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Author Topic: Please Advise  (Read 11675 times)

situgrrl

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« Reply #40 on: March 30, 2009, 03:30:48 pm »

I think this has got off topic.  This was never meant to be a film v's digital argument and arguing in favour of a dead system is not fair on a beginner.  I don't doubt that foveron sensors have some compelling advantages under some circumstances - but with a proprietary mount and scant 3rd party supplies, it cannot be recommended as a system camera for someone in Feesh's position, even at $50 I would question the value of the investment.

Plekto

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« Reply #41 on: March 30, 2009, 04:01:23 pm »

Quote from: marcmccalmont
We should take this discussion off line it's too far off the original posters question but good transistors (like Boulder/ATC etc ) and good digital capture (like Phase/Nikon/Canon) *is* the best!

There are many technical reasons why tubes work slightly better for music in terms of absolute quality, which aren't really relevant here - see A/V forums instead(plus it's a bit of a holy war among many people).  But as I said, it's impractical for 90%+ of even high end home users to even contemplate such equipment in any case.  I have a good high-end transistor setup myself because I like to listen to music that's loud at times.  And I like the turn it on, wait a few seconds, and go aspect as well.  20-50WPC tube amps just don't work for rock, reggae, club, or other modern music.  Or home theater.   I don't listen to it all the time, but when I do, I want to feel it.    

As to the SD-14 being "dead", Sigma bought out Foveon entirely and have recently announced a future SD15 model.  So it's not - it's just not one of the major names.  And Sigma makes an enormous amount of decent glass as well.  Decent enough for a new person's use in any case.   Why the SD14 is so cheap is probably because the SD15 will be so much better.  But at $1500+, most likely, I'd go with the older model since it has the same sensor.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08092304sigma_sd15.asp
The smart money is on the SD14, IMO.    But only because it's so inexpensive for what it is.  I'd never spend $1500 on either of them, obviously.

I look at a first DSLR as a tool and not a long-term investment.  Use it, and then sell it when you are done for hopefully only a couple of hundred dollars less than you have into it.  Cheap as possible is a good rule. If you can find a good 8-10MP camera for $350 new, sure - consider that as well.  The best I've seen that's close to that price is the Rebel XS, which is about $400.  It also would be a good choice, IMO.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2009, 08:24:16 pm by Plekto »
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MR.FEESH

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« Reply #42 on: March 30, 2009, 04:56:08 pm »



just in general...


I think I've managed to make some choices on my own, using all of your help of course.


Although I'm not sure saying what I've decided would do any good.  Probably just spawn more posts that confuse me ahha.

Thanks to all!!!

Elby
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marcmccalmont

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« Reply #43 on: March 30, 2009, 06:27:30 pm »

Please consider the D90 I have owned the D80 and it is OK not great. the D90 has a better sensor, dust reduction and live view all worth the extra $$ the VR in the 18-105mm is worth the extra $$ also
Marc
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Marc McCalmont

tetsuo77

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« Reply #44 on: April 03, 2009, 04:39:19 am »

Well, some thoughts about dSLR´s I think they are worth mentioning:

1-You´ll most probably have to upgrade your computing set up. In my experience, nobody has talked about this, but it is a very important factor. You won´t be taking jpeg´s any longer [else there isn´t THAT much sense in buying a dSLR for shooting jpeg´s as you´ll loose quite some editing power]. File sizes will increase dramatically from your point and shoot if you choose to shoot RAW. Handling them -not just storing them- can be a little bit of a nightmare.

2-Starting to understand a dSLR vs. a P&Shoot.
The speed factor is very important [as a behavioural aspect]. A DSLR has a very different speed of use compared to other cameras, as you won´t use live-view as much -or shouldn´t, depending on what you´ll be shooting-. Meaning that your own ergonomics are very important in that subject. How the camera handles, if the lens is easy to change -regardless it is a zoom or a prime-,

3-The lenses.
You are on a tight budget [though, 1100us $ for a get-go system is not exactly cheap or low. 500 US $ will be a "tight" budget, and still buy you a 10mp dSLR]. As for that, you will want to go for legacy lenses as much as you want [were they zooms or primes]. For that, there are only two brands that stand out:
Sony and Pentax. Sony still has the possibility of using Minolta lenses [or KM lenses], with both metering, aperture and autofocusing capabilities. An A700 could be a very good deal to start with, as prices will have come down -and it is a very good camera-.

As for Pentax, their bodies can take up to M42 lenses [those via an adapter], but still will give focus confirmation on them and have an easy metering with the green mode and button. And there are gazillions of old lenses [the range is the A, A*, A Special, F, F*, FA, FA*, FA Limited] that will allow the camera to do the metering with no problems, plus all the weird and cheap lenses with the K mount [adopted mainly by french and russian companies]. That alone will allow you to experiment with primes that, otherwise, are extremely expensive [such as the Helios 44 85 1.4, or the Jupiter 9 series, or the Petri and Chinon series].

In my opinion, the very best advice has been given: go to the store and try the systems. But bring along a card of yours, and review the results YOURSELF at home.




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MatthewCromer

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« Reply #45 on: April 17, 2009, 09:05:31 pm »

Frankly I think the Sony system has it all over CaNikon.

Every lens stabilized, including the 50/1.4, etc.

For someone who likes landscapes on a tight budget, an Alpha 350 with a couple of good used Minolta lenses is tough to beat!
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DarkPenguin

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« Reply #46 on: April 17, 2009, 11:52:01 pm »

Bleagh.  Hard to believe the same company made the A700.
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MatthewCromer

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« Reply #47 on: April 18, 2009, 01:35:21 pm »

Quote from: DarkPenguin
Bleagh.  Hard to believe the same company made the A700.

Penguin, what exactly do you have against the 350?  Sure, it's no high-ISO wizard, but at low ISO values the images are quite spectacular, sharp, detailed, with exquisite tonality.  I picked up one for $500 at Circuit City before they closed. . .
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DarkPenguin

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« Reply #48 on: April 18, 2009, 04:30:05 pm »

Quote from: MatthewCromer
Penguin, what exactly do you have against the 350?  Sure, it's no high-ISO wizard, but at low ISO values the images are quite spectacular, sharp, detailed, with exquisite tonality.  I picked up one for $500 at Circuit City before they closed. . .
Probably the worst visceral reaction to picking up a camera I've ever had.  (I'm pretty sure any negative digital rebel reactions I would have had were made up for by the "Holy Crap!  A DSLR for how much!?!?")  The only other thing I remember about it was that the viewfinder was pretty crappy.
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