Digital cameras

[Scooter14]

I think that whatever camera you buy, it will take great pictures that can be posted in the Baseops Photo Gallery (hint, hint)

[Steve Davies]

Steve-

I'm currently looking to buy a 30D - should I wait and pick up the 40D? I know the body alone won't make the difference, but is it worth spending the money now? My thought is to get a solid body with one competent lens and acquire more lenses in time. And if you had to recommend one standard lens to go with the body, what would it be? I'm not a complete newbie, but I haven't spent much money on gear since my Canon 35mm about a decade or so ago.

Cheers

Yoss

My approach has always been to buy the best I can afford so that it is 'future proofed' to the greatest extent possible. Doing so means you can hold out longer before you upgrade your DSLR the next time. In that respect, I would go for the 40D.

However, to mix things up a little, I would actually advise you to look closely at the D80 from Nikon, too. In the last few years Nikon have caught up and overtaken Canon on the 'amateur' market for DSLRs, and with today's announcement of the slightly pricer Nikon D300, I think that Nikon have really leveled the 'prosumer' playing field, too.

Of course, you can't compare the Canon 40D with the D300 because they are at different price points, but I think that you should certainly consider the long-term implications of which company you choose to spend your heard earned cash with. My gut instinct is that Nikon are superior to Canon in the prosumer arena and can probably hold that high ground while Canon continues to dominate the Pro arena. That means that serious amateurs have a tough call to make.

Sorry if this is of no help to you at all!

[Guest JorryFright21]

Yoss

My approach has always been to buy the best I can afford so that it is 'future proofed' to the greatest extent possible. Doing so means you can hold out longer before you upgrade your DSLR the next time. In that respect, I would go for the 40D.

However, to mix things up a little, I would actually advise you to look closely at the D80 from Nikon, too. In the last few years Nikon have caught up and overtaken Canon on the 'amateur' market for DSLRs, and with today's announcement of the slightly pricer Nikon D300, I think that Nikon have really leveled the 'prosumer' playing field, too.

Of course, you can't compare the Canon 40D with the D300 because they are at different price points, but I think that you should certainly consider the long-term implications of which company you choose to spend your heard earned cash with. My gut instinct is that Nikon are superior to Canon in the prosumer arena and can probably hold that high ground while Canon continues to dominate the Pro arena. That means that serious amateurs have a tough call to make.

Sorry if this is of no help to you at all!

Wow, I was about to upgrade to the D200! I'm so glad I waited. That D300 looks out of this world. Ultimately I'd like a D3, but I'm not at that level just yet with the whole paycheck-justification thing. I'd wait if you could until November for when the D300 comes out because that is really going to be an amazing camera.

[Guest yoss]

Thanks for the input Steve, it does mix things up a bit but in a good way. I had my mind set on a Canon to minimize the brand-comparison challenge, but it sounds like it is worth it so I'll let the new models hit the street and then make the choice.

Thanks!

[ClearedHot]

[Murph]

Boom, what "Dude" was that in your photo?

Maybe same "Dude" who found the Al-Qeadog?

[busdriver]

Zombie thread alert!

I just bought a new Canon DSLR (T1i), Steve mentioned using software to clean up the fotos in "post-production." My camera came with a little program that lets you change saturation/contrast, etc. What else would you guys recommend as a starting point. I haven't delved into SLRs since photography art classes in high school, and that was all wet B&W shot with an Olympus from the mid eighties.

[brabus]

Photoshop CS3 or 4. I have 4 now and it's an awesome and extremely capable program. It's also not too difficult to figure out, even for a beginner to visual editing.

[Guest CA]

If you don't feel like spending the $700 for Photoshop, you can use GIMP. It's an open source program (Free under the GNU) that does a fair amount of what most people would need.

If you want something nice but don't want to spend the cash for Photoshop, Adobe also makes a program called Lightroom. It's a more basic version of Photoshop, primarily for photo manipulation. It goes for $300. I would recommend it if you are on a budget but still want all of the photo manipulation options. I know several professional photographers who use Lightroom more often than Photoshop.

Hope that helps.

Good choice on the T1i. I just recommended that camera to my mother who is wanting to dabble in photography. For the money it's a really nice camera. And you can't beat Canon glass!

Edited November 23, 2009 by CA

[brabus]

You can get CS3 Extended on Amazon for $160. If your a student of higher education (working on your masters busdriver?), you can get CS4 student edition for $180. So there's two examples that are significantly less than $700. There's also "other" sources, but that's up to you.

[contraildash]

I got a nikon d60 over the summer and despite being an entry level DSLR it is great for my needs. I will throw a few examples of planes I've shot up on here in the morning. Just wish I could get a half decent zoom/telephoto lens now....

[HU&W]

I got a nikon d60 over the summer and despite being an entry level DSLR it is great for my needs. I will throw a few examples of planes I've shot up on here in the morning. Just wish I could get a half decent zoom/telephoto lens now....

Good camera. If you need a good basic telephoto, you can get a 70-300 off amazon.com for about $150. I'd really also recommend a 28mm or 50mm nikkor prime lens for distortion free portraits and travel shooting. They are small, light, fast, and cheap ($100-200). The only drawback is, as with any prime, you have to zoom with your feet.

[contraildash]

I have a Nikkor AF-S 18-55 DX I use for my traveling. I like it, works fine for what I do with it. I'll have to do some hunting on Amazon for a telephoto. Any suggestions to start with? I'm still rather new to the photography thing, so I'm open for suggestions.

Here's some pics I took before I left the states, the sun was great and these statics were easy to shoot.

[busdriver]

contrail, I like the perspective on that last photo.

To add to my new toy: I'm now the proud owner of a 55-250mm telephoto lens to go with my new camera. Now I just need to actually get back to the flight line and put my new toys to use!

[busdriver]

Ok, first day of shooting actual aircraft today. Advantage of digital: I took 240 photos in just over an hour, that kind of pace would have cost me an arm and a leg back in my 35mm days. I ended up with a couple decent photos, even though the first half or so were just playing with camera functions. I tried getting the exposure long enough to blur the rotor into a "disc" but only succeeded in over exposing the crap out of the image, and the time was so long it would probably only work on a stationary "target."

[magnetfreezer]

Ok, first day of shooting actual aircraft today. Advantage of digital: I took 240 photos in just over an hour, that kind of pace would have cost me an arm and a leg back in my 35mm days. I ended up with a couple decent photos, even though the first half or so were just playing with camera functions. I tried getting the exposure long enough to blur the rotor into a "disc" but only succeeded in over exposing the crap out of the image, and the time was so long it would probably only work on a stationary "target."

Nice shots! To enable the long exposures, try a neutral density filter on the lens - you can get several different strengths depending on how much you want to increase the exposure time.

[busdriver]

I now have a disease! Bought a 10-22 wide angle lense.

[Gas Man]

I just bought a Sony DSC-TX1 point and shoot. After less than a month the touchscreen pooped out. After a very disappointing conversation with the Sony people where they basically told me to go fuck myself, I'm going to get a new point and shoot. Luckily the store I bought it at is going to return it for me. Does anyone have experience with the Leica D-Lux or C-Lux line. I am leaning that direction.

[contraildash]

I used a Leica for high altitude, wide area photography! That camera, the RC-30, rocked! So I'm guessing that their point and shoots aren't all that bad.

[JeepGuyC17]

I just bought a Sony DSC-TX1 point and shoot. After less than a month the touchscreen pooped out. After a very disappointing conversation with the Sony people where they basically told me to go fuck myself, I'm going to get a new point and shoot. Luckily the store I bought it at is going to return it for me. Does anyone have experience with the Leica D-Lux or C-Lux line. I am leaning that direction.

If you're looking for something around the size of the D-lux in a point and shoot, I just bought a Canon S90 and really like it. It has the same sensor as Canon's G11, but with a better lens in a much smaller and lighter body. It's pricey but still $300 cheaper than the D-Lux 4 and has very good image quality for a compact. It also has full manual controls and a programmable control ring on the front that makes changing common settings like aperture/shutter speed/ISO very quick and intuitive without having to dig through menu options.

Granted, the D-Lux 4 has HD video and a hot shoe, but neither of those are things I see myself needing in a compact camera.

For what it's worth, from what I've read the D-Lux 4 is basically a more expensive Panasonic LX-3 (which has a Leica lens), so you might look at those as well.

[Gas Man]

Thanks for the input Jeep. I ended up going with the Lumix FX65. It is an updated version of the Leica C-LUX. Exact same camera just paid about half and got an updated version. I am very impressed with the pictures I have taken so far. I was in Dubai for the opening of the tower and got some amazing pictures of it at night time without even using a tripod. Even zooming way in on the pictures they are clear. So far so good.

[busdriver]

I had/have a Lumix P&S, takes very good pictures for the size too bad I lost the charger.

[Steve Davies]

Ok, first day of shooting actual aircraft today.

Nice work.

I wouldn't go down the ND route until you have fully established how well the traditional methods of getting rotor blur (such as dropping the ISO to accommodate a slower TV without blowing your exposure).

Also, while I agree with magnetfreezer that ND filters are very useful, and I do use them from time to time, putting anything in front of your glass will impact image quality, especially if the filter is cheap. Good ND filters (like those made by Lee) are of the oblong variety and are a FOD hazard for air-to-air work - I speak from experience as one who has 'lost' a filter while shooting out of a helo door.

I used a Leica for high altitude, wide area photography! That camera, the RC-30, rocked! So I'm guessing that their point and shoots aren't all that bad.

Their electronics are made by Panasonic. Leica digitals are never going to rival their M and R ranges, nor the likes of the somewhat more expensive RC-30!

That said, I have yet to meet a Leica user who isn't just a tad pretentious.