Digital SLR - what have you got??

[sapradogxl Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close sapradogxl]

All,

Thinking of buying the wife a digital slr for Valentine's day(only because she go tme Matrax for Xmas, and soon a new UHF)

I am thinking a Canon EOS 60D with 18-200mm lens.

Does anyone have one of these?? if so, please provide thoughts.

IF you have something else, I am also keen to know your thougths.

Thanks
Dave

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

We have the Nikon D70s, the camera is 100 times better than the mug that is usually standing behind it so we are very happy with it. We went this way at the time because it was the only camera we could get with the 18 - 200 lens which seems to be a good all round lense for family Photos or landscape shots and everything else in between.

Given your location Dave I would head into james Place cameras and have a talk with them, they were really helpful when we bought ours.

Nikon/Cannon/Pentax is probably a bit like Holden/Ford or Toyota/Nissan, it all depends on who you talk to as to which one is best, although we all know that Holdens and Toyotas are better than Fords and Nissans

Cheers Andrew

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

All,

Thinking of buying the wife a digital slr for Valentine's day(only because she go tme Matrax for Xmas, and soon a new UHF)

I am thinking a Canon EOS 60D with 18-200mm lens.

Does anyone have one of these?? if so, please provide thoughts.

IF you have something else, I am also keen to know your thougths.

Thanks
Dave

We don't have that particular model but do have many cannon slr camera's that have been trouble free, I have read some very good reviews on that camera though.

[Big Block Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Block]

I've got the canon eos550d and it is absolutely fantastic. Any camera that can make me look good has gotta be good! All jokes aside it takes great photos and beautiful hd video. I have the twin lens kit and it gets me through almost every possible scenario. It is particularly good in low light situations.

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

I rock canon in film and digital. I think they're great. Very user friendly and good features.

As Andrew said though, Nikon and Canon are as good as one another it's just a case of choosing a brand.

I'd go with which ever you find easier to use.

[Guest Close Guest]

I have the D700. I like wide to mid range. The superzooms have compromises that sacrifice convenience for quality. I would aim for something like a 16-85VR in the Nikon world as a good all rounder. My first DSLR was the D50 and 18-200VR. It was a great combo but in time, I spent more money on f/2.8 lenses for more light and sold them to 2 people I know.

[Matty80 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Matty80]

I got a pentax many years ago, back in the day when 6.2 mega pixels cost a fortune. Was happy with the camera, but not so much on the list of accessories that could be purchased for it... Still a good camera though!

Apparently, Nikon or Cannon are the best of the lot.

[KIMBOPRADO Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close KIMBOPRADO]

I went through the process at xmas for the wife. Was looking at SLR'S but was shown the interchangable lense cameras have all the features/performance of the SLR but half the size. Ended getting one of the Sony NEX-5N twin lense kits. Wife happy with compact size and quality of pitctures, even records full HD 1080 if required.

Has a nifty panorama option to take 180 degree photos automatically

http://www.camerahouse.com.au/produc...mpact-Pro.aspx

[VXWesty Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close VXWesty]

The 60D is a great camera, I have the 40D and will upgrade sometime soon. The 18-200 is a good all rounder but you will soon find it limiting in low light situations and it lacks overall sharpness. I would suggest the 17-55mm f2.8 to begin with and then add a decent telephoto zoom later on.

[V|PeR Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close V|PeR]

I have a Nikon D90 with and 18-200 and a 35mm prime. I find it a great camera. Friends and family have Canons and they find them great as well.

It is worth getting your wife to hold the camera you are thinking about getting given some DSLRs are large in the hand

[bworth Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bworth]

Hi SapradogXL,

Yes we have 2 60Ds in our household, one with the 18-200mm lense, the other with the 18-135mm. Both are great, but I would say that I believe that you would be more than happy with anything similar. I would rate the size and convenience of the above far higher than the general bulk/zoom range compromise etc of the optically superior, pro series lenses of which I have three. [The 18-135mm is just fine]

The camera/lense that you carry with you, not leave at home because it is too big/bulky is the one to buy.

I would also say that if you do much travelling that a wide angle zoom like the 10-22mm by Canon is the absolute pick on all lenses for travel, and still pretty good for family etc although not if using the standard built in flash as it does not illuminate the width of the covered scene. We travel with two cameras, a 50d with the 18-200mm and a 60d with the wide angle 10-22mm lense, and 97%+ images are taken with with the Wide/60d combination.

Canon more widespread, Nikon also excellent, better colour rendition in my opinion, but would still recommend Canon ahead of Nikon, because of its place in the market.

Best Wishes,

bworth

[davtan Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close davtan]

We have the Nikon D90, great camera, really good on action shots and also continuous shooting. But as others have said it is personal preference. But personally did have a Pentax before, but the Nikon is a far better camera. Also what helps all camera's is ensuring you use quality high speed SD or memory cards.

[stewy Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close stewy]

I to have a Canon 60D, love the large flip out LCD. Takes great pics but like any SLR, can be a hassell sometimes due to size. Have a look on DP REVIEW if you haven't already for plenty of camera info and reviews.

This why I also have a Canon IXUS 230HS, which is an absolutely awesome camera for point and shoot.
For a compact camera, it's outstanding for its features and lens magnification and is very easy to use. Considering it was only $260 which included the travel case and a SandDisk Extreme HighSpeed Memory Stick. I've found it to take equal quality pics and HD vids as the 60D. In some cases the pics look better.
Don't discount the smaller point and shoot camera's as they just keep getting better and better.

[RED T UTE Member Find all posts View Profile Close RED T UTE]

I bought a Canon 500d With 17/85 f4-5.6 as a kit from an importer you can get some fantastic prices if you shop overseas.
If you budget can stretch I would a higher quality lens with your camera they are so much nicer to use faster focus and smoother zoom slides and they have a larger apiture. Last year I bought a 70/20mm f/4L USM and a 50mm f/1.4 USM the fixed lenses with a big apiture are fantastic portrait lense and you can take great low light pics without the flash on.
Nothing wrong with Nikon ether it just about what suits you best.
I recommend you go and buy a class 5 or 7 SD card 2 gig and test as many cameras and lenses as you can take lots of pics in the shop or shooting out the door of the shop try to keep note of which lens and camera your shooting with and go home and look thought the pics and think about what had the nicest feel some cameras fit big hands better and buy a battery grip if you got big hands a lot easier to hold on too without dropping it when shooting in portrait mode.

[Serotonin Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Serotonin]

What you get is really going to be goverened by your budget, but spend the money on the lens, not the camera body. The quality of the images that you capture is more so because of the glass/optics than the body. I myself run a 7D with 24-70mm f/2.8L, 16-35mm f/2.8L, 70-200 f/2.8L VerII, 100-400mm L Series, plus 2 speedlites, 2x Converter, Carbon Tripod, etc. Around just over $12k in total what Ive spent in the last 12 months.

Whats going to make the biggest different to your shots is aperture or what is known as the f/stop (f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, etc) The lower the F/ number the larger the aperture. Unfortunately the lower the f/ stop, the more the price. Eg 70-200mm F/4 IS USM is around $1600 whereas the same lens in f/2.8 is $3000. Essentially a larger aperture allows you to firstly take photos in lower light, allows you to take photos with a faster shutter speed (less blur if the subjects are moving) and allows you to get better bokeh (blurred background). When you see those photo's where the subjects are nice and sharp but the background is nicely out of focus to achieve this you need a large aperture (low F/ number)

I myself would not by anything higher than an f/4 lens. Ive been down that track of the lower end zoom lenses (18-200, 17-85, etc) and budget permitting would not go back.

One of the better great all rounders is the 24-105mm f/4 It can be bought for around $1000 if you know where to buy from, this coupled with a 60D that can also be purchased for the same $$ and for $2k you have a great combination. It will definitely be a big improvement on the 18-200, 18-135. This f/4 lens is built using better materials, metal casing, weather proofing (yes you can use it in the rain) and is also part of Canons professional series "L" lenses meaning its built to last.

One thing to be mindful of is that when you see a lens and it has its aperture at f/4-5.6.. that means that when it is wide open (lowest zoom) then the max aperture is f/4 but when you go into full zoom, it is only f/5.6.

Do some research online to get a better idea of the differences in quality a better lens can make. I am sure there are some comparison videos on youtube where the 24-105 is compared to some of the other ones being mentioned.

As far as where to purchase, I get all my gear from www.camerasdirect.com.au These guys are grey importers on the gold coast. They have grown to be one of the biggest camera stores in the country. Prices are always well below other retailers and pretty close to what you would pay from some unknown ebay seller out of Hong Kong or Korea. All Canon & Nikon gear has an international warranty anyway so theres no need to worry.

If you have any specific questions, please let me know.