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Skipjack Joe
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comparing film to digital
| Quote: | Originally posted by Roberto
A great source of common-sense info site about cameras is Ken Rockwell
[Edited on 5-29-2007 by Roberto] |
From the Ken Rockwell site:
"I find that it takes about 25 megapixels to simulate 35mm film."
He further refers you to Arizona Highways, which will not accept digital file submissions for its magazine. It makes this interesting recommendation:
"If you’re planning to switch to a digital camera soon, don’t give up on film just yet. Remember always to back up your digital photographs on film.
Even if you have already made the move to digital, consider that today’s best cameras record digital files at a little more than 11 megapixels. But
what if, in the near future, the standard moves up to 20 megapixels or higher? If you have backup on film, you can scan your images at a higher
resolution. But will your old 11-megapixel files be convertible? We don’t know for sure."
I was happy to find this information as I'm not entirely sold on digital cameras yet. Nothing beats an image from some coffee shop book made from a
4X5 negative. They're immediately recognizable because they stand head and shoulders above anything else.
My research has shown that each camera manufacturer uses their own processor to record the real world and these seem to be significantly different.
Unlike film, which could be changed from shooting to shooting, your chosen camera has that built into it. I find that the canon colors more closely
match the real world and nikon slightly saturates them. I think the above images show that. The saturation is quite pleasing but look slightly
artificial to me (in a good way). I have found these differences to be more important than the features a camera has.
I would recommend the following, Pompano. Fry's lets you purchase any camera with a full refund if returned in 2 weeks. Compare several cameras that
interest you using this policy. I did. There may be other ways to actually use cameras without buying one. I don't know. I was surprised to find out
how much I disagreed with the recommendations of experts.
P.S the coolpix was/is a great little camera. I loved it's color balance.
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Bob and Susan
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pomp
film is OUT...period
megapixels are everything
software does the rest
size is the most important...as always
the smallest cameras that fit in you pocket even make movies (.MOV files)
BIG is "old school"
point and shoot...
and the ability to adjust to different enviorments or moods
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The Gull
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
The selection criteria is getting narrowed down to these notes:
First, I prefer a digital SLR type, rather than another point and shoot.
Second, after thinking about what I mainly use my camera for, I am compiling a 'needful' list of features that my camera could/should have. My
thinking is running along these lines:
Exposure modes.....Auto v.s. manual focus?
Focusing.....again, Auto or Manual.
Metering light....general or selective (like in the centered image ones)..how important?
Power supply....AAA or it's own lithium rechargeable?
Lenses and accessories...probably the most important feature list of all. No cheap lenses! You get what you pay for. But what
other systems accessories and integrations with the existing systems and equipment should one look for?
Lastly, I am thinking I am not too old to learn a few new tricks...and I am certainly not young enough to know everything...so I think I might like
attending some good lectures or workshops. For everything from basic photography to digital, black & white, landscape,
freelance, and so on. Anybody do this?
A little learning goes a long ways. In my case, being dumber than a box of rocks..(my wife's worn-out expression) it all helps.
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a) Get both
b) Get both
c) All of them have some degree of "averaging" it is just how. XT has lots of points for the average.
d) For our green freaks on the site, recharge.
BizRate, Shopzilla and PriceGrabber websites do a fantastic job of comparison shopping. I found some great prices and actually bought from some New
York and New England dealers. Warning, some of the Rebels are knock-offs - bad. Try Abe's in New England - honest sellers.
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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The Gull
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Hey Cardon
For the group in the trees and the woman saluting (great one) were you on AP with manual focus? Or full auto?
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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Cypress
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Pompano. Have owned only one, a Kodak DX3700 and it has been pretty much useless, after 3 or 4 pictures the batteries would need recharging. My
daughter recommends Pentax, uses 'em at work putting together virtual tours for real estate ads. Not sure about the model #.
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Ken Bondy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
Ken...On the Nikon D80, I like the 2 1/2 inch screen for my eyesight and quick reviews. The 18-70 lens kit looks to be a good one.
On becoming a lens junky, I suppose I will become an addict quickly, much like my tackle collection. A note: Nikon is the only major company I have
researched so far that keeps the same lens mount throughout it's SLR range. The electronics may not work on the older cameras, but the lenses will
still fit.
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Pompano
The 18-70 zoom came with the D70 when I bought it. I have found it to be an extremely useful lens, the range is just right.
I hardly ever take it off, only for bugs and flowers (I use their wireless closeup kit) and for telephoto stuff. You are right about the mount, I
like the new digital lenses (light, lots of electronic bells and whistles) but I have a closet full of Nikon lenses collected over the last 30 years
and they all work with the D70.
++Ken++
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tripledigitken
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Pompano,
Here are a few more sellers that I have bought lenses from and are very competitive, and offer good service.
Buydig and B&H. (It seems all the competitive sellers are on the east coast.)
By the way stay with USA waranteed equipment, not grey market or import. No warantee on the grey/import.
Also if you do decide on the Nikon DSLR I would be happy to share my experience with the lenses I have bought and the ones I use the most while in
Baja.
By the way you will find out that Nikon vs Canon is much like Ford vs Chevy or any other rivals. Both are very good systems, I just went with Nikon.
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Cardon
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| Quote: | Originally posted by The Gull
For the group in the trees and the woman saluting (great one) were you on AP with manual focus? Or full auto? |
Gull, I was switching between settings. To see what settings I used for any of the pics- go to my website and put your cursor over any picture and a
little box comes up that says "photo info". If you click that it gives you full exif info like exposure,aperture,shutter speed,flash,focal length etc.
very useful stuff. Also, there are two thumbs that show up, if you like a picture click the thumbs up, if you don't like it then click thumbs
down.
This man being interviewed was one of the speakers. As he was giving his talk he noticed this lady joining the crowd with her walker. He stopped his
talk and recognized her as a WWII veteran and gave her a salut and she returned the salut- a touching moment.
It was a great day.
We remembered the dead.
Flags were flown.
And hearts were touched.
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Bob and Susan
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since 1991 nikons are made in thailand...
the reason nikons were the best in the past was not for technology but for the lenses...
and you needed a microscope to see the differance
the mechanicals were actually crummy
"flashing" a nikon was ONLY for others...
it was like wearing a rolex...
and of course time is time
no professional uses film any longer...
only "artists"
"it's NOT the 70's any more"... that time has passed
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mtgoat666
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Digital rebel is a good camera, but going with an SLR means you'll soon be buying lots of (expensive) extra lenses, and also means you'll be getting a
bulky camera (can't fit in pocket).
The Canon G7 (<$600) is Canon's high-end point and shoot, and is a great camera that gives you almost as much creative control as an SLR, but is
pocketable. G7 is light years ahead of the Nikon Coolpix you had. G7 has live histogram, which none of the Canon SLRs have yet.
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Skipjack Joe
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This website could be helpful to you. The models that are reviewed have a 'SAMPLES' dropdown menu which allow you to examine and compare images made
by one versus another. Note the difference in color rendition between canon and nikon images. Nikon colors have a bit more 'punch' to them. I think I
like them a bit more for landscapes.
http://www.dpreview.com/
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BigWooo
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Pompano,
One more thing to look at for comparison: Pentax K10D (although a good deal on a Nikon would be tough to pass up). I just spent weeks talking to
camera owners and researching digital SLR's. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide on Nikon or Pentax, I bought the Pentax K10D. I liked
the added features along with the way the camera controls were laid out. Might just want to give it a look before you make a final decision. So far
I'm really impressed with it.
I also used the above website, really helpful.
[Edited on 5-29-2007 by BigWooo]
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tripledigitken
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
since 1991 nikons are made in thailand...
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I have new Nikon Digital Lenses made in Thailand, China and Japan. The one made in Japan is the most expensive.
Ken
[Edited on 5-29-2007 by tripledigitken]
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Bob H
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I just purchased the Nikon D40 and it should arrive this week. I based my decision after much research and the comments by Ken Rockwell here
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm
Purchased the camera with three lens kit on Ebay for $698.00
Includes:
Nikon D40 SLR
Nikon 18-55mm Lens
Nikon 70-300mm Lens
High Resolution Wide Angle Lens
1GB Secure Digital Card
3 piece Filter Set
All aluminum hard case
Medium Soft Case
3 piece cleaning kit with screen protectors
52" Vidpro TT-250 tripod
Hi Speed USB Card Reader/Writer
Can't wait for this to get here.
Bob H
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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turtleandtoad
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A word on battery life. This is often overlooked when shopping for a camera, and when a battery life is given it's almost always given for the lowest
picture quality settings.
Your best bet on battery life is to ask an owner!
For example, with my Canon Digital EOS Rebel set for the highest quality, and using a gyro-stabilized lens or a flash, I can usually fill up two 512
mb memory cards (about 250+ shots) and still have a little power left on the battery pack. The Canon uses it's own unique (and somewhat pricy) battery
pack and I always carry a charged spare.
On the subject of lenses, I totally agree. Some of mine cost twice the cost of the camera!
Oh, and the AE-1 lenses (which I also have a bag full of) are NOT interchangable with the Rebel. It's a totally different mount. And there isn't any
"adaptor" out there that will make them fit. That is just a rumor that's been floating around ever since the Rebel came out.
Mike & Robin; Full-Time RV\'ers
37\' Georgetown w/3 slides & 275 Watts of Solar Power
06 Taco TRD
www.turtleandtoad.com
I am here
To paraphrase Frank Lloyd Wright; I\'m all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let\'s start with keyboards. --
Mike Dean |
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Ken Bondy
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Bob and Susan your comments are difficult for me to understand. But I have often been accused of being slow. I have embedded some comments [in
brackets]:
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
since 1991 nikons are made in thailand...[is there something wrong with that?]
the reason nikons were the best in the past was not for technology but for the lenses...
and you needed a microscope to see the differance
the mechanicals were actually crummy [having owned Nikon F3, F5, Nikonos V, Nikonos RS, and Nikon D70 I emphatically disagree with that. What basis
do you have for that statement?]
"flashing" a nikon was ONLY for others...[sounds like you have some animus for Nikon products. Is there a reason for that?]
it was like wearing a rolex...
and of course time is time [is that a typo? if not, what does it mean and what relevance does it have to this discussion? Are you saying that all
watches read the same time with the same accuracy, and extrapolating that to "all cameras take the same quality pictures"? If so, that's quite a
leap.]
no professional uses film any longer...
only "artists" [artists are not professionals? puzzling comment. BTW I know several highly successful professional underwater photographers who still
use film exclusively. All generalities are, of course, false, including this one.]
"it's NOT the 70's any more"... that time has passed [also fail to see the relevance of this statement to the current discussion on digital cameras.]
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[Edited on 5-29-2007 by Ken Bondy]
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Cypress
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Pompano! I gave you some bad info. My daughter, the digital camera guru, said to go with a HP, 5 meg:px with a memory card. Not sure what all that
means , but it's worth knowing. Good Luck.
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Roberto
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| Quote: | Originally posted by soulpatch
Ken Rockwell certainly has a strong endorsement for the D40....... although the metering on the 200 seems to have him pretty excited. Sheesh, the more
I read the more confusing a decision will be. |
Once you are a certain level of quality, things start to get fuzzy. Megapixels are not what make good pictures. And,you can't take a good picture if
your camera isn't with you. That's the reason why a camera like the D40 makes so much sense - with it's light weight, small size and reduced price,
you are more likely to have it with you when that great picture arrives. The D80 is better (technically), but will non-pros take better pictures
because they have it? Doubtful.
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Cardon
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I think all cameras nowadays are good but I would probably limit my choices to Canon or Nikon for these reasons:
1. The 3rd party lense makers like Sigma,Tokina,Tamron make virtually all their lenses to work with Canon or Nikon but very few of their lenses will
fit the other brands like Pentax,Olympus, Fuji etc. The cameras may be good but the choices of lenses is limited.
2. If you are out in the field and forget how to make certain adjustments with your camera then chances are someone around will have a Canon/Nikon and
can help you get your camera set just right.
Since all cameras now take great pictures I think the best thing to do is go to a camera store and see which camera feels best in your hands.
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Paulina
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I have the Nikon D50, it fits in my hands perfectly. I'm not a digital savy pro, have no idea about most of what was said in this thread, and it seems
to work just fine for me. I liked it because it felt like my 35mm that I took too long to give up.
P<*)))><
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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