its on now

[ricerdude69]

Christmas come early, let the fun begin....

[jeffreyd]

is this better than the nikon? i would like to get a camera like this but have never known which one to go with. Enjoy

[Steve Foss]

Holy Kris Kringle, ricerdude!

Great early present.

Jeffrey, there's little different about performance and image quality between the equivalent Nikon, Canon and Sony bodies. Sure, there are some differences, and people who have a strong preference sometimes will argue til the cows come home about which is "best," but it's basically a moot point because it generally boils down mostly to personal preference and some degree of brand loyalty.

Best thing is to go to a store (ignore what the clerk says) and try each one out to see which feels best in your hands and has controls where you like them. When you have that figured out, buy the one that feels the best to you.

While, when I switched from film to digital five years ago, I limited my choice to Nikon or Canon because of the large available lens lineups and longstanding tradition of excellent in both those brands, I tried out each equivalent body to see which worked best for me. I ended up going with Canon because those bodies felt best in my hands and the controls were more intuitive and easier to use for my approach than the Nikon controls.

In retrospect, it's been a happy choice also because Canon has a larger lineup of excellent lenses to choose from than any other manufacturer, and they tend to be priced significantly lower than Nikon.

That being said, like I said, trot each one around the corral a few times and see which suits your fancy.

[jeffreyd]

thanks for the info, i know i can look around at prices but can a guy get into a camera like yours for under a grand? The biggest thing i think other than getting the feel like you discussed is knowing what truly fair price is. i appreciate you explaining it for me. this is why i keep coming back to the forum, ask a question and get a true and great answer. maybe someday i can get back to mn and actually do some more fishing. i thank you and look forward to seeing your pictures. jeff

[Steve Foss]

thanks for the info, i know i can look around at prices but can a guy get into a camera like yours for under a grand? The biggest thing i think other than getting the feel like you discussed is knowing what truly fair price is. i appreciate you explaining it for me. this is why i keep coming back to the forum, ask a question and get a true and great answer. maybe someday i can get back to mn and actually do some more fishing. i thank you and look forward to seeing your pictures. jeff

Jeff, the bodies I make my living with now (Canon 1D Mk2 and Canon 30D/with battery grip) are easily had for $1,000 or less. The 1D2 typically goes for $1,000 or a bit less in good shape used, and you can get a 30D without a grip for $350 or so.

My bodies are three or four year old technology, and I continue to make prints off them 20x30 and sometimes larger, depending on subject, with great results. I've never had a single client worry that my bodies were not the latest greatest thing since sliced bread. They care that the images are wonderful and of high quality, and that's about it.

It's the lenses that really cost you. But if you opt for a lightly used 30D, for example, you've got a good chunk of money available up to your $1,000 ceiling for a couple good lenses.

[JollyT]

Yeah, all my film equipment was Nikon or Mamiya, but if I was buying a new DSLR today it would likely be Cannon. As all other things are pretty much equal, lens prices seem better on Cannons. But if you don't like the feel of them, buy something else.

[Paul]

have fun. Cant wait to see some work.

[Jim Almquist]

Looks like you are going to have some fun now Be sure to post some shots soon.

Jeffreyd The 1DMK11 that Steve is talking about originally had a sticker of $6400.00 and sold for around $4500.00 and like he said the can be found for $900.00 to $1400.00 depending on the condition and the number of shots. Bodies lose value but good glass is never cheap.

[jeffreyd]

i found several "starter kit" at a big box membership type store online. they are around 699.00 come with the body and 2 lens. The do have others that can "Cost co" be seen online too. i will do some research. how is pentex for a camera? i know their optics are pretty good. Thanks for the advise guys. jeff

[Steve Foss]

Jeff, I don't have any experience at all with Pentax DSLR bodies. Like half the world, I used an old Pentax manual 35mm film camera when I was first learning about photography in the '70s, but that was a long time ago.

[ricerdude69]

There were a few reasons I went with sony, one being that my girlfriend has an alpha and we can share lenses this way. I also liked the price, I got the kit pictured above for $499.00 plus no tax on amazon. And the unique live view system on the sony's as well as image stabiliztion built in to every camera help were other large factors. And being able to yous minolta legacy lenses is a plus, lots of reasonably priced used glass out there.

[Dbl]

Quote:

i found several "starter kit" at a big box membership type store online. they are around 699.00 come with the body and 2 lens. The do have others that can "Cost co" be seen online too. i will do some research. how is pentex for a camera? i know their optics are pretty good. Thanks for the advise guys. jeff

I was a Pentax shooter for 25 years and when I switched to digital also went with Pentax, the *ist D. One of the great advantages of Pentax is all lenses no matter how old will work on the new bodies. In camera stabilization gives you a stabilization system in ALL of those lenses. I haven't kept up with what they have done the last few years but they consistently get very good reviews on the new bodies. View finders that are bright and large, easy menu system to navigate are just a couple of other great features.

If it wasn't for my need for lenses that are geared toward sports I would still be using Pentax today. All in all just another great choice to consider. I would have no problems highly recommending a Pentax.

[jeffreyd]

thanks for the info. there is so much info out there, but actually talking with folks that have equipment and use it is great. my uncle who lived in Edina was an amateur photographer. However he used the old b/w film but was noted as one of the best in his time. He was an architect there. I wish i had some of his stuff heck just his knowledge however he passed several years ago. Oh well. I guess i could break out the old kodak 110 flip up viewer. thanks again folks, you are great. jeff

[panthrcat]

woohoo!! gotta love them early Christmas gifts!! you lucky duck!!!

[ricerdude69]

yes I do, i'm loving it

[jeffreyd]

Hello all, couple questions. I have decided on the sony a330l package that comes with the 18-55, 75-300, and extra battery. With this in mind, does one need to use filters with these cameras? Being novice at best, i want to work on getting the best pictures i can. any input is greatly appreciated.

[Jim Almquist]

Hello all, couple questions. I have decided on the sony a330l package that comes with the 18-55, 75-300, and extra battery. With this in mind, does one need to use filters with these cameras? Being novice at best, i want to work on getting the best pictures i can. any input is greatly appreciated.

Some people will use a UV filter for protection but you really don't need to do that if you are careful and the other filter that might come in handy is a polarizing filter but for most of your shooting you will not need any filter to take excellent shots. A tripod or monopod would be a better investment for the money.

[jeffreyd]

i have two tripods, one short one tall. i use my spotting scope on them. thanks for the info, now if christmas could come today that would be great. i would have liked to try it out on the meteor shower tonight as we are not suppose to have a moon.

[jeffreyd]

Well wanted to let you all know that I got it today. So after charging the battery and doing firmware update, i played around a tad with it. I picked up a new Sony a330 l with the Sony 18-55 lens, a Sony 75-300, extra battery and two filters for 759.00 . i will try it out a bit more tomorrow and try my hand at some action shots of my son wrestling. Thanks for all the advise now will come the techie questions. Jeff