I am looking at investing in a Digital SLR Camera. What have you guys used and what do you recommend. It will be used for amateur photos of all the car shows and gatherings I go to, but I am pretty serious about taking great photos. Easy to use is a plus.
JMHO Canon 20D or rebel XT are about the best bang for the buck when it comes to digi SLR's. I have had a 20D for a little over a year....I love it!! I'd love a higher end body, but the 20D has not limited me in any way. You can check out some photos at milspecphoto.com
i have only used film cameras.. 35mm to med format.. i think the girl from OSR has a sony sure shot.. ask her.. dan
My wife recently got a Rebel XT and the pictures seem to be pretty nice.....she said she likes it but is thinking of getting a zoom lense for it, a guy at work just bought the same thing 2 days ago and found Amazon.com to be the cheapest price.
Here are two websites where you can read all about the camera(s) you are interested in. http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html http://www.dpreview.com/ The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT is an excellent camera as is the Canon 20D. Nikon also makes a great dSLR. A lot depends on your budget, not only for the camera, but for lenses, memory cards, filters, flash, etc. Be careful where you buy if you buy online. Some of the least expensive sites are either high pressure sales for add-ons or outright scams. Here is a website that has threads about that kind of thing: http://www.dgrin.com/ There is also a website for professional automotive photographers at: http://www.automotivephoto.com/bulletin/ but most of their work is of high end imports. However, I have learned a lot about shooting cars in general from that site.
Yesterday I got my digital camera, as I´ve used Nikon the last 10 years, the choice I made was the D70s. But if had more money I would have chosen the new Nikon D200...
I also suggest the DPReview site mentioned above. I go there for info and help. I've got a Canon D-30 -- it's about 5 years old, replaced but the D60, 10D and the 20D but took great pix (it's at the factory now -- decided not to cooperate ) I would look at the Canon "Pro1" if you want to get into photography and aren't sure what you want yet. It a "high cl***" point and shoot (PS) camera -- big sensor and an EXCELLENT zoom lens. You can't change lenses like dslr (digital single lens reflex) but the lens that comes on it should cover 90% of your shots. It's a good starter camera, simple but high quality and very flexible. You won't soon outgrow it.
Buy the best you can afford. If you have a film camera with interchangeable automatic lenses they may work on the digital of the same manufacture. The Canon digital SLRs are great, but then I had a whole set of lenses form the film version. Im sure Nikon and all the others are just as good. If you are just going to be posting the pictures or using email to share them, or just flat cant afford one of the big guns get one of the point-and-shoot cameras with the best resolution and the best optical zoom you can afford. I use a 3 meg Olympus for the shots that I post. One thing to remember; shoot the picture at the best resolution the camera has and save that image. You can then make a copy and do what you want, resize, color correct etc. That way you always have the original to fall back on. Mike
This is from one of the threads on the automotivephoto site. Not the H.A.M.B., but worth looking at. http://www.pirellical.com/thecal/calendar.html
My friend just got a D50 and loves it. Optics are great (ofcourse - its a Nikon), and pixeliztion factor/spectrum spread is excellent. Nikon's are durable too. I'm not big on Digi-photo but as a photographer I always believed in Nikon. Worth the money. And what I see from the digital realm, I stand by that as well.
That is the first area I checked out... the Model forum... and the first post I looked at. Great minds...
I am not a magazine guy but I will try to help. Ihave the Cannon EOS Rebel. Mine is the 6.3 pixel version. My only complaint is that it is not the 8 pixel one. It is very easy to use. just make sure you get a 1 gig card minimum. Also shop around a bit. I got mine on e bay with 2 lenses and a bunch of extras from a place called Cord Camere. They are a place from where I am from and have bought from them many times in the past.
I own a Canon Digital Rebel and sometimes use a 20D in the studio. I think the Rebel is perfect for the kind of stuff you're doing - I certainly took a lot of great shots at some events this year, just pointing and shooting with it on full-auto. The Rebel (also known as 300D, but I think that's the official European designation...should be the same thing) can be had with a decent 18-55mm lens right now for $600. All AF/EF Canon-mount lenses work, I've used Canon, Tamron cheapos, and a bunch of other stufff with mine. The Rebel XT is too small for my hands. Plus, I don't think it's necessary to spend the extra few hundred bucks for 2MP of resolution. These aren't pro prints or magazine spreads you're looking to shoot - I print from my Rebel at 8x10 all the time, with a Canon Pixma ip6000D or something, and it's great. If you want total SLR control, the party starts with the 20D. It's a full-on pro SLR that just happens to be digital. The XT is a good camera, but it's uncomfortable (for me) and you probably won't need the stuff that makes it more expensive than the original Rebel. I can send samples of Digital-Rebel-hot-rod-photography from the Louisville Nats if you want to PM an email address...I can't post them here, they're over 2MB each.
A buddy of mine just upgraded to a cannon 20d..He is selling a complete cannon rebel dslr just like it came from the factory..all software and the lense and body..He has only shot 1200 pics with it...he wants 600.00..Pm me if intersted and I can give you his contact info..EVILT
Just make sure you got to the camera shop and try them out and get all touchy-feely with all the ones in your budget. (even if you don't buy it a that store.) If you have big hands you will probably find the Canon XT hard to use. I really dig the Nikon D50 we got here at work this summer, and it fit my hand way better than the Canon Digital Rebel XT. Plus, the Nikon felt like it was built more solid (the plastic kinda squeaked on the Canons I tried.). I'll also add that you should get a high-speed memory card for it if you ever plan to use the "continuous" mode (sometimes called "burst" or "motor drive"--- where you hold down the ****on to take several shots in rapid succession... like sports photos or kids in motion.) I also tested an Olympus E-300 and was very impressed with it. Can't remember why I p***ed on it for the Nikon, but it was right in there as a decent choice.
One other tip, I recommend you purchase by mail order through B&H Photo in NYC. They deal with a lot of pros, and in addition to excellent prices and service, there's no sales tax.
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