Camera Talk.....

F18Guy

Well-known member
Mar 30, 2004
2,185
0
54
Down by the big rock
In hopes of luring out Mr. Bailey, Mr. Holly, and all other camera folks for a positive discussion.......

Through the years, I have been interested in Photography and have played with it at a low level. In the bag right now is a Canon EOS Rebel, Canon ELPH, and a Canon Powershot Digital (2.2). These cameras are outdated and I am still using a multi-purpose HP printer/copier machine to print out photos.

My father is really into photography and was a Canon user forever; that is until last year he switched over to Nikon. He won't give me a straight answer on what he likes better...LOL. Last year at Moab, I got to play with a couple very nice cameras that were owned by Ed Bibb and Curtis Newkirk. These DSLR's were amazing! I couldn't believe how clear things were being captured.

So, my intentions are to go to the next level and acquire a DSLR, a printer, and a PS program. Next month I start a Secrets of Better Photography class at a local college. Particular items that I am looking at are:

  • Nikon D70s
  • Epson Stylus Photo 1800 printer
  • Adobe PS CS (Student discount = $250)
  • Lots of paper and more memory to experiment

Comments?
 

Mantaray

Well-known member
Apr 26, 2004
269
0
47
Fairfax, VA
totally random, but i wanted a chance to mention that i was in Blacksburg, VA 2 weeks ago gettting gas and i heard this loud ruckus overhead. i thought, "hey, that's a big helicopter flying low." nope, it was a V22 flying low. :D It was sweet.

anyway, to your camera thing. i have a 7.1 Canon Elph (replaced a 2.1 Elph). i love it. i'd love to get a DSLR. when i do, i'm sticking with Canon. i've been very pleased with the performance and usability of their products.

i also have 2 SLRs. a 30 year old Mamaya-Sekor and the obligatory Pentax K1000. i need to take a class so i can get better.
 
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barefoot

Guest
im still shooting slide film with my nikon f4s...im just not a big fan of digital...yet. i rented a d100 once and played around with it and wasnt all that impressed. i am told that the quality has improved quite a bit since the d100 and have seen some newer stuff...but still not impressed. i have a 4 megapixel point and shoot job for goofing off and shit but when it comes to serious work...i grab the velvia, provia or e100 sw. there is just NOTHING like viewing good lighting/contrast on great slide film...

for transferring to digital i use a nikon ls 2000...which is out of date but does fair justice and is easy to use. when im selling a print i usually send off for a drum scan.

i would go a step above the epson 1800 and get the 2200. there are some great deals on these @ e b a y. as for photoshop...try k a z a a...its a little cheaper there!

imho...photography school is a waste...read a couple of books on composition/exposure techniques/lighting then go out and create art...develop your own style yadayadayada...just my 2 cents!

holy crap! i just noticed that i am a "frequent poster"! f'n A man :D
 
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expeditionswest

Guest
I use a 20d.

The biggest challenge for us outdoor nuts are the small CMOS (23mm). The magnification factor of 1.6 really affects landscape images. My 17-35 sigma is now a 27mm equivalent.

I would recommend a camera of 6.2 mp or higher, which is equivalent to 35mm slide film at 200 speed. My 20d is 8.3 mp, and is a joy to shoot.

I use it for all of my web and magazine shoots, and even some fine art efforts:
http://www.expeditionswest.com/photography/

Oh, and the Nikon D70 is a great camera as well. :D
 

Mike_Rupp

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
3,604
0
Mercer Island, WA
Paul, also check out Nikon Capture: http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/software/capture4/. While I haven't used the software, I've heard that it is really good for use with the Nikon cameras.

I agree that taking a course might be a waste of time. Just get a camera book for dummies that goes over the basics like exposure, depth of field, etc. and start playing around with the camera. The nice thing about digital is you can experiment and it doesn't cost anything. Also, there is instant feedback when you experiment. For example, you can see the effects right away from going from f2.8 to f22.
 

RBBailey

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2004
6,758
3
Oregon
www.flickr.com
I absolutely love my Nikon D70. Would not have any other at this point. I have taken over 10,200 photos with it in a year. The comp would be the Canon 20D, but it is more expensive.

My only complaint about it is that it isn't 24mp for $1000! ;)

Check out my gallery in the link below, not a master or anything, but I think several of the photos certainly speak to the quality the camera produces.

Also, I print at Costco. They have some of the best printers, they are calibrated every 6 months (at least) and you can get their printer profiles for free. A 12 x 18 print at 320 dpi comes out stunning with the 6.1mp D70, and it only costs $3.00. You can upload online, order online, and pick up on your time. They also offer print sizes up to 20 x 30.
 

agm

Well-known member
Mar 7, 2005
79
0
Alexandria VA
dpreview is a good site to look at for dslr information.

I think canon just came out with a new model, or are about to. It's called the canon eos 5 or something like that. it's got a 12.something resolution. It also supposedly uses some of the same technology that canon's higher end camera's use giving it a "full-frame" aspect versus the 1.6 magnification that the D70 and 20d have.

I have a 10d and really love it. The picture quality is great. I took it on a vacation a little over a year ago to scandinavia and got great, quality pictures from it.

20d is supposedly even better.

just some thoughts.
 

bcroz

Well-known member
May 7, 2004
201
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63
Midland, MI
I've owned Nikon since highschool graduation (1979). Traded my SLR for a D70 a little while back and like it tons. That said, skip the Epson and get an Olympus Digital print studio. mine was priced at about $500, but it spits out beautiful 8 x 10's at the rate of about 1 per minute. Final cost is about $2 per sheet when you factor in the ribbon and paper.
 

Discrover

Well-known member
Mar 20, 2005
369
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54
Dallas, TX
www.myrover.net
I agree with what barefoot said to a certain extent...if you are doing large prints...anything over 16x20 there still is no substitute for slide film. I very rarely do any large poster prints anymore...when I do I still use my Nikon F5, Nikon N90s, or for black and white wedding my old trusty first SLR Pentax K1000 full manual 35mm.

Even my bridal portrait that is professionally framed matte 20x24 still only holds a 16x20 black and white print. If your not doing wall posters than digital will do 95% of anything you will shoot at just as good of quality as slide or film. I have actually seen Nikon Test - Slide verses, 35mm both versus digital...and digital color won on some color aspects.

I myself am a DIE HARD Nikonian I have bought no other digital camera in the last 6yrs. My first digital bought in 1998 for 2k which I still own was a Kodak DCS 315.
http://www.lonestardigital.com/dcs315.htm
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_dcs315.asp

which I bought several years ago in the dawn of digital photography when Kodak rained supreme and Nikon or Canon either one even had a digital camera.

I bought my first Nikon in 2000 with the release of the Nikon D1 for a whopping 5k
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d1.asp
...then bought a Nikon D1H in 2002 for sports photography and had two full Pro Digital Bodies. These cameras both served me well over the next 4yrs and I still use the D1h for shooting news and sporting events etc.

When Nikon released the new Nikon D2h I rushed out and picked one up for like $3,500 dollars and noise was so bad in low light exposures I dumped that camera back off on Ebay as soon as possible. Since half the time you are shooting sports there is never enough light. The Nikon D2H is a POS.

I am now getting ready to purchase the new Nikon D2x but they are still around 5k and I am now waiting for the price to come down about $1,500.
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1280

All of my camera bodies are full *PRO* SLR's...not pro-sumer.

My opinion the Canon 20d today is a Pro digital with a prosumer price tag. It has a full Magnesium alloy body like all of my Nikon camera's and 8mp at 5fps with a 23 frame image buffer are the things professional photographers were dreaming about 4yrs ago. For sports photography blasting away and no wait time pay's the bills.

I hate to say this but I am not that impressed with Nikon's latest release of the new Nikon D70 and D50. They have allot of weak points you do not find in the Canon 20d.

My major complaint is no release of a battery pack or digital grip from Nikon...you have to get a after market from Hoodman or something and then it has a crappy hokey cord to connect to the syn cord connector on the body. That means if you are shooting in studio with battery grip you cannot even hook up your freaking sync remote. It is a joke and one reason professional photographers won't touch either camera even as a backup body.

For someone learning photography though...all the new digital bodies of today offer 10x more than digital bodies pro's were paying 5k for just 4yrs ago. ninety percent of pro's on the side lines today are shooting Canon I will not lie to you as I feel like a Rebel without a cause with my Nikons...and black telephoto 400mm AFS vbr lens surrounded in a sea of white Canon telephoto barrels.

I have considered the switch over to Canon, but because of all the glass I own it makes it a HUGE jump. My best advice is to go with whatever camera feels right to you in your hand...and make sure to hold one and play with it before purchase. You wouldn't by a Land Rover with out a test drive, so don't buy a camera with out one. I also agree you can learn everything you need to know about digital SLR on dpreview. Just remember though the camera you choose is only as good as the lens you shoot with. I use nothing but f2.8 and faster glass. Very expensive...some lenses cost more than my camera, but well worth the price in photo quality.

EDIT:
Also a great idea is look for a professional camera shop in your local area and go in and rent a camera body you are thinking about purchasing. Rent a lens to go with it...get it for a weekend and go play and test drive it and see what you think.

Attaching a picture I took morning before game time Texas Stadium.
 

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expeditionswest

Guest
V22Guy said:
Scott,

I really like your website. Lots of great photos to include this one that caught my attention.

I am going to look into the 20D.... :)

Thank you :)

I do want to share a few additional thoughts that may help with the decision:

MP does not relate to the beauty/quality of the image. I have taken images with a 2mp point and shoot that made calendars. Lighting, composition, filters (circular polarizer is still required with digital) and lighting make an image spectacular. Did I say lighting? :p

These vehicles we own can take us to the most impressive landscapes in the world, which is why so many of us are attracted to photography. Make sure to take the time to capture the image effectively. Get up early and on the trail in that soft morning glow and the pictures will just POP.

So I guess what I am saying is get a reasonably priced digital SLR (like the 70) and a good wide focal range zoom (like the new 18-200mm) and then spend the rest of the cash you saved on a trip :D
 

RBBailey

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2004
6,758
3
Oregon
www.flickr.com
If you are not on a budget, go for the best. 20D, Mk II, D2x, or the new Nikon D200. Also has a mag/alloy body and all the bells and whistles, including a Nikon vert grip and battery pack. The D70 does, like stated above, have weaknessess, but hey, I got it new with a Nikkor 70-210mm the 18-70mm Kit lens for $1300, more than a year ago.
 

alex3324

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2004
510
0
Valhalla I am coming home!
RBBailey said:
I print at Costco... You can upload online, order online, and pick up on your time. They also offer print sizes up to 20 x 30.

I use walmart for most of my printing. 19 cents for a 4x6 print, and ready in less than an hour in most cases. Same thing, upload online, pick them up at the store on your time. Also, this is a photo-process print, meaning it's on real photo paper and not an inkjet print that will run or spot if it gets a drop of water on it.
 

Rocky

Well-known member
Apr 23, 2004
2,178
7
Red Sox Nation
I have an old Elph and last gen Digital rebel.

Love em both for different reasons. But really need to go out and er read the owners manual.

FWIW both run on compact flashes, and I can charge either of them in the car or anywhere in the world I happen to go.....next stop downloading the photos to an Ipod when traveling....
 
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