Pro Cam

[jennifer]

Hey there!

Well, after great services with my S3 IS, I wanna switch to a professional camera. I want to be able to play with zooms and lenses.

I would love the best of the best, but sadly, budget doesn't allow. I am in no rush to buy, I want to start looking around, see what's on the market.

Any ideas?

[Eagle]

jennifer,

It sounds like you've reached the same conclusions I did several years ago, and that's the reason you want to upgrade to a Camera with more flexibility and capabilities. I'm assuming "Pro Cam" refers to a dSLR

I've been using Canon photo gear for quite a number of years, so I'm somewhat biased towards their products. I originally started with a 350XT but have now upgraded to a 40D. While some of the other manufacturers (Sony, etc.) make good Cameras, I'd suggest focusing on either Canon or Nikon. The reason for that is that you'll be buying into a system which includes expensive Lenses, other accessories and also add-ons from third party manufacturers. Good Lenses will typically outlast a Camera body (and will in some cases be more expensive than a body).

To get your research started, begin by having a look at sites such as www.dpreview.com, www.steves-digicams.com, www.fredmiranda.com, www.dcresource.com/ or others. In addition to the technical reviews, I've found that reading the User Forums provides a huge amount of opinions on the "real world" experiences of users of each Camera. The formal reviewers only test a Camera for a limited period of time, while actual users test these for an extended period, and if any problems develop these will certainly show up.

I'm sure you'll also be visiting your local photo stores so that you can have some "hands on" with the various Cameras. That will give you a good indication of the "feel and weight" and going through some of the Menus will give you an idea of how intuitive these are for you. I'd suggest concentrating on stores that specialize in Photography and Cameras, as I'm sure they will have a greater degree of knowledge and experience on how the various Cameras work in real-life situations (as opposed to the "big box" stores that often have younger sales people who typically have somewhat limited training and expereince - one week they might be selling TV's, the next Cameras, etc.).

In my experience with specialized Camera stores, I've found that sales people are usually quite biased also, either towards Canon or Nikon. It's always a good-natured rivalry, but photographers always have very strong opinions on the subject and always feel "their brand" is the best! ;D

I can offer a few suggestions on some of the Canon models.

The Canon dSLR line is basically divided into three groups:

> The Rebel models: these are the entry level series (the current model is the Rebel XSi and less featured XS). They're a bit smaller and lighter than the others, but do a great job especially if used with good quality glass. They lack some of the features, settings and design of the more advanced models.

> The xxD models: These mid level models are intended for advanced amateurs or semi-pro photographers. They have much more robust construction with magnesium frames and shutters designed for 100K+ operations and are slightly bigger and heavier than the Rebel series. They also have brighter Pentaprism Viewfinders and more advanced focusing systems than the Rebel models. The newest model in this series is the 15.1 MP 50D, and while many who have that model are quite happy with it, there still seems to be a lot of debate on the Forums regarding the merits of the 50D vs. the slightly older 40D. Canon has said that the 50D is not a replacement for the 40D, but rather a "sister model".

At the "upper end" of the scale in this category is the newly-released 5D Mark II, which is a "full frame" dSLR (ie: the sensor is the same size as a frame of 35 mm film). As you can imagine, it's more at the high end of the price scale as well.

> The 1Dxx models: these are the truely professional Cameras (with prices to match!). They share some of the robust construction features of the xxD models (built like a Tank and fantastic weather sealing). I doubt you'll be looking too closely at these.

When you buy a dSLR, you'll have to give some thought on whether you want to buy the "kit" Lens that is often bundled with it, or buy just the Body and choose your own Lens. I'd suggest reading some Lens reviews so that you have some idea on the pros & cons of various models. You'll probably want a general purpose "walkabout" Lens to begin with (the 18-55 is often supplied with the Rebel Cameras, but I felt that range wasn't adequate for my uses). Canon released an 18-200 a few months ago, and that seems to be popular but the reviews were a bit "lukewarm" (read some of the Lens reviews at dpreview or Fred Miranda). The Canon "L" series Lenses are their professional line (they usually have a red stripe on the barrel and sometimes a white-coloured barrel) and they have the best construction, best lens elements and some degree of water and dust sealing. They are also the most expensive (a good example is the 70-200, f2.8 IS which is about Cdn.$2900 at the moment - believe it or not, that's cheap compared to some of the Canon line!).

You'll also probably want an external Flash at some point (I find the 430 EXii quite adequate), some Filters and of course a well constructed Camera Bag (I tend to prefer LowePro products and have just ordered a new Camera bag).

Anyway, that will give you a few points to start your research with.

Good luck!

[jennifer]

You're a god! I know you'd tune in, just what I wanted! Thanks, I'll be researching this and keeping you posted as I go along, like i said, this isn't just a camera, it's gonna be MY great camera lol so I'm in no rush, i wanna get to know what's out there and then see if I can afford what I want. I'm satisfied with my S3 IS for now, but I want more independancy!

xoxo
thanks eagle

[jennifer]

that darn Nikon D80 looooooks good. Oh it hurts

[Eagle]

Don't rush into it! Be sure to do your homework so that you choose the Camera with the best selection of features to suit your needs.

[jennifer]

I know I know, that's what I've been doing. No worries. I'm thinking, thinking, thinking But so far the Nikon D80 seems to be one of my favorite!
Any comments about it?

[Eagle]

jennifer,

I'm not overly familiar with the Nikon line or The D80 specifically, but I'll have a look around to see what the reviews and user opinions have to say.

Cheers!

[jennifer]

hey
ive been looking into the reviews between mostly Canon XSi and Nikon D80 D90s, as they are those mostly within my budget.

It seems all sites have different options. I dont quite know right now but hey ill keep looking

one thing you might be able to help me with eagle, you can shoot in jpg or raw. Whats the difference? some cameras say the raw is better as jpg. what difference does it make once the photo is shot? i couldnt find a good answer for this

thanks

[Eagle]

jennifer, I'll see if I can provide a reasonably "condensed" answer to your question about JPEG vs. RAW.

RAW files are often called "digital negatives" as they consist of the unprocessed image captured by the sensor. The Camera makes no adjustments to the sharpening, white balance, saturation or any other parameters when the image is saved, so RAW images often appear a bit "bland". The image size of a RAW file is related to the number of megapixels in the sensor, so these images have large file sizes. RAW images are better quality than JPEG as they still contain all of data captured by the Camera Sensor. However, each image usually needs post-processing in order to display the best quality. Many Photographers use "batch processing" in Photoshop or other image processing software to accomplish the processing with minimal effort. RAW files aren't degraded or changed during post processing; the original image always remains.

Different Camera manufacturers have different "formats" for their RAW files (in other words, a Canon RAW file will be different than a Nikon RAW file). There are also TIFF files, which are somewhat similar to RAW but larger. Most professional Photographers prefer RAW files as they don't want the appearance of their images determined by the Engineer that programmed the Camera, and they also want the absolute best image quality possible.

JPEG files on the other hand are processed and compressed according to parameters determined by each manufacturer and programmed into the Camera (these may vary between Camera models even from the same brand). When saving each file to the Memory Card, the Camera software determines the white balance, sharpness, saturation and other parameters to be applied to that image according to the programming and the user settings.

More importantly, it also compresses the image by removing some of the data. Most people usually don't notice any degradation of quality as a result of this compression and loss of data. Cameras can be set for varying amount of compression (ie: JPEG Low, High, etc.) and the lowest quality images have the most compression and hence the most data removed. One other point about JPEG files is that once the file is saved and compressed, the original quality can never be regained in that image. Also, the image quality of a JPEG file is degraded each time the file is opened and then re-saved.

I've been shooting JPEG + RAW images for the most part lately, even though this creates very large file sizes (this is a mode that can be set in Canon dSLR Cameras, but not sure if Nikon has that also?). This doesn't present any problems, as Memory Cards have been fairly inexpensive lately so I've usually got several 4 GB and 8 GB Cards on hand. My choice of shooting mode is somewhat pragmatic, as there are times when I need to share images with others so it's easy to provide them with "ready made" JPEG files. I simply don't have the time or inclination to process huge quantities of RAW files (even with batch processing)! However, I like to have RAW files as well in case there are specific images that I want to work with for "artistic" reasons or to make enlargements.

You might want to have a look at www.rideau-info.com/photos/filetypes.html as it provides a basic description of the different file types.

Hope this has been some help (it's late so I've probably forgotten something, but if necessary I'll post another note).

Cheers!

[jennifer]

no its great, i get it. as i am not quite familiar with photoprocessing; i probably need to go for a cam that is not jpg problematic. Thanks Eagle

[Eagle]

Jennifer,

I don't think any of the dSLR models are "JPG problematic". They all handle JPEGS well, but apply different parameters to the images when they save them. Be sure to read the reviews at www.dpreview.com, www.steves-digicams.com, www.imaging-resource.com/DIGCAM01.HTM or others, paying particular attention to any references to the quality of JPEG images.

For example, the review of the new Canon 5D-Mark II on Imaging Resource states "JPEGs are slightly soft". If Photographers don't want that effect in their images, I'm sure it can be cleaned up in RAW and then saved as a JPEG.

Cheers!

[jennifer]

I'm leaning towards the new Rebel XSI, just cause it's lighter and is comparable... There are some great lens + frame kits out there. I'm going tomorrow to my photo shop to really check them out and compare!

[Eagle]

jennifer,

One thing to keep in the back of your mind while you're at the photo shop, is that some sales people will often have a bias towards one particular brand of Camera. This may be due to the fact that they use that brand, or it may be because the store gets a better commission on a particular brand. Therefore, take what they tell you "with a grain of salt".

Don't forget to check the User Forums at dpreview, as the "real life" user experiences are a good indicator of potential problems. These also provide lots of tips on ways to use the Camera.

Good luck!

[jennifer]

Yup, I know, the guy was a total nikon freaaaaaak but he really gave good pointers for both. I know salespeople, I'm practically married to one

[jennifer]

Here i am the proud owner of a Canon XSI with 50 mm lens F/1.8 for now. Soon to be the owner of the 18-55mm and 55-250 mm. I'm so happy with my new toy, including 2 batteries, a tripod and new bag.

The big baby has finally gotten what she wanted

xoxxo