Digital SLR System Need Advice

[Mthorpe_Davies]

Ok I'm new to digital SLR photography. I used to own a Minolta Dynax 9xi many years ago with a 28 - 70 f2.8, 70 - 200 f2.8 and 5200i flash, this was a great set up but was sold when my wife decided that it wasn't being used very much. I now have a Canon G3 which I love and have taken thousands of photo's with. Becuase of the G3 I have now decided that maybe a DSLR would be a good idea as I'm now taking photos every weekend.

So my question to all off you is this. There are three systems worth looking into (possibly 4 if I wait) Nikon, Canon, Pentax and possibly Minolta. I believe that the camera and lens are only part of the equation and software and ease of use will also play an important part in my decision. A large buffer and quick write speed are important, I don't want to miss the boys first steps because the camera had to wait until the buffer was empty. I want it to be easy for my wife to use yet also have enough bells and whistles to keep me happy for a few years.

The bodies that I am interested in are the 10D, D70 and Ist *D. Lens selections isn't all that important as all the manufacturers make 24/28 - 70f2.8 and 80 - 200f2.8 glass, I may also purchase a wide angle prime. I also want a decent flash but haven't looked into any flash systems.

So what should I do, I have had no experence with DSLR's, a blank canvas so to speak. Any advise would be great and appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

[robertwgross]

Mike, in this forum we are pretty much biased towards Canon. What do you expect?

---Bob Gross---

[Mthorpe_Davies]

I'm posting in a couple of different forums to see what responses I'll get. I know this is slanted towards Canon but any information is better than none at all and I think it pays to listen to current users.

[chris.bailey]

Try to get to hold all three in a camera store. A camera is a very personal thing and the button layout is an important element. Me, I have huge hands and find the 10D with Battery grip sits nicely in them. My wife on the other hand (sic) hates it, she has very small hands and finds it very heavy to use. That is a practical thing that has nothing to do with pictures but is often overlooked in tha race for an extra pixel or two or based on reviews that say a is better than b.

Your shortlist are all very capable of taking very nice pictures and unless you are a pro or semi-pro or very very good am, it is unlikely that for day to day use you would notice much difference between the three from a quality viewpoint. The featureset of the three is 'similar' so it comes down to other factors in making a decision

I choose Canon (D30 - D60 - 10D) over the competition at the time of the D30 because I wanted to settle on a lense mount. I had always used Pentax film cameras but at the time I bought a D30 they had no digital SLR. Canon and Nikon both make very fine lenses but to me the Canon range had the edge over Nikon for what what I wanted. I now have the 17-40, 50 prime, 85 prime, 28-135 and 100-400. Thats a not insignificant wad of cash outlay on glazing a camera. I also have a 550 flash and ST E2 remote for it. So I am fairly well wedded to Canon for the foreseeable future. Its not a decision I regret and Canon appear to have a decent development programme, all of my Canon cameras have given results I have been happy with both in my personal life and in recording events for work. That is a double edged sword as the temptation to try and keep up to date is similar to computer ownership. On paper the the 10D was a big step up from the D60 but you would have a hard job telling from a print, which was used to take it, or the D30 come to that.

The ultimate decision is yours, just try not to be swayed too much by reviews.

[CyberDyneSystems]

My personal opinion is that unless you allready have an investment in Pentax or Minolta systems... the choice should be narrowed down to Canon and Nikon. They have the most complete systems to grow into,. and as far as systems go,. I would say they are pretty much neck and neck.

The reason I would suggest Canon over Nikon is that Canon has been,. and for the forseeable future will probably remain, at the front of the Digital SLR pack.

With the D70 Nikon has for the first time in a while been able to leapfrog slightly ahead of Canon's "introductory" offering (the DRebel) as far as features.. but if one were to look at both the existing road map of each companies complete line of DSLR Cameras.. and the recent history leading up to the current offerings,.. Canon is clearly waaay out in front as far as flexibilty, innovation and pure "specsmanship"

If it were a film body decision,.. the choice is 50/50 Canon Nikon.

For Digital,. Canon leads the pack,. and I suspect will for some time.

So if it is a system you want to invest in,. by going Canon you will pretty much be guaranteed to allways be able to select the best available DSLR bodies to mount all of the rest of your system components too.

Plus Canon has the most diverse choice of lenses.. :mrgreen: