What DSLR Camera Do You Recommend?

[v8coupe]

Was looking at camera's over the weekend, as I would like to take photos of my own models.
I would like to hear others opinions on the ones they use, or what people recomend / dislike.

One I was looking at was the fuji, was about $300 for 2 mega pixels.

Any suggestions much apprieciated.

[brchi17]

I use a Sony Macifa (Big square one that holds a floopy disc) at work (pirmary school) & while it doesn't take photo's at 2 mega pixels i believe it a great digital camera for still photos. It is slightly larger than most, but its size makes it easy to use (children can use it easily) & it has a large screen for viewing.

Be careful of cheep cameras as you definately get what you pay for (stick with known brands), we've been down that track at work !!!

Just keep it in mind that while you can take 2 mega pixels photos, there are very few printers that can print at that defination.

We print all of our photos (640 x 640 res) on a HP colour laser printer (at std quality) on std paper & they look very close to real photos (on photo paper it is almost impossible). Even when we print on our 'cheep' printers HP640, BJP-240, they look good.

If you intend to take moving pics with it forget about it as it is almost impossible - still can't beat a good SLR and quality film !!!

Finally, if you are hoping to take pics at 2 mega pixels i hope you have a large hard drive as they require a large amount of space, which is why were us such a low setting.

Hope this helps,
Cheers.

[jamiemann]

I have a cannon s40 there 4 meg pix and take great shots upgraded to a 128meg card. cost 1600 bucks and almost cleans my house too.

[admin]

We use a Sony with removeable floppy disc for all our research and pics for the site.
Reason....when we go ANYWHERE, we can plug in the 'A' drive and work on the pictures..China, Germany or Timbuctoo. No need for add ons, programs to run it or anything.
Print quality is almost perfect on photo paper and the 2 hour battery actually lasts for 2 hours. With 25 pics to a 45 cent disc, its a good, inexpensive way to take a couple of hundred photos for reference.
No need to buy more than 10x zoom as ALL cameras distort over 10 x magnification.
Old faithful has been with us for over 5 years and the latest one just on 2 years and both running faultlessly.
I dont leave home without mine.
Admin

[BB]

Try and get something with a Macro. It means you can take close-ups without the back of the car being out of focus. We have just purchased a Nikon 'coolpix' and it gives you the option of close up or scenic shots. It cost around $600.00 but its worth it. You can take the picture and see what it looks like immediately. If you dont like it, delete it and take another one. I am in the process of putting a web page together at the moment and some of the pics are excellent. You will need to spend some money on it though because you do get what you pay for.

good luck

[diecastdude]

I run a Nikon Coolpix 885 as well, 3.2 megapixels takes nice pictures simple down load and holds at least 140 pics on a 28mb card.

[v8coupe]

Thank you to all.
Once up to date with Biantes models, I'll look into buying one.
Mainly want it to have photos on my PC and also my web page.

[Andrew]

Hi, I bought a Sony DSC-P31 which is the 'base' model of that series. It still has 2 megapixel resolution though, and takes great shots. It even takes fantastic photos of 1:64 cars, so you can imagine 1:18. As mentioned earlier, best to keep the resolution down to 640 or thereabouts as the space needed on a hard drive for larger pics (1280 - 1600) gets quite demanding. The camera has all the usual stuff - black and white, sepia, negative etc. and mpeg function. But for model cars, its pretty good. The price is quoted on the Sony website at $499, but you'd be doing well to find one for under $550.
Digital cameras ARE expensive, but if you want to document your model car collection with pictures befitting your precious cars, its worth paying a little bit more for better quality images (I find). And you don't have to pay for films or developing etc. (but you'd already know all thnis anyway). If you think about going Sony, beware that their accessories are for Sony only - ie. memory sticks and the like are NOT interchangeable between the other models. You pay a slight premium for Sony accessories (and they may not be any better than the others anyway), so bear that in mind too. But really, pay approx $400+ for any digital camera and you should have something decent.

Good luck.

[mustang1966]

I looked at this a few years ago. I ended up buying and Canon EOS 50E SLR and opted for a better lens (28-135mm) than the standard. The SLR offers so much more than a digital camera as brchi17 said you can use it for racing as well as many other things. I am sure you could buy a Canon EOS 500 with say the standard 28 - 70 mm lens and say a 80 - 200 mm lens for around the $700 mark. Then go and buy a scanner. The results you get will be just as good and much better in some cases.

I guess it comes down to personal choice and what you need it for.

[the_goldie]

I have a friends Canon Powershot A-10 and this is a great camera with a few downfalls.
Still shots are excellent and the flash has quite a good range. I used it at Oran Park this year with mixed results (mainly user error :) ) Some shots of the cars would come out clear others would be extremely blurred... for still shots it was great, especially when walking around the pits and taking pics of the cars in the garages. Pictures are very crisp and clear. Has 1.3megapixels and a max resolution of 1280x1024 and also has 3 different types of image quality (superfine - large image size, fine and normal).
I think it retails for around $400 but then you need a decent size memory card if using the larger resolution and image quality.
The 2 downfalls with this camera are - takes normal AA batteries (4) and they don't last very long!!! So unless you get rechargeables I would recommend you have shares in Energizer ;) and the zoom is 3x optical (6x combined with digital) where the Sony below is 10x optical!!!

I have also used the Sony Maciva (floppy disk system) and the only downfall (in my opinion) with this camera is the resolution - max 640x480 (would be nice if it was larger). If you don't need a larger resolution than this camera does the job - although in low light the images can be a bit poor, if the flash is not on. When released this camera retailed for around $900 (I think) and has been on the market for a few years now. Also as mentioned previously it takes floppy disks so no need for expensive media such as smart cards or memory sticks etc (although I find when taking pics the floppy takes a while to write where as the other type writes almost immediately, allowing you take another picture quickly)... And the battery pack lasts for quite a while.

[timbo333]

The cheapest solution of all......

Borrow someone else's:p Only joking!

K-Mart do cheap prices on the 2-3 megapixel range...knock huge dollars off at the drop of a hat.

Pick one out then wait for the price to drop then grab it..

[Glen Alexander]

I have a Nikon Coolpix 995. It is a 4 megapixel camera and is excellent. It takes a bit of working out, but these digital cameras can be really good for taking action shots of the cars, the best photo I have ever taken at the races was of Mark Skaife at Oran Park this year, it was taken on the largest format 2048x??? whatever and it is clear as. Better than any of my shots with the Nikon F90X SLR!! I found that if you manually focus the spot where the cars pass, hold the button half way down while getting the car in frame, then push the button, they take great action photos. I cropped it and made the grass a bit greener in PhotoShop, Oran Park was so dry that weekend, but it is a great looking photo. I hope the upload works!!

[brchi17]

Old thread I know, but I'm looking to buy a Sony cybershot camera (because of it's small size, only interesting in the still photo capabailities) 3.2 mp (can't decide between the 52 & 72 models).

Anyone got one & if so, got an opinion of it to share ???

Looking to spend around the 5-700 dollar range.

Anyone got any ideas ???

cheers.

[Pedro]

Originally posted by the_goldie
Sony below is 10x optical!!!

I have also used the Sony Maciva (floppy disk system) and the only downfall (in my opinion) with this camera is the resolution - max 640x480 (would be nice if it was larger). If you don't need a larger resolution than this camera does the job - although in low light the images can be a bit poor, if the flash is not on. When released this camera retailed for around $900 (I think) and has been on the market for a few years now. Also as mentioned previously it takes floppy disks so no need for expensive media such as smart cards or memory sticks etc (although I find when taking pics the floppy takes a while to write where as the other type writes almost immediately, allowing you take another picture quickly)... And the battery pack lasts for quite a while.

This is the same digital camera that I have it does pretty good close up shots

[Pedro]

Originally posted by brchi17
Old thread I know, but I'm looking to buy a Sony cybershot camera (because of it's small size, only interesting in the still photo capabailities) 3.2 mp (can't decide between the 52 & 72 models).

Anyone got one & if so, got an opinion of it to share ???

Looking to spend around the 5-700 dollar range.

Anyone got any ideas ???

cheers.

brchi17,
Get a camera with the biggest optical zoom you can afford.
The digital zoom only enlarges the picture that you have instead of actually zooming in on the subject.

[timbo333]

brchi17.......

The wife and I bought a PANASONIC 2 Megapixel for Xmas last year. Its called a LUMIX.

Very happy with it.....even comes with rechargable batteries. It has 3x optical zoom and has a very good german lens (LEICA) which has impressed me with its quality. We also got an extra 16mb card plus extras from Panasonic as a promotion. All for under $500.

The model number is DMC-LC20 and we got it at RETRAVISION.

It may have been superseded now as I cannot find it on the PANASONIC homepage www.panasonic.com.au

Cheers,

Timbo.

[Malik]

I got a Fujifilm Digi cam S304 and the picture quality is AWESOME.. its 3.2 megapixel and works with flash cards.. but downloading goes straight into a USB port on the PC and downloads straight in.. I usually keep it on the lowest quality to get more pics but even on that the quality is amazing..

It can do 60 second AVI's also.. so I got a couple short movies.. mainly from drag nites..

[brchi17]

Originally posted by Pedro


brchi17,
Get a camera with the biggest optical zoom you can afford.
The digital zoom only enlarges the picture that you have instead of actually zooming in on the subject.

I already have a minolta slr with 35-80mm & 70-300mm lenses, but I find the dam thing runs out of film in about 5 minutes flat (I'm very snappy happy).

I want a digi to use for work (stills) & of course my car collection. Also it would be good to use for all of those slow items at the track & people pics, so that I could save some of my film for the racecars.

Thankyou to all who have responded so far as I'm hitting the shops later in the day (after midnight over here in Vic) to hopefully get a good deal on one.

Has anyone had expirence with the sony cybershot as it my fav pic at the monent.

cheers.:D

[Glen Alexander]

That's what I do Brad, I take the Nikon Coolpix and my Nikon F90X. Save the film shots for the racecars, and use the digital in the pits and to take some soundless video. It's great for the pits, I can take a few hundred photos and sort through them when I get home. Plus I only have a 75-300mm 4.5-5.6 lens for the F90X and no flash, so it's not really great for the pit area, I have to stand back a bit and people keep walking in front of me, so the digi is ideal.

[Richard Poole]

Originally posted by brchi17
Has anyone had expirence with the sony cybershot as it my fav pic at the monent.

cheers.:D

I have just bought a Sony Cybershot DSC-P92 which is pretty much more camera than I need. It's 5 megapixel with 3* optical zoom. At full size the pics are about A3 size and the resolution comes up extremely well. Bought a 256meg Memory stick pro because the camera also does video with sound and that chewed into the 16meg chip (supplied with the camera) really fast . Looking forward to heading of to another race to try it out properly.

You can adjust the picture size to VGA (640 X 480), 1.2M, 3.1M, 4.5M, and 5.0M with no depreciation in picture quality, just size.
I was going to get the 3.2mp SOny but this one came up at a good price so I went for it.

I took the attached picture with the new camera. I obviously had to crop it down a fair bit to attach it to the forum but you get the idea.

[Riddler]

brchi17

I have recently bought an Olympus C-740. Its 4 megapixel and has a 10x optical zoom and 3x digital. I have found that I have not needed to use the digital zoom as yet.

It also has a macro zoom function for close up shots from about 3cm away.

If you can afford to throw an extra couple of hundred above your budget of $700 I would recommend this one.

Cheers
Riddler

[Andrew]

The Sony Cybershot is a good camera. I have the DSC-P31 which is getting older now and is only 2 megapixels but does what I want it to. My father has one the same as mine, and liked it so much that he went out and bought the new Cybershot 3.2 megapixel as well - the one you are talking about. I have had a short play with this new camera, and it is quite impressive. I would firmly recommend them to you, and as you seem so intent on one, I assume you have had a chance to play with one before in a shop? I know it sounds a bit odd, but K-Mart has some good prices if you are prepared to shop around and bargain. Around $500 should do it. Its best if yoou can find a slightly cheaper price, then get K-mart to undercut that by 10%. As Richard and others have said, get a larger memory stick. It is a MUST. I upgraded to a 64mB stick and can fit nearly 100 shots on it in the largest resolution, and nearly 400 shots in the smallest resolution. Be aware - the Sony brand memory sticks are not interchangeable with other more generic brands, although 'ScanDisk' are licensed to make memory sticks for Sony's cameras, and this is what I bought. They are cheaper than Sony's official product, but do the job just as well.
Good luck.

[monaro]

I'm with Malik,
I have a Fuji S304 and it's amazing, even on the lowest resolution setting. Took it to Eastern Creek this year and got some excellent shots. I'd post some photos but I don't know how.

[KiwiRallyFan]

Just briefly....I have a Canon G2, and it is an awesome camera. It takes much better images than my Canon SLR, and the macro mode is good for models. It is however not that good for motorsport action photos as it only has a 3x optical zoom, and focussing/picture-taking is a bit slow. Apart from that, it's the best camera I've ever owned.

[Glen Alexander]

Hey Kiwi, I found that with the Nikon coolpix picture taking was slow. But then I found if I hold the button down half way it is ready to take the pic instantly. I follow the cars with button half pressed, then when I'm ready to take the shot, I press it fully and it snaps straight away. see if it is the same with yours.

[KiwiRallyFan]

Thanks Glen. That's the way I actually do it, but it does require something at a similar distance to the car to focus on initially. I still find that the 3x optical zoom is a bit too small - equivalent to a SLR 105mm lens. I miss the 210mm lens on my SLR.

[Glen Alexander]

Here's a shot I took at Phillip Island this year with the coolpix, down at turn 2.

[brchi17]

Great pic Glenn !!!

Being a Nikon I bet it was a dear one !!!

I remember when I bought my SLR I got a Minolta which was dear enought, but the Nikons were up in a whole new league !!!

For action shots I'll stick with teh SLR, but the digi will be for stills & pit type pic etc....

Still looking for the right camera at the right price.

Thanks to everyone for their responces.

cheers. :)

[Glen Alexander]

The camera cost around $1600.

[brchi17]

Well Glenn, I'll not be buying one of them. That more than I've spent for my SLR & all of my lens. No wonder it takes such great pics !!!

cheers.

[Glen Alexander]

The digi is my Dad's, but the F90X is mine. I bought it when it was four months old. For the body, a nikon 75-300 lens, and an MB-10 grip I paid $2100. It's one of my best investments as I've had some great use out of it. So easy to use and takes great photos also.

[the_goldie]

I have to hand back a friends digital camera soon so started looking to purchase one.

I have been looking at the Kodak DX6340 3.1MP (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/19/487/663&pq-locale=en_AU) or the next one up in the range DX6440 4.0MP (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/19/487/1054&pq-locale=en_AU)

Has anybody had any experience with the Kodak range or in particular this model?

Brad - have you bought the cybershot yet? If so any reports.

[brchi17]

Originally posted by the_goldie
Brad - have you bought the cybershot yet? If so any reports.

Nar, our house appears to be starting a bit sooner that we expected, so I'll have to wait a few more months as that money has now been spent on the house.

The joys of building they keep telling me ????

cheers. :D

[Leigh]

Originally posted by brchi17
The joys of building they keep telling me ????

Yep, that's right...

Day 1 Clean up interior of house (those builders do not know the meaning of clean!)
Day 2 Clean up interior of house (all the mud and dirt that was walked in when you brought your belongings in)
.
.
.

You get there in the end...trust me;)

Regards

[biante5485]

looking for a cheap camera to take pics of my models so that I can download them to the net.

Any info on cheap cameras?

[brchi17]

I found a bit of info at www.teds.com.au & www.harveynorman.com.au

With a strong Aussie dollar causing prices to crash, I might be back in the market for a digi again very soon.

Saw a 5mp cybershot for $799- (at JB HiFi last week), which is not much more than what I was looking to pay for the 3mp verson a few months ago. Looks like it might have been worth the wait.

cheers. :)

[Leigh]

Brad,

A professional photographer I know just bought himself a Canon S45 Supershot. Its a point and shoot camera, but unlike all the others I've used, the aperture and shutter controls are two buttons from the main menu...I don't know if all are like this, but I liked that feature. It also had the ability to produce .RAW files...these files capture everything and do not interpolate like other file format's do...

Overall, I'd buy one of these over the Olympus, Kodak and Fuji digi camera's I've used. I'd give it a 8/10 (only a Full SLR digi camera is capable of a 10/10...)

Cheers

[Leigh]

Sorry, Canon Powershot S45 http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_c ompact_cameras.html

Cheers

[brchi17]

Thanks Leigh, it amazing the number of sales people selling these things that know bugger all about them & might as well not be there to start with !!!

Having items like a variable shutter speed & aperture are improtant things when expirementing & trying to get that special affect. Haven't had much success with the SLR at this, but all a part of the fun of photography.

To date I wasn't aware of any digi that could do this, is I might have to check them out when I get around to doing my tax return !!!

cheers. :)

[Leigh]

Most digi camera's have the ability to have different shutter/aperture speeds, but they are usually buried on the 10th level of some obscure menu...:mad:

Cheers

[Grubby]

Originally posted by the_goldie
I have to hand back a friends digital camera soon so started looking to purchase one.

I have been looking at the Kodak DX6340 3.1MP (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/19/487/663&pq-locale=en_AU) or the next one up in the range DX6440 4.0MP (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/19/487/1054&pq-locale=en_AU)

Has anybody had any experience with the Kodak range or in particular this model?

Brad - have you bought the cybershot yet? If so any reports.

Cam

I've got an older Kodak camera. DX3900 3.1 MP - had no problems with it and like most very easy to use.

There are probably better camera's out there but this one does what I need.

Grubby

[speedking]

are the ones @ timezone any good? What is the best low cost digital camera?

[bernoo]

I have just got myself a Nicon coolpix 7500. 5 megapixel. 10 x optical zoom. 4 x digi zoom. What I dont understand is the Olympus c-740 or c-750 both have 10 x optical zoom. Olympus state that 10 x optical is same as 380mm in SLR camera. My camera`s 10 x zoom is quotes at 280MM. Why is this so:confused:

[Leigh]

Either its a typo by one of the manufacturers or the bottom of the zoom range is different (quite likely)...speaking in 35mm terms, the coolpix would probably have a 28-280mm lens while the Olympus probably has 38-380mm...both are 10x optical zoom...

Cheers

[brchi17]

Well I went shopping on the way home from the start of the rally of melbourne & bought myself a cybershot dscp-92 which was on special (same as admin's).

I was going to get the dscp-72 (3mp verson) but for $50 more I decided to get a 5mp camera with a few more features - like a 3 shot birst in 0.5sec over 2 & a few more speed, f-settings adjustments, etc......

I looked at the dscp-10 but it was another $249 more & the only differences was the battery being a rectangular type other than the AA that in the dscp-9 & the 10 being aprox 10mmx15mm smaller, so I spent the money on a 256mb memory stick pro.

Once I learn how to use the beast, I'll post some pics. I've had a bit of a play so far & I am very impressed at the quality & massive size of the pics it takes.

cheers. :D

[goblues]

Sorry guys.

I meant to post this last night.

Yesterday I received the latest Choice Magazine, and guess what, it has a review on Digital Cams.

I'll post more info if asked.

[Skyline Guy]

Hi, im looking at buying a digital camera and any info you could post would be great, Thanks
Skyline Guy

[brchi17]

Took my digi out on the boat on Friday & had a bit of play taking a couple of pics & thought I'd share the best one's with everyone.

remember admin will have to approve them before viewing.

cheers. :)

[brchi17]

another one

[brchi17]

7km's from the shore

[brchi17]

houses on the cliffs of Mt Martha

[craigrobbo]

Brad, nice pics!!!

You may have mentioned it elsewhere in the thread and I was too lazy to look, but what type of camera do you have?

I have a Canon S45, and there are so many features on the damn thing, I don't think I'll ever learn (or need) them all

[brchi17]

Originally posted by craigrobbo
Brad, nice pics!!!

You may have mentioned it elsewhere in the thread and I was too lazy to look, but what type of camera do you have?

I have a Canon S45, and there are so many features on the damn thing, I don't think I'll ever learn (or need) them all

All taken with a Sony cybershot DSCP-92 5mp camera.

These pics were taken at 5mp & re-sized for the forum on adobe photoshop 5.

I also took a bit of video of us moving across the water, but there was an aweful amount of wind noise due to us moving at more than 50mph, but it was pretty impressive of what it could do, considering it's meant to be just a still camera.

Last pic of the crowd on the Dromana Pier waiting to see that new liner (can't remember it's name), that is twice the size of the QE2.

cheers. :)

[Grubby]

Nice Pics.

Looks like it was nice out there Brad.

Grubby

[the_goldie]

Brad lovely pics. Looks very nice out there on the water. Might have to hassle the inlaws to get their boat out on the water. Do you ski behind your boat or just cruise around? Any more pics of your boat? I have only seen the one.

[brchi17]

Originally posted by the_goldie
Brad lovely pics. Looks very nice out there on the water. Might have to hassle the inlaws to get their boat out on the water. Do you ski behind your boat or just cruise around? Any more pics of your boat? I have only seen the one.

I'll post another one I took on Friday of it. Mainly i knee board behind it or we tow a couple of ski biscuit (basically a fancy tractor tube), but on Friday night dad really wanted to go out for a cruise/swim, so considering it was a little too rought to ski, & it had been a 30 degree day I was pretty happy to take it out, if only for a drive.

The best thing about it is that you don't have to worry about what speed you doing (once you get far enought from the beach)& on the water the speed feels so much faster.

cheers. :)

[the_goldie]

Well finally I have bought myself a digital camera. Canon A80. Beautiful camera with lots of features to get creative with. I took a few photos last Friday at lunch time down at the harbour and have added them into webshots - here (http://community.webshots.com/user/cambo05)

It may not be visible for 30 minutes or so until it has been updated.

I will keep updating the album once I take more photos.

Oran Park in August so that should provide me with some more photos then Bathurst in October.

[username]

thumbnails look the treat. The only harbour pic I can compete with is down here by the Derwent :D

I have a Canon G3 (similar to the A80) and both are beauties. Try the following store for discounted products where I purchased mine: www.cws.net.au

[stevelb1]

My digital camera is a Sony Cybershot DSC-V1 5.0 megs, and it takes fantastic photos, I have no complaint with it at all.

Just have a look at the pics on my webshots site, 98% of them were with the digital camera.

[Domin8]

I actually had kodak DX6340 3.1mp Digital camera for the last 7 months and it served me well for close up shots.. well from about 6 inches away from my models.. Anyways.. go to a fair few car shows and really needed an improvement for zoomed shots and also in resolution as I like to make atleast A3 sized posters of photoshopped photo's of them. Was looking at a Canon EOS 300D 6.3mp SLR digital but couldn't justify the $1800 price tag with a small equiv 2 x optical lense.

Looked around for about 2 months and finally decided on the Fuji Finepix S7000. I will say for starters that this cam puts out some amazing sized photo's at up to over 4000x3040 for res. Being a 6.3mp camera with the new generation 4 super CCD chip in it, im able to increase the pictures res to up to a size of nearly 12mp's.

Comes with alot of manual features and even manual focus.
Has Macro function for pictures taekn from 8-80cm away and a supermacro mode that allows clear photos to be taken up to only 1cm away!. Can then zoom right in on an image eg a $2 coin and can see the minute scuff and pit marks on the coin with no distortion! :D ..

All in all very happy with the camera!.. still have to work out all the diff settings on it but hopefully one day Ill have the time to fully work it all out!. Oh cost with 128MB XD memory card and 4 AA 2300NMH rechargeable batteries + carry bag and extra 3 years warranty was round the $1199 mark.

Lat but not leats.. I really like that it can take two types of memory card. both the XD and compact flash cards..

Pics here... these have been resized so not full quality but you can still see the clarity
pics (http://rippa72.servepics.com/gallery/thumbnails.p hp?album=54)

[HRT 1-2]

G'day all, I'm pretty new to the digital camera game and just got a little HP Photosmart as a deal with a HP all-in-one printer.

Only played around with it so far and found it chewed through the Duracell AA Alkalines that came with it and figured they were probably dodgy to start with, replaced them with another couple of Duracell’s and it ploughed through these. It does recommend the use of Photo-Lithium or NiMH rechargeables over Alkaline!

Is this the norm and do the recommended battery types improve the performance that much?

[Malik]

Originally posted by HRT 1-2
G'day all, I'm pretty new to the digital camera game and just got a little HP Photosmart as a deal with a HP all-in-one printer.

Only played around with it so far and found it chewed through the Duracell AA Alkalines that came with it and figured they were probably dodgy to start with, replaced them with another couple of Duracell’s and it ploughed through these. It does recommend the use of Photo-Lithium or NiMH rechargeables over Alkaline!

Is this the norm and do the recommended battery types improve the performance that much?

mate definately use NiMH batteries.. most digital camera's well eat through regular alkaline's pretty effectively.. moreso if your using the LCD screen on the back of the camera...

go NiMH batteries.. the higher the milliamp's the better.... 2300s seem to be the going rate at the moment... that's what I use.. they lost for ages..

still have a couple sets though.

[brchi17]

Originally posted by the_goldie
Well finally I have bought myself a digital camera. Canon A80. Beautiful camera with lots of features to get creative with. I took a few photos last Friday at lunch time down at the harbour and have added them into webshots - here (http://community.webshots.com/user/cambo05) .....

Great shot's Cam, I'm looking foward to seeing some good motorsport shots from this little wonder.

cheers. :)

[Moffat Fan]

Originally posted by mustang1966
I looked at this a few years ago. I ended up buying and Canon EOS 50E SLR and opted for a better lens (28-135mm) than the standard. The SLR offers so much more than a digital camera as brchi17 said you can use it for racing as well as many other things. I am sure you could buy a Canon EOS 500 with say the standard 28 - 70 mm lens and say a 80 - 200 mm lens for around the $700 mark. Then go and buy a scanner. The results you get will be just as good and much better in some cases.

I guess it comes down to personal choice and what you need it for.

I just lashed out on a Cannon EOS 300D Rebel

Its 6.3 mega pixel and takes all my existing AF lenses from my old EOS 500

It's nothing short of brilliant.

It comes with a 17 to 85 and all the cables and software to connect to your pc or printer. We just used it on holiday and its awsome,

Digital SLR the only way to fly! :)

[admin]

Fantasic shots Cam - you can see the Bridgeclimb party on their trek up to the top of the bridge.

Looking at these great pictures, gave me a terrific idea.

As we are located all over this huge country of ours and many in lots of other interesting spots, how about as many people as possible go outside in their part of the world and take 2 or 3 shots and share with the other forum users. Some of our members in other countries will probably enjoy actual pics taken by fellow members and not some standard photo out of a book or brochure.

Please go to it in all states and other countries also. We should have some idyllic North Queensland palm trees to snow scenes in other parts of Australia at the moment.

This could be a really happy thread... Bev :D

[HRT 1-2]

Originally posted by Malik
mate definately use NiMH batteries.. most digital camera's well eat through regular alkaline's pretty effectively.. moreso if your using the LCD screen on the back of the camera...

go NiMH batteries.. the higher the milliamp's the better.... 2300s seem to be the going rate at the moment... that's what I use.. they lost for ages..

still have a couple sets though.

Thanks mate, figured that was the case, hungry little mongrels aren't they:confused:

[username]

Originally posted by admin
Fantasic shots Cam - you can see the Bridgeclimb party on their trek up to the top of the bridge.

Looking at these great pictures, gave me a terrific idea.

As we are located all over this huge country of ours and many in lots of other interesting spots, how about as many people as possible go outside in their part of the world and take 2 or 3 shots and share with the other forum users. Some of our members in other countries will probably enjoy actual pics taken by fellow members and not some standard photo out of a book or brochure.

Please go to it in all states and other countries also. We should have some idyllic North Queensland palm trees to snow scenes in other parts of Australia at the moment.

This could be a really happy thread... Bev :D



here's a pic of Stanley's 'the Nut' and surrounds (north-west coast of Tas) taken from the plane, going home, after spending Christmas and New Years on King Island with the relies. Not the best photo, but hope you like...

[Road Runner 72]

Originally posted by admin
Fantasic shots Cam - you can see the Bridgeclimb party on their trek up to the top of the bridge.

Looking at these great pictures, gave me a terrific idea.

As we are located all over this huge country of ours and many in lots of other interesting spots, how about as many people as possible go outside in their part of the world and take 2 or 3 shots and share with the other forum users. Some of our members in other countries will probably enjoy actual pics taken by fellow members and not some standard photo out of a book or brochure.

Please go to it in all states and other countries also. We should have some idyllic North Queensland palm trees to snow scenes in other parts of Australia at the moment.

This could be a really happy thread... Bev :D

So you want the rain of Melbourne?? lol
Ok will see what I can come up with, a nice idea.

[username]

lol, since I'm in Hobart we could start our own clique of photos :D

Actually, it hasn't been too bad this winter. Soooooo cold though - might have to take some shots of the mountain.

[diecastdude]

Ok Just got my new kick ass Nikon D70 SLR digital very nice indeed and a lot of learning to do, here's a shot from my front porch from Gosford NSW about 80k noth of Sydney.

[admin]

Sorry, Richard must not be looking at the forums or he would approve the photos for us to see.

[Esses]

I'm an old SLR user from 18 years back but we bought a Dick Smith 2mp $199-00 special & after a few days use sold the Olympus OM-10 back to the Camera Shop I bought it from & stuck to the Digi. This little thing has been a great learning tool & we've just upgraded to a Canon A310 3.2mp which has way more features than we'll ever use. The quality is great & the video has quite decent sound as well. We actually mainly went for the Canon as only Canon & Nikon still use Compact Flash cards & we'd bought a 128mb CF card for the DSE camera. This gave us approx 150 shots at 2mp & 76 at 3.2mp. However, we also have our original 16mb card & the 32mb card from Canon so we're looking good for our upcoming Holiday in Qld. I'd recommend the Canon to anyone & also don't sneeze at DSE. They have a 3.2mp Digi for $168-00 & we'd've got that long ago but of course it uses a different card!
Quick recommend for DSE. Our Digi was 6 months old & the NIGHT BEFORE my Sis-in-law's Wedding the thing died (not it's fault, Wifey plugged the USB cable in the wrong way 'round & COOKED the thing) & Wifey plus ALL THREE of our kids were in the Wedding party. I dived into DSE, explained the situation & they replaced it on the spot. Can't beat that.

[Gillick]

Nice shots. Username, I've been to Stanley...went fishing off the wharf. That was 6 years ago. :D

[Damian]

Originally posted by diecastdude
Ok Just got my new kick ass Nikon D70 SLR digital very nice indeed and a lot of learning to do

Diecastdude,
I'm looking at buying that same digital camera as well. I'm currently using the Nikon F60 SLR with the Tamron 38-200 & 200-400 lenses but want to upgrade.
Are the film lenses interchangable with the digital camera as I only want to get the body if I can. Any info would be appreciated

Regards
Damian

[diecastdude]

Damian all your current lenses will work with the D70 however you have to factor in a 1.5 ratio which means that an 80mm lens is now a 120mm lens and so on, depending on where you buy there isn't a whole lot of difference in price between the body only price and the kit which includes a DX 18mm to 70mm ED glass zoom lens, this lens was produced for the digital format and according to the forums on the link below the lens is great value when purchased as part of the kit. Take a look at the link below this has a great review and then check out the forums on the left of the page and choose Nikon D70.

Nikon D70 review and Forums (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/)

[Damian]

Thankyou diecastdude, very much appreciated.

Regards
Damian

[goblues]

Originally posted by HRT 1-2
G'day all, I'm pretty new to the digital camera game and just got a little HP Photosmart as a deal with a HP all-in-one printer.

Only played around with it so far and found it chewed through the Duracell AA Alkalines that came with it and figured they were probably dodgy to start with, replaced them with another couple of Duracell’s and it ploughed through these. It does recommend the use of Photo-Lithium or NiMH rechargeables over Alkaline!

Is this the norm and do the recommended battery types improve the performance that much?

My camera, an old Fuji Finepix 1300, will chew through the batteries, even when turned off. So I take the batteries out, when I've finished the shoot. They last much longer.

[goblues]

Bev, that's a really great idea. I'll take a few shots tomorrow, and will post links here.

In the meantime, I'll post a link to a shot which I got by ass, rather than class.

That is because my digi has a downfall or two, compared to my SLR. Firstly, you can't hold the shutter open, so forget star trails etc. And, there is a big delay between hitting the button, and the shot being taken.

So, after finding this out on the night, out of 120 odd shots in a period of 50 minutes, only one shot got a result. At least I didn't have to change the film!!!

Make sure you go to the bottom righthand corner of the pic.

internex.net.au/~rocket/xypics/2003_1203_001916.jp g

[FOMOCO]

ok just been reading this thread and absorbing all the information, I want to buy a digital camera for many of the same reasons as stated I want a digitial but i want to take shots of motor racing as well as other things, There seems to be a bit of debate as to weather there is a suitable camera or not, But what i would like to know is what should i be looking for, obviously the biggest optical zoom but is more megapixle better ??? i am prepared to spend around $1500.00 but want to make sure i get sonmthing good. any suggestions on what i should put on the shopping list to ask for when i get to the shop ???

I found this on the teds page, seems a good proposition

http://www.teds.com.au/www/94/1001102/displayprodu ct/1074917_1005966_.html

What due the professionals use, I was at winton on the weekend and they all seemed to have the lcd screens in the cameras, any idea what they are using ???

[username]

try the following. Very insightful and lead me to my purchase a while back.

http://www.steves-digicams.com

[diecastdude]

Biggest zoom lens, fast shutter for racing etc, holding the shutter open and 6 megapixel all points to an SLR digital over the point and shoot camera's, Nikon, Canon are about all thats out their now but at least with the Nikon you can start buying new or second hand lens and know that they will work on any Nikon you may buy in the future.

[KiwiRallyFan]

Originally posted by admin
....how about as many people as possible go outside in their part of the world and take 2 or 3 shots and share with the other forum users. Some of our members in other countries will probably enjoy actual pics taken by fellow members and not some standard photo out of a book or brochure.....

Here's the view out of my office window in Wellington....

[Michael49]

$300 won't get you a good camera for what you need. ya want at least 4 mega pixals, and to stop depth of field "clear pic of the back of the model ant blurred front" you will need something like 10 X optical zoom. For around $700 you'll get great results, don't buy the cheapies and be disappointed with you prized pic's

Cheers. Michael.

[username]

Originally posted by Michael49
$300 won't get you a good camera for what you need. ya want at least 4 mega pixals, and to stop depth of field "clear pic of the back of the model ant blurred front" you will need something like 10 X optical zoom. For around $700 you'll get great results, don't buy the cheapies and be disappointed with you prized pic's

Cheers. Michael.


very true.

Don't discount a product entirely on price however, as digital cams are getting alot cheaper nowdays. For eg. I bought a Canon G3 (4MP, 4X optical, SLR-like controls, lens attachable, flip out-rotating LCD) in January last year for $1500 from a discount store ( $1800 RRP) and now I can find these buggers for $700 elsewhere. Was the best camera I could afford at the time, but a little disappointed now as I could now buy a reliable 5 or 6MP camera for roughly the price I got it. Nevertheless, with the G3 I can print perfectly over A1 before pixelation sets in, so all's not too bad. Just shop around.

[username]

bit of over exaggeration I noticed - roughly between A2 - A1 without significant pixelation. Shouldn't boast too much :rolleyes:

[the_goldie]

username - this will always happen as is the way with technology. Who knows in another 6months the 4megapixel cameras might be 1/4 or 1/2 of what they are now?! I have been watching the price of cameras for about a year or so maybe even longer and I was originally going to get a 2 or even 3 megapixel camera as 4 was pretty much out of my price range at that stage but now I have a 4megapixel and would have loved a 5 or even 6megapixel camera but again they were out of my price range. So far I am very very pleased with my purchase.

Just paid $360 or a A75 for my father and that is a 3.2megapixel camera which I am sure will be pretty good as most canons are! So I don't think you have to spend '000s to get a good camera, but then I guess it all comes down to what you want out of it???

[username]

Cameron, my sister bought an A75 or similar (A70, A80?) a few months back. She loves it!

As a GD student, I pretty much demand quality (well, at least my project submissions + teachers do ;)). A 6+MP camera with the works would be nice.


I feel sorry for the old SLR...

[stevelb1]

Originally posted by username

I feel sorry for the old SLR...

Dont discount the old SLR camera, they are still a useful bit of gear, I still have mine and use it as often as the digital.

For taking those shots at the races you be hard pressed to get a digital camera to take long distance shots as good as an SLR without paying in the $3000+ bracket.

[username]

Originally posted by stevelb1
Dont discount the old SLR camera, they are still a useful bit of gear, I still have mine and use it as often as the digital.

For taking those shots at the races you be hard pressed to get a digital camera to take long distance shots as good as an SLR without paying in the $3000+ bracket.


yeah true, I'm thinking more down the track.

I still have my SLR and accessories, but my camera controls are nothing to brag about - when I had film developed I noticed alot of problems lol.

[Michael49]

Steve

Your'e right about the old SLR, with a reasonable sort of macro lens you can at least control your depth of field, the longer the lens is left open and the light is right you can get a good close up pic with no blurred bits.

Cheers. Michael.

[goblues]

I've got an old Minolta XD7 with bayonet mount lenses. I am hoping to one day get a digital that will take my current lenses because the outlay to replace all of my lenses would be beyond me without refinancing my home.

I'd hate to think what the cost would be to replace my 600mm telephoto for example even though it's only f8.

For now, I'll stick to my 1.3Meg Fuji FinePix.

[brchi17]

Originally posted by stevelb1
Dont discount the old SLR camera, they are still a useful bit of gear, I still have mine and use it as often as the digital.

For taking those shots at the races you be hard pressed to get a digital camera to take long distance shots as good as an SLR without paying in the $3000+ bracket.

Not a truer would could be said Steve ;) !!!

I was seriously considering an new Digital SLR, butafter a serious look I would need to spend close to 5k on stuff to get a digital camera with the abality to match a $800 Canon SLR with quality lens.

So when I get around to replacing my broken SLR, I'll be switch to a Canon EOS ??? as I don't think the technology has yet become affordable to bother going digital SLR yet.

Sure my cybershot has been great for happy snapps & close up pictures, but for good quality sports/actions pictures up to an A4 size, I think there not quite ready yet at an affordable price.

cheers. :)

[singer]

I bought a digital pen camera for $25 which is good for 40 corse photos 20 medium & 10 fine just a little bit larger than a biro & a larger digital camera from tandy for $89 which is OK for taking happy snaps (tandy were clearing all Radio shack gear) :)

[stevelb1]

Originally posted by singer
I bought a digital pen camera for $25 which is good for 40 corse photos 20 medium & 10 fine just a little bit larger than a biro & a larger digital camera from tandy for $89 which is OK for taking happy snaps (tandy were clearing all Radio shack gear) :)

That doesn't supprise me, seen Dick Smith owns Tandy Australia and Radio Shack was the Yanky items.

[singer]

Originally posted by stevelb1
That doesn't supprise me, seen Dick Smith owns Tandy Australia and Radio Shack was the Yanky items.

Actually, Woolworths owns both Dick Smith & Tandy.

Tandy Australia was originally a division of Tandy America. Tandy opened their doors in Australia in the mid 70's Catering for the electronics freaks & the CBers which was illegal gack then.

Cheers:)

[Esses]

The Woolies bit is news to me Ken. We knew about DSE taking over Tandy 'cause we do the O'Night Bags for both & guess what brand the Tandy (where they still exist) bags are now?

[brchi17]

Originally posted by Steve
The Woolies bit is news to me Ken. We knew about DSE taking over Tandy 'cause we do the O'Night Bags for both & guess what brand the Tandy (where they still exist) bags are now?

Actually Woolies bought out DSE about 6 to 7 years ago. The only reason I know is that I remember reading this in the Woolies newsletter jusat before I quit my old job in the supermarket all those years ago.

cheers. :)

[goblues]

Originally posted by singer
Actually, Woolworths owns both Dick Smith & Tandy.

Tandy Australia was originally a division of Tandy America. Tandy opened their doors in Australia in the mid 70's Catering for the electronics freaks & the CBers which was illegal gack then.

Cheers:)

From what I remember, it was illegal to own/operate a CB unless you had a license. Nowadays you don't need a license.

[singer]

Originally posted by goblues
From what I remember, it was illegal to own/operate a CB unless you had a license. Nowadays you don't need a license.

Go back afew years futher to that (Mid 70's) & you'll find that Tandy was the retailer supplying CB's when it was totally illegal. Licence or not!!You couldn't get a licence to operate a CB. It was only by weight of numbers that Dept of Communications caved in & started issuing licences. First, the Licence was a one off, then some pubic servant thought they'd make more money if they charger a yearly licence fee.

[singer]

sorry for getting off the topic Digital Cameras

[username]

thought I might revive this thread...

here's a pic of a snow-laden Mt Wellington from Hobart's waterfront taken today, just outside my office (or rather, where I go to school...same thing).

[Esses]

I'd post a pic of the snow-laden Brindabella Mountains from Canberra but I took the shots with the "old" digi. & it's files are too big for this forum.

[FOMOCO]

Thank You

Thanxs to all the guys that offered advice regarding Digital Cameras on this thread, I have just bought a Cannon EOS 300D digital slr camera, probably more money than i needed to spend and i think i will nedd a pilots licence to work it fully but I am happy and will give it its first field trip at Oran Park, I will post some pics if they are good enough

Paul

[diecastdude]

Not a bad choice SLR is the only way to go for a long term camera should have got the Nikon but the Cannon 300 is the competition camera which the Nikon just outdid regardless you will get years out of that camera with a couple of lens and not feel the need to upgrade some time soon.

[ZORAK]

I got a Sony F828 - 8 megapixels digital. I had a 1.6mp that had 16x zoom (8 + 8 digital) and this one only has 7x, that is the only downside to this great camera so far.

Z!

[goblues]

Originally posted by Steve
I'd post a pic of the snow-laden Brindabella Mountains from Canberra but I took the shots with the "old" digi. & it's files are too big for this forum.

What you could do is post the pics on your web site, and then post a link to that page here.

Pics can then be any size you want, and even include tobacco sponsorship and Biante shouldn't get into trouble as they aren't hosting the pics.

[xtragrouse]

This has been an interesting thread with some rather "interesting" observations re pixel sizes and photo sizes. I have owned 2 digital cameras and have used them exclusively for the purposes of using the pictures on websites. I would point out that I purchased a Canon A1 camera in about 1978 and paid Nearly $900 for it then, and have worked as a professional photographer.

When discussing the size of the photos you can take, and how they blow up to A4 size "as good as photos taken with film", a few things need to be considered.
To get reasonable print quality, you need to take photos at a resolution of something like 300 dots per inch. If your camera does this, and you use a compression of 640 x 480 pixels medium, and you take the same photo using 1632x1224 pixels, that the latter photo will blow up to a much sharper and larger size.

if you are taking photos for the net, or to show on your computer, your computer screen supports 72 dpi, and so the lower resolutions are fine. Having said that, put both of the above photos thru photoshop, and save them for the web, and the 1632 resolution photo having now been converted to 72 dpi, will still blow up to a sharper image. Before you do this exercise, change both of the pictures to the same pixel sizes, say 500 pixels wide. This way, both photos will appear on your webpage perfectly. Most 15" screens are set to a 600 x 800 pixel size. 17" screens can be set to 1024 x 768, and so the photos can be resized accordingly.

Re buying a digital camera - the more megapixels the better - but check that the rating is accurate. Fuji are rating some of their cameras at 6 Megapixels, but are in fact only 3.1 mp effective. Browse magazines such as Which Camera Digital And Film, Digital Camera, and Digital Camera Essentials.

Now that you've received all this advice and that of other peoiple, go to http://www.dpreview.com/ and see what other owners of the camera you are thinking of purchasing have to say about THEIR experiences with that camera. Also, check around at the CURRENT price you can buy a camera for. Cameras advertised at $1000-1400 in camera mags printed in the past 9 months are available in many cases for UNDER $800. Shop around.

Check that the flash works well - most flashes are only designed to work at a distance of 3-4 metres.

Check that you have a viewfinder - trying to work with a screen in the sun is nigh on impossible - yep, I am not happy with my Nikon Coolpix, but I didn't do the homework - my previous camera had a screen go down and the $760 repair quote prompted me to jump in and go with what my camera store suggested - BIG MISTAKE - it does the job - I host a 140 page website for the company I work for - but I could and should have done a lot better.

Finally, buy the best, that you can afford. Doesn't this apply to anything.

I hope that the above is not confusing, and is helpful. Just remember, that whatever you buy today, WILL be superseded and it's replacement cheaper by the time you get it out of the store. Also, multimedia cards seem to be not easy to procure, as opposed to other memory cards on the market.

Also, rechargable batteries are available in different ratings. My 2300's last nearly 3 times longer than the 1800's I was sold when I bought my charger.

Enough for now - Got to address the crap about Steven Johnson elsewhere on the site hehehehe

[goblues]

Originally posted by xtragrouse


if you are taking photos for the net, or to show on your computer, your computer screen supports 72 dpi, and so the lower resolutions are fine. Having said that, put both of the above photos thru photoshop, and save them for the web, and the 1632 resolution photo having now been converted to 72 dpi, will still blow up to a sharper image. Before you do this exercise, change both of the pictures to the same pixel sizes, say 500 pixels wide. This way, both photos will appear on your webpage perfectly. Most 15" screens are set to a 600 x 800 pixel size. 17" screens can be set to 1024 x 768, and so the photos can be resized accordingly.


xtragrouse, you post has a lot of useful info and tips. Thank you for that.

However, I think your 72dpi for monitors is not quite correct. While I don't have the specs handy for my monitor, a quick check with a ruler tells me that at 1600 x 1200 on my 19" comes up with about 115dpi.

So I think the dpi depends on the resolution that you are running, and what your monitor/graphics card is capable of supporting.

I will try to hunt down the manual and post the rated dpi here.

[ZORAK]

goblues, it is not related to the monitor, it is the browser I guess. An image 5cm x 5cm saved at 300dpi and then saved at 72dpi (still at 5cm x 5cm) and palced next to each other on a web page will look identical. The 300dpi image will take longer to load as the file size would be larger.

Z

[ZORAK]

Here are a couple of shots from my new camera.

1. Reduced the original image by 80% and saved at 75/100 in photoshop. Click. (http://8megapixel.5u.com/moff-001111.jpg)

2. Original image cut into a 1/16th and saved at 80/100. So the original image is 4 times longer and 4 times deeper than this. Click. (http://8megapixel.5u.com/moff-001111a.jpg)

If you want to see the other 15 tiles let me know!

Does anyone know of any free place I can host images that has no file size restriction? The problem I am having is that the raw jpg images out of the camera are 3.1Mb at 8mp. It seems that most free services have a size restriction. 5u.com has a 250kb limit (hence the reducig and cropping of images above).

Z

[goblues]

Originally posted by ZORAK
Does anyone know of any free place I can host images that has no file size restriction? The problem I am having is that the raw jpg images out of the camera are 3.1Mb at 8mp. It seems that most free services have a size restriction. 5u.com has a 250kb limit (hence the reducig and cropping of images above).

Z

Doesn't your ISP provider give you 10Megs of web space?

I've got two providers, using the backup one now, so that gives me 20megs of space, unless they've changed the available size per account, but I don't think they have.

[xtragrouse]

I checked on the 72 dpi thing, and it is the video card that produces the 72 dpi figure apparently. If you have a photo at 300 dpi that you want to load to the net, anything over 72 dpi is wasted and the shot will be too large for the screen anyway, and will take forever to load. If you have your screen set to 1024 x 768, then change your photo to 72 dpi and alter your pixel count to 1024 wide maximum, the photo will occupy your full screen. However, a lot of people are still using 15" monitors set to 800 x 600, so your photo will still be too big for them. In this case, change the pixels to a maximum of 800 pixels wide, and your shot will keep everyone happy. The secret is to change your shot to 72 dpi.

[ZORAK]

The video card makes perfect sense. Interestingly the 8mp Sony at the highest jpg setting records at 72dpi only.

Z

[stevelb1]

I just went out and put on layby a Canon EOS 300D 6.3mp Digital SLR with an extra lense 85-300mm, a 256 meg card, Canon are offering a $200 cash back at the moment also.

[FOMOCO]

Steve

That is the camera kit i bought, had it at oran park on the weekend and it went awesome, you will be very happy with it.

[stevelb1]

Originally posted by FOMOCO
Steve

That is the camera kit i bought, had it at oran park on the weekend and it went awesome, you will be very happy with it.

I have just picked up the camera from Camera House in Penrith and its a bloody beauty, I'm going to pull it out and play with it all day (the camera that is), I also bought some Macro Filters for it as well so the closeups of my model cars should be fantastic from now on. The Photo editing software that cames with the package looks like a nighmare but I'll nut it out in the end.

[the_goldie]

Originally posted by stevelb1
I have just picked up the camera from Camera House in Penrith and its a bloody beauty, I'm going to pull it out and play with it all day (the camera that is), I also bought some Macro Filters for it as well so the closeups of my model cars should be fantastic from now on. The Photo editing software that cames with the package looks like a nighmare but I'll nut it out in the end.

Steve - that's an impressive camera. I hope it does what you want.

I was playing around with a EOS 1V with a 70-300mm lens with an image stabiliser on it. WOW!!! The lens is worth around $2,000!!! A friend at work brought it in to show me what a good camera can do! Any wonder some of the photos you see are bloody awesome with gear like this they would want to be.

Enjoy your new toy.

[stevelb1]

Originally posted by the_goldie
Steve - that's an impressive camera. I hope it does what you want.

I was playing around with a EOS 1V with a 70-300mm lens with an image stabiliser on it. WOW!!! The lens is worth around $2,000!!! A friend at work brought it in to show me what a good camera can do! Any wonder some of the photos you see are bloody awesome with gear like this they would want to be.

Enjoy your new toy.

One of the guys at work is a camera nut and he told me about that image stabilising lense, he is picking up a panaramic camera today worth $3500 + so he can take better outback Australia photo's.

I also bought a Marco Filter kit for the 18-80mm lense which I'm dying to try out $69, better than paying out $820 for a 100mm Macro lense.

[stevelb1]

Ive just posted some photo's I took last night at work of my Biante Minicars using the AV setting and an aperature timing of 16 seconds mounted on a try pod and using the timer as well, these are all taken from my new camera, a Canon Digital SLR EOS 300D using a 18-55mm lense fitted with Macro filters.

It seems after viewing the pics I should have had a 22 second opening as some of the shots have still got a slight depth of field problem, abiet only minor, these are a marked improvement on what I have been doing in the past.

The photo's with the cars in the boxes are from my other camera taken a while back.

Look in the heading Biante Minicars, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

[Damian]

Stevelb1,
The photo's are great. The camera pick's up the detail of the minicars really well. I think that's the main area where the digital camera's have it over the film as you can zoom in real close on small objects. I like the effect of the blurred area on the cars.

Regards
Damian

[stevelb1]

Originally posted by Damian
Stevelb1,
The photo's are great. The camera pick's up the detail of the minicars really well. I think that's the main area where the digital camera's have it over the film as you can zoom in real close on small objects. I like the effect of the blurred area on the cars.

Regards
Damian

Thats blurred area was not intenional, its a aperature timer issue that I need to play around with a bit more, I think that 22 second opening should fix that up very nicely.

Thanks for the positive comment.

[Oh Five]

looks like i am about to upgrade from my canon EOS 300 SLR to a EOS 350D Digital. Can anybody confirm if the lens i use on my SLR (28-200 & 75-300) will fit and be compatible on the digital.
Any feedback on this model camera would be appreciated before i swipe the visa;)

[wayno]

As long as they are EOS series lenses there should be no problem. Must admit I still haven't gone digital yet. I love film and still think the results on bigger enlargements are better.

[KiwiRallyFan]

You should be ok, as long as they're EF lenses. I upgraded to a 20D about 6 months ago, and all my old lenses work fine. Note that the 350D has a 1.6 crop factor, which means all your lenses will effectively have a 1.6 multiplication factor (e.g. your 28-200mm will be like a 45-320mm lens).

[Oh Five]

thanks wayno, and KWR. I am heading down to werribee to grab my new toy this arvo. I also feel more confident with the film wayno, but i guess i may do a Tafe course just to brush up on the modern age:eek:

So KW, what your saying re the multiplication, is that a good thing??

[KiwiRallyFan]

So KW, what your saying re the multiplication, is that a good thing?? It's basically a crop as the digital sensor is smaller than a 35mm film image. Despite this, it is quite good for motorsport photos as it means a 200mm lens turns into a 300m lens etc. The downside is that you will find your 28mm lens is not as wide as it was on the film camera. I brought a 17-85mm Image Stabiliser EFS lens with my 20D, and I find it a really good 'standard' lens that lives on my camera most of the time. Also, depsite what Wayno says, digital is the way to go these days, and I think the images are at least as good if not better than film, and once you've made the change, you'll never go back. Between you and me, I think Wayno will also discover this one day....;)

[15247]

Kiwirallyfan,
I agree with all youve said except the bit about digital images are as good if not better than film.Ive just upgraded to the new 30D. 8.2mega pixel and they say max enlargement A3. Although id say you could go a bit bigger. But 35mm film you could and i have done up to 50cm x 60cm. Maybe the high end digi cams like a 12 mega pixel might be as good as film, but the ones we have i dont think are. Im into medium format photography with 120 film. When i get an enlargement done they make a file size of over 1000 megabytes. The file size for a 30D is only 3.2 megabytes. I know what i just said doesnt mean much as one is 120 film scanned and the other is a digital camera.But to make big posters thats the size of file you need.

[KiwiRallyFan]

Hi 15247,
I understand what you're saying. I think the biggest I've printed so far from my 20D is A4, but I've been very impressed by the sharpness and richness of the image, which is something I didn't always get from film.

[brchi17]

....Also, depsite what Wayno says, digital is the way to go these days, and I think the images are at least as good if not better than film, and once you've made the change, you'll never go back. Between you and me, I think Wayno will also discover this one day....;)

I think if you've ever used an Eos 3 (that Wayno uses) & the array of BIG lens that he has I think you can understand where he's coming from. I must admit that I enjoyed using it at Sandown last year & the results were rather spectacular - better than pic i've ever taken with my digi ;) !!!

Also I think the fact that from someone with the professional background, like Wayno, that the only digital he'd be interested are still many thousands of $$$ range & hence why film is still a better option.

cheers.

[15247]

I was watching an EOS 3 on ebay the other week. I forgot all about it and it went for only $800. Kicking myself.Then i bought the EOS 30D. Oh well, the medium format noblex panorama will do the job i want.

[brchi17]

I was watching an EOS 3 on ebay the other week. I forgot all about it and it went for only $800. Kicking myself.Then i bought the EOS 30D. Oh well, the medium format noblex panorama will do the job i want.

So what is the speed like of the 30d ???

If I'm right isn't that the new update that's taken over from the 20d ???

cheers. :)

[wayno]

On the cropping factor. If memory serves me correctly the new Canon EOS 5D has a full frame sensor and eliminates this.
And yes Brad, the 30D is the unit taking over from the 20D.

[MarkHM]

On the cropping factor. If memory serves me correctly the new Canon EOS 5D has a full frame sensor and eliminates this.
And yes Brad, the 30D is the unit taking over from the 20D.

yes it does have a full frame sensor

[15247]

Brchi17,
The 30D is a great camera. Ive only had the 300D to compare with, and theres no comparison. Almost instant start up, no time delay, super quick focus, and if you dont watch out youll fill your flash card up with the 6 frames per second burst. A great camera, well worth the money.

[MarkHM]

I've got a 20D, that too is a great camera...what's new on the 30D?

[brchi17]

I've got a 20D, that too is a great camera...what's new on the 30D?

The only difference I can see on the Canon website is that the 30d can do 5fps for up to 30 frames in a burst compared to 20d which does 23 at the same rate on the 20d

Canon 20D web page
http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_s lr/eos20d.html

Canon 30D web page
http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_s lr/eos30d.html

But I'm sure there are more than this that more educated people on these than me who can share more information with us.

cheers. :)

[Oh Five]

Hi guys, now that i have my new toy, could you suggest some websites for digital glossary, tips etc?. Prefer ozzy sites if possible.thanks

[MarkHM]

The only difference I can see on the Canon website is that the 30d can do 5fps for up to 30 frames in a burst compared to 20d which does 23 at the same rate on the 20d

Canon 20D web page
http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_s lr/eos20d.html

Canon 30D web page
http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_s lr/eos30d.html

But I'm sure there are more than this that more educated people on these than me who can share more information with us.

cheers. :)
#
gracias, bloody amaziing how quickly technology changes. I'll have to tell Fiona it's time to buy a new camera. Remember her last outburst on this forum?

[Oh Five]

Ok,Here comes dumb question #1.
just been mucking around with the 350D and noted that when i use the "basic" settings the image comes on the screen in color. But when i use the creative settings ( P M Tv Av etc) it displays in B+w. :confused:
Any help please.

[MarkHM]

I have no idea, my 300 D and 20D display in colour all the time. I think that's standard. Have you read the manual?

[wayno]

Must admit a 20d or 30d is starting to become very tempting for convenience. I've been talking to the wife and might make the investment before Bathurst this year. It will not really "cost" me anything as I'm very tempted to skip the Rally Australia trip this year unless something spectacular happens to the WRC. I'm starting to think that money would be better spent on a new camera body.
BUT the EOS 3 will ALWAYS have a spot in my bag. I've seen a 20x30 inch enlargement done from a mates 20d and I will throw the 3 and print film up against it ANY day!

[brchi17]

Must admit a 20d or 30d is starting to become very tempting for convenience. I've been talking to the wife and might make the investment before Bathurst this year.......

Yes do it, you know you want :D

Plus I know someone who'll be able to burn you images to cd/dvd on the spot, so you can save on buying a heap of big memory cards ;)

cheers. :)

[wayno]

Yes do it, you know you want :D

Plus I know someone who'll be able to burn you images to cd/dvd on the spot, so you can save on buying a heap of big memory cards ;)

cheers. :)

Lol! All we need is a photo printer then and we might be able to make some money on the spot!

[brchi17]

Lol! All we need is a photo printer then and we might be able to make some money on the spot!

You know I don't need that much encouragement with idea's like that Wayno :D !!!

You know there is enough room in the trailer to actually bring one :D LOL !!!!

[Oh Five]

I have no idea, my 300 D and 20D display in colour all the time. I think that's standard. Have you read the manual?

Yes, most of it. I just thought there may have been someone on here that may have an idea about it. Thanks Mark.

[MarkHM]

Must admit a 20d or 30d is starting to become very tempting for convenience. It will not really "cost" me anything

Where did you get your degree in Ozzie economics from? Sounds similar to the "magic beans" story.:D

[MarkHM]

Yes, most of it. I just thought there may have been someone on here that may have an idea about it. Thanks Mark.

Sorry I wasn't more help, have you tried playing with the menu, mine has a range of display options.

[wayno]

Where did you get your degree in Ozzie economics from? Sounds similar to the "magic beans" story.:D

Well, my trip to Perth costs me about the same as one of these babies runs to at the moment, so if I don't go I can spend the money on something else.
Makes sense to me and, more importantly, my wife! :D

[MarkHM]

Wish Fiona was more understanding

[#1 XR8]

I understand some of you guys are pretty keen amateur photographers. I am currently in the market for a digital camera and am after advice on what you need to take reasonably good amateur motor racing photos. Obviously the more mega pixels and digital zoom the better the photos will be, but is there anything else I should be looking for to take shots of cars at speed?

I have previously borrowed a mate’s digital camera to take to the Clipsal 500, and there was so much delay between clicking the button and the photo actually being taken that it made it almost impossible to take anything decent. This was not exactly a cheap camera either, the zoom was fantastic. Is this delay a trademark of all digital cameras? Or do I need to buy one with different settings for sport and so forth? Or is this to do with shutter speed or something?

I am looking to spend around the $400 mark. Any tips on what I should be looking for would be appreciated. :)

[daveZ27]

I had a similar problem when converting to digital from print. I had an old SLR fully manual print camera and got superb shots of drag racing etc. But when I bought a Nikon Coolpix the cars would be half way down the track before I got a shot!
I then saved my money and got a digital SLR Nikon D70s, which allows you to manually set the appature and shutter speed. Have not looked back since.
That was a couple of years ago now, so having said that, there are some realy good point and shoot didgitals around these days, and being no expert, you should talk to a couple of camera shops.
Cheers,
Dave.

[brchi17]

Why not try these threads as a starting point ;)

Digital Cameras (http://forums.biante.com.au/showthread.php?t=722&highlight=digital+cameras)
SLR Photography hints and tips (http://forums.biante.com.au/showthread.php?t=3014&highlight=digital+cameras)I hope they'll be of use to you :)

[Costas]

If you are looking at a budget of around $400 then there is a wide range to choose from. Main thing to look for (apart from the features) is to see how good the Lens is. Many become fixated by the number of pixels etc but you would be surprised that many digital SLRs have only 6Mp but they still take way better shots than an equivalent point & shoot camera.

Main reason is usually attributed to the larger (or what photographers refer to as the speed of the lens) aperture of the SLR lenses and digital SLRs tend to be equipped with much higher quality ccd sensors.

The ccd (charged couple device) sensor is critical to picture quality as this is the device which converts your visible analogue picture to a digital picture. All ccd's are not created equal and many suffer from noise etc (noise shows up in pics as random coloured pixels etc)

Another thing to watch out for (as mentioned) is how fast does the camera actually respond to your inputs (eg actual speed of taking the pic once you press the button). There are a number of things that the microprocessor of the camera must complete before it will snap that pic - Eg focus, set metering/exposure settings etc etc etc.

Usually the more serious hardware ($2000+) is kitted out with better electronics etc but even so this area is constantly getting better where a camera that is now say <$500 is probably better than the earlier series of SLRs in general performance response.

Even so I have a semi-pro SLR outfit (non-digital) which still takes photos much quicker than even some of the >$10,000 SLRs but it does not have the convenience of a digital SLR (I am currently waiting on a semi pro digital body to become available for my lenses later this year).

Have a look at http://www.dpreview.com for some good reasonably unbiased reviews on cameras - Also check out some of the Pentax compacts as they usually have good to excellent performance compared to others in your price bracket.

[brchi17]

.....I am currently waiting on a semi pro digital body to become available for my lenses later this year......

which model is that ???

I'll admit, I'm waiting for Canon to update the 30D & then I will be seriously looking to purchase a DSLR

[Road Runner 72]

which model is that ???

I'll admit, I'm waiting for Canon to update the 30D & then I will be seriously looking to purchase a DSLR

Then you could get a cheaper one like mine :P, I now playing around with model photography, so many things you can do with the Canon SLR.

Man the prices of camera do drop fast, when newer upgrades come out, you will get more bang for your buck with $400.

Here are a few I ran through PS, camera is a Canon EOS 350D SLR
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/road_runnne r_72/Muscle%20Cars/1968Camaro.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/road_runnne r_72/Muscle%20Cars/RR72sfedit.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v191/road_runnne r_72/Muscle%20Cars/TDRR701a.jpg

[Costas]

which model is that ???

I currently have all Minolta glass with 2 Dynax 9 bodies and 2 Dynax 8000's - I almost purchased a 7D but now I think I'll wait for Sony to bring out their next SLR model.

As you are probably aware Minolta sold their camera section to Sony last year and their SLR bodies are equipped with the Minolta mount.

The Sony A100 (their first Digital SLR - combination of Minolta & Sony engineering) does not quite fit my needs as I prefer a body along the lines of the 7D - with fast access to functions via lots of knobs & dials :D.

[Leigh]

If you are going point and shoot, I'd suggest a mid range Canon (A540/A530 are good, I have a A620, but it's not available in Australia...but can provide a good, reliable contact in the states to order one through;)), as these have manual, aperture priority and shutter priority settings, with easy to use selections...taking photo's with these still has a slight delay, but nothing like others I have used!

If you want to spend a little more, Canon also have their semi-pro SLR's with non-removable pro lenses...

The next step up is the standard SLR format with removable lenses!

[toddy05]

One thing I have only just gotten a handle on is the method of point and shoot. Someone earlier mentioned the lag between pushing and taking photo. I have been so frustrated by this but discovered haphazardly that if you frame the expectedd photo approximately for example on a section of a corner and hold the button half down (on my camera a green light comes on) it gets itself ready so that when the car for example comes into view or is close to you just push further and release quickly or keep holding down for multiple shots. Changed the results with a bit of practise. Works well for kids in action too.

[Costas]

Another technique you may find useful at the track when trying to take snapshots of fast moving cars etc... Is to place your camera into manual focus mode (if it has this facility) and to pre-focus the camera at a section of track where you want to take the photo (say on a corner etc).

As the car you want to photograph enters that spot - hit the shutter button. As the camera does not need to focus - it reduces the lag considerably.

Depth of field (aperture setting) becomes important as well, as using a larger aperture number usually means that you have more latitude in reducing focusing errors.

If you like doing any closeup shots of your models - ensure the camera has a 'Macro' facility and it would be nice if it also allowed you to manually set the aperture so that you can keep the depth of field (focused area) correct over the whole model otherwise you end up with out of focus areas on the model.

Macro or closeup shots can be tricky with a compact as you sometimes (most times) need more than just one flash to get even lighting over the whole model.

[MarkHM]

If you can afford it get an SLR (especially an Eos). Yes they are expensive but you could probably get one on e-bay or trade me or at a camera shop as a trade-in. You will not regret the flexibility, the versatility or functionality. I suggest you don't buy one like I bought my two (i.e. by surprise), get approval from your financial controller.

[Brock 05]

I don't know about other brands but the Canon lens's will fit both, (SLR's). Handy when you have spent a few dollars on lens's & then you have the best of both worlds.

[MarkHM]

Nikon and Minolta can swap betwen 35mm and DSLR bodies too

[jediholden]

I use an Olympus E300 Digital SLR and achieve great result's with it. It has heaps of programmed settings to choose from or you can opt for manual override if you wish. It is meant to be a beginners version in the SLR range but I doubt that I will upgrade as I am more than happy with the results I achieve. I use a standard 14-45 mm lens, and also have a 50-200mm(good for the v8'S) and a fish eye lens that gives you some bizarre results to say the least. I also use an external flash for better resluts. The only downside to the Olympus range is they will not accept other lenses apart from Olympus for their SLR's.

[brchi17]

I currently have all Minolta glass with 2 Dynax 9 bodies and 2 Dynax 8000's - I almost purchased a 7D but now I think I'll wait for Sony to bring out their next SLR model......

Interesting.....I used to love my Minolta SLR (until it broke & was too expensive to repair) & almost bought the 7D as well so I could continue to use my 80-300mm lens, but found it to be way too slow when I had a play with it, compared to the similar spec Canon.

That said I am a bit of a speed junkie as far as camera's are concerned & ever since I had a play with a 35mm Eos 3 I've kind of found the Minolta range to be rather slow, hence why I'm waiting for the next model of the 30D ;)

[Costas]

If I did not have all the $$ invested in Minolta glass I'd probably end up purchasing a Canon series SLR as well.

The Canon range is quite vast now and performance is on par with Nikon (or better) in many areas.

[brchi17]

If I did not have all the $$ invested in Minolta glass I'd probably end up purchasing a Canon series SLR as well.

The Canon range is quite vast now and performance is on par with Nikon (or better) in many areas.

I know what you mean, I paid what was a fair amount for my big minolta lens, but now it's not worth much, so hence why I'm looking to Canon as it's only 1 lens, plus seeing my good friend Wayno has all the good Canon stuff, I know where I can borrow some good lens when at the track ;) :D

[ratbag-racing]

Short & sweet, i got a Olympus U740 all weather point & shoot for xmas.This thing is awesome 7.1mp 5x optical,5x digi.
The best thing is it takes upto 20 shots in shoot & select mode,it worked excellent at the track as it takes upto 20 superfast shots & you pick the one you want & delete the rest.
Its around the $450.

[Oh Five]

I had a couple of lesser quality point and shoots, then had to get a SLR like i had for many years in film. I bought a canon EOS for a dam good price with lots of accesories, spent a lot of time shopping around so worth while in the end. Also look for a faster card , i use the sandisc ultra 111.
If i knew then what i know now, i would've gone straight for the DSLR, rather than waste money on a point and shoot
P.S Bigger meg doesnt mean better photos, just means you can blow the pics up bigger with less "grain".

[a9x]

i bought a nikon d70 a few years ago and now i wished i'd got a canon as all the lenses that i really want are cheap as chips with canon mount.
so i'd recommend if going dslr go canon.
i've borrowed a workmates sigma 50-500 lense for a couple of weeks and after about an hour i almost ordered one.
but i'm still torn between that and the sigma 80-400 with optical stabilizer

[HDTHSVHRT]

I had a Casio exilim and that was the worst with lighting, you couldnt take a shot inside! The Canon IXUS 900 is much better and that does me fine. I no nothing about SLRs and manual photography so I stick to point and shoot cameras. I can do a course but im not bothered ATM...

[Leigh]

mmmmmm, drool, mmmmmm;)

http://img.infotropic.com/i/060905_1.jpg

:p:p

[John Harney]

Always used Nikon SLR's, First Film and now Digital. Currently have the D70s with three different lenses. Takes awesom shots.

Read the first post and it asked should cameras have lots of megapixels and digital zoom. If you dont want to go the SLR path, always opt for optical zoom. Digital zoom pixelates the image and looks really grainy.

In SLR's, Nikon or Canon are the top two used by professional photographers world wide. Always have been and always will be. The decision is how much of a learning curve do you want to incur in learning to use these types of cameras to their full potential. While all DSLR cameras have Program, Pre Set and Auto settings, to get the truly best out of your SLR, you should use manually settings for aperture and/or exposure.. I even have turned auto focus off to just enable ultra sharp focusing.

I have been asked many times what is the best camera for people.

Answer these questions and you will have a amoo you can take to your camera shop and have the answers to their questions.

1. Do you want point and shoot or full control
2. Are your photos everyday pics or high quality action with zoom
3. Megapixels? How many? ( this is easy, you realy need the most MP in the largest format possible. A small point and shoot might have 8mp the largest pic is A4. My camera is 6.3MP at A2, when reduced to A4 that equates to nearly 14MP, so ask at what size pic is the MP stated, you might find its only at you standard photo size)
4. Do you want to grab the camera and shoot or do you enjoy changing lenses.
5. WHAT IS YOU BUDGET

If you want a Nikon or Canon DSLR, I recommend http://www.d-d-photographics.com.au/
I've used these guys for quite a while and they are great. good pricing and bend over backwards to help.

[brchi17]

mmmmmm, drool, mmmmmm;)

http://img.infotropic.com/i/060905_1.jpg



Thanks for the pic Leigh, I was going to ask where you found it, then I found this (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/digital-cameras/canon-eos-40d-details-leaked-101-megapixels-198489.php) :D

[KiwiRallyFan]

I think Leigh is stirring the pot. As far as I'm aware, there has been no anouncement on a Canon 40D and everything posted about it is still rumour (and there's an awful lot of that on the net!).

BTW, that link Brad posted is dated 5 September 2006 and says "If Internet moles can be trusted, expect to see the compact flash-friendly EOS 40D on September 26 (2006)".

It still ain't here yet.....

[brchi17]

I think Leigh is stirring the pot. As far as I'm aware, there has been no anouncement on a Canon 40D and everything posted about it is still rumour (and there's an awful lot of that on the net!).

BTW, that link Brad posted is dated 5 September 2006 and says "If Internet moles can be trusted, expect to see the compact flash-friendly EOS 40D on September 26 (2006)".

It still ain't here yet.....

I know hence why I put a smiley :D at the end of my post....He knows I'm waiting for it to be released.....I'd love to have one to take to Bathurst later in the year (most retailers I've spoken to suggest May/June is the most likely time of release, IF a 40D is released this year ;))

[Leigh]

Most internet sites are suggesting March 2007 as a revised release date...

The Pic above is a doctored one;) hence the :p:p at the end;)

Was hoping Wayne would see it before the cat was out...

[brchi17]

Most internet sites are suggesting March 2007 as a revised release date...

The Pic above is a doctored one hence the :p at the end;)

Was hoping Wayne would see it before the cat was out...

sorry, my bad :o

I know he is also very keen to see the 40D, but when I told him i was interested in getting one, he started talking movie cameras.... :thinking:

[MarkHM]

Yummy a 40D, the things I could do with that. Mind you now that I'm married I have to act responsibly...

[james]

Yummy a 40D, the things I could do with that. Mind you now that I'm married I have to act responsibly...
Why start now ????

[MarkHM]

exactly..but she's a bit gun shy after my earlier episodes with dig cameras

[james]

Don't think i will take this any further.

[MarkHM]

No it's not like that...I purhased a new eos20 and L series lens without asking....she flipped and offered them for sale on here!

[daveZ27]

No it's not like that...I purhased a new eos20 and L series lens without asking....she flipped and offered them for sale on here!
You know what they say, you can do anything, just don't get caught :D
Cheers,
Dave.

[younglion]

hey guys total noob when it comes to cameras' planning a trip with the missus and was wondering what the best shoot mode is to use for general photos my camera has a selection from

SPORT
NIGHT
LANDSCAPE
AUTO
MANUAL
PORTRAIT

btw its just a simple point and shoot digi not a SLR

[CowboyMatt]

hey guys total noob when it comes to cameras' planning a trip with the missus and was wondering what the best shoot mode is to use for general photos my camera has a selection from

SPORT
NIGHT
LANDSCAPE
AUTO
MANUAL
PORTRAIT

btw its just a simple point and shoot digi not a SLR

I'm not up on the technical differences either, but I use AUTO for all my still shots and they look fine.

Then my wife scrapbooks them and I look like a bloody pro!

[younglion]

i use auto and sometimes the photos are really blurry even though my hand is very still, but when i put it on a tripod and take it its fine????

[whitlam]

i use auto and sometimes the photos are really blurry even though my hand is very still, but when i put it on a tripod and take it its fine????


If you don't want to use "Auto" then choose whichever setting is the closest description to what you are taking a photo of eg. sport is usually for photo's of moving objects

[younglion]

so even with a shaky hand sport should be ok?? i will only be taking photos of landmark things and beaches and that sort of thing i found with landscape setting it has a slow shutter speed and end up getting blurry too, maybe i should just buy postcards

[brchi17]

i use auto and sometimes the photos are really blurry even though my hand is very still, but when i put it on a tripod and take it its fine????

Sounds as if either the image is not focused (the half press you do before you take the shot) or the shutter speed being used is too slow - it could be more, but these are the two easy ones :D LOL.

Unfortuantely with the automatic modes you suggested earlier it's a little hard to know which is what as they can be different from camera to camera.

With my point & shoot digi, I tend to play with the distance setting & film speed as I've bugger all left to play with. Basically with different films it get the camera choose different settings.

For example on my camera when I choose 100iso I can create images which gives the blurred effect of speed. When I use the 400iso setting I can take really sharp image that look like the subject is frozen in time.

I hope this is of some help to you. :)

[brchi17]

Here are a couple of shots I took of our latested edition, using my eos 30D

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/brchi17/other/ MY0701.jpg?t=1183613749

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/brchi17/other/ MY0702.jpg?t=1183613763


I tried a couple of shots in auto mode, but found them very dark, but then tried shooting with an f setting aound 9 and got a lot more colour/light in my field. :D !!!

[Road Runner 72]

Wish I had a driveway like yours. that would be fun ;) Great couple of shots.

Congrat's on the Outback, I do love the older model aswell.

[lukey73]

Good to see your wife got a new car, not a Blue one though :D

[brchi17]

G'day all I'm chasing some spots/reflection that I am experiencing when I photograph cars with their headlights on.

What I think it is, is some sort of internal reflection inside the lens, perhaps something bouncing off the digital sensor & what I was trying to work out was how do I eliminate this...see the two spots inside the red circle in my shot below.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/brchi17/other/ reflectionspots.jpg?t=1197688114

Now I'm finding that this is a digital issue as Wayno has never experienced this problem with his EOS 3 & I have had it happen with 3 different L series lens, but never with film. The spots move with the image in different pictures which is why I think it's reflection thing.

So has anyone else experienced this & if so, have you found a solution to it ?

It's been suggested to me that a polarised filter could stop this, but no one seems to be really sure about it & with a filter costing just over $100 I am a little hesitant to throw that sort of $$$ at something if it's not going to work.

People's thoughts....

[singer]

No it's not like that...I purhased a new eos20 and L series lens without asking....she flipped and offered them for sale on here!

I remember that one, Mark ;) I still purchase but always make sure the Minister for War & Finance knows (at least if approval is with held) as I've been in the same position:p:o.

Cheers
Ken

[Brock 05]

I have been using a polarized filter I bought to try at phillip island & have some shots from very similar positions to yourself & I haven't had a problem at all. I would say it is worth the investment.

[Dez]

Obviously the more mega pixels and digital zoom the better the photos will be

I am looking to spend around the $400 mark. Any tips on what I should be looking for would be appreciated. :)

This would have to be the biggest mistake people make as I think someone has already said.. the more mega pixels.. generally past 5 isn't really what makes it better.. a good quality camera does.

Anyone using digital zoom should be shot, I still havent seen an image taken with digital zoom of decent quality.. OPTICAL zoom is what is important. Something 3x Optical and 8x digital isnt going to be very good. So you want something with 5x Optical. And then turn the bloody digital zoom off!! :)

I started out on a 1.3mp sony cybershot when they first came out and I was pressing the button 3 seconds before I actually wanted to take the photo. Got some nice shots, even sold a few but that was horses not cars.

If you don't want to deal with delays then you will need a Digital SLR and unless you're willing to pay $1200 and up you wont get anything worth buying imo.

I wouldnt expect anything worth $400 to be much good for sport photography. You could try searching for an SLR-Like camera, its point n shoot with a minimum of SLR features..but I dont think you'd get one for that price.

The only brands I tend to see quality in are Nikon, Canon and Olympus. Take a look at www.dpreview.com (http://www.dpreview.com) .. prices are in USD but the review gives you as much info as possible.

I now use a Nikon D80 DSLR 10mp.. and I'd love to take it to the clipsal but with **** seats for disabled and always in full sun with 35-38 degree temperatures its just not enjoyable.

Ever since I bought my first DSLR the Nikon D70 I can't stand to touch a basic point n shoot camera.. far too slow.

Look on ebay for second hand Nikons.. I sold mine off for $950 with 2 lenses.. but there'd be some cheap ones there.

Even a Nikon D70 or D70s would be relatively cheap and still is high quality and they're um 5-6mp..

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NIKON-D70-CAMERA-18-70-LENS-EXTRAS_W0QQitemZ230201407033QQihZ013QQcategoryZ300 67QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
$455

[Dez]

brchi17 nothing photoshop cant fix :) if you have a few images with this issue you can send them through to me and I'll remove them for you..

just email them to admin@xgngtr2.com

I do believe a polarised filter should help but as I've never had to deal with the issue I also couldn't be sure..

[Road Runner 72]

brchi17 nothing photoshop cant fix :) if you have a few images with this issue you can send them through to me and I'll remove them for you..

just email them to admin@xgngtr2.com

I do believe a polarised filter should help but as I've never had to deal with the issue I also couldn't be sure..


Yeah Photoshop can fix it, but it's better getting a shot you can print from the camera without fixing.

Brad I have never had my Diggy SLR do that? might be wise just to drop into a camera shop with the said photo & ask, as it sure seems to be reflecting off something in the camera, might be the lens, but I aint no expert

[KiwiRallyFan]

Brad, I'm not really sure what might be causing those marks. If you get them when you're using L lenses, then I really doubt that it's something occurring inside the lens. Those lenses are top quality. I also don't think using a polaroid filter will fix the problem, as that only polarises the light entering the lens and won't stop any reflections occurring afterwards (i.e inside the lens or camera). The only two things I can think of is that the protective filter on the front of your lens may not be screwed on correctly and was not perpendicular to the lens (allowing reflections to somehow occur), or it could possibly be a dirty sensor.

[KiwiRallyFan]

BTW, I've had that problem before, but I put it down to something outside the camera (:D).

Emma Gilmour, Mystery Creek, Rally New Zealand 2007...

http://kiwirallyfan.smugmug.com/photos/191425443-L.jpg

[inter]

do Nikon slr 35mm film lenses work on Nikon slr digital cameras?

i dont want to buy a new70mm to 300mm it would cost a fortune:o

[Oh Five]

They should, Canon do.

[whitlam]

do Nikon slr 35mm film lenses work on Nikon slr digital cameras?

i dont want to buy a new70mm to 300mm it would cost a fortune:o

I have used a few different sigma and nikon 35mm film lenses with my D70 and they worked fine

[brchi17]

Brad, I'm not really sure what might be causing those marks. If you get them when you're using L lenses, then I really doubt that it's something occurring inside the lens. Those lenses are top quality. I also don't think using a polaroid filter will fix the problem, as that only polarises the light entering the lens and won't stop any reflections occurring afterwards (i.e inside the lens or camera). The only two things I can think of is that the protective filter on the front of your lens may not be screwed on correctly and was not perpendicular to the lens (allowing reflections to somehow occur), or it could possibly be a dirty sensor.

Thanks to all contributors for your tips and suggestions, I knew here was the right place to ask...:cool:

I don't really think it is lens related either (as I've experienced it with 3 different L series lens), but it was the only logical sort of explanation I could think of...if indeed it is a dirty sensor, do you know how you would clean/fix this ?

cheers :)

[Oh Five]

Brad, in regard to the sensor cleaning. If you notice in my photos in Favorite Pics there are marks (dirt?) in the picture , you can easily see on the courtney photo.
I took my camera in last week and they said it would need the sensor cleaned which involves sending it to Sydney and getting done at around $150. I then thought i would try and use the "sensor cleaning" mode on the camera and it has fixed itself, so give that a go if you havent already.
Cheers Bruce.

[KiwiRallyFan]

Brad, I've been thinking a bit more about your problem. I note that Oh-Five has the same problem in this photo....

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k294/Hocko5/Bath urst%202007/IMG_3739.jpg?t=1197725783

I found this thread on the Canon POTN forum which talks about the same type of problem...

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=4464768

It looks like it's a reflection off your front filter. They suggest using a better quality filter or, better still, no filter at all. It's also a good idea to use a lens hood to eliminate stray side light, but you probably had one of those if you were using L-series lenses.

Regard sensor cleaning, you can buy sensor cleaning kits from good photography shops, but they are expensive ($100-$200). They sell both dry and wet cleaning systems. I have a dry-cleaning brush kit which involves electrostatically charging the brush by blowing air through it then sliding it over the sensor to draw off the dust. Wet cleaning methods use a swab and some hi-tech cleaner. Usually the problem is just dust so the dry-clean system works well. Here's a link to the VisibleDust website which describes their sensor cleaning products (http://www.visibledust.com/). I just brought one of their kits from a photography shop here in Wellington.

[KiwiRallyFan]

Regarding a good quality filter, I have been using these HOYA PRO1 Digital filters....

http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/pro1d-01.html

Note this comment from the website...

Digital Cameras Need Multicoated Filters
Digital camera CCD or CMOS sensors are highly susceptible to reflections - this stray light can ruin your photographs! Don't risk your valuable photos by using bare-glass filters.

The HOYA PRO1 filters are 'digital multi-coated' which are designed to reduce lens flare and ghosting caused by reflections. The UV ones I have cost NZ$99. I suggest this might be the solution to your problem.

[brchi17]

WOW :D !!!

thanks for all this info, I knew here was the right place to ask ;)

I've just checked my lens and I've got a Hoya UV filter on the end of it, so I will search out one of these pro ones and see if it makes a difference, I just wish there was some motorsport event on soon so I could try it out....I might go and stand on a bridge over the freeway and try around dusk.

I had always thought it was reflection of some description, now it's good to know.

[Brock 05]

Regarding a good quality filter, I have been using these HOYA PRO1 Digital filters....

http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/pro1d-01.html

Note this comment from the website...

Digital Cameras Need Multicoated Filters
Digital camera CCD or CMOS sensors are highly susceptible to reflections - this stray light can ruin your photographs! Don't risk your valuable photos by using bare-glass filters.

The HOYA PRO1 filters are 'digital multi-coated' which are designed to reduce lens flare and ghosting caused by reflections. The UV ones I have cost NZ$99. I suggest this might be the solution to your problem.
Thanks for the info there I have been using the mentioned filter from day one & haven't had a problem, now I know why. I bought it mainly to protect my lens instead though so I have an added bonus.

[lavenlaar]

some of you guys know that i had the "gremlins" on the CCD - just take it to your local camera shop and ask them to blow the sensor with the air gun or if you have a compressor its good enough.... what they told me was when you are changing lenses hold the body facing down. oh - hold body down too when blowing ....

[Brock 05]

Common sense would tell you to do that.;)

[Oh Five]

WOW :D !!!

, I just wish there was some motorsport event on soon so I could try it out.
.

Try the main drag in Dandenong:rolleyes:

[hobby]

Hi all,
i am after help, yet again.

my pentax optio wp 10 has got a few issues and after disussing these with pentax,
it has come to the conclusion it is beyond economical repair,
shame about that, it took some great images in its time [ see gallery Natahan's images / model show or Targa West 08 linked to Nathans web site]
great little camera when in its prime and being water proof was a bonus.
now i am looking to replace it
and pentax don't have a waterproof camera in its current listings so i am after advice on which digital point n shoot you the forum members recommend.
i love taking images of cars naturally and the Perth Motor show is just around the corner as is Barbagallo V8s.
pentax's current range so i have been told only goes to 3 x optical zoom so i am tending to lean towards the panasonic range 10 x and less.
so i am asking for your advice on what you have or would like to have.

[brchi17]

D-SLR is the best way to go if looking for focal length as it opens you up to a world of many different lens...

[hobby]

Thanks for you reply
back in the days of film i had a few SLR's and loved them,
but now i consider too bulky and another item to keep your close eye on at events.
i was thinking along the lines of other point n shoot compact cameras eg panasonic, canon, etc etc etc that can fit in your pocket or in a small bag on your belt.

[brchi17]

fair enough, I know what you're saying about size, that said the Canon 400D is rather small (IMHO)....I know Leigh has a fairly new one of those little camera's (not the 400D) & he's been quite impressed with it, I'm not sure on the model, but I'm sure he'll contribute once he finds this thread ;)

[hobby]

Does any one on the forum have or has used the panasonic TZ3 or the sony H3
as the TZ3 took off many awards in 2007, i decided to have a look at it today .
took a photo on 10x optical zoom , but when checking the image quality by zooming in it seemed to be a bit grainy compared to the sony.
noise i think this i called.
any help or suggestions on cameras welcome

[Leigh]

Hi Hobby,

For Panasonic, I'd go the higher end compact cameras with the Leica lens. If you see "graininess", it could be the ISO setting that is a flashback to film in that some digital cameras "add" grain :(

My point and shoot is a Canon Powershot A620 (not available in Australia). Anything above a 540 is pretty good value:). I find the menu system on the canon compacts very easy to use, allowing a change in ISO, shutter speed and aperture with relative ease compared to other compact cameras...

Of course, the big letdown of the compacts is how slow they are in taking a picture:(

A new digital SLR is on the books, but ATM its a long way down the list:(

[hobby]

Thanks Leigh,

i appreciate this input and will have a look at the cameras you mention.

ps found a great web site in the early hours of this morning whilst at work,
it is called dp review http://www.dpreview.com/ try this link.
i hope it works as my history with links is not so good and i am tired been up for 24 hours.

have a look and let me know your thoughts on this site.

[Leigh]

Well it gave my A620 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon _a620.asp) 4 1/2 stars!

That's the site I used to research video cameras last year, I found it very useful.

If you decide to go down the Canon route (go and have a play in a camera shop first), I'd also use http://www.canon.com.au/products/visual/cameras/di gital_compact_cameras.html as some of the Canon cameras have different names in different countries on top of the US having a better range in general. I had the A620 sent to my partners hotel prior to her arrival in the US. Saved me $200 and got me a better camera.

Of the current Canon cameras available in Oz, I like the A580, A590IS and A720IS. They get good reviews on dpreview too.

It looks like the ring around the lens on the A720IS comes off. This is the same as the A620 (I can't see the release button on the others). This is to put filters on the lens, which I understand a 2x converter is also available. Never seen the filters so don't know how good they are.

[hobby]

Well it gave my A620 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon _a620.asp) 4 1/2 stars!

That's the site I used to research video cameras last year, I found it very useful.

If you decide to go down the Canon route (go and have a play in a camera shop first), I'd also use http://www.canon.com.au/products/visual/cameras/di gital_compact_cameras.html as some of the Canon cameras have different names in different countries on top of the US having a better range in general. I had the A620 sent to my partners hotel prior to her arrival in the US. Saved me $200 and got me a better camera.

Of the current Canon cameras available in Oz, I like the A580, A590IS and A720IS. They get good reviews on dpreview too.

It looks like the ring around the lens on the A720IS comes off. This is the same as the A620 (I can't see the release button on the others). This is to put filters on the lens, which I understand a 2x converter is also available. Never seen the filters so don't know how good they are.

Tending to steer towards the panasonic TZ3,10x optical zoom leicha lens.
has won a few awards and recently been superceded so the price is coming down,
also Leigh tried something new in searching last night, in google search typed in flickr camera reviews.
for those who don't know flickr is a photography site.
this search gave an insight to popular cameras and a great gallery of images taken on the camera you are looking at.

[Leigh]

No worries mate. If I was in the market, I'd take a serious look at the Panasonic/Leica cameras.

[firemansam]

I have a TZ2 and I've got some really top quality pictures out of it. I've also got some pretty average ones but I reckon that might have more to do with the bloke behind the camera

[hobby]

tonight i purchased the panasonic TZ3 ,leica lens, 10x optical, 28mm wide angle ,7.2 mega pixels and a 3"LCD great for old people like me.
best of all so far the price $399.oo as the best price up to then was $475.oo
taking it to the motor show tomorrow.
you beauty
well i hope.

thanks guys for the input much appreciated.

[Pug205]

Hi guys just wanted to get some ideas about cleaning a camera's sensor. There is a mark in the bottom right hand corner that can be seen on my slow shutter photos. Im guessing/hoping it is just dust.

Have many of you had to clean the sensor before and if so what do you use to clean your cameras? Is it better to get someone to do it for you? I do not want to scratch the glass as I have read it is easy to do.

Here is a shot with the spot marked out.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n309/bla79/Bian te%20Forum%20Pics/DSC_6265-1.jpg

[HDT337]

Hi guys just wanted to get some ideas about cleaning a camera's sensor. There is a mark in the bottom right hand corner that can be seen on my slow shutter photos. Im guessing/hoping it is just dust.

Have many of you had to clean the sensor before and if so what do you use to clean your cameras? Is it better to get someone to do it for you? I do not want to scratch the glass as I have read it is easy to do.

Here is a shot with the spot marked out.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n309/bla79/Bian te%20Forum%20Pics/DSC_6265-1.jpg

I'd probably be more inclined to take it to a camera/photographics shop and have them give it a clean, as you may make it worse.

Some of the pro's on the forum may shed some light on this. I'm an amature at cameras.

HDT337

[Dez]

The cost of getting the sensor cleaned is approx $99. I've taken my managers camera to a registered Nikon repair agent and thats what the cost was for 15mins work.

There are sensor cleaning kits and tutorials on the net to guide you, it's up to you if you wish to attempt it.

First I'd probably check the lens glass and clean it with cleaning fluid and professional cloth. If that doesnt fix it, most likely the sensor.

[Pug205]

Thanks Dez - I have tested my two lenses and they both have make the mark so it is the sensor. Will do some more researchand then decide what to do.

[Oh Five]

Pug You'll find it shows up worse depending on aperture setting. Take some pics of a light wall/ceiling and you'll see all the marks.
Phone or go into a camera shop,see what they charge ($80 - $140) or get a DIY for about $120 which will give you 3 cleans, i cant think of the name atm.
Very delicate stuff though

[brchi17]

Brad, I've been thinking a bit more about your problem. I note that Oh-Five has the same problem in this photo....

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k294/Hocko5/Bath urst%202007/IMG_3739.jpg?t=1197725783

.....It looks like it's a reflection off your front filter. They suggest using a better quality filter or, better still, no filter at all. It's also a good idea to use a lens hood to eliminate stray side light, but you probably had one of those if you were using L-series lenses...

I've got to say that I think you're spot on with this being an internal reflection issue. How do I know? I reciently tried taking some headlight shots without a filter on the end of the lens and surprise, surprise no ghosting lights....I think I might try one of these Digital Filters now to see if it delivers the same results

[ratster70]

Looking to buy a new camera guys as our old Fuji just aint cutting it anymore. And seeing some of the great track shots of late by members im curious to see what everyone uses or recommends. The wife has chatted to quite a few people track side also so just waying up options so any help would be great;) Thanks in advance

[El Cheapo]

I got a Nikon D90 a few months ago, and love it :D I'd recommend one, but only on the grounds that it makes it easy for an idiot like me to take pics like this :cool:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/5080103577_472 6bd9f66_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54841422@N06/5080103 577/)

[Maq]

I got a canon 550d.(kiss overseaes) 18mp and twin lense pack. We imported ours and got free bag 16mp card and an extra battery. Saved about $600.SLR's are much of a muchness but I would only get canon or nikon myself

[lavenlaar]

I got a canon 550d.(kiss overseaes) 18mp and twin lense pack. We imported ours and got free bag 16mp card and an extra battery. Saved about $600.SLR's are much of a muchness but I would only get canon or nikon myself

geez - 16mb ??? i bet thats filled with 5 shots on a 550d ! LOL
I think you mean 16gb ;)

I have a 30d atm - but remember guys ITS NOT THE CAMERA , ITS THE LENSES THAT COUNT !

400mm
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m98/lavenlaar/I MG_1592.jpg
200mm
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m98/lavenlaar/I MG_7414.jpg
50mm
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m98/lavenlaar/I MG_7979.jpg

[lukey73]

I have a 450D which is a great introduction camera. I suppose it really depends on budget and what you knowledge you have.

I would ask Wayno, with all his experience he can make a few suggestions.

The lens you have will make the shot rather than soley the body you use. I had an old Panasonic Digital Camera and after talking to Wayno at Bathurst a few yrs ago I was getting much better shots just by playing around with the settings.

Old Panasonic shot
http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/28276/2873165440 062077177S500x500Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2873165440062077177idBrKs )

New Canon 450D Shot
http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/47030/2443399740 062077177S500x500Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/24433997400620771 77lHxogT)

[HDT337]

Canon 450D with twin lense kit, still experimenting.

HDT337

[Angel]

5D Mark II with a couple of different lenses, but have found the Canon lenses far outweigh the others.. latest buy was a 100-400mm so retraining myself with a monopod.........

[adhowie]

if you have the money 5d mk2 end of story. its amazing. propably the only down side is the shutter speed 3.9 shot per second i think but 21meg chips is out of this world

[Damage]

Nikon D90 (at least used to be) standard for forensic applications. I use my trusty old Canon Powershot 2MP (she's an oldy buy a goody) for webshots I post on here and my daughters new Samsung for other stuff.

[Billy Bob]

I got a Nikon D3000 back in September it's only a baby SLR but great for learning on an very user friendly

[KiwiRallyFan]

Canon 7D - absolutely brilliant motorsport camera, especially when coupled with good quality lenses.

[My Element]

1000D canon twin lense kit

[the_goldie]

1000D twin lens kit and even after a few months wanted to upgrade to get more and more to play with... alas have not done so and still wanting to buy some quality lenses but jeez they are expensive!!!

hmmmmm ;)
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF400mm-f28L-IS-II-USM-Lens

I'd even be happy with this
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF70-200mm-f28L-IS-II-USM-Lens

and of course something for wide angles
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF14mm-f28L-II-USM-Lens

then of course something for portraits and the like
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF-S17-55mm-f28-IS-USM-Lens

One can dream...........

[brchi17]

5D Mark II with a couple of different lenses, but have found the Canon lenses far outweigh the others.. latest buy was a 100-400mm so retraining myself with a monopod.........

I used to have one of those lens, but I didn't like the clarity of the images at it's outermost distances (350mm+), so I sold mine. I'm not sure why you want a monopod, that lens isn't that heavy ;)

[lavenlaar]

1000D twin lens kit and even after a few months wanted to upgrade to get more and more to play with... alas have not done so and still wanting to buy some quality lenses but jeez they are expensive!!!

hmmmmm ;)
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF400mm-f28L-IS-II-USM-Lens

definitely one of the best lenses i've used - but heavy !

I'd even be happy with this
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF70-200mm-f28L-IS-II-USM-Lens

good all round bad boy

and of course something for wide angles
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF14mm-f28L-II-USM-Lens

i prefer fixed focal at this length

then of course something for portraits and the like
http://canon.com.au/en-AU/For-You/Camera-Lenses/Lenses/EF-S17-55mm-f28-IS-USM-Lens

look at the 28-104mm... its one of the only lenses that will remain fixed on the body

One can dream...........

yes ! i have a list as long as my arm as well

[Chev_350]

Currently have a 350D

Saving for a 5D mk2 and a sigma 50-500mm

[nrma dave]

Currently have a 350D

Saving for a 5D mk2 and a sigma 50-500mm

good camera i have one and it can do anything...i think http://forums.biante.com.au/images/icons/icon12.gi f

[Damage]

Don't see the point in the real high-end stuff unless you are making posters or printing billboards. To view on a 22-24" monitor or print 6x4 or 8x6 photos, as far as MP goes, you only need a very average camera, say 4MP. As for shot quality/clarity, isn't it as much the operator as well as the equipment?

Every shot I have ever posted on here has been with a Canon 2MP Powershot, even the award winner below ;)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn78/damage_lnc/ monarch012.jpg

[brchi17]

I'd like to say a Canon, but it looks like err50 is the new err99....if the life expencany of a DSLR is going to be a little over 10k shots, then I can't see myself playing this game for long as I certainly can't afford a new body every 18-24months :eek: !!!!

100,000 shot duty cycle my @#$% :mad:

[ratster70]

Thanks for the help guys the missus has laybyed a Canon 1000d twin lens so hopefully that should be a vast improvement on what we are using at present ;)