Yet more camera questions - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

10/12/2005 02:19:10 PM · #1

Okay I have it narrowed down to these 3.

So if anyone has one of these

Konica Minolta DiMage A2
Canon Powershot Pro1
Canan Powershot S2IS

I've looked at pics taken with all 3 of these and can't decide. Won't be buying till after Christmas.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

Spork99

OM System OM-1

10/12/2005 02:28:14 PM · #2

Originally posted by missinseattle:

Which one do you like to hold in your hand? Have you used them? Which one do you find the easiest to operate? to change functions and modes? Which one operates in a way that is intuitive to you? It's not just about the output, but also about the use. If you miss a shot or can't do something because some function that you need is missing or not easy to access, that's just as bad as not having a camera in the first place. What kind of pictures do you like to take and which camera is best suited to your needs?

Message edited by author 2005-10-12 14:31:22.

taterbug

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

10/12/2005 03:26:08 PM · #3

Big amen to what Spazmo said! Definitely, if you havn't done so, go to a store and physically check them out. Also, if you havn't done so, dpreview.com has a lot of great in depth info.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

10/12/2005 03:37:00 PM · #4

The only 2 I've handled are the canons- one was a friends, and one at Best Buy. Both felt about the same- as far as using the functions That's something I'd have to get used to with any camera considering it's taken me almost a year to figure out the simple p&s I now have lol.
I found the Konica Minolta one in the DPreview but did not see that one at Best Buy. Have not had time to look anywhere else really. But For the price and everything it seemed like a good camera from what I saw online.

Thank you for the help and advice. I'm taking it all in as I am new to this. Bought my p&s on a whim since my parents had one similar. I'm not wishing I had spent more time shopping around. Live and learn!

res0m50r

Canon EOS-30D

10/12/2005 03:43:09 PM · #5

I can't give you input on the other two, but can tell you for the S2 IS the following.

Its a great camera with a great zoom. I do find the limits of the camera a bit annoying (f/stop, aperature, shutter speed, ISO) but you will have these limits with all three of these cameras. I need an DSLR, but thats another conversation.

I haven't told you much so here are some pictures I have taken with the camera. I only started taking pictures in July, 0 experience before. This is not to say that these are good, but to put in perspective what to expect out of my images.

Olympics

Portfolio

res0m50r

Canon EOS-30D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

10/12/2005 03:47:57 PM · #6

Everything Spaz said is the best way to approach a purchase. If I could go back I would have spent a bit more time researching and would have gone with an SLR even though it was my first camera. Not sure what you want the camera for, but you might consider saving for an SLR.

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

10/12/2005 05:07:32 PM · #7

I won't be doing anything professional with it. But I find myself getting more into taking pictures the past year and find my p&s to be limited. I take a lot of scenery, closeups of bugs, birds, my daughter, my dogs, flowers, I carry my lil camera with me everywhere I go and if I see something i think would make an interesting shot I just start shooting away. I've even pulled off the side of the highway to take pictures of civil war cemetary plots right before a thunderstorm. Just the way the darkness gathered around the plot made a good shot.
I'm not sure I'll get into this so deep that I'll really need an SLR. I don't plan on selling prints or doing professional photography. It's just a hobby and will probably stay that.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

10/12/2005 06:17:04 PM · #8

It kind of depends on how much disposable income you have. It's not really an issue of "professional" for these consumer dSLR cameras; it's more a question of whether you can realize your "vision" with the mid-range cameras.

The Canon 350xt Rebel, the Nikon D50, and the Pentax *lst (to name three) are all dSLR cameras that can be had for not a lot more than the cameras you have mentioned, that can be used just as easily on the fully automatic modes, but offer virtually unlimited room for growth in the months and years ahead.

Robt.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

10/12/2005 08:17:58 PM · #9

Okay maybe I'm looking in the wrong places then. I don't want to go over 600-650. The SLR's I've seen are over 1000. I did see a Rebel at Best Buy for 800 something I think. But 200 dollars is a lot more for my pocket book.
I think I've done a lot with the little p&s I have with my very small bit of photography knowledge. I don't feel I need the best to make it work for me which is why I'm not really looking for an SLR. If I could afford it sure, but I really can't.
So basically are you saying I should keep my p&s till I can afford an SLR?

mkalandros

Nikon D50

10/12/2005 08:29:45 PM · #10

What limitations about your p&s are bothering you? I'd start with cameras that address those issues. I used
//www.imaging-resource.com/ for most of my research into digital cameras before I bought mine.

wavelength

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

10/12/2005 08:45:46 PM · #11

<-- I have a DiMage A200. Does that count?

I have better examples of what I've been able to get out of it at my blog (in signature) and on Flickr than I have in my challenge entries.

My big problem with it, as with all/most cameras in this class, is that anything over ISO200 is really noisy. Color noisy too. Really annoying.

If you can wait, save the extra and buy an SLR. 2cents.

10/12/2005 08:47:09 PM · #12

Mainly the lack of zoom. I've have some great oppurtunities for pics on the inlets here by our house. Times when i could have gotten some great pics of herons and cranes, an eagle once. But I can't zoom in enough with my camera. I'd pretty much have to be standing IN the marsh to get the pics lol- which isn't possible since it's practically a cliff to get down there.
So that's my main complaint, Lack of zoom. I really like my camera otherwise. It's easy to use. Has enough settings for me to mess around with. The pause between taking pics and taking another is rather annoying
Thanks for the website. I will check that out.

10/12/2005 08:57:15 PM · #13

Ty for that website! Very helpful!

saintaugust

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

10/12/2005 08:59:14 PM · #14

Konica Minolta DiMage A2 - boo... minolta. ok, so i'm gonna hear it.. but selling minoltas over the years, I've come to know them as pretty unreliable.

Canon Powershot Pro1 - not bad, a lot of distortion at 28 mm equiv. and the focus sometimes is slow.

Canan Powershot S2IS - i havent used this, but based on the S1 which was a very popular model and was a smooth performer, i'd have to say this is a good direction to lean to.

oh, and you probably know this site, but you can compare models directly to each other - go to 'buying guide' on the left and then 'side by side'

www.dpreview.com

Message edited by author 2005-10-12 21:01:35.

wavelength

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

10/12/2005 09:06:00 PM · #15

Originally posted by saintaugust:

Konica Minolta DiMage A2 - boo... minolta. ok, so i'm gonna hear it.. but selling minoltas over the years, I've come to know them as pretty unreliable.

You mean like Nikon and the blinking light of death? Every manufacturer has made mistakes. DO you have specific info on the A2 or A200 being buggy?

I've never had a single hitch with my A200 FWIW.

saintaugust

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

10/12/2005 09:10:02 PM · #16

ok, so i'm gonna hear it.. but selling minoltas over the years, I've come to know them as pretty unreliable.

like i said...

and no, i don't have any specific info on that cam. mainly because we didn't bother ordering minolta where i worked... but hey, to each their own.

i shouldn't talk, i'm using pretty low-end cams.. but when I'm ready to buy, I'll be looking canon or nikon

Message edited by author 2005-10-12 21:11:10.

mkalandros

Nikon D50

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

10/12/2005 09:18:58 PM · #17

You might look into Olympus as well. They have some good high-zoom cameras. I used to have a 10X zoom (back when 2MP was a lot) from them. I was strongly considering their latest when I got the CoolPix 8700 from Nikon.

hblake

Nikon Coolpix 5700

10/12/2005 09:23:22 PM · #18

I picked the Canon Powershot S2 IS as a mid-range point-and-shooter. My wife is intimidated by my Nikon 5700, but absolutely loves the Canon. I like it too, for casual everyday shooting. But even though this is what I bought the camera for, it still has legs. In many respects, it meets or exceeds the capabilities of my Nikon 5700. I really like the 12X zoom...that's the cat's @ss.

The only area where it seems to fall short is in the macro arena. Now this is a bit odd, because the S2 IS has the capability of focusing right down to the surface of the lens. However, I have had no particular success using the macro capability of the Canon. I have yet to determine if that is me or the camera that is to blame.

Compared to the Nikon 5700, the S2 IS has a much better appetite for batteries--the Nikon sucks them down like there's no tomorrow, but the Canon daintily sips power over a much longer period of time. The Canon also will use plain old AA cells in a pinch. The only thing I don't like about the Canon battery usage is that (as far as I can tell) it gives you no warning about the battery state. The camera just up and tells you to switch batteries and shuts down. Again, maybe I'm missing something, but so far I haven't seen any advance warning.

Would I buy the S2 IS again? Yup...it's a mighty fine camera, in my estimation.

wavelength

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

10/12/2005 09:28:18 PM · #19

My canon A70 however inexplicably started shooting black pictures one day. Works if you slap it around a little.

I think you're comparing build quality of lower end cameras. The anvanced p&s cameras all have better body an component quality.

The Konica DSLR's seem also to be of high build quality, and have nothing but positive reviews. The 7d is built like a tank.

Considering they're partnering with Sony (which provided the internals for Nikon) I think they're getting back into the standing they should be in. They were late, but they're catching up.

Message edited by author 2005-10-12 21:33:09.

LoudDog

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

10/12/2005 09:33:56 PM · #20

I love my S2 but there is one limitation I don't like. The manual focus to infinity is not a true focus to infinity. i.e. it can't focus on things like the moon or clouds. The S1 could.

I called my contact at Canon, he called the engineers, and they said they had to do that to make the auto focus faster and give the S2 the amazing macro mode that it has.

I don't consider it much of a limitation thus far and I love the macro mode. My last two challenge photos were with the S2 if you want to see some samples.