What Camera to buy?

Labster

Labster

New member
I'm currently in the market for a new camera because I can't stand taking sub par pics of my work. My customer portfolio would look alot more professional I feel if I had a higher end camera so my search is beginning. Right now I'm leaning towards getting a Canon Digital Rebel but the price is pretty steep but at the same time you get what you pay for. My question is, what type of camera do you all use?
 
I've found once you get around that $1,000 price tag they are all pretty good. Cannon seems to have the edge on lenses now but Nikon is always a good choice. I know most of the magazine guys at HotRod, Car Craft...the whole Primedia group mostly use the Cannon. I think it mostly gets into what features you like, the feel and personal ease of use. Right now I have 2 Cannon digitals, and S45 and S50 to go along with my film cameras Cannon EOS and a Mamiya 645. The S45 and S50 seem to do a great job for most applications and are cheaper than the larger bodied ones. Hope this helps.
 
i have an S45, and a Kodak DX4900. The Kodak takes a little better pic, but is extremely slow in advancing to be able to shoot each picture. The kodak seems to do a little more, and has an AWESOME 40X zoom. I heard that Pentax is the next big thing....
 
I love the Canon Powershot series. I got a G3 at work, then a G5 for myself. There's now a G6 (7 megapixel) that's awfully tempting.



The Powershot Pro1 (8 megapixel) is good if you have the $$ (about $1000), though for not much more you can get the Digital Rebel, which produces far cleaner images despite its lower pixel count (6.3 mp).



If you really want to drop some dough (~$1600 + at least $400 in accessories), the upcoming Canon EOS 20D has the new 8-mp version of the killer image sensor in the Digital Rebel. The quality in that one will likely equal or surpass film for all but relatively exotic uses.



Just a note, if your portfolio is presented primarily online, most quality cameras will do just fine; you certainly don't need to spend more than $350. Canon & Nikon are the best and Sony is trying hard but not quite there yet. The other name brands are all second-tier, and the budget brands...well you get what you pay for.
 
The Kodak Easyshare line is excellent, pick the one that fits your budget, I sugges the 3.1 meg one as the base. It's the one I have and I've never been disappointed. I know folks with some of the others and they are all terrific.
 
There are some amazing cameras in the $1000 range as the others have mentioned.



I purchased the Canon G3 11 months ago. I love it.





Figure out what price range you want to be in and go from there...I found the review system @



Steve's to be very helpful and comprehensive.
 
It really all come down to what you want out of your camera. If you are just looking for a nice digital camera to show case you detailing accomplishments. You will be very happy with a nice point and shoot digital with 3-4 mega pixels.



If you want much more out of your camera like something you begin to seriously exploreing photography then you may consider stepping up to a digital SLR. You entry level options are either a Canon Digital Rebel or a Nikon D70. Ultimately between the two it comes down to which feels best in your hands. Everyone will have an opinion one way or another.



As previously noted Canon does have a reputation for superior lenses and this is true but NOT in their consumer lines. It is there Pro level lenses which are considered to be slightly above Nikon. I would imagine you will not be moving right up to their pro level lenses if you are purchasing a D Rebel. The guys buying pro level lenses are putting them on the likes of a Canon 10D.



As far as consumer level lenses Nikon has some awesome ones. Nikon also has believes in not making lenses obsolete like Canon. People are using 20 year old manual focus lenses on new bodies. Nikon is also slower to release new product which means once it is out it stays out with out being upgraded for quite some time (like the flagship Nikon F5). Canon tends to release products early and have to continually release updated revisions (like the entire Rebel line)



It all comes done to what do you want out of your camera, what are you willing to invest and which ones feels right to you.



Shawn
 
disasnguy said:
I have a canon a75. It works great and quite a few members can vouch for the canon a-series.
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I was just looking at reviews on the Canon A70-85 series and they do quite well. On eBay you can get yourself a nice little package deal with rechargeable batteries, tripod, software, case, memory, and of course the camera for between $300-$400.
 
I have the Digital Rebel for serious use, a Canon S500 for in my backpack briefcase, a Nikon CoolPix 5000, and an old Kodak.



The S500 is really cool because it's so small, and you can shoot video with it as well. The 300D (DigiRebel) is a great camera, but carrying it, a flash, a couple lenses and all means you don't carry it very often.



You don't need 5+MP or shooting cars to post on a site - a good 3 or 4 MP will suffice quite nicely.



I've had the 300D since first of the year, and now I want the new EOS20D - my wife hates me!



Just buy something, get a dxecent (256 or 512 MB) card for it, and shoot away - digipix are cool, because you never run out of film or pay for processing just to see what you shot.
 
I understand what everyone is saying. I would really like to get into photography and that is one of the reasons why I'm leaning towards getting the Digital Rebel. I'm also going to be printing out a fare number of my detailing pictures to add to my leather bound portfolio that I keep with me to show potential clients. I'm also looking into the Minolta A2 or A1. I have a few weeks before I'll be purchasing so I'm looking into all my options.



Thanks for the input so far.
 
DetailGirl did you look into the DSC T1? Similar I guess :p I read some reviews and the only bad points I found were the camera didn't have any customizations or addon's. More of a point and shoot camera thats compact with a high reso okay lens.
 
I just got a sony dsc-p93 I took back a nikon 3200 the nikon was great but i went for the 5.1 meg.I also have a sony p.c. with a stick reader.I talked to alot of people in the know about cameras they all said for the money the 93 cant be beat.
 
I would go for the Canon Digital Rebel or the Nikon D70 if you're just getting started. Point and shoots are adequate for a lot of things--I have a Canon Powershot G5 to compose shots for my Leica R8 35mm SLR--but I think you should get a digital SLR. You'll appreciate the artistic and creative options that you'll be able to get from having available a variety of lenses. Also, with many point and shoots, it is difficult to get a small depth of field--selective focus--on the G5 it's almost impossible.
 
SilvaBimma said:
DetailGirl did you look into the DSC T1? Similar I guess :p I read some reviews and the only bad points I found were the camera didn't have any customizations or addon's. More of a point and shoot camera thats compact with a high reso okay lens.
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Yes I did look into the T1 and the T11 which is only available out of Japan. I wanted a good camera that takes stunning clear pictures with a short shutter lag for action shots. I did not like the sliding door on the T1 and the update version the T11 has no sliding door. I liked that the W1 you could ad lenses and different filters to it. You can add a lens that they sell for under $150 that will make it 28x298 that is amazing for the little camera. The battery life is long and starts up and shuts down very fast. The only two complaints that I have well three are that it tends to be hard to take pictures in a lower light situation like indoors. The flash is a little weak; I plan to get the external flash that you can attach for inside pictures. The screen is also hard to use in the dark. We were taking pics on the 4th of July with my niece at the lake home and I had to use the view/range finder to see I couldn’t rely on the screen. The screen is amazing though its 2.5 inches and very crisp. If you want examples of pictures I have taken with it leave me an email that takes big files and I will send you some examples. That goes for anyone. If you don’t have an email that will take big files let me know I have a zillion Gmail invites and I will send you one.
 
If you're looking for higher end camera to fullfill your work needs, then you should look into what everyone else suggested -- Nikon D70, Canon 300D or Canon 10D. Out of these three, I say Canon 10D is probably the best, but it really depends on the result you're looking for. Canon and Nikon will give you different result. Though, I would suggest Canon result for work becuase I know they come out really pleasing. In fact, I know alot of Japanese Magazine photographer uses Canon camera, that's why Japanese magazine pictures look very pleasing.



Furthermore, I would highly recommend Canon 10D for that matter because 1. Most of the features are better than Canon 300D or D70 (IMO) 2. the price is dropping like mad because Canon 20D is releasing 3. Alot of amature/professional photographer uses/used Canon 10D, so if you have any questions, they should be easily resolve.



I'm currently waiting for my Canon 20D.....
 
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