DLSR vs SLR

[0bli0]

i shoot film and digital. i only use film where i want a certain characteristic of the film for the shot. i wouldnt use a film slr because dslrs out perform them and yet, they can run in manual mode to experience that type of shooting.

one thing that often happens is people get a camera and find either a) they don't use it as much as they thought or b) they want something better/different

i highly recommend that if you do get one, you look at availability of lenses and accessories. then once you've narrowed it down a bit, then go to a few shops and spend time playing with the choices. see how they feel, are they intuitive to you. one of my colleagues was in the market for a dslr and bought a ***on kit because it came with 2 lenses for a good price. now he's not happy bacause one lens is not very nice and the controls are fiddly.

 

[gokenin]

I know its alot of questions but i was wondering how many people that have a DSLR had and still use their P/S or is it just overlooked I like my P/S but I also realize it has limitations which I am looking to fill with a SLR? and second other than the intial lense that comes with the camera that being the usual 18-55mm lense is there one that you would recommend as a have to have ? if that makes sense thanks for all the suggestions so far

 

[YEKCIM]

I know its alot of questions but i was wondering how many people that have a DSLR had and still use their P/S or is it just overlooked I like my P/S but I also realize it has limitations which I am looking to fill with a SLR? and second other than the intial lense that comes with the camera that being the usual 18-55mm lense is there one that you would recommend as a have to have ? if that makes sense thanks for all the suggestions so far

JMHO, but once you've used a dSLR, I don't see many people going back to PnS; the difference is just too clear cut. I know there are times when it's just not feasible to haul a dSLR around and it might be a choice of PnS or nothing, but I believe that would be the exception and not the rule.

On the lens question, if you end up with a Nikon, you may want to consider the 18-135mm lens, which has nearly three times the range of the typical 18-55mm lens, and is an excellent walkaround lens. It is very sharp, and, while it does exhibit some minor (IMO) vignetting and distortion issues (correctable with software), it is a very good lens for the money ($300 or so online, or about $740 in a kit with the D40). A good starter kit would be the D40 + 18-135 + 55-200VR, all of which would run you about $1K online. The D50 is worth a look, too, if you can find one. There may be a few factory refurbs around, but they are becoming scarce. Main advantage of the D50 over the D40 is the in-body focus motor, which the D40/D40x lacks. May or may not be of importance, depending on lens choices.

Not sure what Canon or Pentax offer in terms of an alternative to the usual 18-55mm kit lens, but the standard kit lens on the Sony A100 is the 18-70, which has *slightly* more reach, but not nearly as much as the 18-135.

~YEKCIM

 

[jann1033]

has been looking at various sights tonight and is now thinking about the canon rebel xt it has a rechargable lithium battery which is one of the things I am looking for but it does mean i have to buy another form of media card but thats alright as they say in for a penny in for a pound now have to head out and get my hands on it to see how it feels and taking pics through a viewfinder with glasses on something i will have to get used to again instead of a off the lcd

the only problem i currently have with my camera and glasses is i have transition lenses in my glasses and can not read the lcd at all outside with my glasses on...don't think it would matter which lcd in this case, but just a caution..next glasses will not be transitions for sure( i mean i have to keep my priorities straight don't i?...which is it, better vision or using my camera? ) and I'll have to go back to the geeky walmart clip ons

 

[GrumpyOne]

the only problem i currently have with my camera and glasses is i have transition lenses in my glasses and can not read the lcd at all outside with my glasses on...don't think it would matter which lcd in this case, but just a caution..next glasses will not be transitions for sure( i mean i have to keep my priorities straight don't i?...which is it, better vision or using my camera? ) and I'll have to go back to the geeky walmart clip ons

My sunglasses are slightly different from my indoor glasses. I hadn't really thought much about it until I started really focusing on indoor vs. outdoor shots. I was &%#(@ing up a storm about "these darn lenses on this new camera, nothing is sharp" until I switched glasses (went inside) and everything got a lot sharper. When I'm outside, I have to accept that the camera will likely take a sharp pic, I just won't see it until later when I'm trying to figure out which of the several shots of that subject to keep.

 

[ukcatfan]

I know its alot of questions but i was wondering how many people that have a DSLR had and still use their P/S or is it just overlooked I like my P/S but I also realize it has limitations which I am looking to fill with a SLR? and second other than the intial lense that comes with the camera that being the usual 18-55mm lense is there one that you would recommend as a have to have ? if that makes sense thanks for all the suggestions so far

I still keep my S2 IS in the bag for a number of reasons.
1. The DW and DDs can use it.
2. It does short videos.
3. If I do not want to change the lens to get only a few shots.
4. If I think I might need wide and tele available for the same event.
5. If I really need to get in close, my DSLR max is 315mm(after crop factor), but the S2 is in the 400s.
6. If I want to be less obvious that I am taking pictures. DSLRs still draw attention.
7. If I need to go really high or low, the S2 has a swivel screen.

Kevin

 

[Anewman]

I know its alot of questions but i was wondering how many people that have a DSLR had and still use their P/S or is it just overlooked I like my P/S but I also realize it has limitations which I am looking to fill with a SLR?

Well I own DSLR, Digital PnS, 35mm SLR, and film PnS...

Yes I(and my family) still use Digital point and shoot cameras, but not film ones. On my first trip to WDW I actually used a small digicam more than a DSLR.

As you said as long as you know the limitations a PnS still have plenty of usability.

 

[Groucho]

I'm back and forth on the battery issue. I usually like that my Pentax takes AAs, but I recently managed to get one or two bad batteries in the mix. I recently picked up a LaCrosse recharger (thanks to the tip on here) and have identified the culprits and am back to being able to shoot 350+ shots on a single set of batteries. At WDW in January, I went through most days (of heavy shooting) without having to change batteries. Had I the LaCrosse charger then, I probably could have made it through every day (since I can use it to identify the strongest batteries) with no changing.

On the other hand, li-ions don't mind sitting around as much as NiMH ones do. They work well in my wife's SD600, we have the OEM battery and a cheapie $6 eBay second one, and both last a long time including a fair amount of just sitting around.

My next camera will have a li-ion battery, so I'll know then how it is from both sides.

As for film/DSLR/PnS... well, I personally hate shooting with a PnS at this point. I probably would have never used one except that they were still so expensive when I did finally move from my film SLR to a digital camera.

I took both my film and digital SLR on the last WDW, mainly using the film camera for b/w work plus to get the full 180' view from my fisheye lens (which, like all lenses, is cropped on my DSLR.) It was nice having my wife's PnS around for the ability to take videos, and to occasionally get off a quick shot that I wasn't ready for (due to wrong lens or the camera being in the bag, but that was rare!)... but I was happy to have her using it rather than me.

If I did move back to a PnS, I'd have to go for something like the Fuji S6000fd - I love the real SLR look and feel, and the relatively large sensor helps somewhat take the sting away from the drop in image quality over a DSLR.

 

[gokenin]

Alright I am going to ask a question that may get me killed here but is the simple lense that comes with a DSLR (typically a 18-55mm ) a good enough lense that I can buy whichever one I feel comfortable buying and know that I will be able to learn the ins and outs of the camera before buying another lense? or is this lense so restrictive that it need to be supplemented right away? Lastly does anyone have pics using just this lense do I can get a rough idea of its abilities?

 

[Master Mason]

Alright I am going to ask a question that may get me killed here but is the simple lense that comes with a DSLR (typically a 18-55mm ) a good enough lense that I can buy whichever one I feel comfortable buying and know that I will be able to learn the ins and outs of the camera before buying another lense? or is this lense so restrictive that it need to be supplemented right away? Lastly does anyone have pics using just this lense do I can get a rough idea of its abilities?

Take a look at this gallery

http://gregghall.smugmug.com/gallery/1884888/1/94955785 I was on the front side of the learning curve with my XT when I went, most pictures are taken in P mode, there is good bad and ugly posted. The pictures all could have been better had I known more about what I was doing at the time. But all in all, there were some decent pictures I think.

 

[photo_chick]

Alright I am going to ask a question that may get me killed here but is the simple lense that comes with a DSLR (typically a 18-55mm ) a good enough lense that I can buy whichever one I feel comfortable buying and know that I will be able to learn the ins and outs of the camera before buying another lense? or is this lense so restrictive that it need to be supplemented right away? Lastly does anyone have pics using just this lense do I can get a rough idea of its abilities?

IF you look at the gallery here ... www.daniellecowden.com most of those were shot with the kit lens (Rebel XT) (this is a gallery I threw up there for a family member like a year ago, someday when my site is actually done and live that will change!). I think it is a great lens to start out with until you figure out how you shoot and what you want to do. The main place I find the standard kit lens lacking is their low light abilities. They usually do not have a really wide aperture, but still you will get much better low light abilities than a p&s!

 

[Groucho]

The kit lenses are all certainly good enough to use for a while. The C/N ones won't work properly with a circular polarizer, so if you want to use one of those in the future, it won't be useful for that lens.

As for samples, obviously the kit lens varies depending on the brand you choose. It's generally agreed that from best to worst, it's Pentax-Olympus-Nikon-Canon, and the Sony is probably somewhere about the Nikon.

 

[jann1033]

Alright I am going to ask a question that may get me killed here but is the simple lense that comes with a DSLR (typically a 18-55mm ) a good enough lense that I can buy whichever one I feel comfortable buying and know that I will be able to learn the ins and outs of the camera before buying another lense? or is this lense so restrictive that it need to be supplemented right away? Lastly does anyone have pics using just this lense do I can get a rough idea of its abilities?

actually i think that is a really smart idea...you never know what you might want to shoot and while probably eventually you'll want something to cover all the ranges, it's nice to have what you will want to use the most first.( ok neglected to turn to page 3 as usual so sorry if that's a repeat...if it is i agree with who ever said it)

after reading the above posts...i the cps will "work", you just have to adjust them after you lock focus if the front ring turns. i think in all my old film lens the front ring turned and i used cps with them..never used one with my kit rebel xt lens but unless there is some other reason than the ring turning i think it's more of a pain in the neck issue.
i went out and checked with the rebel kit lens and yes, they work fine, you might have to adjust them after it focuses . some i did and some when the focus was focused again since it was the same object, the ring was still where i basically wanted it from the last photo. it takes maybe 1/2 a second to readjust it which imo isn't a big deal.

 

[mikamah]

I'm not very experienced, but got the rebel xti kit about 2 weeks ago with the kit lens, and the first few times I used it, I was very disappointed and thought my sony p+s took much better pics, but after playing around with the auto modes and program, some of my pics are so much better now than my p+s. I think the 18-55 lens is definitely adequate for me for now, and it was suggested here to try the kit lens for the price, and then figure out what pics I'm not able to get with it, and then invest in other lenses. I'll post a few pics that I thought came out pretty good. This is my first time using an slr, and they won't be on par with the amazing photographers here, but I'm happy with them.

 

[photo_chick]

I'm not very experienced, but got the rebel xti kit about 2 weeks ago with the kit lens, and the first few times I used it, I was very disappointed and thought my sony p+s took much better pics, but after playing around with the auto modes and program, some of my pics are so much better now than my p+s. I think the 18-55 lens is definitely adequate for me for now, and it was suggested here to try the kit lens for the price, and then figure out what pics I'm not able to get with it, and then invest in other lenses. I'll post a few pics that I thought came out pretty good. This is my first time using an slr, and they won't be on par with the amazing photographers here, but I'm happy with them.

I have heard this from quite a few people who have never used a DSLR or an SLR before. Like anything you have to learn how to use the settings to get what you want. I am glad you are doing that and not just returning the camera! For whatever it's worth I think your shots are great! I like the one with the 2 kids, one on his hands!

 

[mikamah]

I have heard this from quite a few people who have never used a DSLR or an SLR before. Like anything you have to learn how to use the settings to get what you want. I am glad you are doing that and not just returning the camera! For whatever it's worth I think your shots are great! I like the one with the 2 kids, one on his hands!

Thanks photochick. I absolutely love the speed of the camera and the ability to get the shot I'm trying for. I've always loved taking pics and am excited to learn more about photography.

 

[jann1033]

i remember a link a while back with lots of great canon kit lens photos...not sure if this is the same one but some of these are great for any lens and imo kind of disproves the "horrid quality" of the canon kit lens
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=185522

 

[photo_chick]

i remember a link a while back with lots of great canon kit lens photos...not sure if this is the same one but some of these are great for any lens and imo kind of disproves the "horrid quality" of the canon kit lens
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=185522

I tend to wonder how much of the horrid quality reviews of the lens are from user error too. Yeah the Canon kit is a cheaply built lens. But mine is pretty sharp. I don't have any complaints about it. Most of the times when the focus looks soft on my shots with it I can look and see that it is indeed not the lens but me because there is always someplace, usually just off from where I want it, that is perfectly crisp and sharp. I really can't blame my sloppyness and my now bad eyesight on the poor lens.

 

[gokenin]

Hello, after reading all the advice given here and looking at various cameras i have finally decided that I will probably get the pentax k100d camera with the 18-55mm lense. I like the high iso equivalents that is has up to 3200 it uses the same media that i already use so dont have to get another card reader doesnt have a lithium battery but think i can live with rechargable batteries. just asking for final opinions if anyone has any

 

[MarkBarbieri]

The C/N ones won't work properly with a circular polarizer, so if you want to use one of those in the future, it won't be useful for that lens.

I see this comment made here pretty frequently and it usually ends up being corrected only to show back up again. What I assume that Groucho means is that the front end of the lens rotates when you change focus. Because a polarizer (circular or not) has a different effect as it rotates, you must adjust the orientation of the polarizer after significant changes in focus. Depending on the type of shooting that you do, that can be a minor annoyance or a significant problem.

Claiming that it won't work properly is about as accurate as saying that a manual focus lens won't work on an autofocus body. It might not be as easy to use, but it will work just fine.