Photographic Equipment...

[Singapore Sling]

Looker - the D300 is a factory demo and does come with a 90 days warranty and all original packaging. But the lenses it's being sole with are the 18-55 and 55-200 DX lenses that are really aimed for D40/60 users, so I am now putting less weight on the value of using those lenses with a D300, I was offered a D300 body only at S$2000 today at the Funan IT mall.

But now to add ti my mental agony, the D80 seems to have dropped in price here in Singapore I can now get the D80 with 18-135 lens for S$1300. That's as good or better than I can get in the US.

SO it looks like I will lean towards the D80, unless for some bizarre reasoning I pump up fhe D300. I can get by for a while I guess with my 35-105 that I still have from my F80.

One thing I will say is that today I handled the Olympus E-510, and it's really a nice little DSLR.

[Looker]

(Torurot @ Aug. 16 2008,18:09) Just be aware that Ken Rockwell is a Nikon shrill.  Use him as a jumping off point for your discoveries. He's just NOT objective.

Maybe he is not objective, Tourot, but who is?
He sounds slightly pro-Canon to me.
Personally, I like the fresh style and simple approach of his reviews.
Most the other reviews I've read, although being made by experts, where about trying a camera for 2-3 hours or at most one day, and being done by pro for other pro, ot at least not in a very plain language.

[rxpharm]

Looker, Tourot is right, Rockwell's site ignores Sony/Minolta, Pentax and Olympus DSLRs. All of these companies make very good cameras and should not be ignored when making a choice of what system to buy.

There is something you should consider if you do buy outside Sony/Nikon/Canon. You need to consider will you ever switch to a full frame sensor DSLR? So far there is no indication that Olympus and Pentax are planning to introduce a full frame model.

Good luck on your search for your new camera!

[Looker]

Thanks RX!
Well - this crop factor thing it's creating some confusion indeed.
So..switching to a full size CMOS sensor would be of course the aim but price difference compared to the cropped sizes seems still very high.
Also, the full size sensors camera (EOS 1, D-3, D-700, etc..)seem all to be "bricks" to carry around. If you look at a D-3 compared to a D-300 there is a big size difference. Not to mentioned compared to a D-40!
And the new D-700 it's just slightly more petite than then D-3.
I've small and weak hands and easy to get finger numbness or articulation problems, so can't afford to buy something which I can use it for a short while and then for pain in my hands.
I guess many people may not take this factor into consideration too and end up buying cameras that are not enjoyable to use.
I've joined a photographer club and have seen some of the members have a whole array of cameras, will try to pester them a bit to let me trying their cameras

Nothing againsta other brands as well!
I've been thinking about Olympus too since I have 3 old Zuiko lenses from my OM-1that are still in perfect condition, but using them on actual Olympus DSLR won't have any autofocus function and should buy the 4/3 adaptor ring which is sold at 80 USD in e-bay. Ridiculous price for a steel ring!

[donnnnnny]

looker, unless your doing professional pics the full size cmos sensor really wont be a factor in your pics. im blowiong stuff up to a5 size and they are clear sharp and great pics.(self praise is no recommendation )I shoot in nikon raw and adjust them slightly on computer, ie sharpen the focus and sometime adjust the colour and exposures. i doubt you will really need a d3 or d700 or canon and sony equivelant.
MInd you if money was no object i would bye a D700 and an 18-200 dx nikon lens tomorrow.
cheers donnnnnnny the flash
the D3 IS REALLY A PHOTO JOURNALIST TYPE CAMERA with its 9 frames per second and very hi iso settings.

[donnnnnny]

I don't know weather this is a good picture or not, but for be ,i love it Nikon D80 shooting nikon raw high shutter speed 1/500sec f8 aperture, so some of the background is blurred out .

[Torurot]

Fck Sake Donnnny another nice shot. You trying to make this a habit?

Completely forget the "crop factor" Looker. For PRACTICAL purposes it's a geek factor non issue. With a DSLR what you SEE down the viewfinder is basically what you are going to get. Just forget crop factors, they mean nothing useful while your actually SHOOTING. Most of the shots on ATS from Shemale Is. are taken with various models of Nikon digitals, the occasional set with Konica Minolta. As Donnnny said you will never notice the difference on a 6MP or better camera even up to A3 and certainly not on A4. If size/weight is an issue for you you may be better to borrow a camera from friends for a day until you find a combination you like. Bear in mind that the better quality F2.x lenses are *MUCH* heavier as they have more glass elements in them to get in more light, and correct aberrations etc. Glass is HEAVY. If you get a descent hand/wrist strap that can take the weight and make it feel lighter in the hand. Get a stretchy Neoprene/wetsuit material neck strap. It takes the weight off quite effectively.

[pacman]

     I think Looker has answered his own question.

I too am an Olympus fan, I had an OM-II for years & loved its performance & size.

They have always specialised in making a smaller camera than all the other players, smaller that is with all the features, & if weight is an issue, then it is a no-brainer.

And lastly, their standard macro zoom opens to 14mm wide angle, the equivalent to 28mm in film format, all the others only offer 18mm wide angle (equal to 35mm), unless optional lenses are used. That settled it for me.

For travelling, you will use wide angle far more than you will ever need a long telephoto (YMMV) & carrying extra lenses is an inconvenience I am not prepared to bother with.

My Olympus SP-550 has a lens that is a miracle of modern design, an 18 times zoom that gives perfectly reasonable pics in the hands of anyone suitably proficient.

At full telephoto it is the equivalent of over 500mm focal length, almost unusable without a tripod. The latest incarnation, the SP-570 can be purchased very reasonably. A great travelling camera I would recommend to anyone.

[Beavis]

(rxpharm @ Aug. 16 2008,17:41) Looker, Tourot is right, Rockwell's site ignores Sony/Minolta, Pentax and Olympus DSLRs. All of these companies make very good cameras and should not be ignored when making a choice of what system to buy...

Ken Rockwell actually recommends a Canon 5D for landscape work - hardly the actions of a 'Nikon shill'.

As for the other companies...he focuses (no pun intended) on Nikon and Canon as they are the brands the pros use. As such, their R & D departments are at the cutting edge and developments trickle down to their more affordable models. I used to use an Olympus 4 before I switched to digital and was very satisfied, but the 'Big 2' are definitely the ones to watch for digital cameras. They also spawn a bigger market from the 2nd-party manufacturers and so you will get a wider choice of lens/accessories/whatever at more affordable prices.

[donnnnnny]

(Torurot @ Aug. 17 2008,17:55) Fck Sake Donnnny another nice shot. You trying to make this a habit?

Completely forget the "crop factor" Looker.  For PRACTICAL purposes it's a geek factor non issue.  With a DSLR what you SEE down the viewfinder is basically what you are going to get. Just forget crop factors, they mean nothing useful while your actually SHOOTING.  Most of the shots on ATS from Shemale Is. are taken with various models of Nikon digitals, the occasional set with Konica Minolta.   As Donnnny said you will never notice the difference on a 6MP or better camera even up to A3 and certainly not on A4.  If size/weight is an issue for you you may be better to borrow a camera from friends for a day until you find a combination you like.  Bear in mind that the better quality F2.x lenses are *MUCH* heavier as they have more glass elements in them to get in more light, and correct aberrations etc. Glass is HEAVY.  If you get a descent hand/wrist strap that can take the weight and make it feel lighter in the hand.  Get a stretchy Neoprene/wetsuit material neck strap. It takes the weight off quite effectively.

I tend to agree with al you say Torurot, with regards to crop and 3x factors with smaller DIS. Just get out there and shoot. When you get good enough and really understand the finer technical issues, then buy a full size image censor cam CMOS and if your really worried the cmsos in nikons is not quite 35 mm size its 36x23.9
oooops thats a bit to refined
cheers donnnnnny
ps i have taken some advise from MM and decided to go for better glass before a better body

[donnnnnny]

by the way i find this thread one of the most interesting on the baord these days??? is there something wrong with me???
the flash

[Looker]

(Torurot @ Aug. 17 2008,17:55) Completely forget the "crop factor" Looker.

All good suggestions, Tourot. Also, what Pacman said about the compact Olympus SLR-alike is true.
As I see now these zooms from 13 to 200mm, I wonder how many people are effectively keep changing lenses while travelling and shooting. Does it make so much sense to have an SLR you can swap optics when you have all in one already? Probably it does...

Well - it did a lot with my old OM-1 but things seem to have changed a lot from the Jurassic era where I seem to get stuck in

In fact, most important is what you have to do with a camera, and here is where I'm having second, third and fourth thoughts. I'm no longer going hunting for animals pics like I did in the Galapagos some 27 years ago. I remember changing lens in waist height sea water..crazy!! Just to get a better shot of an super-ugly marine iguana..LOL!

Thinking, thinking... and I agree with donnnnnny..good thread is this one. Thank guys!

[rxpharm]

Looker, there is a new generation of zoom lenses, 18-250, 18-275 by Tamron for different camera mounts. I have a Sony 18-250 zoom. These new zooms have very good optics and perform quite better than the older zooms. Almost no need to change lenses with this particular zoom (27-375 mm) field of view full frame equivalent.

Tamron makes mounts for Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Pentax for this amazing lens. Sony has its own version which is slightly different, but about the same optically.

The advantage with Pentax and Sony is this lenses will be stabilized with the inbody systems. For Nikon and Canon it won't be.

In good light stabilization won't matter if you use fast shutter speeds, but it certainly is handy if you're not quite as steady as you used to be, or you want to shoot low light.

Here is a photo I took in low light without a tripod, showing the benefits of antishake with my Minolta 5D. This is a photo of one of the major roads here taken at night, handheld no tripod, 1/2 second exposure at F5.6, 30 mm (with an 18-70 zoom) - I never could have gotten this kind of photo with my film SLR without a tripod.

[Looker]

Yes, Olympus DSLR and the models mentioned by Pacman also have the stabilization system, and I reckon can be very useful. Going around with a tripod just add on clumsiness, like a whole bag for camera, maybe a backpack and weather conditions wouldn't already be enough...

So, to me the Canon/Nikon binomial is definitely not a must. Most important is to understand what suits me most..

[donnnnnny]

rxpharm the pic looks brilliant for 1/2 sec exposure hand held. would not be able to hold my nikon this still, well i doubt i could. i will experiment and post here soon,with my 18-55 nikon lens attached for a fair comparison
i am wondering if ,you blow the above shot up bigger, it will appear as sharp. also may i ask if you used any adjustment on the computer or is it, as it was taken from the camera. One other question if i may did you shoot in raw or jpeg and if jpeg was it fine ??
shitone more, did you use auto white balance or adjust tempreture or balance??there thats enough for now.
flash arryjavascript:;javascript:;
ps i like the shot very much, has a warm glow about it.