really just a step too far for what I want and need - but mainly it's just too damn expensive!

But anyway Liam, he said exactly what you said about the sensor size - he said that's one of the main advantages of the 400D over the E410. And I felt both and I didn't feel like the Olympus felt anywhere near as solid or as comfortable to hold (because the Canon has the handgrip). To use, I found them both similarly easy. The lense availability is a big deal too.

So I went back to Myer where my gf bought the camera from and we got a cash refund for the Olympus and we're going to see if we can get our hands on a 400D. The guy said that the lenses that come in the pack aren't great, but that they would easily do considering I've never used an SLR before. And I can always upgrade down the track, which I suppose is half the point in the SLR in the first place.

Also, he said that for an extra $150 Canon offers the Twin Lens pack with slightly higher quality lenses that have an Anti-shake feature built in. This might be a safe bet for me, considering my hands' Parkinsons-like tendency to shake.

But yeah, what a fanastic present. I still can't get over the fact that she was so perceptive. I had no idea. And she even did research and really came to a pretty good conclusion to pick the Olympus. So yeah.

Cheers

 

[Lima]

Good stuff Steve. I've never used the kit lenses with the Canon, prior to going OS last year I bought a 350D body only with a Sigma 18-200 lens to save changing lenses on our trip. However, from what I've read about the kit lenses the boffins will bag them a bit, but I've also seen some really great photos taken with them. If you go that way, you should be fine.

:thumbsup:

 

[Plyngntrffc]

i've got a 20d outfit we might be able to work out a deal on...

 

[vwgtimkv]

Good stuff Steve. I've never used the kit lenses with the Canon, prior to going OS last year I bought a 350D body only with a Sigma 18-200 lens to save changing lenses on our trip. However, from what I've read about the kit lenses the boffins will bag them a bit, but I've also seen some really great photos taken with them. If you go that way, you should be fine.

:thumbsup:

Yeah, I see what you mean. I wonder if a lens with a broader range like that would be better than two individual lenses with narrower ranges? Cos I think buying the body with a basic 28-300mm Sigma lens, works out around the same price as buying the body with two individual kit lenses. It covers a similar range of focal lengths (although doesn't go quite as wide as the kit). It certainly would be handy having such a broad ranged lens on holidays etc. meaning less necessity to swap over lenses for different applications. Hhhmm . . .

Cheers