I'm back for a few minutes....
awoltoday said:
And I thought I was a geek! You make me proud!
Having technical passion is not necessarily what it used to be thought of with the likes of Bill Gates or even my pro football neighbor who I would view as sharing my passion for photography! Cheers!
So as I wuz saying... you want this combination of camera body and lenses for the following reasons...
You stated you wanted to take multiple images in low light from 50-100 feet away (no flash). Well, any pocket camera will do a piss poor job with that sort of environment and restriction. But s DSLR is the most powerful option in general.
Consider.... A DSLR has an image sensor that is the size of an APS sensor versus the tiny sensors in the pocket and super slim pocket cameras at 1/1.8 or 1/2.5". The general size difference is a factor of 11 to 1 or 15 to 1. However the number of pixels are usually 8MP versus 7 or 6. SO the increase in pixels is only about 14-17% more on a DSLR but the image size is out of porportion in being far larger with 1100-1500% larger. So each individual pixel element is far larger. Thus they are far more sensitive to light larger surface area. This also translates into comparable performance without electronic magnification which in thoery introduces noise to an otherwise pure image. Plus with flagship DSLRs are equipped with massive high speed buffers to capture several images to rapidly process the huge data chunks and write them to the card. Then they match a fast recycling shutter with a huge (interchangable) lense and you have the state of the art in hand held image capture for the purists.
The larger image sensors can push sensitivity up to ISO 400-800 with generally noise-less output. Most pocket cameras would have comparable noise-less limits at perhaps ISO 150-200. The super slim compacts might be noisless at ONLY their lowest sensitivity levels of ISO 100! And the Canon DSLRs can shoot at ISO 1600 with very slight noise... and on top of that they have a special "H" setting for ISO sensitivity that pushes sensor sensitivity up to 3200!!!! This would have considerable noise but some consider it tolerable depending on the application. Add a flash with those speeds and you can shoot under truly awful conditions! Compare that to the maximum speed of the average pocket digicam at ISO 400 and you can see the DSLRs are 8x faster. AND, the DSLRs are cleaner at their top speeds of ISO 1600 or 3200 compared to the digicams at their top speed of ISO 400.
So... the DSLR bodies are FAST given their highly sensitive CMOS sensors - coupled to fast buffers and DIGIC 2 processors. Add to the mix a precise focusing system that defines 7 (or more) programmable focus points in the view finder and you can be more certain of achieving focus on the desired point. And then you add a sensitive shutter designed to trigger the instant it is depressed and you has a very responsive set up.
The lenses you select should be well received on fredmiranda.com.... check it out or just go with what I've suggested. If possible try to visit a local store to HANDLE the lenses under consideration. Sometimes you may feel one lense handles better than another. Or you may the focal range of a given zoom is less practical then you anticipated. And IF you become a total purist and advocate for perfection... then you will lean towards fixed focal length PRIME lenses. These are generally cheaper and without a doubt razor sharp and contrasty compared to any zoom 7 days a week!
Precautions... the DSLRs have a lifespan on the shutter of about 35,000-50,000 actuations. Then you have to send them in for replacement shutter assemblies. That can run $250-400 supposedly. If you buy the new EOS 30D the rated lifespan is about 50,000+ actuations. And if you spend $1000s for a body then you get the shutters that last 100,000+. In practice just keep in mind that when you start seeing "error 99" op up excessively then your shutter is failing OR you've been sloppy about sheltering your camera OR your lense to body electrical contacts are damaged/contaminated.
And... if and when you change / upgrade the DSLR body you oviously keep your lenses. SO investing in lenses can be semi-permanent. Bodies are somewhat disposable over the years or decades. They seem to upgrade models every 18 months so an EOS 350 replacement is due in about 10 months or so.
ALso, aways buy a good UV filter for all your lenses as this serves to protect your expensive glass with a potentially disposable filter. I would expect to spend anywhere from $20-50 for a filter ... and your expenditure should coorespond to thecost of the lense. Getting the HOYA black label filters transmit 99.7% of light... they're the best. The grey label filters I think transmit 97% and they may be good enough at less then half the cost. And I would AVOID the cheapest green label Hoya filters since they transmit only 85% of light. You'd be just as well off wrapping your lense in saran wrap if you buy a green label filter.
As for the alternative of NIKON... I used to be a Nikon film snob... but the truth is Nikon has not been as competitive. Their cooresponding DSLRs do not outperform the matched Canon DSLRs. I suspect the glass i comparable except that Canon has FAR MORE advances in lenses design and innovation comared to Nikon. There is a reason why you see so many white barreled Canon Super zooms at every single professional sporting event. If you go Nikon in general you have opted for tactile feel and spec sheet comparisons versus test results and common sense. The Nikons will take good pictures - it's just that the Canons are very widely considered to be superior in many respects. BUT... I do like the way the Nikons fel in the hand. But heck.... in just a few moments I can see the design limits .... like having a 5 point focus system versus the more sophisticated 7 point systems in the comparable Canons... and that is even against canons that are one or two generations older than the current Nikons!
Get the drift? All the other DSLR makers are a distant 3rd or worse compared to Canon.
Gotta git back to work... than I gotta drive out to pick up the dog from my sister ...
Bye til tomorrow.!
Oops I hope she doesn't see this
