Digital Cameras: Suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Max Leung]

Jeff, be sure to get the rebel with the bundled 18-55mm EF-S lens (aka kit lens). It's only $100! It's not a bad lens when you stop it down to F8 (its sweet spot for sharpness). You'll need it for the wide-angle anyways - compare $100 for the bundled zoom lens to the $400+ for a 20mm prime (no zoom) wide-angle lens. Get the kit lens!

I'd recommend the Canon 50mm/F1.8 mkII lens ($70 US or so)...fantastic for portraits and low-light. Can't zoom though. The Canon 28-135/F3.5-5.6 IS is great too! If you want more reach (who doesn't?) some people suggest the Canon 75-300 IS USM lens ($400) or the non-IS but cheaper Sigma 70-300 APO Super II ($200 US).

Just remember that there is a 1.6x factor when you mount any lens on the Rebel.

Also, keep in mind the flash underexposure issue. The camera uses the E-TTL system for determining exposure, and it can be tricky. Here's a good introduction on E-TTL metering and flash: http://eosseries.ifrance.com/eosseri...ork_intro.html

For batteries, you should be able to get a BP-511 "clone" for around $20 US. I bought mine from eBay. Only issue I had is that it doesn't fit snugly in the charger...a bit loose! But still worked.

Quick summary of issues with the EOS 300D (aka Digital Rebel):

Flash tends to underexpose if you just point-and-shoot.

No second-curtain sync with flash, unless you get a higher-end flash with manual abilities like the Canon 550EX or Sigma 500 Super DG.

Depth of field is very shallow, so objects further away from the focus point may be out of focus. As a rule of thumb, try to stop down to F8 on the kit lens. This will be different for other lenses of course. A shallow DOF is great for portraits however...you can easily blur the background! Just make sure to think carefully before pressing the shutter.

Auto white balance isn't the best...my G3 could guess the white balance better than the Rebel. Get a gray card and use custom white balance instead, if color accuracy matters to you.

Lenses add weight! Your wife may not like the weight of the camera when you slap on different lenses. The Canon 28-135 IS weights about a pound.

Have fun!

 

[Max Leung]

Oops forgot to add another "issue" with the Digital Rebel:

Pictures are not as sharp or as saturated as the typical "prosumer" camera. The Digital Rebel doesn't do much image processing, so they will look soft compared to the digital-looking pictures people are used to. This gives you more flexibility with your touchups...you can't undo oversharpening and oversaturation.

Typically people apply USM (unsharp mask) in Photoshop Elements.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Another thing, 50mm is considered standard, as it's most similar to our field of view. Anything smaller than a 50mm is usually considered wide-angle or fish-eye in some cases. Anything greater than 50mm would be telephoto.

That's true for a 35mm SLR. If you are talking about a digital SLR body that takes a 35mm SLR system's lenses, you may need a "wide-angle" lens (in 35mm terms) to get a "normal" perspective. That's because many digital SLRs have image sensors that are smaller than a 35mm frame. A small sensor acts like a telephoto multiplier attachment, making a 50mm lens a "telephoto" lens.

Check the focal length conversion ratio for the digital camera in question, and take it into account when deciding what lenses to buy.

I think you can probably take this as a given, but if you think she might get into photography in a big way, there is a distinct advantage in buying into a lens and flash system that can work with both digital and film backs.

 

[Dan D.]

...which brings us to another stocking stuffer idea: Photoshop Elements. If she doesn't have a good photo editing program, this is the one to get. It's a great and amazingly complete subset of the full Photoshop application which costs substantially more.

I'll second Keith's recommendation of the Canon 28-135mm IS lens. The image stabilization is really remarkable. For a longer zoom, you have a few options, but I'm going to guess you want good quality, though not exceptional (read: $$$$) quality. Some of the third party offerings are quite good. In particular, Tamron's 28-300mm is a good performer with an impressive range packed into a small package. It's also fairly affordable. If you want to get into really impressive lenses, you should look at the Canon "L' series, but those tend to start around the price of the camera itself. However, if you want to get really creative, there is an affordable "L" option. Canon used to make a 100-300mm f5.6L lens. It was one of their first and frankly it's a bit of an oddball. It has a push-pull zoom mechanism and non-ultrasonic focusing, neither of which are ideal. What it did have was a pretty exotic flourite lens group that helped make it one of Canon's sharpest zooms ever, even to this day. They're a bit hard to come by, but the turn up on eBay occasionally in the $400-450 range. There are a few Canon 100-300mm zooms, so you have to make sure it's the "L" you are looking for.

One good thing about lenses, particularly the high-quality ones, they hold their value. Buy her a good lens and she will be able to sell it on eBay when she wants to upgrade, say to an "L" lens.

As for the quality of the plastic body, I was very impressed with it. I tend to take my cameras skiing (aggressively) and hiking, so it's a big concern for me too. It felt much better than the current lower-end Canons, much more like my Canon EOS5 film camera which has served me well for many years.

A definite "extra" gift is the optional vertical grip for the camera. This adds a grip and shutter button for vertical shots, plus battery capacity for two batteries at once. As previously stated, the BP-511 battery has excellent life, though if you add an IS lens to the mix, you'll probably want to have a backup handy.

 

[Max Leung]

Hey Dan...doesn't the Digital Rebel come bundled with Photoshop Elements 2? It'll be a bonus if it does.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Ooops, I forgot to mention that Thomas. The 1.6x has been mentioned a few times before, but it is important and shouldn't be overlooked. My definitions apply to how the lenses are marked and sold. But when you put them on a 10D or Digital Rebel you multiply the size by 1.6 and that's the effective zoom. A 31mm lens on the 10D is "normal" size, anything greater is a telephoto, and so on.

That's really the only gripe I have with my camera. My 28-135 is a 45-200. Great for distance, but a pain for group photos and other wide shots. And I'll have to buy a real wide lens for closeups, and those are pricey and can have more distortion. The upside is that if I buy a 2x extender for around $200, my lens becomes a 400mm max lens and it only adds 1 f-stop. Plus I'll still have the IS, although at that level any shaking will still be a problem.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

I believe my 10d came with Elements. I have Photoshop so I didn't even bother with the software. I'll take a look when I get home.

 

[Jeff Perry]

That and a subscription to a nice photo mag

Ohhh, sweet idea. Any recommendations in this department?

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I'll just get the one additional battery, then, and will get two 512MB flash cards instead of the single 1GB.

One more question: I figure I'll get the camera at Best Buy and make sure I can return it after Christmas, just in case she doesn't like it. Where should I buy the accessories? Are there any good online camera outfits with solid return policies? While I'm 99% sure she'll just love it, if by chance she doesn't, I don't want to lose several hundred dollars trying to resell everything on eBay because I can't return it.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Jeff, I bought most of my stuff through Amazon, granted it came through their partners. Now Amazon's return policy is really good, I don't know if that also applies to their partners though. The camera and lens came from Adorama and their site indicates a 14 day return policy, likewise for B&H. That's really not so good for Christmas purchases. Some of the items can be purchased at Ritz or Wolf at similar prices.

You might just want to hold off until after Christmas for the battery and extra card. Why buy them before they're needed? Especially when memory prices drop constantly.

The card readers are cheap, just buy one that is 2.0 capable at Best Buy, CompUSA, or wherever.

 

[Max Leung]

Oh forgot to mention that I bought a Lexar 7-in-1 USB2 card reader at FutureShop (Canadian store similar to Best Buy). It was $50 CDN - open box. Probably around $40 US new.

You americans are lucky...the rebel is still $1600 CDN here (about $1150 US equivalent). Some people have been able to use coupons and get their rebels for $900 or $800 US!

I wonder if Best Buy or other stores will accept "Gift" returns...then you can avoid the 14 day return limit.

I like Keith's idea for waiting until your SO's opinion on the cam...get the accessories later!

 

[Elizabeth S]

For that, you're looking at digital point-and-shoots in the three to five megapixel range.

Things to consider: optical zoom range (3x is a minimum, but you might be able to get 6x to 10x), lens speed, availability of manual controls, flash card type.

Definitely budget for rechargeable batteries, whether as part of the cost of the camera, or as add-ons for cameras that take AA batteries. Also budget for a carrying case, and for a flash card large enough to hold a decent number of pictures.

I'm looking for something of this nature. I'd like something lightweight and portable for casual photo-taking, as well as something which I can use to take photos for EBay auctions. (At the close range of taking a photo of a DVD cover, for example.) I don't want a camera so small that it fits in an Altoids tin, though -- seems hard to steady and handle! I have perused that dpreview site and others for HOURS now, getting myself rather confused and frustrated! (Thank you, though -- great site!)

Is it a bad idea to get a brand that has a proprietary battery?

Does anyone have any specific recommendations of models that might suit my needs? This is not for serious photography, so something sub $400 on sale would be great.

One thing I really need is an optical viewfinder, not a model where you have to rely on the LCD screen.

 

[Max Leung]

Is it a bad idea to get a brand that has a proprietary battery?

Generally you can buy 3rd party batteries on ebay for dirt cheap. I bought a second BP-511 lithium ion battery for my G3 and Digital Rebel for $20 US on ebay. Compare that to $80 US for the official Canon BP-511!

I wouldn't worry about it, as long as a 3rd party version of the battery is available for whatever digicam you buy.

For a nice portable digicam, you can check out the Canon Powershot S45 (hopefully at $400 US now), although it is a top-end for a pocket camera. Unfortunately I'm not too familiar with any of the other cameras available. I think most would fit your needs though.

 

[Dan D.]

Elizabeth, have a look at the Canon A80. Great camera, loads of features and a steal for the price (about $350 I think). The model it replaced, the 3.2 megapixel A70 can be had even cheaper.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Does anyone have any specific recommendations of models that might suit my needs? This is not for serious photography, so something sub $400 on sale would be great.

The Canon A70 gets good reviews for picture quality, and for having manual controls in this price range. (It sounds from the previous note like the A80 is a revised A70.)

The Nikon Coolpix 3100 is small and fits the hand well, but it uses only two AA batteries, so the time between battery changes / recharges is shorter.

 

[Drew Bethel]

You can get the Olympus c-4000 for right around $320 shipped these days. I just bought one for my MIL. It has received excellent reviews all around.

 

[Sam Posten]

I'm deciding between the A80 and the Digital Rebel now. The G5 is sweet too, but I think if I'm gonna spend $500 on a camera I might as well go whole hog and get a SLR for $900...

Anyone have any experience with the new short back that they announced at the same time as the Digital Rebel?

I have only seen it mentioned here:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_.../300d_pg2.html

'Announced at the same time as the EF-S 18–55mm was the newly developed Canon Zoom Lens EF 55–200mm f/4.5–5.6 II USM which covers a 35mm equivalent zoom range of approximately 90–320mm when used with the Digital Rebel. '

Think getting the kit lens, the $70 fixed lense you guys rave about and this telephoto would hold me over for about the next 20 years.

All my existing SLR lenses are Nikons and I love em, but Nikon doesnt have a SLR down in the price range as the DR yet.

Sam

 

[Elizabeth S]

Thank you for the info and suggestions! I will be doing some hopping around the stores to physically get the "feel" of the cameras!

 

[Cees Alons]

Jeff,

I caught her scouring eBay for lenses for her old Pentax

Pentax is going to bring out a digital camera (6 mp) that's compatible with the KA lenses! I know that, because I was waiting for that myself (having had Pentaxes most of my life and still owning some beautiful lenses).


Here's some info on it, the Pentax *ist D.

I'm afraid it's an expensive camera ($ 1700, or so) and I don't know your budget, but it's certainly something she may be interested in.


Cees