Just wondering who else on this forum owns a D-SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera and what make and model do you use? After a six-month search I purchased a Nikon D50, I didn't have any autofocus lenses so I was open in terms of brand. The Nikon simply performed very well in all the tests I reviewed, is solid and has excellent ergonomics for use. I wasn't too impressed with the D40, quite menu driven and a little too small for someone with larger hands to use comfortably.

For those considering any type of digital camera, check out the following page for highly extensive reviews - even for older cameras:
www.dpreview.com

One reason I didn't purchase a point-and-shoot model is that even with all the advances they have made, there are still no models that can capture time in motion. There is a delay on the "shutter" which is fully digital on point & shoot cameras. Taking sports or motion shots is difficult at best.

 

I don't know much about the nikon line, aside from a friend of mine has a D80 and she likes it.

Personally I shoot with a canon 20D and love it. I chose the canon because a few of my friends that have been doing photography for awhile now all use canon and I could borrow their equipment, and get good advice from them. From everything i've read there really is no quality difference between nikon and canon, just a price difference and the same brand rivalry you get with everything else .

My recomendations would differ depending on what the people were looking for, it's pretty easy to get in deep with a lot of expensive equipment that you don't really need. I got my 20D for a good price, brand new, a few months after they replaced it with the 30D. A lot of people would probably be just fine with a 300D, or a 350D, but I planned on getting a little more serious with my photography so I thought i'd start out with something a couple steps above those...plus like you said, until you get into the proffessional line the controls are all a little annoying, I love the ease of use with my 20D.

Here's a quick shot of some "sports" I shoot the most :
http://picasaweb.google.com/jhew84/C...23109865723778

 

I have a Nikon D200 with the awesome 18-200 VR lens. This is the camera I've dreamed of.

If you wanna see some pics I've shot with it, here are some links:
www.homepage.mac.com/justinhohn
www.jkhohn.blogspot.com

It's probably obvious to you which shots were taken with the D200 compared to those taken with other cameras. It is to me, but then again I knew already, so I'm not a goood reference on that.

Obviously, my photographic skills are not up to the capabilities of this awesome camera-- but it's SURE nice to not have the camera be the limiting factor!

I'm just so very impressed with this camera in sooooo many ways. I could write a big long post (oops too late) just gushing about it.


Justin

 

I'm lovin' my (first gen!) Digital Rebel, 6.3 megapixel SLR. It does everything I could ever ask it to do and then some! I've learned lots from the crazy thing, which ironically is exactly what I wanted to do when I bought it!

 

I've just recently started using a Canon EOS 400D (10Mpx Rebel XTi) with a 28~135mm lens with ultrasonic auto-focus and image stabilization. A couple of the 4GB 133 cards make it even faster.


It is Saweeeeet!

 

After I wore out my last Sony DSC-F828 digital camera (exposure counter reset to zero) I bought a Canon EOS 30D camera and I bought the 28-135 ultrasonic Auto focus lens and the 24-85 Ultra wide zoom lens to go with it.
I also have an extra battery and (4) 2gb. and (2) 4gb. Compact flash cards.
When you buy the CF cards get the professional ones, there is a difference. (Would you shoot your wedding or baby's birth on the free film you get from CVS?)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....ry&id=cat08330

Photography is also my semi-professional avid hobby where I had done film SLR for many years and processed and printed all of my own work. I still have all my high-end Minolta, Canon and Nikon bodies and lens.

I was going to buy the EOS 5D but could not justify the extra $2000.00 for what I need it for.
I still need to get a good Macro lens and a ring light for close-up work.
After all these years it is hard going back to the bulky SLR body though.

Do any of you shoot in RAW? you know what I mean.
Jim

 

Ditto on everything you've said. I love mine.

 

I have a D50 also. I am a Nikon fan, all of my optics from them.
Nikonians.org wayyy too much information out here.

 

Congrats on the 30D-- an awesome camera for sure!

I don't shoot RAW at all. I don't have P-chop, so I don't see the point. I can't really see a difference between jpg normal and RAW unless I zoom in to levels that I'd never use in a print or screen display. So while I saw differences, they just didn't matter in the real world. At least when balanced against the file size!

My friend has a 5D, and loves it. The full frame sensor rocks for wideangle because you don't have the "crop factor" that kills the wide end on smaller sensor cameras (like my nikon, which is 1.5 crop).

Ultimately, I choose the D200 for a handful of reasons. First was the 18-200 nikon lens with VR. Canon didn't have anything that covered that range (27-300 35mm equiv) in one lens, never mind with VR/IS. Second was the auto ISO-- the camera can crank up the ISO once a certain minimum shutter speed is reached-- just like you'd do manually. Third was the buttons-- I like buttons instead of menus for the more frequently used adjustments, as I think they're faster. Fourthly was value-- the D200 is 90% of a top-line D2X at a third of the price. It's only $300 more than a 30D, but has a lot of features that I couldn't even get in a 5D-- GPS imprinting in EXIF, Wi-Fi enabling that will stream pix directly to a network, etc etc. While it's Canon that's known for autofocus speed, my Nikon is good enough for me-- far better than anything I've owned before. Finally, the Nikon meter is a little better than what my last Canon was-- it knows the focus distance so flash exposures are spot on, and the Nikon doesn't blow highlights like my little Canon did.

Now, let me say that I'm comparing this to my little Canon POwershot Pro 1-- which is not even that similar to a DSLR, so please don't interpret these comments as saying that Canon SLRs are inferior in any way. I have little experience with the Canon DSLRs-- I've only fondled them in stores and rec'd reports from friends.

It's a good time to be into photography as the cameras just keep getting better and better while also getting cheaper and cheaper (sorta )

 

Same here, it is an awesome camera! I will only buy Canon!

 

I have a Canon 5 D. I love it, but worry about not having internal seals, since I do most of my shooting outdoors, in a dusty environment. so far so good. I have gotten a ton of shots on an Alaska Cruise I just got back from. the 100 to 400 zoom with auto focus and IS is really great. Yesterday I shot some images of 60 paragliders over my house.
I need a wide angle lens with macro (I have a macro, but that's all it does)
I picked up some Camera Armor to protect it fro the usual bangs and bumps. Man is that stuff great. It comes in diferent colors, and has a shield for the screen.
My wife is making a camoflage cover with pack cloth, closed cell foam, and velcro to shield the big lens.
it is heavy so I am using a X harness that I got at Walmart for 14 bucks. Saves the neck!
Got everything at B and H Cameras, in NYC. Saved hundreds and hundreds of bucks.
Using a Mac with Photoshop, Lowepro pack, and have a 85-100, and a macro lens, as well as the big one.
All lenses have haze filters.
Extra bettery, remote charger, 1 GB chip (download daily, and have never used the full chip memory).
sure beats film for multiple shots, and instant review.

 

I'm using a Nikon D80 and I really like it- I've got the same lens as Hohn, and it is close to phenomenal.
I do really think that a lot of users do pay too much for the camera and then have no $$ for the lenses. But with a bad lens you'll get a bad pic to the sensor and well...
I like the extremely fast trigger (less delay than my analog cam) and love to take pics of birds from the boat.
I do really love the options you have to take pictures of things you don't really see the way a cam sees them.

Shooting pic

And it's also good to capture little nephews

Little Nephew
AlpineRAM

 

I don't think the D200 I have is FULLY sealed like the major pro cameras are-- but it does have a lot of seals at critical areas-- like the lensmount, covers for cable connections, and most buttons.

 

I have had a Digital Rebel 300D for a couple years. Its not how good the camera is, it is how much money you got to spend on lenses.

 

I agree, to a point. The glass matters hugely. Modern sensors are getting so precise that many of them have greater resolving power than the glass does!

But if the camera doesn't have the goods, great glass won't help you. Great lenses won't fix metering errors, slow focusing, or restrictively sparse featuresets.

One nice thing about the 18-200 NIkon lens is that I really don't need to worry about buying more lenses unless I want some specialty lenses. It focuses so close at full tele that it works as a basic macro quite well. It's reasonably fast, especially in the context of the higher ISOs that DSLR allow.

I consider the photographer (me) to usually be the limiting factor. Glass matters a lot, but not as much as it used to, imo.

Justin