Want to move on from compact camera and move into taking better pics, i have looked at SLR abd some high end compacts like the Fugi S9500.

Im not advance user but a quick learner, what type of camera should i go for and what models to people recommend.

I like to take good track action pics along with the normal stuff you take.

Where frog when you need her .

I have looked at

Fuji S9500
Nikon D70
Canon 350d
Olympus SLR

 

Cheers

 

i had a nikon D70S which is quite similar to the D70, you may also wish to include a nikon D50 because thats also a good start up SLR and quite cheap now new, cannot really comment on the nikon V canon debate. i was very pleased with the D70S, i would certainly advise going with slr rather than compacts if you want to get into serious photography, the compacts are ok if you want point and shoot stuff but you cannot buy a 10mm fisheye and stick it on, the best advice i can give is save enough in your budget to buy a good start up lens if its not included in the buying price, my D70S came as a kit which included nikkor 18-70mm ED AF which is a cracking little lens compared to the canon 20D kit lens. cheers nomad

 

Cheers Nomad,

 

craking site for reviews/comparrisons/and prices

http://www.dpreview.com/

check out the new Sony SLR

HLH

 

Hello

But it's HIM not her , she's mrsFrog !!!

Anyway, www.dpreview.com is a good place to look around indeed

Any one of the D50, D70, D70s, 350D, 5D, etc... DSLR's are fine, they all have their pros and cons, at the end of the day, it's down to individual preference.
The advantage you get with a DSLR is that you can change lenses, and therefore enhance what you can do with your camera over time, money is your only limit.
They all have a fully automatic program mode which will do everything for you like a compact, until you have learnt your way round the camera and basic photography skills.

Now, the problem with a DSLR is that there isn't one lens that does it all, so you end up with a few (generally two or more), and that means weight and bulk. Plus, you have to change the lens depending on what you are photographing (e.g. people in a group, cars far away, etc...).

One VERY good alternative, is something like the Fuji (check out Sony and Panasonic too), which is an all in one, single high quality lens, lots of megapixels, etc... without any of the bulk.
And to be honest, someone on this forum (forget who), has been taking pictures with a fuji, and they are just superb.

Best thing to do, is to pop into a shop, and have a play / try a few cameras to see which ones you feel comfortable with.
Their respective picture quality is all very subjective, they are ALL very good to all but a very trained eye

Also bear in mind the cost of additional memory, these cameras come with almost nothing, and a 6 or 10mp camera needs lots of memory

 

Remebered his username - danja - check his posts out and look at the pictures he's taken with his Fuji, you'll be impressed.

 

You would be best trying a few in a shop and seeing which you like the weighting and feel of best. I like Canons myself, but others prefer Nikon.

 

Personally, I don't like the 350D, feels too small in my hands, the Nikons are fine, and the minolta 7D, well, I am biased but I just love it

 

I am sure Danja has now upgraded to a better Canon iirc. I have a Canon EOS 20d with a battery grip to make it easier to hold and I love it. You can do the same with a 350d as well which will combat the problem Frog saw of it being too small. Once the batt grip is on it looks like a professional sized SLR.

I also agree that the SLR is only a small part of it and you need to look into lenses as well. I have a 2.8 70-200l which is stunning and I always try to use it if I can as the clarity of pictures is awesome. I have recently bought a 17-40l but its not a patch on the 70-200.

My friend just bought a canon compact which has a massive zoom (without protruding too much) and most of the capability of a larger SLR. When he does not want to carry his big camera he loves the small one.

Good luck mate, its all up to preference as they will all give good results

Graham

 

Fair comment

In this case, the lens is worth more than the camera Nice one, can't wait to get my hands on a 2.8 70-210 myself But Ł1300

 

In this case, the lens is worth more than the camera Nice one, can't wait to get my hands on a 2.8 70-210 myself But Ł1300 [/quote]



Thanks for reminding me, I try not to think of that.....lol

Now where the number of my shrink (the missus)??

Graham

 

Taz
That's the beauty of the SLR world though, that lens investment will be worth it in the long run, you can change bodies, and keep that lens. Bodies are consumables these days (almost ), lenses are not
At the end of the day, a great lens will make a poor camera stand out (within reason), the opposite isn't true

 

You are 100% correct mate. In fact the lense has now seen the reincarnation of three bodies. What speed of lense are you thinking of getting? I find the 2.8 is exemplary. I do think the professional one makes a huge difference. I have used a 300 2.8 once or twice and love it, however it suits the 1D better due to the larger amount of mega pixies....lol

Graham

 

Bear in mind that I have a minolta dSLR (7D), so the range of lenses will be different to what you are used to.
At the moment, the only "decent" lens I have is a 2.8 28-70 APO, I also have a 2.8-4 17-35 which is lovely, the one that's letting me down is a cheap 90-300, not really a great lens, but will do for now, it rarely comes out to be honest... you can see how much more "grainy" the pictures are with it

 

i think danja has now moved onto nikon, i would also suggest visiting some photosites to see what people are achieving with their lens/camera combo's, a high class photo site like www.photosig.com is a good place to start. heres a bike shot
http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view?id=1796126

cheers nomad

 

nomad,

No disrespect to anyone, but a good picture usually owes the photographer more than the equipment.

A good photographer will make any camera sing and dance, whereas a poor photographer will not get great pictures out of the best camera in the world if you see what I mean.

Looking at other people's photographs will not achieve anything, much better to find out how people get on with their cameras imo, not through their pictures, but their comments on useability, etc....

 

i have the 2.8 ed VR 70-200mm nikkor which is awesome (if a little bulky), the good thing about the minolta is that you dont need to buy the expensive VR lens because it already has the VR (anti shake) built into the camera. with hindsight i now save up for what i really want (within reason), i dont get a cheaper lens that i can make do with for now because thats money wasted i could have put towards the one i really want. its not everyones way of thinking but it works for me, cheers nomad

 

Here is one of mine before any Photoshopping etc. I was playing with the camera settings to see what I could get. I have only resized it so it fits at is hooooge.



Graham

ps thats with an EOS20d, 70-200l f2.8 standing in the crowd at Knockhill.

 

Nice

I've had a minolta SLR for 20 years, and wanted to be able to re-use my lenses, hence I decided to go for minolta. But I've bought new lenses since
Seriously though, the built in Anti Shake is very good and I really love the overall feel and handing of the 7D, most items are available directly off dials, rarely have to go into menus for anything

This is the sensible thing to do, however, the 90-300 I bought was cheap and while it's not brilliant, it serves its purpose, and there's a major difference between Ł150 and Ł1300... so I've always considered it to be a short to medium term loss rather than an investment.

 

by looking at others and trying to emulate has made me a lot better at taking photographs, most pictures have the camera/lens info inc shutter speed/F stop etc and you get to know how people achieved certain things by using slower speeds etc etc, when your inexperienced like me everything helps, i havent tried motorsport yet but i know what kind of lenses/composition would be useful when i do try it.cheers nomad

 

That makes a lot of sense, see what others are doing and learn from them, one of the things I love on photography forums, are the critique threads, brilliant for picking things up.