Digital SLR Cameras

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Be careful webshopping, there are alot of bait and switch outfits out there selling cameras, they use high pressure to "upsell", and if unsuccessful they cancel your order, some interesting reviews on sellers if you search. Abe's of Maine does not have very good recent reviews, but I may still try to use them. B&H seems to have good ratings. Just a heads up for you guys.
 
Eric,

Regarding the comment above, there are companies that does the switch thing but if you deal with a reputable company like B&H, Adorama or Helix - sometimes the price is not everything, you might save some money with some obscure small company that has a great deal but it might come at a price later. If you have a problem with it or if its really not what it was promised. Sometimes buying local is a good thing.

Good luck and just like our cruisers - use it and enjoy it. :bounce:
 
CompUSA had an ad in their Sunday newspaper circular for the Nikon D50 w/18-55 lens for $599 (after $100 instant savings and $100 price break), but they are out of stock in OR and WA. Circuit City honored their price after checking their website, I wasn't quite sure if they knew it was out of stock at CompUSA or not, even though their policy says they will price match only if the competitor has it in stock. All I know is I got the price and I think I will be happy with my "investment". I just couldn't bring myself to buy from a "cheap/sketchy" online retailer which meant I would have to spend an extra $400 to get the Canon Rebel, which was the other one I was considering. Anyway the CompUSA sale ends on 2/18 if anyone else is interested.
 
That is a good deal. I wonder what ours will do? I think the D50 might not be fast enough for my wife though. I'll have to check.

I tell you what, I've learned a ton from you guys. I'm amazed at how many of us are all jumping this hurdle at the same time.
 
FWIW, I also used the Best Buy circular to get a 1GB Ultra II SD w/USB (plugs directly into USB, no cable or adapter needed) for $79. UltraII is supposed to be good for really fast write, helps keep up the fast shutter speed I guess. Now I gotta take pictures!
 
firetruck41 said:
FWIW, I also used the Best Buy circular to get a 1GB Ultra II SD w/USB
Click to expand...

Here's a good site if you want to compare the speed of different memory cards:

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/index.asp

Select CF / SD from the left hand vertical navbar.

Then from the drop-down menu on the top right side of the page, select the Cannon or Nikon model you own.

Good stuff Maynard!
 
wow D SLR’s have really come down, I bought a Nikon cool pix (mid grade) a few years ago for not much less than what these are going for now. At the time digital SLR’s were way out of reach price wise.


firetruck41 said:
Be careful webshopping,
Click to expand...


I got burned on that camera a couple years ago, fortunately was a credit union CC and they got me my money back. Went to a local store and paid more but walked out with my camera.

During that process I did some looking around and camera's sales seam to attract a lot of internet scum bags. Probably the large amount of $$ for each sale attracts the scammers.

www.resellerratings.com has a review good review system of tech sites including camera sites.
 
Eric,

I've had the original Canon Digital Rebel for over 2 years. I love this camera. Recently I aquired Canon's 28 to 105 mm lens and it was like getting a brand new camera. The quality is just amazing.

If I were in the market today. I would probably would go for the 20D at Costco. Or pay a bit more and get it on credit at Best Buy. You can't beat their no interest plans.

Alvaro
 
I shoot with a Canon 10D. I love that camera, takes just stellar pictures. I have a wide range of lenses for it, the image quality is superb. Any pic I have posted on here has been taken with that camera.
 
OK, is the D20 really $400 better for the casual user? I can get the Rebel XT for 899 and the D20 is 1299. My original budget was $700 because I thought we'd just be buying a Pentax body to go with the Pentax lenses we already have for our film camera. By the time I buy memory and a second lens for the Rebel XT I'll be at about $1250. By the time I do the same for the D20 I'll be at $1650 which is more than double my original budget. I see that the 20D is super fast. 5 fps is incrediblely fast and it processes the memory fast too. I guess I need to find some more Cruiser stuff to sell?
 
The Rebel XT is a great camera. I have seen some amazing pics from it. The key is to get really good lenses. You can always change camera bodies in the future, but good glass will last a lifetime. I am not sure how the XT compares to my 10D in fps and buffer size, but I get along well with my old 10D still. I admit, having a bigger buffer would be awesome. When I am working with models, I often will fill the buffer and then have to ask them to wait a minute while it clears. It really is not a big deal, but when you are paying for someones time, it sucks to waste any of it.

I guess, what is your intended shooting style wit the camera? Fast action stuff and the 20D can't be beat (in your approximate price range). If not, the XT is a fine choice. You can always sell it and upgrade in the future.

About lenses: Sigma and Tamron are the better non-Canon lens makers. Tokina has some nice lenses too. Canon's L lenses are just amazing. Their mid-range are nice too. The 28-105 3.5-4.5 is a great lense. Fast AF, macro capable. The 50mm 1.8 is less than $100 and is very sharp, plus you get that 1.8 for low light situations.
 
Maybe it's because I work in an ad agency as a web devoloper/designer. Or because I love photography, but I have never been happy with the Tamron lens. I have never used Sigma, but from what I have heard they are not much better.

I have found Tamron lens to be more blurry and a compromise. Sure you get a 17-200 Lens for a few hundred bucks, but you get what you pay for. They are blurry and have bad pin cushioning. Plus they are slower with auto-focusing as well as other draw backs. In my opinion any "one lens does all" will be a compromise. it does not matter who makes it. You are better off with 2 or 3 lens to do the job. You will get better quality in the end.

That's why we bought a Land Cruiser right? You wanted a solid truck.
Same with lens you want a solid lens and you will have to pay.
That's why use Nikon ED lens. The cost more, but you get more.

To me Tamron, is like GM or Ford. It's cheap and spec wise it compares with Toyota. But we all know you can't compare Ford with Toyota.
Same goes with lenses. You can't compare Tamron to genuine Nikon or Canon lenses. Most Ford and GM owners are happy because they don't know there is anything better. May I suggest the same for Tamron lens owners.

My advise: Whether you buy a Nikon or Canon, it does not matter so much. As I already said, pro's and con's to each. But don't cheap out on the lens. Get Canon or Nikon lens. There are some after-market lens that ARE quality, but you don't want to know what they cost.

You get what you pay for, never forget that.

I would rather buy a used quality lens, than new crap.
You can try and find a used one here:
http://www.photogon.com

Cheers,
Nick.

P.S. I don't want to sound like a know it all here. But this is my experience.
 
I don't think you came off that way. I'm seeking input from folks with more experience than me. It sounds like from both of the posts that maybe I should spend a little less on the camera and more on the lenses. I hate to be an impulsive uneducated buyer. Basically that lets you get screwed and then you are never happy. I need to chat with my wife. There is some instant gratification of going with the Rebel XT as we could get it tomorrow and I could be using it on Sunday on a run. Then we could add the second lens later. The D20 would have to be ordered. I like the Nikon D70 but it is really really expensive locally and I want to have a local source should I have problems. Costco obviously isn't a real photo store but they have the XT in stock and their return policy on defective on unsatisfied purchases is great. I guess I'll have one more sleepless night tonight trying to figure out what to do.

Thanks for the input.
 
Eric,

The XT is a great camera. For a first SLR, I think this would be the way to go. When I said that I would get the 20D is because I already have owned a rebel for 2+ years and I would like some of the more pro features of the 20D.

Having said that, I will not change my Digital Rebel anytime soon. I'm quite happy with its feature set and I can't justify the switch. Start with a XT and work your way up.

Fred Miranda runs a web site with a lot of useful information on this topic. Their recommendations have been great. Two years ago I made the mistake of buying a Sigma 70 - 300 mm lens in Hong Kong. I over paid for the thing and the quality was really bad. Pictures were soft and light was low. After getting back from my trip I looked at the review section of the site for the first time and saw what people said about the lens. People's thoughts on the lens were the same as mine.

So I looked for another lens and I found Canon's 28 to 105 mm lenses. Canon makes two of these lenses. One is the Canon EF 28-105 F/3.5-4.5 II USM, not the Canon EF 28-105mm f/4-5.6 USM. The fist one 28-105 F/3.5-4.5 II USM has a review rating of 8.6 out of 10 points. It's relatively small, fit's inside my camera case and it has great zoom. While retaining a decent wide angle.

Regards

Alvaro
 
nickw said:
Maybe it's because I work in an ad agency as a web devoloper/designer. Or because I love photography, but I have never been happy with the Tamron lens. I have never used Sigma, but from what I have heard they are not much better.

I have found Tamron lens to be more blurry and a compromise. Sure you get a 17-200 Lens for a few hundred bucks, but you get what you pay for. They are blurry and have bad pin cushioning. Plus they are slower with auto-focusing as well as other draw backs. In my opinion any "one lens does all" will be a compromise. it does not matter who makes it. You are better off with 2 or 3 lens to do the job. You will get better quality in the end.

That's why we bought a Land Cruiser right? You wanted a solid truck.
Same with lens you want a solid lens and you will have to pay.
That's why use Nikon ED lens. The cost more, but you get more.

To me Tamron, is like GM or Ford. It's cheap and spec wise it compares with Toyota. But we all know you can't compare Ford with Toyota.
Same goes with lenses. You can't compare Tamron to genuine Nikon or Canon lenses. Most Ford and GM owners are happy because they don't know there is anything better. May I suggest the same for Tamron lens owners.

My advise: Whether you buy a Nikon or Canon, it does not matter so much. As I already said, pro's and con's to each. But don't cheap out on the lens. Get Canon or Nikon lens. There are some after-market lens that ARE quality, but you don't want to know what they cost.

You get what you pay for, never forget that.

I would rather buy a used quality lens, than new crap.
You can try and find a used one here:
http://www.photogon.com

Cheers,
Nick.

P.S. I don't want to sound like a know it all here. But this is my experience.
Click to expand...


While I agree with you in principle, he is looking for some reasonably priced equipment to get started. The Tamron 28-75 2.8 is an extremely sharp lens. I have shot many glamour shoots with it. In practical tests, especially coupled with the lower end DSLR's, it is just as good as L glass. If he were buying a 5D or a 1Ds, then yes, the sensors are so good that any optical imperfection will come out. As far as I can tell, they do not want to spend thousands on just a body. I stand behind my statement, Tamron and Sigma make affordable good quality lenses. I shot this with a used Tokina 100mm macro. The lens is hammered, the AF is slow, it has dust particles inside, but it was essentially free when I bought a 7N 35mm body.

nis-nature_004.jpg


Sure it is not as awesome as perhaps Canon's L equivalent, but this image has had no sharpening/contrast/etc applied to it in Photoshop.
 
For horse shows, I would imagine that a 70-200 zoom would be nice, but I am not sure how far away spectators sit, as I have never been to one.
 
Sure you get a 17-200 Lens for a few hundred bucks, but you get what you pay for. They are blurry and have bad pin cushioning. Plus they are slower with auto-focusing as well as other draw backs. In my opinion any "one lens does all" will be a compromise. it does not matter who makes it. You are better off with 2 or 3 lens to do the job. You will get better quality in the end.
Click to expand...

I do agree with this. Ultimately having several lenses to cover the desired ranges is best. I cover through 200mm with these:

Tamron 17-35 2.8-4 (perhaps a sharper lens than the Canon 17-40 L)

Tamron 28-75 2.8

Canon 50mm 1.4 (a wonderful sharp and contrasty lens)

Canon 70-200 2.8 L IS (one of the top 3 lenses Canon makes)
 
Since you're up to $1200ish, I'd say get an XT and at least one decent lens. I recommend the 28-135mm IS (image stabilization) for a capable entry-level wide zoom. The 50mm f/1.8 is a cheap and excellent lens as well. If you want to see a noticeable difference and burn some bigger holes in your pockets, then look at the L series lenses.

What you get with the 20D is speed (5fps), much better hand controls, metal frame, and very usable ISO 1600/3200. It's better in the sense that you have a greater chance at getting a keeper because it gives you more flexibility. Probably not an issue for casual use.

Start reading over at photography-on-the.net for bodies and lenses. This question comes up often. It's an excellent site for Canon digital cameras.

The Feb shot in Henry's calendar was taken with a 20D, 17-40mm f/4 L with circular polarizing filter. The XT would have captured the same shot.

(sorry for the size) Here's an obligatory duck shot, with a rough idea of what a good lens can do (even in the hands of an amateur!). Taken with the lower end 70-200 f/4 L; this is my favorite lens. Notice both the detail in the feathers and how smoothly it treats the water.
bend-ducks-2.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom