Digital SLRs
I sold my beloved F100 and SB-28 a few months back to get this PowerBook (which hasn't been regrettable at all), and I've been getting by with my Coolpix 950 since then. It does very well for a lot of things, but I miss the versatility of the SLR (I was getting so good with that F100, have some incredible images, and I kept all my Nikon lenses).
So, my next big purchase is definitely going to be a Nikon F-mount digital SLR (or otherwise if you guys convince me well enough). Which models/accessories have you had the best results with?
In terms of what I might be shooting; well, it could be everything. I may be shooting pictures part-time for my Uni's newspaper (some nice money for good pictures I turn in), so it will range from sports to groups to speakers/seminars, etc.
So, my next big purchase is definitely going to be a Nikon F-mount digital SLR (or otherwise if you guys convince me well enough). Which models/accessories have you had the best results with?
In terms of what I might be shooting; well, it could be everything. I may be shooting pictures part-time for my Uni's newspaper (some nice money for good pictures I turn in), so it will range from sports to groups to speakers/seminars, etc.
Comments
I am pretty much in the same boat as you, though I will always keep at least one F-100 on hand. It is such a perfect camera, and there are still things film can do that digital can't...but definitely hold onto those lenses and wait for a bit.
Disclaimer: you're probably going to spend a minimum of $3000 for your new Nikon DSLR. Possibly as much as $5000 depending on the censor technology used, resolution, metering system, FPS, materials used for the chassis, etc.
Hmm...that's what I was wondering. If Nikon gets that new model out the door, the others' prices will drop a little bit (much like Macs; they don't drop a lot, but some, very slowly).
Which models have you used Moogs? I love the D1h for its huge buffer/continuous exposure capability, but I've heard the D1x's color accuracy and usable resolution are second to none. What about Fujifilm's digital bodies---worth looking at?
http://www.photo.net
http://www.dpreview.com
http://www.steves-digicams.com
http://www.imaging-resource.com
I would say the D100 price will probably not change when the new DSLRs come out from Nikon, but the older D1x and D1h will likely be discontinued and therefore be subject to large price changes. They'll probably jump off the shelves in a matter of a few days by people like us looking to snap them up. Used will be the only way to find them after a couple weeks I suspect.
Fuji's S2 is a very nice camera and would suite your needs as would the D100. Thing is they're both based on the N80 body which is very plasticy and not so durable. Therefore, they're basically prosumer cameras. Me, I'm waiting for a metal alloy chassis "tank" of a DSLR, with a meter comparable to the F-100's and a feel to match. I think it will probably use the second generation Foveon chip (assuming there is one to be used) and so the MP rating will be under 8, but the effective print sizes will behuge. Well over 16x20 if I had to guess.
Hopefully the first and last digital camera I buy for at least 7 or 8 years. I'm not as dead set on having relatively new camera hardware as Mac hardware. I can wait longer between buys. Though if I bought one of those new-fangled G6's tomorrow, it would be 3+ years since my last Mac purchase.
You heard anything about the Foveon chips going into any major-brand bodies? It would be great to have that brilliant chip inside a brilliant body, which the Sigma SD-9 really isn't at this point (just not the camera experience there to back up such a great technology).
http://www.dcresource.com
Sigma introduced a Foveon-based, F-mount compatible DSLR last year. It's a pretty good camera but definitely not Nikon quality. Nikon can license Foveon if they choose to like any other manufacturer. I am sure the parent company that owns Foveon (one of the big electronic giants if I remember right) is hoping they do. I wouldn't be surprised if once the technology has matured a bit (hopefully we're close to that right now), if both Canon and Nikon licensed it.
It seems the folks at Foveon went to the big-two (Canon/Nikon) FIRST with the new technology and that both turned them down. Why? Don't ask me. It seems, first of all, that the Foveon's exposure tolerance is pretty limited, and performance as a result is also restricted to very carefully designed situations. In other words, the "WOW!" photos we got from the people at Foveon/Sigma were very, oh so carefully set up in a studio to look that great.
Right now it seems you can get that quality out of the high-end Nikon DSLRs and Canon DSLRs without a studio following you out into the field.
So perhaps if the Foveon chip matures a little bit, the big two might see fit to adopt it, but I doubt it. With the next big thing being full-frame CCD and CMOS sensors at pixel counts above 14 million, Foveon might get left behind.
In terms of hardware, the cost of getting into digital is a little overwhelming. I can't imagine what it must have been like just four or five years ago -- to drop over 20 grand on a metal box with a fancy interior must have felt "adventurous." And I kept wavering, wondering if I should just find another decent F100. But no, I've decided to just do it and get a digital body sometime within the next two months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Nikon releases their third-generation D-series flagship soon so that I can look into a D1x for under two grand, but if that doesn't happen, it seems the D100 is giving people very good results for the most part.
Whew, takin' a breath now. It's exciting to be looking into this, but completely overwhelming too. But thinking of never having to think about what kind of film to use for a certain occasion or worrying about getting it processed, etc., I feel confident that a digital setup will do well.
The two Canon models - 10D and 1Ds - are indeed standard=bearers, but I don't have ten thousand dollars in the bank for the 1Ds. The 10D's price seems a little nicer, though. I've looked into "switching" before, and the Canon world just seems too complicated and expensive. I've become so versed in the canon of Nikon (in terms of lenses, flash accessories, etc.) that the other manufacturers' stuff makes me feel like I'm drowning.
But I suppose I could just grit and bear the pain, and learn the Canon system. Because after all, (this is hard to admit), they have a darn good lens selection and technologies to stand behind them (Ultrasonic/EF/Image Stabilization), and their color quality is excellent (second only to perhaps Fuji).
....oh, no. What's happening?
You can't really blame the optics. Nikkor lenses rocks. You can't really blame the F100 body on which it's based. It must be the electronics...
Another thing about Canon: they do have some of the best lenses for a 35mm (Leica is better but more expensive).
I'm never getting rid of my 950; it's just too easy to have with me and is great for general eBay purposes.
Originally posted by fred_lj
[/B]
AWESOME PICTURE!!!
i would already own the 10D if those @#*!%#$'s had put a firewire connector on it.
the Fuji S2 has firewire; compelling for me.
the S2 samples i've seen are impressive.
that's the fence i'm hung up on at the moment.
But that picture demonstrates the flexibility of the Coolpix 950, since it has the three separate metering options. Spot metering was required to expose that properly, and you can't choose that on many consumer pieces of junk. But, as this is about DSLRs...
The FireWire question is significant, but I don't think I could let it affect my decision to get one camera or another. To put it this way, if you use the camera with a desktop at home to upload pictures, you could always get a FireWire Compact Flash reader. And alternatively, if you use the camera on the road with a laptop, you can either get the CF reader or use a PC card CF/Microdrive adapter.
I would think one of the only instances when it would be vital is if you're desiring to run the camera completely off a computer - in a studio, where you would want instant proofs and perhaps printouts for customers.