Best Digital SLR Camera??

[djfuzz]

I am presently in the market for a new SLR digital. Until recently, I was using a canon EOS with a couple of different lenses, unfortunately, I froze the camera while outside at the Harbin Ice festival in minus lots of degrees, and have ruined the sensor - it's cheaper to buy a new one than repair.

Sounds like it might be worth considering a more durable weather sealed model - as you've concluded already, seems like the 7D is definitely what you are after.

Did you end up getting the 24-105 f/4 zoom?

DLSR - ProsAbility to control every aspect of the photo you are takingDSLR - ConsCostAdmittedly others will have their personal views as well, but don't be talked out of a DSLR if you want one. You wont look back I am sure.

I disagree with this - as with all things photography, the ability to take good photos is based on what's behind the camera, not what's in it. There are plenty of fixed lens cameras and point and shoots (some that even have interchangeable lenses) that allow substantial manual control, and that are correspondingly more expensive than entry-level DSLRs, and vice versa. If money were no object, I'd be shooting on a Leica M9 with Leica glass, but as it is I'm limited to a DSLR instead.

But I agree that it's a highly personal thing - we can all relate our own experiences, but you really need to try out some of these options and figure out what's right for you. You might not even get it right the first time, but that's part of becoming a better photographer.

Having said all that, the OP seems to be pretty well-focused on landscape photography, so presumably they are pretty confident about what they do and don't need for those purposes.

Which is why I purchased a Canon S100 compact 3 weeks ago ($421 from JB Hifi). This is the successor to the already mentioned S95, better lens, built in GPS. This is a fantastic little camera, fits into your pocket but takes pictures that are up there with the quality of the 550D. Of course it doesn't have the reach of the big lens, but it still takes a very nice picture:

Damn it, I heard talk about people being able to get $421 for S100s from JB, but have not been able to find any that have stock (let alone have the price discussion), including the main camera shop on Elizabeth St. I got the impression they've stopped stocking it - where did you find it?

 

[awilcockson]

got the impression they've stopped stocking it - where did you find it?

JB at garden city, Mt Gravatt.

Mentioned over the phone that others had purchased for $421 and they agreed to match the price without even seeing the receipt

 

[Sifor]

Oh No. Sorry to hear that.
Was that in a shop on Nathan Road with "duty free" signs out the front. Afterall there is no Duty in HK to start with. There are some "tourist traps" over there.

Yes it was, however I thought I could handle the pressure.. obviously not. I wanted the Nikon D7000 (since I have some old glass lenses), got a price of $500 AUD (should have raised alarm bells then!) then he pulled out a Canon Rebel T3 which I had absolutely no knowledge of. The scam works by tunning down the settings on the more expensive camera and make the cheaper one "the best", therefore encouraging, I mean, forcing, you to buy it.

I can't believe I was that stupid to buy it but oh well, a life lesson. Hopefully the Canon dies soon so I can buy a Nikon in Australia..

 

[AVC]

Hell! Now you have me looking at new DSLRs!

Hmmm, how good are the new ones! Full HD video! I like.

Not sure if I should go the 5D (saves a bit of weight) or a 1D. 10FPS for 120 frames!

Maybe I can pick up one next year in NY or HK...

I sure do like the look of the 24-105 lens. Those L series lenses are great.

 

[BAM1748]

I hate the flip out screen on the 60D, just something else to break.

However if you do want one, it's $1068 inc shippping from Dirt Cheap Cameras, but only $864 delivered from DDE Singapore.

LCD TV, LED TV Deals from the LCD TV Specialists. Best value LCD TV discounts in Australia from Kogan have it at a good price but they are grey imports, you don't have to flip the screen out, but it's there when you have that awkward angle. The 600D and 60D are probably the most bang for your buck.

Matt

 

[Paddy55]

LCD TV, LED TV Deals from the LCD TV Specialists. Best value LCD TV discounts in Australia from Kogan have it at a good price but they are grey imports, you don't have to flip the screen out, but it's there when you have that awkward angle. The 600D and 60D are probably the most bang for your buck.

Matt

Does Kogan sell Canon Aust products... is warranty good in Australia is what I'm trying to ask.
I've bought from DirtCheap before but Kogan make some of there prices look pretty sick!

 

[BAM1748]

Haven't bought off Kogan, but I would think you'd have to package up the item and send it to Canon o/s somewhere, although Canon here in Sydney are a helpful and friendly bunch with answering questions. It's a worldwide warranty rather than Australian.

 

[jetlagger]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your contributions..

drron, your photos are stunning.. Perhaps you could submit them to Australian Geographic :mrgreen:

Every comment & personal views allows unbiased guidance in choosing the appropriate apparatus.

I am in agreeance with the added weight factors, though at this stage I own a few decent point & shoot types & just wanted something with a bit more "grunt" for those special occasions.

I am still somehow swaying towards Canon, D550 or 600 unless convinced otherwise..

Seems to be a vast array of purchase points for this type of equipment, but prefer a bricks & mortar kind of outlet for this..

Any further contributions are always well received..

Shall let you all know the outcome in due course

 

[yo yo ma]

I am still somehow swaying towards Canon, D550 or 600 unless convinced otherwise..

I purchased a Canon EOS 600D in January and am very happy with it. 18MP, HD movies, twin lens, point & shoot - have taken some great photos so far!

 

[jetlagger]

I purchased a Canon EOS 600D in January and am very happy with it. 18MP, HD movies, twin lens, point & shoot - have taken some great photos so far!

Nice update yo yo ma,
how do you find the flip out screen? I guess it's early times, but my concern is the vulnerability of it breaking?

 

[yo yo ma]

Works well for me and seems pretty solid - I always carry in the lowpro mimi-backpack that I bought with it. Got it at Joyce Mayne on a Harvey Norman catalogue price match. I took the 3 year extended warranty with new-for-old replacement which was an extra $150.

 

[mr_osborne]

Hey, sorry, I've only just seen this thread now, but when I was firs looking at geting a DSLR about 25 months a go, I went through a similar process.

In the end, for me to came down to the 50D and the 550D (which was fairly new at the time).

In the end I went for the 50D, and have never regretted it.

The main advantage of the 550D was the extra mega pixels, and the fact that it it did video.

However, the 50D is a far superior camera when it comes to ease of use. One of the biggest differences for me, which is not obvious until you actually use it is the face that XXD and above cameras use a penta prism view finder, as opposed to xx_D models, which use Penta mirrors. Basically, a penta prism is far easier to look through, and it is brighter and clearer. This is something I'd reccomend you pay particular attention towhen trying cameras out. Another advantage of the XXd cameras and above is that they have far better autofocus systems. How important this is to you depends on what you want to focus on.

You can pick up a used 50D in NZ for 800-900 NZD. I'd reccomend looking at it....

A few more general pointers, if you are concerned about weight, then a micro 4/3rds system would be a good option to investigate. The main reason I love my DSLR is that it offers speed I've never found any P&S coming close to matching, as well as the ability to blur out of focus areas.

Finally, I disagree re the stylish bag comment, although I must say I'm not the most stylish person. there are a number of online companies which offer what I consider to be stylish bags (One example: ONA | Shop), but they do tend to cost more.

 

[casanovawa]

Last year before i travelled RTW i upgraded from a Panasonic FZ35 or 38 (which took pretty good photos) to a DSLR... After some uhmming and ahhing and looking at Nikon and Canon i eventually went for the Canon 60D body for a number of reasons including the fact that it had a swing out LCD screen (great for composing photos when travelling on your own rather than having to ask obliging members of the public that may cut your head off etc) and also because it was one step up from entry level for only a $100-200 more and thought i might want to get into it a bit more and so why go for entry level and regret it...

At the risk of hijacking the thread but think it might also be of interest to the OP, i really couldn't bothered buying multiple lenses and so just bought a Canon 18-135mm lense to have as a general walk around lense and left it on the whole time... I am now thinking of getting another lense but don't want to spend much more than $500 (i know that doesn't go far in lenses) I tend to like taking city vistas, landscape shots as well as being able to zoom in and so am happy to take suggestions about what next??? Should i look for a lense that starts under 18 for better wide angle photography??? There is a Canon 15-85mm but the price seemed around $900... I think i have seen a 10-22mm lense for upper $600s??? At some stage i would also like to get somethign that zooms in as i miss the 30x zooms of the point and shoots i had before, i probably should stumped up and $200 and got a 18-200 lense first up... Its expensive when you under estimate what you want or need...

I'm also thinking about doing some time lapse photography on my upcoming trip to North America and Eastern Europe so will probably get an intervalometer as well as a few other things so if anyone else likes doing this i'd be happy to hear from them about their experiences...

 

[mr_osborne]

Last year before i travelled RTW i upgraded from a Panasonic FZ35 or 38 (which took pretty good photos) to a DSLR... After some uhmming and ahhing and looking at Nikon and Canon i eventually went for the Canon 60D body for a number of reasons including the fact that it had a swing out LCD screen (great for composing photos when travelling on your own rather than having to ask obliging members of the public that may cut your head off etc) and also because it was one step up from entry level for only a $100-200 more and thought i might want to get into it a bit more and so why go for entry level and regret it...

At the risk of hijacking the thread but think it might also be of interest to the OP, i really couldn't bothered buying multiple lenses and so just bought a Canon 18-135mm lense to have as a general walk around lense and left it on the whole time... I am now thinking of getting another lense but don't want to spend much more than $500 (i know that doesn't go far in lenses) I tend to like taking city vistas, landscape shots as well as being able to zoom in and so am happy to take suggestions about what next??? Should i look for a lense that starts under 18 for better wide angle photography??? There is a Canon 15-85mm but the price seemed around $900... I think i have seen a 10-22mm lense for upper $600s??? At some stage i would also like to get somethign that zooms in as i miss the 30x zooms of the point and shoots i had before, i probably should stumped up and $200 and got a 18-200 lense first up... Its expensive when you under estimate what you want or need...

I'm also thinking about doing some time lapse photography on my upcoming trip to North America and Eastern Europe so will probably get an intervalometer as well as a few other things so if anyone else likes doing this i'd be happy to hear from them about their experiences...

I have a 15-85mm, and think it's great, if you're ever in auckland, I'd be happy for you to try it out, one comment though, I'd say your pricing for the 15-85mm is way off, one example is here, and I've seen them go used for NZD 700 on trademe (I paid about NZD 850 for mine).

One thing I'd reccomend, is looking at selling your 18-135, and buying a 15-85mm and a 55-250 mm, but that's just my personal choice. (I also have a 55-250mm if you want to try, although I'm looking to sell it, so I'm not sure for how much longer).

 

[Paddy55]

I have a 15-85mm, and think it's great, if you're ever in auckland, I'd be happy for you to try it out, one comment though, I'd say your pricing for the 15-85mm is way off, one example is here, and I've seen them go used for NZD 700 on trademe (I paid about NZD 850 for mine).

One thing I'd reccomend, is looking at selling your 18-135, and buying a 15-85mm and a 55-250 mm, but that's just my personal choice. (I also have a 55-250mm if you want to try, although I'm looking to sell it, so I'm not sure for how much longer).

Agree with the idea of selling your existing lens and consider buying a good all-round bit of glass.

I've a Canon 7D and 24-105L lens which I find covers most situations. I generally lug a 70-200mm and 50mm lens, plus flash and other doo-dads in a Crumpler 7 Million Dollar home... but that's me . Actually what I'm getting at is that the 24-105L easily handles 75% of the travel photography. Costs from about $880.

 

[djfuzz]

Agree with the idea of selling your existing lens and consider buying a good all-round bit of glass.

I've a Canon 7D and 24-105L lens which I find covers most situations. I generally lug a 70-200mm and 50mm lens, plus flash and other doo-dads in a Crumpler 7 Million Dollar home... but that's me . Actually what I'm getting at is that the 24-105L easily handles 75% of the travel photography. Costs from about $880.

Very similar to my own kit - though the 5DII is feeling remarkably obsolete these days.

 

[GeeZed]

Aperture is VERY important.

Depends what you are photographing and what you are wanting to produce as end result. For landscapes and scenics you want wide and crisp images usually focused from foreground to inifinity so would most likely be shooting at f8 or higher.

For photographing people generally and other times when you want shallow depth of field you will use f4 or faster to get a good separation look so the attention is on the subject(s) rather than the surroundings . Most lenses have a sweet spot one or two stops above wide open so an f4 lens would perform better at f5.6 and above rather than at f4. For that reason many would regard anything slower than f2.8 as being too slow.

Also good lenses do not depreciate as quickly as cheapies. So think carefully about the glass, bodies come and go, lenses can last for many many years.

 

[mr_osborne]

Agree with the idea of selling your existing lens and consider buying a good all-round bit of glass.

I've a Canon 7D and 24-105L lens which I find covers most situations. I generally lug a 70-200mm and 50mm lens, plus flash and other doo-dads in a Crumpler 7 Million Dollar home... but that's me . Actually what I'm getting at is that the 24-105L easily handles 75% of the travel photography. Costs from about $880.

Do you find that the 24-105mm gets wide enough? I hired one for a weekend, and found the build quality great, but the 15-85mm is the same at the wide end on a 50D/7D as 24mm is on a 5D II. I'm sorta looking at trading up to a 5D II.. but I feel like I'm losing in some areas...

 

[Paddy55]

Do you find that the 24-105mm gets wide enough? I hired one for a weekend, and found the build quality great, but the 15-85mm is the same at the wide end on a 50D/7D as 24mm is on a 5D II. I'm sorta looking at trading up to a 5D II.. but I feel like I'm losing in some areas...

Sometimes, no, not wide enough and so next stop might be 5D Mk III (mainly in my dreams)

However for a single lens it is very versatile and very good.

 

[casanovawa]

Thanks for that, the problem with the 24-105mm is it won't really give me any other zoom that i don't get with 18-135mm i have at present, even though it might be a more expensive lense that produces slightly better pictures... But yeah a 50mm f1.8 lense would be good for portrait and are fairly cheap, the 15-85mm might be a good choice for wider landscape photography and then yeah some sort of longer one up to 250 or 300mm... For these not sure if i will stick with Canon or maybe go for a Tamron to see if i can save a few bucks, i tried to look at all these different options before and read reviews etc... Till i was going blind... So much you could spend on all of these!!!! And yeah, perhaps put my lense up for sale, might get me a few bucks to contribute towards upgrades...

And I wish i was near Auckland sometime, i am wanting to go to NZ as haven't been yet, but won't get there until at least next year i imagine...