Need a new camera

[phenom5]

I desperately need a new camera. We bought a new camera a couple of years ago before we went on vacation. Unfortunately I failed to do enough research, and made a very poor choice. My wife was pretty insistent on have a small camera, because she figured we'd be more likely to carry a small camera with us. And in all fairness, she had a pretty good point. I am by no means a pro when it comes to photography, but I've found it to be pretty difficult to take pictures without a camera.

The camera we bought does fine for simple stuff. Pictures of family or friends, or vacation pictures, it's fine. But pictures of my tank are absolute crap. There are no manual settings, and I've tried to work with it, but it's just not working out.

So, I'm looking for a decent, probably used or refurbed, P&S camera. I'd love a DSLR, but it ain't in the budget. I'm think either a canon G7 or G9 depending on what kind of deal I can find.

Thoughts?

I know I'll still be limited, but I'm hoping I can at least get some decent shots of my tank, and it's inhabitants.

Any suggestions on where to buy? I've been looking at ebay & B&H.

Thanks for any help/ suggestions/ input.

 

[phenom5]

Also, I was looking and how does the Canon S3 IS compare? Those seem to be considerably cheaper, and from what I can tell the differences are that you can't shoot in RAW, and less megapixels. Obviously you get what you pay for, but the lower price tag would make the wife happier.

And I'm not stuck on Canon, but I've had good experiences with Canon in the past. I'm open to suggestions.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

Nah you don't want an S3 IS, at least not with a reef tank. I would rather use a G2.

I think a used G-series would fit your nitch just fine.

 

[phenom5]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15154651#post15154651 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TitusvileSurfer
Nah you don't want an S3 IS, at least not with a reef tank. I would rather use a G2.

I think a used G-series would fit your nitch just fine.

Why do you say a G-series over the S3. Not that I disagree with what you're saying, I'm just trying to get a little better handle on why.

 

[phenom5]

Okay, couple of quick follow ups.

I'm still curious about the difference between the G-series vs S-series of canon P&S. From what I gather the S2/3/5/x10 IS is not a good choice for taking pictures of my tank. Is it because of the lens? Or the Sensor? It's got to be something other then the pixel count and the ability to shoot in RAW.

Any suggestions on a decent used/ refurbed DSLR? I've seen a Canon 40D or 60D or Rebel (300D) for reasonable prices. Would this be a good way to go? Again, I'm not dead set on Canon, although I've had some good experiences with them in the past, but I'm open to suggestions.

I've got an older Rebel 35mm camera. If I found a decent price on a DSLR body, would I be able to use that lens? I'm sure it depends on the lens & the body, so I'll have to go dig out my old 35mm camera.

I know I'd need another lens for macro, but I could pick that up down the road.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

The S3 IS is a "Super Zoom" camera meant for kids football games, air shows, birding on a budget, NASCAR races, and a hole hose of other subjects that are FAR away from you. In a reef tank, you are taking pictures of subjects very close to you. Would you use a telescope or a microscope to look at coral polyps? The S3 IS is designed to be a telescope and the G-10 is better at being a microscope.

I own a Canon 40D and love, love, love it. Keep in mind that DSLRs are all about specialization, and the 100mm f/2.8 macro will be more or less a must purchase after the camera. If you buy a Canon DSLR, tac on about $500 for a macro lens to boot. The DSLR is the best way to go no matter what you are shooting. You can always equip a DSLR to outperform a non-DSLR with enough money and patience. The problem is that you would spend over $1,000,000 before you could specialize in everything like that.

So DSLRs are are all about knowing what kind of picture you want to take, and building your list of equipment around it.
For Reef Keeping, the bare-minimum Canon bag usualy consists of:
DSLR body (5DmkII, 40D, 300D, ect)
100mm f/2.8 macro (this is how we get the closeups of coral, you can take pictures of fish with it as well but I would prefer a separate lens with a nice auto-focus speed and accuracy
Tripod.

There are a whole slew of other times which would be GREAT for a reef, but at the very least, expect to buy a DSLR body, 100mm f/2.8, and a tripod.

Yes if you have an EOS camera, all of your lenses will transfer to the DSLR!! How sweet. Now you just need a macro lens and you are good.

You obviously already know how to shoot film. Take a few rolls of your aquarim, get them developed, and hang them on the wall. If you really feel like getting into it, pick up a digital camera body down the road!

I would make use of the EOS film camera now though if I already had it.

 

[phenom5]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15163121#post15163121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TitusvileSurfer
The S3 IS is a "Super Zoom" camera meant for kids football games, air shows, birding on a budget, NASCAR races, and a hole hose of other subjects that are FAR away from you. In a reef tank, you are taking pictures of subjects very close to you. Would you use a telescope or a microscope to look at coral polyps? The S3 IS is designed to be a telescope and the G-10 is better at being a microscope.

That's pretty much what I gathered from another post I found of yours. Thanks for the info.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15163121#post15163121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TitusvileSurfer
I own a Canon 40D and love, love, love it. Keep in mind that DSLRs are all about specialization, and the 100mm f/2.8 macro will be more or less a must purchase after the camera. If you buy a Canon DSLR, tac on about $500 for a macro lens to boot. The DSLR is the best way to go no matter what you are shooting. You can always equip a DSLR to outperform a non-DSLR with enough money and patience. The problem is that you would spend over $1,000,000 before you could specialize in everything like that.

So DSLRs are are all about knowing what kind of picture you want to take, and building your list of equipment around it.
For Reef Keeping, the bare-minimum Canon bag usualy consists of:
DSLR body (5DmkII, 40D, 300D, ect)
100mm f/2.8 macro (this is how we get the closeups of coral, you can take pictures of fish with it as well but I would prefer a separate lens with a nice auto-focus speed and accuracy
Tripod.

There are a whole slew of other times which would be GREAT for a reef, but at the very least, expect to buy a DSLR body, 100mm f/2.8, and a tripod.

I understand that it can get very, very expensive. My thought process is that I can get by with just a general purpose lens for now, and pick up a better macro lens down the road. I already have a tripod, so I'm good there.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15163121#post15163121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TitusvileSurfer
Yes if you have an EOS camera, all of your lenses will transfer to the DSLR!! How sweet. Now you just need a macro lens and you are good.

You obviously already know how to shoot film. Take a few rolls of your aquarim, get them developed, and hang them on the wall. If you really feel like getting into it, pick up a digital camera body down the road!

I would make use of the EOS film camera now though if I already had it.

I thought about using the film camera, but what a PITA (how did we live without digital cameras?).

FWIW the lens I have is a Canon EF 28-80mm. Which is, from what I can tell a pretty basic, entry-level, no so great lens.

So right now, looking at ebay & B&H, I can get either a 40D or 300D for about the same price. Both come with lenses, which I assume are comparable to the lens I have. Both would end up being cheaper then a used/ refurbed G7 or G9, at least in terms of upfront costs, even though I'll end up spend more when all is said & done.

Any preference to either camera model? Is one better then the other?

**Edit**I was wrong, the cameras are the D60 & 300D (Digital Rebel).

Thanks for all the help & info.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

I was about to say....lol Something was very wrong in that last statement.

I much prefer the XXD series to the XXXD but to each his own. If you have all the time in the world, a 40D and a 400D will probably take a near-identical picture. If you don't have all the time in the world, the 40D has a better chance of taking the same great picture, while the cheaper rebel will leave you fiddling with controls while missing the shot completely or shooting it with the wrong settings.

The 40D's giant thumb wheel with programmable SET button (mine activates live view aka mirror lockup), makes things soooo much easier. There are other features too of course, but I just love that wheel so much!

 

[phenom5]

Alright, thanks. I think I'm going to go with the D60 (or is it 60D?).

:thumbsup:

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

60D would be a middle of the road (but dang nice) Canon that hasn't come out yet.
D60 is a low-budget Nikon.

 

[phenom5]

Okay, one last question (for now ).

How does Canon's model numbers work?

What's the difference between a 10D vs a 40D?

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

From most basic to most advanced:
1000D (Xs) No frills DSLR (comparable to Nikon D60, 1.6x crop factor)

400D (XTi), 450D (XSi), 500D (T1i), ect. (Built with a similar plastic body as the 1000D, but more bells and whistles, 1.6x)

20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, ect (Built with a larger, metal body. More controls, better screen, faster shooting, ect. 1.6x)

5D, 5DmkII (Full frame camera with similar body as 50D. 1.0x crop factor is its major champion feature as well as where most of the extra cost can be attributed.)

1D, 1DmkII, 1DmkIIN, 1DmkIII (This is what the NFL guys use. Large body built for extremely fast and accurate shooting and auto-focusing.) 1.3x crop factor

1Ds, 1DsmkII, mkIII, (The big daddy of studio work. Most expensive Canon DSLR to date.) 1.0x crop factor

Now the lenses are the most importiant thing, and a lot of the better your camera, the more this will hold true. You need some nice lenses to get the most out of the nice camera bodies. Many of the lower-budget lenses (ef-s) will actually break a 5D, 1D, or 1Ds if you try to attach the two.

 

[phenom5]

Well, it's done. I ordered a EOS 10D. Can't wait for it to get here.

Now it's time to start researching lenses...and learn how to get the most out of my new toy.

 

[BlueCorn]

The 10D is an older, but still capable camera. You do need to be aware of the fact that you cannot use EF-S lenses on that body. The whole line of EF lenses will still work.

Cheers

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

The 10D is a very fine camera! It is older yes (6 years actually-released February of 2003), but I would rather use a 10D than 98% of cameras spanning all manufacturers released so far in 2009. I wish you many happy photographs with your new tool!