Need Advice

Im saving up to buy a DSLR in august. Im willing to spend 3G CDN on body and lenses. I have been reading all I can and it seems that its hard to get all I want out of a camera.

I will be taking photos of wildlife, mostly closeups of snakes and lizards but also take pictures of landscapes and birds.

Canon has grabbed my attention because of the Image Stabalization technology (which Nikon didnt seem to have). I have heard that the slightest movement when shooting long range (200-300mm) can result in a blured image.

I was looking at the rebel xt but really enjoyed the look and feel of the 30D. My concern with the 30D has to do with an article I read regarding the chip size and how it affects the lense. The article said that the camera can cause problems with wide angle shots because of the chip size (when compared to 35mm).As i dont plan on doing any wide photos, I would like to have that functionality in the camera because as my knowledge of photography grows Im sure I will be interested in experimenting in different styles of shots. Of course I cant find that article now.....

I also read that the AF in low light conditions is poor with this camera but there are some gadgets that will correct this problem TRUE or FALSE??

SO

I want a camera that

Looks and feels like a film SLR
Great battery life
All weather resistent
Supports IS technology
Has AI Servo (or comparible continuous focus technology)
Can shoot wide angle shots with no problems
Can support a variety of different lenses without adapter rings
Supports FAST AF lenses

Can a canon 30D with the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens
fill the needs I have posted above?

If anyone has any feedback on wide angle photos and the above combination if you can share it with me (maybe a photo or two) I would be greatly appreciative.

Sincerely,

Chris

Chris, I think you'll get everything you're looking for except the "all weather resistant" feature. None of the "consumer grade" DSLR's are truly really weather sealed. You need to jump up to the professional series (the 1-series) to get that. The best lenses for weather resistance are also in the professional-grade "L" series of lenses.

You will likely want additional lenses, but the 17-85 would be a very good starting point.

Autofocus is probably better with faster lenses (larger maximum aperture or smaller f-stop numbers) than it is with slower lenses.

Weather-resistant - most DSLRs below the 1D series are sort of damp-resistant. The 1D IIN or 1Ds II are truly water-resistant for shooting in a real rainstorm (and way outside your budget). But there are inexpensive rain covers, either commercial or home-made, that you can use with "lesser" cameras.

AF - well, in low light a compatible flash can send out AF assist beams so you can get focus. That's about it. The 1D series have better AF sensors so will work better in low light.

Wide angle. Well, it's true that any given lens on the 350D or 30D (APS-C sensors) doesn't get as wide an angle of coverage as it will on a full frame 35 mm camera, the industry's responded by designing wider-angle lenses just for the smaller sensor formnat so you can get the same angle of view. For instance, the 17-85 mm EF-S (designed for Canon's APS-C sensor) is the 350D/30D equivalent of Canon's 28-135 IS lens for full frame bodies. The EF-S 10-22 compares to the FF 16-35 mm in coverage. So you're not facing wide angle limits by any means.

Image Stabilization/IS (Nikon calls it Vibration Reduction/VR; Sigma calls it Optical Stabilization/OS) is very nice with long lenses. But Canon doesn't have a monopoly on it.

For birds the 17-85 won't be long enough. The hard-core bird photographers look for something in the 600 mm range. The less-affluent or less-dedicated rest of us make do with something in the 400 mm range, either a prime or a zoom. There are ways (extension tubes, close-up lenses) to make the 17-85 usable for close-in shots of snakes, etc., but a dedicated macro lens is a better choice. Still, you can start out with the 17-85 and a tube or two for your close-ups. The 17-85 is also usable for normal landscape shooting at its wide end. It's not one of the fastest AF lenses in Canon's lineup, but it's definitely usable.

I was looking at the rebel xt but really enjoyed the look and feel of the 30D. My concern with the 30D has to do with an article I read regarding the chip size and how it affects the lense. The article said that the camera can cause problems with wide angle shots because of the chip size (when compared to 35mm).As i dont plan on doing any wide photos, I would like to have that functionality in the camera because as my knowledge of photography grows Im sure I will be interested in experimenting in different styles of shots. Of course I cant find that article now.....

I also read that the AF in low light conditions is poor with this camera but there are some gadgets that will correct this problem TRUE or FALSE??

SO

I want a camera that...
All weather resistent>>

You need to spend several more thousands of those CDN if you want that feature!


<<Can shoot wide angle shots with no problems>>

I think you misunderstood the issue about 'problem with wide angle'???.
The 20D and 350 have the same fundamental size sensor, the '1.6 crop' size about 22x15mm. So to shoot the equivalent of 24mm on film camera, you need a 15mm lens on the 350/20D/30D. You would have to buy the 5D or 1Ds to use 24mm lens for the same FOV. On the other hand, a 300mm lens on the 350/20D/30D acts like a 480mm lens, so your ability to shoot tight on a lizard far away is better!!!
Digital sensors have more problem with wide angle lens light striking the sensor more obliquely at the edges of the frame. That can cause vignetting effect and also more chromatic abberations. But that problem is as bad or worse for full frame sized sensors since the frame size puts the extremes at greater oblique angles!

<<Can support a variety of different lenses without adapter rings
Supports FAST AF lenses Can a canon 30D with the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens fill the needs I have posted above?>>

A faster max aperture lens will improve upon focusing performance, as the camera is designed to use a high accuracy focusing sensor at the center of the frame when f/2.8 lenses are mounted.

As you can see from my signature, I have lots of different format cameras and all have been used in professional capacity. If my 20D can do the job for me, I think the 30D can do the job for you.

Welcome to the forum Chris!

Assuming that you're only considering Canon cameras:
1) the 30D looks and feels more like film cameras. The 350D is much smaller
2) both have very good battery life (especially with the grip)
3) As Jon and Skip said, none are except the 1 series. Note that a weather resistant lens will not ensure that your body will be safe if it's not weather resistant itself.
4) all of them do since IS is a lens feature with Canon cameras
5) all Canon DSLRs have AI-Servo
6) 30D and 350D have the same 1.6 crop factor (focal multiplier) so you need to take that into account for your lens decision. EF-S 10-22 might be a good option. I have a 17-40 and it's great for landscape.
7) the whole Canon system. That means a lot
8 ) They both support USM lenses. This being said, your AF performance will depend both on the body and the lens. The AF speed of the lens might be a limitation if you shoot action sports, but so is the camera AF system. The 30D is better than the 350D in that way.

I use a 20D (basically the same) with the 17-85 IS lens you mention and have shot in the Brixton Academy through the night which is about as tough lighting conditions as you're likely to find and it does struggle to focus in the darker shots. It's fine if you have a reasonable amount of stage light in the frame though, or a really fast lens like a 2.8 or better.

To compensate you can use the remote flash sync unit, ST-82 (?) I think it's called. This chucks out a much stronger Af-assist beam and improves focus no end as long as you're in it's range.

AF is fine though in most conditions.

I will be spending much time in the amazon rainforest (2 months in ecuador maybe 1 month in costa rica). Not that I plan on shooting in rain, but I want to ensure that the camera will stand up to the extremely high humidity levels that the rain forest has (most likely the dry season which is still fairly wet).

I didnt plan on spending more than 3G but if the camera is going to malfunction because of moisture/humidity I can save up more for a "weather resistant camera"

What do you guys think??
If you opt for a better camera, any suggestions for most cost effective in that range of cameras for the functionality I want??

Thanks Again

Chris

I was curious also, because Im going to be in the forest for so long (without power), would I be better served getting a 35mm slr?? How battery dependant are they?? What new advances are there in home processing (something where you put the 35mm into a machine and produces a digital output).

Damn this has to be complicated doesnt it.



Chris

You're still going to be looking at getting a fully water resistant L-class lens for the film SLR, which will run you quite a bit. And if you want a water resistant film SLR that'll also run you a pretty penny. Film is a slowly dying technology, and I really don't believe there are any companies working on making advancements in it, quite the opposite.

And no, there is no digital hybrid machine that produces a digital output when you insert the film in. You'd still need chemicals to do the film processing for the film to be scanned at all. Some custom built cameras like the one at http://www.gigapxl.org​/ use large format film and then digitally scan it to take ultra high resolution photographs.

I'd go digital, but then again, I am just a newbie.

Ok, that being said.

I thought digital would be better cost wise and in technilogical advancments.

If I were to buy a used canon EOS-1D mark II N digital slr body what should I be looking for to ensure I get the best life out of the camera?? Do cameras have projected life spans?? #of pictures taken or something like that?

Man being a newbie blows!

Chris

<<I was curious also, because Im going to be in the forest for so long (without power), would I be better served getting a 35mm slr?? How battery dependant are they?? >>

You would have to carry a lot of film, which makes for bulk and weight...imagine 6 rolls of film for each 2GB CF card full of RAW images (the highest quality, analogous to film negatives). Both cameras would have electronic shutters, so when battery goes dead, your camera is a lead weight (I don't care about the one mechanical speed for the shutter...you ever try to shoot at only a single speed, and you discover it is very limiting!). You would have to buy a pure mechanical camera and few have been built in recent years.

I would get a 30D. I think the 1.6x crop is a godsend for wildlife photography (nt)

You probably won't find many 1D2N on the market since it's pretty new. You could find a 1D or 1DmarkII. The 1 series holds well to its value, so it will still be expensive.
For a camera, we usually look at the number of actuations. But the 1 series is built to last. I'm not sure but I think the 1D2N is given for 200K actuations...
When the shutter dies, you can still replace it at a reasonable price.

You could buy a second hand film camera (e.g. EOS 3 or 1) for a good bargain.
It's true, though, that you will be carrying many rolls.
Film cameras might be less sensible to humidity since they carry less electronic. But I have no experience in that, so I can't say for sure.

Is the # of actuations stored in the camera or is it just what the seller claims it is?

None of the consumer-level DSLR's have a shutter-actuation counter. The filename counter can be reset at any time by the user, and the filename number will also be changed by using a card from another camera that has a higher ending filename number than you were using in your camera before.

I have heard that there are software-readable actuation counters in the professional lines of DSLR's, but I don't know this to be fact.