Digital Camera

[TerryStolmeier]

I spent some time last weekend in San Francisco with some friends, one of which has a pretty nice Canon Rebel. I've been thinking about getting a new camera for a while and the time I spent with his kinda persuaded me to get a new toy.

I've been doing some looking and have kinda decided on a Canon EOS 20D ( http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=10464 ) I'd rather have a SLR and have the ability to take photographs instead of a "pocket camera" and only take snapshots.

Any input or comments are appreciated.

Terry

[Scott Reynolds]

The EOS 20D looks like a great 8 megapixel camera. Im looking for a new camera and after reading the spec's from your link I might not have to look too much more! You could take a look at the 16 megapixel EOS 1Ds Mark II, its only $5,000! Wow, at that price, you could get two. lol

[TerryStolmeier]

Yea... 5K is a little too spendy for me. Costco has the camera I posted above for around $1300. One of those things that if you buy the good stuff once it'll last a long time.

[Leondo]

i enjoy my mustek dv 5500, its everything in one! :Cool 2:

[Barry]

Ive had both the Canon D30 & currently the D60 (Both predecessors) to the digital rebel and 20D. Ive shot with the Digital Rebel, 10D and 20D as well. They are all good cameras, and probably the best in their price range.

Do a bit of research before you purchase, www.dpreview.com is probably the best place to start. Also remember that just because you purchased a DSLR does not mean you will automatically take good photos.. :)

[TerryStolmeier]

Barry - I know a DSLR doesn't = excelent pics (but having nice equipment doesn't hurt). I was involved with photography in highschool and really enjoyed it. I know what ISO, Fstops, aperature, etc all mean.

I've done quite a bit of reading the last couple days and think Costco has the best price. What I was suprised about was the cost of different lenses. Canons are pretty expensive, but I've found others much cheaper. Do you have any insight on them?

[Extreme Images]

I bought a Fuji S7000 for $500 last fall and have been very pleased with the quality images it takes. It has a function that takes up to 12megapixels. I enlarged a shot of a race car to 12' long to install on a trailer and it is very detailed even up close. It doesn't have interchangable lens but the lens that is with the camera serves my needs. Might be something to consider.

[Barry]

Barry - I know a DSLR doesn't = excelent pics (but having nice equipment doesn't hurt). I was involved with photography in highschool and really enjoyed it. I know what ISO, Fstops, aperature, etc all mean.

I've done quite a bit of reading the last couple days and think Costco has the best price. What I was suprised about was the cost of different lenses. Canons are pretty expensive, but I've found others much cheaper. Do you have any insight on them?

Terry,

Generally Canon lenses are best, but its not always the case. There are a few exceptions where sigma has a better lens for a certian range..

The first lens I would pick up would be the Canon 28-135IS. Not the greatest lens in the world, but it is a nice lens to walk around with daily. Good zoom range and image stabilization. Cant really be beat for the price.. After that you need to ask your self what you need and figure out which lens fits best.

[cbcie]

I got a Nikon D70 earlier this year and LOVE IT! The lenses are interchangable with my father's camera. The software is easy to use. Watch for a rebate, I saved $300 on the kit.

Cheryl

[WVB]

A very good website to read up on digi cameras would be from a guy at my old home town in Dunedon, Fl at http://www.stevesdigicams.com He reviews cameras as well as the digital media to go with.

[Barry]

A very good website to read up on digi cameras would be from a guy at my old home town in Dunedon, Fl at http://www.stevesdigicams.com He reviews cameras as well as the digital media to go with.
That is a great site, but www.dpreview.com has more information about digital cameras. Probably the best resource on the net for digital cameras.

[TerryStolmeier]

Update -

I received the camera a couple weeks back, but hadn't really had a chance to use it until yesterday. (besides pics of the cats and dog)

http://www.shibbyschwing.com/photos/fps-7-2-05/

The camera (Canon EOS 20D) is great to work with and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for new equipment of this level. I used a 75-300mm lens with UV filter to take all the pictures.

[Bobby H]

The Canon EOS 20D is definitely now the king of the hill in the "affordable digital SLR" category. PC Magazine posted a five star review on it recently, citing a number of reasons on why it bests the Nikon D70. The Nikon model has been out for a while now; so it would stand to reason Nikon may roll out an even better model perhaps a few months from now.

I'm hoping this growing battle in the D-SLR category will push features of the high end professional still cameras down into the affordable and "pro-sumer" class. This would be similar to some of the moves that have happened in digital video cameras. In recent years, some models below $1500 or even half that have boasted 3-CCD arrays -a feature previously reservered for cameras starting at $2500 and up. A 3-CCD array captures much more accurate color than a single CCD. A single CCD actually captures a grayscale image and then uses filters and some guesswork to generate a color image. Single CMOS-chip digital cameras have to do the same thing. Some professional level digital still cameras feature 3-CMOS or 3-CCD arrays to help dial in more accurate color.