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CANON v NIKON


Janet

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I will still need to budget for a good macro lens as that is a subject that really interests me.

I am no photographer but I like to try!

 

About 4 years ago just prior to a trip to New Zealand I treated myself to a Canon Eos 350D. Overnight my old extension tubes and macro lenses that I used to use on my film SLR's were rendered obsolete. This is taken with the standard Canon EFS 18-55 zoom lens suplied with the camera. The drill bit is 1.2mm. Not on full zoom but on macro setting!

 

Drillingspokeholesinhub.jpg The only touching up that I did was to crop and zoom in Photoshop Elements.

 

Personally I like the camera a lot and I could get an adaptor (less than £20) to enable me to use my Tamron 500mm mirror lens.

 

If I needed another DSLR, based on my experiences with the 350D I would get another Canon!

Eating wild caught fish is good for my health, reduces food miles and keeps me fit trying to catch them........it's my choice to do it, not yours to stop me!

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I think I'm going into overload with all this information!!! Thank goodness that camera review site isn't blocked by the firewall at work! Many thanks to Ayjay for pointing out the side-by-side comparision thingie....that's been invaluable today!

 

I've checked out several of your suggestions, and have narrowed it down to the Nikon D60, Samsung G10 and the Olympus E420/520, with the Canon EOS 1000D making a sneaky run for it on the inside rail....!!! :P I've managed to look and handle all of them except the Samsung, which isn't due back in stock until later this week. I feel particularly comfortable with the Olympus....purely instinct!

 

Prices range from £429.99 up to a whopping £699.00!

 

I'm limited my choices slightly - I want a kit with two lenses (seems to be mostly 18-55 & 55-200 or similar with most of the packages, which should cover most of my needs), camera bag and media card at the very least. I don't want to get hit with sudden extras! Alll seem to offer the option for remote shutter release and an off-camera flash, which is something I'll look to purchase in the future, but I've decided isn't really essential to start with. After seeing the cost of some of these cameras, I've had to slightly refine my requirements! What I want and what I can actually have are two slightly different things!

 

One of them (I think it was the Olympus?) had the option of a nifty wireless shutter release for just under £20, which I quite liked. I can afford small extras like this as I go along, but extra lenses will take some saving up for and it seems to be far cheaper to buy them bundled with a starter kit.

 

I'm afraid I have my blonde head on at the moment, but a question has just occurred to me....what about batteries and charging? I've seen that some of them come bundled with a spare battery but how do you charge them? Is it a matter of plugging the camera in, or do I need to buy a charger? My current camera uses two AA 2500mAh batteries which I charge using an external charger, and I keep a couple of spares charged also. I took over 200 photographs and several videos the other day, all with the same two batteries, and my camera is still showing on full charge! Is battery usage something I ought to consider?

 

I apologise if I'm asking particularly dim questions, but this is going to be a significant outlay for me, so I really would like to get it (almost....) right first time!

 

Janet

 

PS.....SW, I preferred the second photo....

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I think I'm going into overload with all this information!!!

 

Take your time, cameras won't suddenly disappear from the shops. :D

 

One of them (I think it was the Olympus?) had the option of a nifty wireless shutter release for just under £20, which I quite liked. I can afford small extras like this as I go along, but extra lenses will take some saving up for and it seems to be far cheaper to buy them bundled with a starter kit.

 

You should be able to pick up a wireless remote for most cameras, I have one for my Canon350, under £20 from Ebay with a range of about 30 yards. You should be able to check the specs for that on DPreview or the appropriate manufacturers website if in doubt.

 

I'm afraid I have my blonde head on at the moment, but a question has just occurred to me....what about batteries and charging? I've seen that some of them come bundled with a spare battery but how do you charge them? Is it a matter of plugging the camera in, or do I need to buy a charger?

 

Any new camera should come with a battery charger.

One more (smallish) outlay will be almost certainly be a bigger memory card.

 

You may not want to go down the second hand route but there are some good bargains to be had, I'm not sure I'd recommend Ebay for that but the *for sale* section of *Birdforum* is very active and reliable, you may have to register to view it, not sure, and you will need to be patient while the right one comes up.

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At this lever Janet, cameras come with rechargeable nicad type batteries and a separate charger. I have two batteries for mine, on eBay I paid about a fiver + PP, take care, they are posted cheap and hit you with PP! If they do that dont buy, trying to pull a fast one. I went for an American company, fair price and a reasonable PP.

 

As far as SD Cards are concerned I've bought from eBay and Amazon, buy a reputable brand, personally mine are 'SanDisk Extreme III' HC (Hi Capacity) 4gb. I also have a couple of the 'Extreme III 2gb' these are 'standard capacity' but 'hi speed' what ever that may mean . . . The 2gb card holds 264 pictures in 'fine/JPEG' mode, the 4gb card is 540 images, thats on my D80, choose 'normal/JPEG' and the figures almost double! Both disks are fast download, thats the main point, fast down load, cheap cards can be slooooow by comparison. There is a table that gives the times but I have no idea where it was??? my memory for such trivia is non existent . . . sorry.

 

SW

 

PS, Janet, its not my money, but I would carfully read again the Olympus (for both models) Conclusions page on 'DCR site', especialy the 'Cons' in the 'Pros and Cons' section . . . its your choice . . . ?

 

Bit more to look at:

 

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Digita...amp;view=videos

 

On here, D60 and both Olympus models, + Pentax if you use the Quick Serch

 

Here you go Janet, read this thread, tells you about 'class type and transfer speeds' on SD cards:

 

http://www.ephotozine.com/topic/t-73951

Edited by Sutton Warrior
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At this level Janet, cameras come with rechargeable nicad type batteries and a separate charger.

 

Well that's a relief! However, I didn't realise this, looking at the specs. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere. I think they expect anyone buying a decent camera to have a clue, which I clearly don't! I will check with the shop tomorrow that this is included in their package...not that I don't trust them, but you can't be too careful! I don't want any more extras eating up my funds!

 

Cards, batteries, chargers, filters and other bits and bobs I am more than happy to buy from external sources...it's only the basic kit that I prefer to buy from a local retailer...not having a clue what I'm letting myself in for, I want the reassurance of a local shop where I can pop in for advice when necessary...I'm sure it will be needed! I know I could save a considerable amount by buying on t'Interweb, but then I'm left with the cost of postage, hassle and all the rest should anything go wrong....I'd rather pay slightly over the odds for a bit of personal service from somewhere local. I much prefer to dump duff goods on the counter and scream than have to send it by registered post and wait for a reply....!

 

Take your time, cameras won't suddenly disappear from the shops.

 

Probably the best bit of advice I've had so far, and one that I will take!

 

I have a lot to think about...I will only have this opportunity once, and I don't want to make a mistake.

 

I only have this money available because of a long overdue insurance policy that my mother took out. She died 18 years ago, but this policy has only just come to light. Thay have spent several years trying to track relatives down, but it was only by a chance read of the small ads in my local weekly paper that this was spotted...

 

I am determined that I will use this money to have fun, as she would have wanted...some is allocated to a camera to support my new hobby...the rest will go to upgrade our boat!

 

Janet

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Thanks for taking the time to find that SW! You guys really have been incredibly helpful with all your suggestions! It certainly made interesting reading, and the comments from users (and some photo's as examples) were very informative.

 

I don't want to rush into this, but the more I read, the more I feel that the Olympus E520 will be just the camera for me. I liked it instantly when I played around with it - it felt good. Not a very constructive comment, I know, but if I'm going to be using it, I want one that I'm comfortable with. It felt better in my hand than any of the others that I looked at. I was SO tempted to buy it there and then!

 

The Samsung should be in the shop tomorrow, so I'm going round at lunchtime to check it out. However, I think I may have already made my choice.... :rolleyes:

 

I'm still very much a newcomer to all this, and all the cameras that have been recommended are excellent in their own ways. I would love to have a Canon or a Nikon, but I really must try to stick somewhere close to my budget!

 

Thanks again to everyone, and I'll let you know how I get on!

 

Janet

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Just checked Sigma lenses, they dont do the Olympus fit? So, will you be stuck on lens choice??? . . . you may not need any thing other than a Macro? Just a thought? is the Olympus macro any good?

 

SW

 

Takes old lenses with an adaptor, so it could be 'the used window' or eBay?

 

They do according to a quick search on google. It appears that depending on camera model you will have a more limited choice of for example Sigma lenses (ergo likely to = more pricey).

 

Nothing wrong however with the olympus lenses themselves, just pricier than the 3rd party equivalents. (from my experiences with the older non-digital SLR's).

 

Rob.

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Somewhere inbetween the two would be my preference, the first is a little soft, the second, as Rob says a little too "contrasty"...in my book...oversharpened.

 

Compare the two side by side, zoomed in and you'll notice the thin black and white lines that sharpening leaves on a photo...this is what gives it that edge that Rob mentions and why I think its overdone slightly. Of course, this is my own personal taste and why I seldom use sharpening. As a generalisation I'll employ other processing techniques as opposed to standard sharpening, if the photo gets that far in the first place because if its not sharp OOC..I generally ignore it anyway unless there is no chance of a second go at the photo some other time in which case I will full process it.

 

Steve...:)

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. - Ansel Adams

 

Focal Planet

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