what camera should i get?

[RuGlu6]

Originally Posted by karazy

well since the Christmas season is coming up ive been looking at a few new cameras and im trying to choose one for myself.
i've been using a point and shoot for a few years now and i am quite comfortable with it, but i am ready to upgrade. i have never used a SLR.
my budget isn't huge, but isnt tiny either.

so far im really liking the look of the:
-canon powershot G11
-nikon d3000

and thats it so far.
so please, advice on the cameras i named, or better yet advice on a even better camera in the same price range.

Camera body doesn't mean as much as a good lens, kit lens is usually mediocre.
get something at least 2.8 aperture, good lens clarity.

[wirehead]

The Pentax K7 is indeed a DSLR. No, I do not have any "good" shots of my tank as I bought the camera after I took down the tank for a move. yes I did do some post processing on some of the pics with Adobe Lightroom 2, but only a few things like noise reduction and clarity adjustments. It doesn't matter what you do to the shots in a post processing software app, you have to have a good base image or you are sunk. Lightroom and those kind of apps are not miracle producers. Let me know if I can help out anymore.

[wirehead]

Originally Posted by RuGlu6

Camera body doesn't mean as much as a good lens, kit lens is usually mediocre.
get something at least 2.8 aperture, good lens clarity.

I beg to differ on that statement a wee bit. if your CMOS is mediocre then, so will your pictures. Then there is image stabilization, if your camera has it built in (Pentax) then you aren't paying for it again in all your lenses which makes them a bit more spendy. then there is weather-proofing. Pentax SLR's (at least the K series) are all dust and water resistant with over 75 o-rings protecting the guts. The body frame is important as well. I have found the only restrictive area of owning a Pentax is lens selection, but how many different lenses do you need??

[Triggz]

Originally Posted by vessey

I would suggest buying a cheap dslr body (no kit lenses) and a good lens or 2. Most people will never use the features that a mid to high end dslr have to offer and would be better off saving the money and buying good lenses. Canon and Nikon are both great and you can't go wrong with either of them.

The G11 is also a good option it has alot of the features a dlsr has but has the built in lens. It is great if you want something more advanced but don't want to spend crazy amounts on lenses. I also find I don't take my dslr's on vacations anymore, there size just got annoying after awhile.

Don't be affraid to save a bit and buy a previous model either most of the time people won't notice an extra MP or better noise reduction in higher ISO that the new cameras are offering.

Like others have suggested reading reviews is great, you might also want to check out The Photo Forum lots of information on there.

I would strongly agree with this one. MOST of us will never use all the features that a high end dslr is equiped for. Personally I like canon dslr's as you can still use a lot of the old lenses. I picked up a Canon 30d with 2 lenses used for $450. I purchased it almost 2 years ago now and still find it does more than I need.

Get a quality used body and use the money you saved on better lenses. You will be happy you did!

[viperfish]

I have a D80 and love it. I thought about the D90 but I might wait for the next generation (spent too much on my reef). I used to be a Canon guy but I found that I got more bang for my buck with Nikon.

The CMOS sensor has to be good but without an excellent lens it's like buying a top of the line stereo reciever and putting crappy speakers on it. You don't want the lens to limit what you're camera can do. I have three lenses in my kit 28-70mm, 80-200mm, and my favourite, 85mm fixed. I can pretty much do anything I want with those.

[RuGlu6]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk7/page32.asp

Pentax K-7 Review, October 2009


Overall conclusion

Highly Recommended

While the Pentax K-7's predecessor, the K20D, was clearly a competent camera it was never quite up there, either in terms of performance nor from a specification point of view, with the established semi-pro models such as the Canon EOS 40/50D or the Nikon D300. However, with the K-7, Pentax has clearly upped its game and the new model is in many respects on eye level with the competition's enthusiast offerings.



Conclusion - Pros

At base ISO detailed output that makes good use of the camera's 14.6 megapixel resolution
Good JPEG and RAW resolution
Semi-pro features and build quality in a compact body
Magnesium/steel body with environmental seals
Good selection of external controls
Comfortable grip and generally well-designed ergonomics
Responsive overall performance
Reliable flash performance
Good quality HD video recording (but hardly any manual control)
Improved continuous shooting (but still slower than D300 or EOS 50D)
Decent kit lens with environmental seals
Excellent high resolution screen with fine-tunable color
100% viewfinder coverage
Extensive white balance options
User-definable Auto ISO
Multi-segment metering can be linked to AF-point
Shutter & Aperture Priority Exposure (TAv mode)
Distortion and chromatic aberration correction for DA and DFA lenses (also available in RAW conversion when using supplied software)
Adjustable dynamic range highlight and shadow correction
Three-shot in-camera HDR capture
External microphone socket
Good battery life (but you don't get too much warning before power runs out)
Electronic level indicator
Composition adjustment (Uses the SR system to reposition the sensor to fine-tune composition)
In-camera RAW conversion tool
Alternative focusing screens available
Extensive in-camera image adjustment options
Very good bundled RAW converter (based on SilkyPix)

Conclusion - Cons
Measurably and visibly more noise than competition at high ISOs (JPEG)
More RAW noise than predecessor (but in line with competition)
AF speed not quite up with the fastest in class
Less dynamic range than direct competitors
No 'interactive' status display for easy change of parameters
HDR and a range of other features only available in JPEG mode
Slightly fiddly SD-card slot
Contrast detect AF so slow it's useless for most types of photography (not much different on the competitors though)
Automatic aperture control in movie mode can cause extreme exposure jumps and audible click sounds in the recording (fix the aperture to avoid this)

[Kryptic4L]

Originally Posted by RuGlu6

Camera body doesn't mean as much as a good lens, kit lens is usually mediocre.
get something at least 2.8 aperture, good lens clarity.

AGREED, ive seen many people demolish people with 5000 dollar bodys with some skill and a good lens with a entry level dslr

I would strongly agree with this one. MOST of us will never use all the features that a high end dslr is equiped for. Personally I like canon dslr's as you can still use a lot of the old lenses. I picked up a Canon 30d with 2 lenses used for $450. I purchased it almost 2 years ago now and still find it does more than I need.

Get a quality used body and use the money you saved on better lenses. You will be happy you did! .

Agreed again, I own a 40d which has plenty of feature's which I got used for much less saved a bunch on the extras etc.. Also I cannot live without the fast change settings on the top anymore. Rather then navigating menus

[Marlin65]

So what did you end up getting?
I shoot a Canon 30D but Nikon has good stuff as well. You still need someone that is good at the end of the camera as a good photographer can still make a good shot with a shitty cameras.
Also if you can't shoot but can photoshop you are golden. These days it is more than just a good camera. That being said you are always good with Canon or Nikon and Sony, Pentax etc make good stuff as well.