So I'm gona buy myself a digital camera. And I figure there are a lot of wise (and not so wise :p ) heads in here who know a thing or ten about cameras judging from the "Show me your digital pics" thread.

Its gona be used mainly for outdoors and aviation photography. Not really for people or parties etc. So I'd like a decent optical zoom. Also I'm looking for the ability to make movies maybe. Lens interchangeability would be useful too because I intend for it to last a good long time. And the price range is about €400-€500 which works out at around $477-$596.

So I've had a sconce around and spotted this little baby:



http://www.canon.ie/For_Home/Product_Fin...ePageID=26181#1

Its around €450. What do you think of that? Any one able to recommend a better camera?

Thanks in advance,

Screwballs

Fujifilm S5000

http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartne...rltype=overview

10x Optical Zoom, 3.1 Megapixels. 37 to 370mm Equivalent on the Optic, with the optional teleconverter you can get a 550mm Zoom (which is MASSIVE).

Still, the Canon is very much equivalent - just my personal preference. You'll be doing fine with both. The Canon can change Zoom during video, this is something mine can't. OTOH mine does ISO 800.

If the Canon really has a tilt-LCD, then definitly forget the Fuji. I love mine, but fixed LCDs restrict the use somewhat.

Of course, the coolest "serious" piece around currently is the Nikon D70 - but that's 1000 bucks.

Still, it would last you a REALLY long time, and has zero trigger delay from what I gather.

I just picked up an Olympus C-740 for Mother's Day. 3.2 MP and 10X optical zoom. It can also capture Quicktime-based movies. It will replace a sub 1 MP Olympus digital that has been a real workhorse for us for a number of years. It was $379 USD at BJ's.

A Cannon A70 3.2 mega pixels is the one I use, light, easy to use and relatively CHEAP. If only I knew how to use it ...

Ya I know what you mean, there's like a million variations on a theme. Kinda hard to decide on exactly how you want to take the shot. But thats something to look forward to!

It has a tilt-LCD which seems really handy. No bad reviews for it so far on my searching... Gona have to ship it to my rock which might cost a lot!

Screwballs

Hhmm, seems you will be fine with the Canon.

It has a little bigger teleconverter (1.6x instead of the 1.5x from the Fuji), and 10mm more basic zoom (380mm instead of 370) it accepts zoom changes during video, and the til LCD is VERY handy in Crowds (and unless you get some Press ID that's where you're gonna take your Airshow Shots from.). Plus it does Histograms for the pictures.

Also, it supports different compression modes, not just different image sizes.

Just try to get one in hand and check Trigger Delay and Serial Shot Functions for their speed or lack off - that's one of the biggest reasons I want a Digital SLR. Both of these models, Fuji as well as Canon, are already high-end amateur models, yet they are still too slow when tracking flying objects.

I have the version Before Thomas A60 and its a fabulous little camera. Would recommend the A80 if you can get it.

Got nothing but good words for the Canon A series.

Well looks like its settled then. All I have to do now is convince people to buy it for me...

Stick with Canon, this from a guy who suffers at night selling digital cameras....

I have an A70, and I very chuffed with it. Wish I hadn't whacked it when I tripped up, climbing the steps in the Dome at St Peters though!

Can't go wrong with Canon. I have a PowerShot A40 and an EOS 10D. I'd never owned Canon before this time last year.

Go here

Imaging Resource

and use the selection panel on the left hand side of the page. That will show you what's available and it might also include a few fairly extensive reviews if you're lucky.

Screwballs, thanks for finding that camera! On my recent trip to Costa Rica, I found the necessity for a zoom lens!

Ok, after getting my hands on them and talking to more people about it I figure the Fuji S5000 is the camera for me.

So I now need to get the Fuji S5000 from somewhere online. I would get it at home but it costs about twice the price! If I get it from America like for example from the link below, is that a smart option?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48534&item=3814769051&tc=photo

The other option is to go for an english shop like this one: http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_4_409_40903&products_id=91360

Now I know if I go for the American option 1) the plugs won't work in Europe and 2) those opteka lens and stuff look dodgy as heck.

But the difference in price, including shipping is a heck of a lot. Mainly because of all the stuff you get with the american option. But on the other hand the english option would be with a fuji telephoto lens, fuji XD card and fuji bag.

If you were me, what would you go for?

Thanks for your help,

Screwballs

i bought a Kodak Easyshare DX4530 5mp digicamera. its got a 3x optical zoom on it, and with the digital zoom, the total is 10x. its a great camera for me, and it works well. i got the camera, bundled with the dock at Sams Club for $325.

Don't use digital zoom. It is a scam, it only stretches the picture and loses quality of the image.

Screwballs - are you in the UK? If so, I think it would be easier to get it from the UK shops. If you get it from the States, you'll have to pay import taxes which will probably wipe out your savings, and if you have any problems, you'll have to send it back to the States for a warranty repair.

Just curious, what put you off the Canon? It sure has some impressive features.

If the english deal comes with the original teleconverter, bag and card, then I'd take that over non-brand any day.

Amen to that!! Digital zoom is for emergencies only and IMHO, doesn't count as zoom at all.

I know, the S5000 has 10X optical zoom as well. The reason I changed was because mainly its cheaper by a fair bit, and I think the black colour makes it look better. The bonus of the Canon was the LCD and image-stabilisation mode. But I dont think they are worth €100 price difference. And as the guy in the shop said the Canon is a 3 mega-pixel camera for the price of a 6 mega-pixel.

I'd say I'll probably go with the english shops, just don't think its worth the hassle of the trans-atlantic dealings really.

I'll let you know how it falls together!

Screwballs

One thing you'll love about the S5000 is the black rubber coating.

Combine that with the ergonomic handle and general design, and you have a camera that just falls into your hands as if it was meant for that.

When I got mine I had my eye on Nikon, Minolta and Olympus. I hadn't even known that Fuji made Digis. But once holding that thing it felt as if taylor-made me for me.

Ahhh...I'd research that one before taking it seriously. Any thoughts Skoold?

Trust me when I say that whilst 10x optical zoom is useful, you will need to go wide far more often that you will go tight. My A40 goes in to the rough equivalent of 110mm in 35mm and I rarely use it. The thing you are looking at goes to the equivalent of 300mm. I use my A40 with the wide angle adapter far more often than not. Long tele zooms in these cameras are just a marketing gimmick, IMHO. If your wide end of the lens is not at least the equivalent of 38mm, don't buy it. I'd look for the equivalent of 28mm if you can find it.

10 X optical zoom ? wow
anyonw who can show a pic or two

good point magoo, I've often found the same with my old SLR, especially visiting static air and car museums - the wide-angle lens always gets used more than the paparazzi long lens - maybe I should visit more nudist beaches

The S5000 does seem to just fall into your hand alright. The cost of cameras in IReland can vary widely so the cost of the Canon where I am is €730 but the S5000 is €400...

The lens can replicate 37mm-370mm on a 35mm camera.

Check out this page for photos taken with the zoom. Its pretty impressive!
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/fuji_s5000_samples.html

Excellent website.

Screwballs

I can. I'm trying to upload two pics from Ericcson Stadium I took back in November with my Olympus C-700UZ.

Hawkeye, while this is certainly true for your line of work, the problems start when you want to do Airshows or other kinds of mass events without press pass. That's where 10x really come in handy, and if I could I'd even get me the 1,5x Converter for the full 570mm equivalent.

He over stated it. More like a 3.2 for the price of a 5MP. About the only six at that price (at least that I sell) is Kodak, and except for the 6330 and the 6490 I wouldn't suggest a Kodak. I personally think the 200 dollar Fuji is better and the Olympus is nice at that price. The 6490 is a better 10 optical than the Olympus 750, but the Fuji has a bit better picture if I recall correctly. The issue is the Fuji is double A's.

There are a few things that do make it worth the cash though, that the average sales man won't realize. The video on the S1, is not the regular 10fps and 320 rez. It is 640, 22fps and extremely clear for a digital camera. It looks like a Divx Rip. Amazing vids, the only issue is it is a little slow to focus if you are doing large steps in zooming in and out.

Also, even with the image stabilization, you have 3.2 megapixel. It isn't like stabilization on a camcorder. On a camcorder, it lowers the rez on the CCD and uses the sides of the CCD as a way to stabilize the image. This lowers the quality of the video, but makes it viewable when you are moving. The S1, even with stabilization on is 3.2 megapixel. In reality it is more like 4MP with stabilization, you just can't take a 4MP pic. Still, at 10X you normally need a tripod and with S1 you don't.


I'll send some pics to Paul and request him to host them a day or two so you can see my S500 in action....

Well.. I bought the Kodak DX6490.. 4 Megapixel, 10x Optical zoom, plus 3 x digital on top... so thats 13x zoom... Im impressed with it.. but it only had 16MB internal memory.. going to get myself a 256MB MMC or SD card soon

Tried out the [Mother's Day gift] Olympus C-740 3.2 MP/10x optical zoom yesterday. Worked very well. I immediately got the 256 MB card for it.

My friend's got the Fuji (or one similar with a 10x zoom), and it produces great images. If you're not concerned with manual features, then I'd give it serious consideration.
Depending on what your criteria are, the things I'd say were the most important in a digital camera were shutter lag, lens quality and fire up time. I have a Sony 717 which is a truely great camera and wuite cheap these days. The shutter lag is minimal (one of the lowest), and the zoom okay (5x). It also has a Zeiss lense which is big and clear. Trouble with a lot of camers is the strive to make them pocket friendly compromises the lens quality. Basically you get 5 megapixels, say, which means you can produce 10x8,s, but because the leses are so small, you end up with big prints of bad images. Get a big lens. Canons are great. I've also got a 300d (digital rebel), which is wonderful, but their build quality can let them down. I've also got a little Olypus c-3000, which takes superb photos, but is slow, slow, slow.
Stick to the major photographic brands - Fuji, canon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax, etc, and try not to get any Hewlet Packard/Kodak type cheapos. Also, be prepared to learn how to use some photographic softeare. That's where the key to stunning images really lies. Out of the camera, images tend to be a little soft and inacrate. There's some good free software about. Or if you can afford it, get Photoshop elements. With that you can conquer the world (Well, photoshop, anyway).

Check out this site. It give you reviews and foruma (fora?), that are invaluable.

DPreview

Hope that helps.

screwballs, I don't know where you were pricing the Canon, but it's £380/€560 at http://www.dabs.com

U-96, Ireland!

But what do people think of that combo deal from ebay? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48534&item=3814769051&tc=photo

Would you spring for that if you were in my shoes? The only thing I'm concerned about are those Opteka lenses? The reviews on ebay have mainly positive things to say about them but they appear to be non-existent elsewhere!!!

Skoold, don't suppose your shop sells overseas and has a website?

Screwballs

Ok...

Just read some reviews of those Opteka lens and I don't think I'll be shopping there...

FYI
http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=24742

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=005Pvp

http://search.dpreview.com/forums/search.asp?query=opteka&forum=1012

Almost Screwedballs

Anyone got info on the DX6490 ??? bit late to change my mind on it (already had it for a few months!).. though it would be nice to know what has been writen about it!

Finally got the 10X zoom pics uploaded...



This is zoomed all the way out...



and I don't remember if this is zoomed in all the way, but if it isn't it's pretty close. As said earlier these were taking with an Olympus C-700UZ, the 2.1 Megapixel version of the C-740 that Bill was playing with. Oh yeah...these are obviously re-sized to make them easier to upload/download. :p

EDIT: appearently the pic of Ericcson didn't load all the way at first...fixed now though.

Okay, the Optekas strike out.

Well, there got to be a reason why a brand-name Fuji 1,5x converter costs almost 150 bucks - I'd expect these to be a lot better than a 2x for 50$.

I think I'm pretty much sold on the Canon, as I'm in the market for a camera myself. The stabilisation feature looks pretty neat, and I haven't yet seen any reports of chromatic abberation (purple fringing etc) that some other zoom digitals seem to suffer from (like the Minolta Z2 I was also looking at).

My only concerns would be the small LCD (but I like the swivel feature) and the battery life (worth investing in NiMH batteries).

ForSquirrels: nice pics. That's a fair bit of zoom

RSColonel: Hi mate, sorry we couldn't hook up in Vienna - hope you've gotten some sleep since Will have some pics to post by the end of the week with any luck, but I've guess you've seen them all before

No worries 'bout Vienna...problem is that usually during the week I build up quite a sleep-deficit, and Friday Afternoon I recharge before heading into the nightlife.

Hope you had a good time and enjoyed yourselfs.

I don't have a review, but I find it to be a decent camera. You didn't get screwed over....

Thank god for that
I wanted something to take pictures of whatever I wanted too.. mostly things that go wooosh.... have a few pictures of various stuff already including the South Wales Police helicopter chasing someone.... my brother tipping over a mini digger... my bike, and other stuff... its main test will come in June / July when I go to some airshows... right proper work out it will get then

As long as I didnt get screwed over.. paid £300 for the bugger! Couldnt see much else I wanted in that price bracket!

Yea, just remember to use the sport preset and to press the button down half way to pre-set it so it will take a photo without a 1.5 second delay.

Oh, also force the flash off.

hey valleyboy, if you want to do Fairford RIAT, drop me a line, I live about 20 mins away and know the back roads

Not sure if I'm going myself this year, as I'm aiming for Goodwood and Donington Euro GT, but if you need somewhere to crash...

When's RIAT this year? Perhabs I should finally make it happen...just a shame that the flight costs an arm and a leg these days.

July 17-18 I think this year.

I know what you mean about Vienna flights - blame the UN for making it a profitable run.

That's why I flew into Klagenfurt and out of Salzburg on Ryanair. The train journeys were inexpensive (and very scenic) compared to a direct flight to Vienna.

edit- they also fly from Graz

Hey, I've shot some airshows too! Err...with the EOS10D though and a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS...

I heard there's a new one out with a built in Canon "L series" lens on it. Is this the one you mean? If so, you should have no problems.

I don't know about the lens - the one I'm looking at is the same one Screwballs mentioned (in fact because he mentioned it!)

Here's a good review of the features: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/s1is.html

It seems a little pricy for a 3.2MP camera, but the other features seem pretty astonishing - ultrasonic motor, x10 optical zoom, SVGA video capture with sound and zoom, image stabilisation, blah blah blah...

Thanks. No that isn't the one I was referring to. You can tell the L series glass by the thin red ring around the outside of the lens near the front.

I think this is the one I meant:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/pro1.html

I looked through the posts but couldn't, or didn't, see the name of the one you were referring to. There is a shot of the two of them together at the bottom of the page.

ah the Pro1, a very nice camera if you have the need (and the money!). I think it shares quite a few features with the Powershot S1, but is aimed at the semi-pro market.

Yeah, sorry, I didn't realise it was soooo much more expensive. Looks the part though! And some of those lens attachments...WOW!!

So I got myself the Fuji Finepix S5000 as mentioned earlier. It is some classy piece of kit! Here are some sample shots I just took to demo the zoom and quality...





Thanks for all the suggestions,

Screwballs

you need to clean your windows

After a couple of months trying to decide what Camera to upgrade to I finally decided to get an Olympus C750UZ yesterday. 4 megapixels, 10X optical zoom and very good reviews pushed me toward it. I'm very pleased with it so far, but I've only had it a day so I've still got a lot to discover

But the strangest thing was selling my old camera....a Fuji finepix A204. A friend of my sister's wanted it so I had no problem selling.

Now I'm not really a sentimental person, and I normally don't have any kind of emotional attachments for inanimate objects at all, but giving that old Fuji camera up really had an effect on me.

2003 was probably the most eventful year of my life: Two of my best friends getting married (and the associated stag parties ) ...one of them having a baby. went to Russia for the first time in my life...twice (once for one of the aforementioned weddings) Lots of daytrips out with my girlfriend, and the unfortunate passing of my father

My little Fuji camera was almost a constant companion during all that, and I've got hundreds of photos to look back on. It was a sad day for me when that camera wasn't there any more

My current DC is an Olympus C2020Z and when I do get around to upgrading to one with more megapixels I will definitely put Olympus high on the list. But my next one will have to be an SLR too because looking at the LCD display in daylight is all washed out. Unless they have overcome that problem in recent models. My camera has auto or fully manual. I prefer to use manual but because the fstop and shutter setting display is on the LCD I can't read it in daylight to see what settings I am using so I just use auto which makes it just a glorified point 'n' shoot camera. I'm not spending a thousand bucks on a point 'n' shoot camera again so it will have to be SLR with at least 5mp and all the settings displayed in the viewfinder.

I don't know what they did on previous Olympus models but on the C750UZ the viewfinder is digital, which means that you use it for exactly the same thing that the LCD is normally used for, but because it's enclosed there's not really a problem using it in daylight. The magnification is better too; in fact I don't think I'll ever really use the LCD display on my camera.

Interesting, I just read a review of the C750UZ and it said this:

"At the upper left of the photo, you can see the electronic viewfinder (EVF). The EVF is not a traditional viewfinder that you're probably used to -- it's more like a little 0.44" LCD display. An EVF is a mixed bag: you get to see what the CCD sees (thus, no parallax error), and menus and settings can be viewed on it. The negatives include increased power consumption, and difficult viewing when it's too bright or too dark. I'd rather have a real optical viewfinder myself, but all these ultra zoom cameras use EVFs."

Sounds like a good solution to me. But I doubt I would buy that particular model because the far zoomed out modes would require the use of a tripod. I would rather stick to a 3x optical zoom.

I read that in reviews before I bought it too but I've managed to get some good test pics at 10X zoom without blurring. It's not actually as bad as some reviews say it is.

...and that, my friend, is why Canon created Image Stabilisation on the Powershot S1IS

I'm currently looking at a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10
4MP, 12x Optical Zoom, with Image Stabilisation, f2.8 Leica lens.

Drawbacks: Big (for a digicam), Proprietry Li-Ion battery (tho cheaper ones can be found, still not as convenient as AAs), and the EVF freezes in burst mode (dumbest idea ever if your tracking something, especially birds, tho maybe it was a design compromise).

Other than that it looks great. I've pondered over Fuji S5000, Olympus C-750UZ, but the Panasonic looks like the winner, as its only 70 quid more than the Olympus on Amazon.

Does image stabilization work well? I think I would still go with an optical SLR as opposed to the EFV method due to the slow resonse time of it during action shots. Maybe something like the Canon Digital Rebel.

THe digital rebel, or 300d in the UK, is one of the best for the price. There's also a russian firmware hack that addresses some of the limitations which were put in there to stop it competing with the more expensive 10d.

You have to be aware, however, that to really get the best from it, you'll need to familirise yourself with some post-processing techniques like levels and sharpening (that said, you can up the on-camera sharpening and get pretty decent, sharp pics, but for best results it's better to have no onboard sharpening and sharpen in Photoshop or the like).

I've been trawling a few photo forums since I got my new camera and the Canon Digital rebel gets very high regard for price v features.

Why is it better to sharpen in photoshop rather than on the camera?

Ape, no idea myself, I'm saving my pennies up to buy one (and maybe the price will drop a bit in the meantime!), but you can download a demo here (right click, save as, 1MB .mov file).

It's from a very comprehensive review here.

People, do yourself a favor and reconsider the 300D.

It was a nice, affordable piece of digital SLR when it first came out, and kudos to Canon for breaking the previously high price marks.

However, Nikon has already released the D70 at almost the same price.

And I haven't seen a single report or comparison where it didn't blow the Canon out of the water.

Check here for a detailed comparison:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/page20.asp

By all accounts I've read the Nikon has FASTER shutter speed than the Canon, it powers on faster than the Canon, it has almost all the features of the way more expensive D100 (compared to the castration the 300D had to endure downwards from the D10)...

Nikon got a REAL AF Assist light (so you dont have to open the flash slide like with the Canon), and you can change manually between Continous and Single AF - which as far as I read is not possiple on the Canon.

The LCD got higher resolution, too. And instead of a bit cheap silver looking plastic it's all black with rubber coating.

Seriously, I loved the 300D when it came out and would have sold my grandmother to get one - but now Nikon takes the lead.

Going by that comparison chart the Nikon looks a bit better and I have always liked Nikon gear. But a couple of things I don't like about both the Nikon and Canon slr's; they use Lithium batteries as opposed to rechargable NiHM's, niether has a Tiff mode, and the price is on the high side considering the prices shown are for the body only. But I would be willing to pay those prices to get what I really want. The Lithium battery deal really bugs me though.

Yea, I was recently searching for a pair of binoculars and I saw that Canon has binocs with this image stabilization. But the price of their binocs with IS was way too high for me. I ended up getting a pair of Nikon Travelites which are so light (carbon fibre body) that you can hold them very steady compared to the bigger bulky binocs. I read the review of the Canon PSIS and it looks like a nice camera to own but it's only 3.2mp. My Olympus is 2.1mp so I would have to at least double that to feel I was really gaining something over my Olympus C2020Z. It's too bad we can't just send in our older cameras to the shop and have the CCD replaced with one with more MP's.

If for nothing else I'd pick the Nikon over the Canon for it's speed alone.

It can handle more continous shoots in the buffer at higher frames per second, it powers on faster, and I've heard that shutter delay is almost non exsistant, which is MY prime criterium for taking Aircraft shoots.

The unrestricted software, and the "black body" are just icing on the cake.

I would be very surprised, though, if there are Digital SLRs with conventional NiMH packs around...are there?

Didn't you buy a Fuji recently RSColonel, how's that one doing?

Too well to be replaced but the last month I had a serious eye on the Nikon. I've been following that thing since it was first showcased a few months ago, and every review since then tells me it really is the 300D Killer Nikon wanted to build.

It's still a lot of cash, though. Wouldn't I have spent the 500 bucks for the Fuji I would already have gotten the D70, but the S5000 is still too new and in pristine condition to warrant a replacement.

I actually got to try a D70 out in the shop, and it's the speed that I miss with mine. There's a lot of joy to be had with the smaller sub-SLR cameras, but they simple are not fast enough for planes.

In realistic terms, for the amount I use my cam, I suppose the Nikon would be overkill. But whenever that damn shutter stutters up, I start plannig again...

Be careful with the D70 at the moment, it may be getting rave reviews from many, but it has some serious technical problems that Nikon are slowly beginning to acknowledge: Short-back focusing and skewed colour saturation at high shutter speeds are the two key areas of interest.

The focusing problem can only be fixed by recalibration of the body (and they are going back to Nikon in droves for this), the colour tinting on the left and right of the frame should be solved through firmware, but there's no news on the horizon as to when that's going to happen.

Still, it beats the 300D, and I am a die-hard Canon user, so that's some compliment!

I recommend the Canon G5.

Ant, it's because the onboard software (algoryhms -sp? -) which the camera uses to sharpen images simply isn;t as good as in Photoshop (or most other high end editing software). With in camera sharpening, you tend to get haloes around the images, and the sharpening tends to induce noise in flat areas of colour. If you use Photoshop, use Unsharpen mask, which allows you to shapren only the edges of elements in the image and not the flat areas, thus limiting noise. You can also get a good look at the amount of sharpening you're getting, whereas with the in camera sharpening, you're stuck with it.
There are some good sharpening actions out there, which plug into Photoshop and tend to even be better than Photoshops, or there are third-party filters that are better still.

Hope that helps.

With camera equipment, it's a very tricky business. The Nikon does look good, but my main concern would be a lack of ISO 100. I believe it starts at 200. With 100 you get super clean pics (if at slightly higher shutter speeds).
The shutter lag should be pretty non-existant on any digital SLR (basically limited to the time it takes to raise the mirror).
The Canon is no longer a crippled version of the 10d with the release of the Russian firmware hack, which gets around the DR's greatest limitation its lack of adjustable flash level. Also, with the up and coming second hack (both for free), the addition of ISO 3000 and something (for really dark pics (though the higher the ISO, the greater the noise - much like grain in high ISO film).
As for batteries, I don;t know what the Nikon's is like but the canon fully charges in about 40 mins, and last a real long time. It also uses a seperate charger, so if you have two batteries, you can use the camera and charge the other - unlike, say, my Sony 717, which takes maybe an hour and a half and charges on-board, so you can;t use the camera.
With the body, colour isn;t that important; rather, its the quality of the finish. My canon's showing signs of age now, but it's paint is pretty resiliant. My sony is like powder. look at it and it scuffs.
If colour is important, they've released a black-bodied DR in Japan (it's called the Kiss). I don;t know, but I suspect the next release of the DR over here will be black.
But if you wait, as so many people do, think of all those shooting opportunities you'll miss.

My advice, the Canon or the Nikon will be great cameras. Either way, do your research, try them out in the shop (just for the ergonomics), and then put your money down and get out there and take some pics. Just remember - post process.

The daylight washout shouldn't be an issue with anything that has a Li-Ion battery.

If you go with a digital SLR go with a Nikon or Canon.

Depends on the user and the settings on the camera. Usually though I just tell everyone to get a tripod for it.

I am very much someone who refuses to over sell junk to people (I am not on commision, and while BBY expects me to for the managers bonus I have no desire to), and that is the only type of camera I really push it on.

Also, as I said, don't get those extended warranties, they are mathamatically shown to be a rip off. Don't fall for the scare tactics that the sales guys give you. Do you really think that Canon, Kodak, Sony, Olympus, Fuji and such would sell stuff they expect to burn out in a year let alone 4?

Nearly every camera that is broke that is brought in is from dropping it. No extended warranties cover that, and if a sales man claim it does, read the fine print and promptly call him a liar.

While you may lose on one product here or there without the extended warranty, the fact is that when you average it out over all your items it is always cheaper to purchase without the extended warranty.

Not as big of deal as some make it out to be. Most Li-Ion last 16-24 months. While the manufacture suggests replacements every 12-16, I found few go out in 12....

Double As will only last like 20-30 minutes in a camera, whereas Li-Ion will last over an hour and usually 1.5 hours.

Go with a SLR if you can afford it. I know on the Canon S1 the stabilization works very well.

Oh, I must have a link to that firmware hack....I demand it!

A computer has much more proccessing power to clean up photos. So it is definately better to use the computer to sharpen photos.

Well, at retail (go buy online) it is 300 dollars difference. That is quite a big difference, though I agree the Nikon is better, but the Canon is solid too.

I agree with the TIFF issue, but I can't agree on the battery. The Li-Ion outperform point blank beat the NiHM AAs. You can get good generic batteries for the Rebel (and I am sure you can with the Nikon too, I just haven't seen them at BBY, which isn't saying much) that are only 40 dollars. That is quite a deal considering they last 16-24 months.

Never heard of them, but NiHM is definately NOT the way to go. Li-Ion may be be convient, but they sure are better.

Yea, not like the FUBAR situation with the battery drain on the 7000.

http://www.jjmehta.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=gen_trouble;action=display;num=1079273751

Really, didn't know about the focusing issue....

Thanks for the tips on sharpening.

Would it also be better to use a photo editor for colour saturation too, or will the camera's manual saturation levels be preferable?

I'd try both and see which you prefer. I'm usually happy with my camera's (Minolta A1) 'Vivid' colour mode. Though I do sometimes tweak saturation afterwards in Photoshop.

When you use unsharp mask in PS, disable the colour channels first and only apply it to the black and white image. Re-enable the colour channels once you're done to get your colour back.

I kid you not. I know one guy who has had *3* D70s with the same problem. He's now bought a Canon 10D!

Incidentally, do you know of a reputable pro store in New York? I have family there on holiday this week and I'd like them to pick me something up.

Cheers

No, I live in AZ.

But honestly, if you are in town for a week or two have one shipped to you:

http://www.newegg.com/camera/?DEPA=7

Really, I can't stress enough how good the company is. I rarely buy anything (except Rebated stuff) at Best Buy, the prices on Newegg with shipping usually beat out BBY with my employee discount!

Thanks. I'll check them out.

Here you go. I think the site's down at the moment. I'd also watch out for the latest version. I've heard reports it's a leaked beta, and a final version is soon be released.


canon 300d tips and tricks

The reason I don't want lithium is that they are not rechargable.

Why? Most DC's use rechargable NiHM batteries. You have two sets of rechargable NiHM's, when one goes dead you recharge them and put a fresh set in the camera. Rechargable batteries are good for about five years.

Disregard

Primary Lithium cells do exist. They are not the rechargeable Lithium Ion cells used in cameras, laptops etc. Ape is probably confusing the two...

So the lithium batteries in these digital SLR's are rechargable? If they last for a year or so and are not rechargable I guess it's no big deal either.

Yes, the Lithium Ion batteries used by dSLR's are rechargeable. They're generally good for upwards of 300 shots on a charge. All round *much* better than NimH AA cells.

Ah, yes, I was confused then. If they are rechargable then bring them on!

Uh, I think you are confused. Li-Ion are rechargable. Few digital cameras only accept the Lithium Non-rechargable. I don't know of a major maker of cameras that require the Non-Rechargable ones.

The ones in the Cameras are rechargable, but you have to replace them every 12-16 months in general. They run in cost from 40 to 60 dollars retail.

They last for about 300 shots or so (1.5 hours of on time) per a charge.....

Agreed.