[dj_mocok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoValidTitle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Indeed the D50 has been discontinued and it has been replaced by the superior D40 I would highly suggest a new/used D40 over the older D50. The lens.... I couldn't agree more this lens is just awesome, it's so versatile and sharp, and the VR actually works! It's my lens of choice on my D200.

I don't see how D40 is superior to D50 when it only takes AFS lenses and have much worse ergonomics... I am one of those who would pick D50 over D40. If I didn't mind the miniature size of D40 I might as well get a Canon 400D, much better camera IMO.

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laxx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Except EF and EFs. =T

EF is fully functional on every EOS

EF-S.....well it might be good for those dSLRs that can use the smaller lens.

 

[Zanth]

Lots of love from the Nikon and Canon camp but I have not seen a single Sony or older KM suggestions? How about a used KM 5D with a 28-75 f/2.8 and a nice prime? All that could be had for under 1500,

 

[MrSlacker]

Here is what I found about those Canon "refurbs"
Quote:

I felt that this was probably fair warning, but, given some of the comments from the thread, I decided to call Adorama. I spoke to Norman, I believe (I have a hard time with Northern accents, so I can't be sure). He told me that the lenses sold as "Refurbished by Canon USA" were not warranted by Canon, but were covered by Adorama's 100 day warranty. I asked him if he could email me the warranty terms or point me to their location on their site and he told me that the warranty was not in writing anywhere. He assured me that they sell thousands of these lenses a year without a problem and started getting kind of defensive and pushy about the whole thing. I simply wanted to review under what terms I could claim under the warranty. After I expressed this concern, he said that if I didn't feel comfortable about it, then maybe I shouldn't buy one. I politely thanked him and hung up.

Source: http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00EeLW

 

[morphine]

For pure IQ I've found lens to be much more important than body. As a Nikon shooter this rec may seem strange, but for pure IQ under $1500 I'd pick up the DMC-L1 and the "kit" lens.

m

 

[Samgotit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSlacker /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here is what I found about those Canon "refurbs" Quote: I felt that this was probably fair warning, but, given some of the comments from the thread, I decided to call Adorama. I spoke to Norman, I believe (I have a hard time with Northern accents, so I can't be sure). He told me that the lenses sold as "Refurbished by Canon USA" were not warranted by Canon, but were covered by Adorama's 100 day warranty. I asked him if he could email me the warranty terms or point me to their location on their site and he told me that the warranty was not in writing anywhere. He assured me that they sell thousands of these lenses a year without a problem and started getting kind of defensive and pushy about the whole thing. I simply wanted to review under what terms I could claim under the warranty. After I expressed this concern, he said that if I didn't feel comfortable about it, then maybe I shouldn't buy one. I politely thanked him and hung up. Source: http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00EeLW

It's not 100 days; it's 90 days. I ordered a refurb 20D from Adorama. There is no place on Adorama's site that says anything about a Canon warranty. The 20D I ordered was defective. I called Canon to see if it was actually a refurb. They confirmed it was. Their refurb canon gear (at least the 20D I had) is CANON refurbished. I then called Adorama and was allowed to send it back with no hassles for a refund. I would have had them replace it if I had not decided that I really didn't need it after receiving it (I still might order another one).

The man quoted was a good consumer. He called the source and was uncomfortable placing an order. This is exactly what people should do. However, the policy is available on their site.

Their refurb gear is covered under this policy (the same as used). I verified this with a phone call before I ordered:

Quote:

Used Equipment carries a 90 day Warranty Pal Video Equipment carries a 90 day Warranty Our warranty provides coverage for defects in manufacturing only and expressly excludes coverage for excessive wear and tear and/or physical/accidental abuse, loss and theft. Our warranty is valid only at Adorama Camera. Improper repair or warranty service performed by someone other than Adorama Camera will void this warranty. Adorama Camera DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF WRITTEN OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF THIS ITEM, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you. Our warranty is valid only in the U.S.A. For additional information on how to obtain warranty service, please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-815-0702.

Adorama also sells Mack warranties for refurbished cameras. I have no experience with Mack warranties and reviews are mixed.

 

[TheVinylRipper]

One interesting thing you can do is get a DSLR and an adapter for m42 Pentax screwmount lenses.. This opens up a huge array of everything from abysmal to truly excellent manual focus/exposure lenses at very reasonable prices.

You will have to shoot in aperture priority mode and focus yourself but that is a good way to learn about things like depth of field.

Another alternative is the Sony A100, it will work with basically any Minolta AF lens from the last twenty years or so. Again, you get a huge array of reasonably priced lenses, this time with autofocus and exposure.

There are m42 adapters for the Sony available at very reasonable price ( < $20) and again this opens up the lens choice immensely.

Good prime lenses in m42 mount can be had cheaply. Yashica lenses that are m42 mount are quite good and dirt cheap. You can get a 50 mm f 1.7 for under $20 and they are quite a good lens.

Something like a 100 - 300 mm zoom is cool to have and in m42 mount, reasonably priced enough that you can afford to buy one for the very occasional time you will need such a long lens.

You can shoot at high ISO for fast shutter speeds and use something like PerfectImage to take out the color noise with very little loss of resolution.

If you are really tech oriented try Iris, it is an exceedingly powerful astronomical image processing freeware but it is definitely not for the casual user since it is very complex and to an extent command line driven. Iris has quite a few functions that are very good for regular photography, such as the ability to combine bracketed exposures for very high dynamic range photos. It also has deconvolution filters and wavelet processing for fixing slightly out of focus pictures.

 

[3x331m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheVinylRipper /img/forum/go_quote.gif One interesting thing you can do is get a DSLR and an adapter for m42 Pentax screwmount lenses.. This opens up a huge array of everything from abysmal to truly excellent manual focus/exposure lenses at very reasonable prices.

I have a Nikon mount adapter for my Canon EF... just to use my nikon-mount "Cult" lenses....

 

[skyline889]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puppysmith /img/forum/go_quote.gif First the post asked for the best deal for $1500. Second. You are mistaken, the sensor of the D50 and D40 is the same size and the noise level of the D50 is equal to that of the D40. Third. The D50 body can be purchased for ~$400 which is far cheaper than the D40x which is over $600 for, IMO, an inferior camera. If the buyer wants 10MP go with the D200 but not for $1500

Nikon tweaks their noise level algorithms with each camera succession so the noise level on the D40, even though the sensor size is the same, is lower than that of the D50. It was the same with the D70/D70s, the following model to use that same 6.1mp sensor, the D50, had noise levels lower than that of the D70/D70s.

I do agree though that if you're really serious about photography, you should not buy the D40. While the D40 is capable of taking great photos, I'd take the D50 over the D40 any day simply because of its compatibility with non AF-S lenses and its better weighted body. Used D50 bodies are running about $450 on eBay right now so if the OP wants to go Nikon, he can pick up a D50 body along with a Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8 DX (~$1100) or a Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 DX (~$750) for around his budget. Or instead he can pick up the D50 body, a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 (~$350), and the Tokina 12-24 f/4 (~$400) for under his budget. Another Nikon option would be to get a Nikon D80 body (~$800) and pair it with the Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 (~$500). While it doesn't have a constant aperture, it's sharper than the Tokina, has less distortion, and better controls chromatic aberation. Either way would be a great start off for photography though. $1500 is a really nice budget and I wish I had that much when I bought my first DSLR!

 

[TheVinylRipper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3x331m /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a Nikon mount adapter for my Canon EF... just to use my nikon-mount "Cult" lenses....

That's the way to do it, a little ingenuity goes a lot further than megabux..

I forgot to mention that the Minolta AF lenses also are compatible with the A100 Super Steady Shot.. which really does work, it gives you about 2 f stops more latitude in exposure.

My daughter has an A100 and I've been playing with it under low light conditions, you can get a decent shot at 200mm 1/16 second handheld if your hands are fairly steady to start with. Even 1/8 second is not impossible at 200mm but you'll have to take several shots to be sure of getting it.

Many years ago I had one of the original Canon Sure Shots. We went to the Lost Sea, which is the largest underground lake in the world, and I managed to get some clear pics with available light at ASA 400 just by bracing the camera against a rock and holding it as still as I could. Those pics were far more impressive than the ones I took with the flash.

Some of the exposures were 3 and 4 seconds long.. I had no idea the Sure Shot would properly expose under those conditions.. I was impressed.

 

[dozens]

Argh! I can't decide! I don't want to buy the wrong thing either! I'm leaning towards a Canon XTi, but is it really that much better than just an XT?

And I really, really, really don't know what glass to get for it. My budget is no more than $1000, and that's being pretty crazy. I'm just sick of waiting... It's going on the card.

 

[kin0kin]

I just sold my D50 to a fellow local guy few days ago, he was contemplating amongst the xt/xti/old skool 10D/D50 before committing to buy my D50. I also sold him my 50mm 1.8 (which i barely use), and he is now a happy camper.

Assuming you are in the states, you can get the D50 for cheap, bout $400+, get a new tamron 17-50mm (400 bucks), an sb-600 flash ($200) or ($150) used on nikonians, and 20 bucks on an SD @ newegg. That'd set you about $1100 and you've got yourself a VERY SOLID rig.

 

[oicdn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you want better pictures your best bet would to take a photography class. When's the last time someone cooked you a really good meal and your first thought was, "wow, you must have really nice pots and pans!" The person behind the lens has a lot more to do with the quality of the image than the lens itself, especially in the range of gear that you're talking about getting into.

Hah...that's awesome....

 

[gates_2]

how about a digital rebel xt + starter lens for $360 brand new


Thats what I picked up today from the store





:-D

 

[M0T0XGUY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gates_2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif how about a digital rebel xt + starter lens for $360 brand new Thats what I picked up today from the store :-D

What store did you go to?