Digital Cameras SLR or Compact? (Advice)

by dh 7 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  dh

  Hi, i am interested in talking to people who are into photography as a serious hobby and know a bit about Digital Cameras and technology... I have never owned a digital camera before and am looking for one to buy, I want it to be Canon because I like their quality and have enjoyed using some of their cameras before.

  Basically there are two models I am looking at, one is a the Canon EOS 300D, which is a Digital SLR with 6.3 mega pixels, the other is the Canon Powershot Pro 1, which just came out and is 8 mega pixels... I have read many reviews for them both and fondled them lovingly in every shop I can find that has them, I have never bought a digital camera before because they always seem to be too much of a compromise and I am wondering if this will ever change.

  

  The EOS 300D has an optical viewfinder (like a regular camera) and I never ever liked the digital ones, it has less mega pixels but I don't really know that I will need 8 mega pixels when it's just a camera for personal use, and also a full sized SLR camera is a bit big to carry around, and will require additional lenses and a big case etc to get the best from it. It is probably way more versatile on paper or if you can lug all the gear around with it, but in reality is less usable unless I walk around with it around my neck all the time, which I can't do.

  The Powershot Pro 1 on the other hand is compact enough to be mobile and not really need any accessories, the lens is very strong and has 7x motorised digital zoom off the bat, (the EOS 300D only is 2x with the standard lens) it feels alright but it has a digital viewfinder, which though it is better than any other digital viewfinder on the market to me still feels like taking a photo through a video camera lense and is very offputting, and it being one of the first compact 8mp cameras on the market, I feel like my purchase will almost be a beta test, and when the next generation come out I will kick myself for not having waited... But I've been wating and waiting for the right Digital Camera to come along, and it never seems to.

  Also I have read that the Powershot Pro has some problems with Purple Fringing, due to the 8mp sensor, and even in the shop when I was blasting with it, the autofucus seemed sluggish, I also read that it has issues locking onto motion shots, which doesn't seem acceptable for the price.

  Anyway, you might wonder why the hell I am posting this Camera Thread on an Ex JW forum! My excuse is that when I was a JW there were loads of photography fanatics in our hall, and a couple of professional photogrophers, so I figured there must be some on here as well!
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  SixofNine

  The 300d (digital rebel) has the same chip as my 10d. It's the best deal in photography right now. Also, the lag time with non-slr cameras makes them pretty worthless (pfw).

  It would be the very oddball job that I will ever need a film camera for. The 6+ m/pixels of the 300d are better than 8+ of the powershot. The CMOS chip is quite a bit larger physically and is great both for the quality of image and because it is far more power efficient than traditional ccd's.

  To get a better image quality than the 300d, you would have to step all the way up to a full size imaging sensor SLR like the Kodak (4995 US) or the Canon 1ds (8000 US).

  Having said all that, if you can deal with the lag time of a non-slr, the not-have-to-lug-around-a-camera-bag factor is pretty great. You might also look at the olympus line. I think they have an SLR with a non-changeable lens (that has all the coverage you could want) and is small and relatively light.
• 

  Leolaia

  My advice is that in addition to image quality and size, you need to pay attention to the following factors: (1) Ease of use. If you have to go through lots of menus to set the aperature, speed, and other things, that wastes time and battery power. Make sure it has wheel thingies and buttons like regular film SLRs; (2) Battery power. If the camera shuts down after just an hour of battery use and LCD display, no good. And I like having the batteries being AA type so I can slip in some akalines if I'm in a pinch. (3) Lag time. Again important, if you don't want to miss that picture. (4) Dynamic range. Again, this should fall under "image quality", but some digital cameras I've found have sucky dynamic range. There are probably other things I've forgotten. I've found that one needs to try out a lot of cameras to find the one with the combination of features that suits your own needs and personality well.
• 

  dh

  Hey, thanks for the replies, i have been thoroughly checking out both cameras again today, i have to say i have gone right off the PowerShot, even though it is smaller, it feels awkward to handle (maybe i have big hands) and when compared to the 300D for usability, there's no contest, and i love the optical viewfinder & focus, it's soo responsive.

  I also checked out the 10D, it's realllly nice, but I don't think I am hardcore enough for a heavy black metal SLR!!!

  yet...

  To add to my tech support query, Six, what lens would you reccomend with a 300D? I just want one lens to begin with, that will zoom quite far but not be much bigger than the standard one, just like an all rounder that will give the same sort of zoom x as the Powershot. One shop recommended me a lens EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM, but I read online about another lens EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 USM with Image Stabilizer which was said to be the best all around lens and also good because it shoots well without a tripod because of the Stabilizer thing... I don't know the first thing about lenses, but are these both good choices for an all around lens?

  About what you said cb, though I would have liked to have a camera that was as portable as an ixus but would shoot as well and feel as good as a full sized SLR, I think it is impossible! The compromise of the Powershot, and other models from other brands (Olympus & Konica-Minolta) seem to make it clear that if I buy a half way in between camera, I will regret it, because it will never be truly portable and it will never be as fully featured or take as good pictures as an SLR, even though it will cost roughly the same!

  I think ultimately if i want a small camera, i will have to buy something like a digital ixus as well, i have an APS ixus and the size is great, just it's not digital... it's easier to jusify buying two cameras that i will enjoy using than buying one that i will always be battling with and cursing at, that will be a waste. just maybe i will not be able to buy them both at once!
• 

  Englishman

  I sold my Fuji SLR film camera a while back, then bought an APS compact instead.

  Big mistake!

  I'm sticking my toe in the water with a cheapie 3.1 m pixel digi, somehow it's not as much fun as film.

  Englishman.
• 

  SixofNine

  You live in China, so you must be rich. I'd recommend a lens with a constant wide aperture (preferably 2.8 or less) if you can afford it. I can't afford it, so I have that 28-135 image stabilized lens, and I'm very happy with it. The image stabilization is a very handy technology, because truth be known, if you look at an image very critically, you can usually see a difference between handheld vs tripod even at a 60th, let alone a 30th. This is especially so the longer your lens is.

  Realize that a 28 on that camera is really like a 43mm, and 135 is really like a 200mm due to the size of the image sensor. Which is a nice range, one seldom needs longer than 200mm except for special situations anyway, but 43mm is not really a wide angle either. So if you really want an "all in one" lens, something shorter on the wide end, even if not as long, would be more practical. I know they are making some really wide, really nice, really high dollar lenses just for this problem. If you get something with a 17mm on the wide end, then you are getting a true 24mm or so, which is a nice wide angle. I use a Tamron 20-40 for that range, and it is a good lens, but since it is really more like a 30mm, I often wish it was wider.

  I'm happy to spend your money any time you wish.
• 

  dh

  You live in China, so you must be rich.

  ha ha ha, no i am not rich! just if i HAVE to indulge, i like to make sure it's not wasted... would you believe that before i bought this APS Ixus i am currently using, I used disposable cameras for a year, yes, the single use ones... I got to be an expert at using them, but the ones that are made in china have a bad fail rate, like only 1 in 3 shots will be developable, so, it's not swift decision to buy a decent camera! incidentally the other camera i had before that was a Minolta APS model which I got in 99, I used for around 4 years, but it fell in a lake. yes, but i saved it an left it on my desk to dry out for weeks, but it would not work.

  it's not that i can really afford to buy expensive lenses, i am not even great at taking pictures, which is why the Image Stabilizer would probably be a better choice for me... i just want something that once it's on, i won't have to keep changing every time i see something far away, and the only lens i have seen that is both physically small, affordable and can zoom quite far is the one you have... how many times/x zoom does it work out at by the way? i work it out around 4.8x, but i am not sure if i did it right, i need layman terms! i don't really know what i am on about as i am just copying things that look nice out of the canon brochure , really i don't have a clue what 60th or 30th means!!! but i will be sure to say it to the next camera sales guy i meet so that i sound clever!

  I'm happy to spend your money any time you wish.

  haa haaa

  .
• 

  SixofNine

  i work it out around 4.8x, but i am not sure if i did it right, i need layman terms!

  Well, ratio-ing lenses like 10:1 or 20:1 is more of a film and video photography thing; in stills, we really don't use those terms much (and therefore I don't really think in those terms). I think this is probably because for a long long time, the quality level went down measurably in inverse proportion to the zoom ratio going up.... they simply didn't have the technology to build really great zoom lenses, and the quality problems show up in still images. A really high quality professional film or video zoom is $10K and up (waaaaaay up). A friend tried out a new Nikon 14-100 or somesuch thing... fairly expensive and made just for the digital slr's, and it had noticable contrast and color problems. But quality has gone way up on still camera zooms, and I'm sure you'd be happy with most of them.

  Anyway, yeah, I think you did hat right, it works out to about 5:1.

  A 60th means a shutter speed of 1/60 of a second, and is the low end that is considered safe for hand-holding a camera.

  i don't have a clue what 60th or 30th means!!! but i will be sure to say it to the next camera sales guy i meet so that i sound clever!

  lol, careful, you don't want to get into a war of photo terms with a camera shop geek!

  Seriously, if you don't want to get that involved in the shutter speeds, aperture, etc... look at all-in-one slr's. The shutter lag time on non-slr's is from the debil if you are shooting people, or pretty much anything that moves or breaths.