[Sheynkman]

To answer the original question

350D is a very easy choice just because it is new/more feature laden/much faster

Canon really DOES have an amazing selection of lenses.

You might want to consider the D70 from Nikon. The kit lens is VERY nice and they are dropping in price very fast. Nikkor lenses are great too. The D70 is somewhere between the 20d and 350d. Do not let the megapixel race bother you too much 6mp is enough. More is better only sometimes depending on certain applications. Heck...the new D2hs has only 4mp and it is an amazing piece of equipment.

Go and hold the 350d and d70 and buy the one that feels better in hand. Try the UI out. Look up lenses and accesories in order to set some sort of budget for yourself. You will need a nice tripod now to hold that weight as well as memory cards, bag, flash, etc. I say you should also consider a storage device. The reason why I bough the archos gmini 400 over the h320 and karma is because of that CF slot.

hope this helped

 

[commando]

With Canon you're buying into an established system, EOS, supported by both Canon, and third party manufacturers like Sigma, Tamron, etc. The 350D is a great value camera, and I think the images it takes should be technically better than the Nikon D70 (70D?). I have a 20D and I love it, after upgrading from the 300D a few months back.

If you want Canon camera advice, check out this site.

 

[null]

I have a feeling that the Pentax *ist DS, EOS 350D, EOS 300D, and Nikon D70 all have similar image quality (also of course depends on the lens) one question may be how they are in terms of noise performance. The d70 is pretty good with noise, but supposedly the 350D may have the upper edge because of its CMOS based upon the Canon 20D, which has darn good noise performance.

It all boils down to two things; what camera you are comfortable with, and which lens system you want to buy into. Both Canon and Nikon have great lenses, but at the lower end of the spectrum its not like either company has a distinct advantage over lens quality than the other. Also, remember that unlike headphones, the photographer makes the image, the camera only assists.

 

[Edwood]

Well, I've bent over for a Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens on eBay. At least the auction didn't go over the MSRP. Well, it came really close.

Looks like I'll be getting the *ist DS. The $650 price for the body is too good to pass up.

-Ed

 

[Sheynkman]

enjoy it man!

now you will have audiophile and lens fever!

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheynkman enjoy it man! now you will have audiophile and lens fever!

Well, Pentax lens fever won't get so hot. Not much of a choice compared to Canon's massive line up.

But I only wanted to have a stable of 1-3 lenses, tops.

Of course, I said the same thing about headphones.

-Ed

 

[majid]

The *is DS and the D70 have the same Sony CCD sensor, it is not surprising they have roughly the same quality. The Canon CMOS sensors have significantly lower dark current (which makes them better suited for astrophotography) and lower intrinsic noise.

The D70 has gotten good marks for noise, but unfortunately this is achieved with dirty tricks like median filtering that degrade resolution. See Christian Buil's article for more details. I hope Pentax hasn't stooped to such tactics.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid The *is DS and the D70 have the same Sony CCD sensor, it is not surprising they have roughly the same quality. The Canon CMOS sensors have significantly lower dark current (which makes them better suited for astrophotography) and lower intrinsic noise. The D70 has gotten good marks for noise, but unfortunately this is achieved with dirty tricks like median filtering that degrade resolution. See Christian Buil's article for more details. I hope Pentax hasn't stooped to such tactics.

Gah! What a painful read. Well for those that can't read french, that is.

Kind of difficult to see the huge difference with lossy compressed JPEGS there.

-Ed

 

[dffman2001]

All the modern DSLRs produce very similar results and qualitys. You can look at theory and examine the technology, use an magnifying glass and inspect it on your screen closely, and maybe you may see small differences, but in practical differences, there is almost none. Noise performance will put film grain to shame in many cases. Printed on 11 x 14, there will be very little noticible differences between this level of camera. You will see differences with full frame, however. At $650 this camera is a steal. Congrats on your purchase, I am sure you will enjoy the camera very much.

btw, I know that I am old school and have urged you before, those old lenses are really really nice, not to mention cheap. Autofocusing forced camera manufacturers to use lighter materials so the motors could move the focus. Look into the SMCP-M series of lenses. They are truely fantastic; turning the focus ring is an experience in itself.

 

[Edwood]

I ordered an *ist DS Body from www.butterflyphoto.com.
I was worried at first seeing as how this merchant is located in Brooklyn, NY. But their resellerratings were pretty good. A bit mixed bag, but mostly from people that were impatient and mad that their items didn't ship right away.

But they shipped it within two days.
They called me to "confirm" my order. They offered discounts if I added some accessories. I was ready for a high pressure sale, but they only asked once and told me that my order would ship immediately. So, they didn't cancel my order. I even got an email confirmation and a FedEx tracking number, which checked out. Nice.

So the only thing it to check my credit card statement online and make sure they charged the correct amount, and that I actually get my camera in working order, and that it's not a gray market camera.

I'll have it in my hands, hopefully, on Tuesday.

-Ed

 

[Stornn]

Welcome to one of the few hobbies more addictive and costly than headphones.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stornn Welcome to one of the few hobbies more addictive and costly than headphones.

It's going to be difficult for me to even match what I've spent on Headphone gear.

Mainly because Pentax is lacking in lenses compared to Canon.

But now I'll be able to take better pictures of my gear too.

-Ed

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant Snake: I used to own a Rollei 2002? series 35mm film camera which had removable backs (including Polaroid) and a top mounted flip up viewfinder .... like a mini-Hasselblad. You would have loved it. I wound up trading it and several lenses for a pile of vacuum tubes and have regretted it ever since.

Oh yeah! I remember the Rollei [edit]SL2000 (later the 3003)[/edit]. It was incredibly beautiful. What a gorgeous little camera - like a mini Pentax 645 (Hassy's didn't have TTL flash and built-in motor drives!

) but the lens selection was rather thin.

But you know, you've got me interested for sure; I totally forgot about that model. I may have to seek out the chance of holding one to see if it sparks anything. Luckily the Nikon 5700 pushes my buttons in terms of how a camera should feel and be held - I "need" metal, I just can't stand a plastic-covered camera. I guess that's really personal, but the polycarbonate bodies just never get me going. I like the brick-$#!thouse feel

I just constantly wish that the 5700 had a hand strap like my OM-4 with the Drive2 on. If it did it would be absolutely perfect.

It's strange but as much as I personally dislike the Nikon F3's feel I loved the Canon F-1's, even if it was so large (and I never really was fond on Canon!

)

 

[Edwood]

Speaking of Pentax's 645 line......

Pentax is slated to release a medium format digital next year.
If they keep the price low enough, this may be THE entry level Medium Format Digicam.

-Ed

 

[null]

Cool! A medium-format with a digital back? It may be entry-level, but it'll probably still cost $$$'sands anyways.

Enjoy your *ist DS Edwood.