Time for a new camera

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by RocketJohn

NikonVstrom turned me on to the Nikon D5100... I haven't pulled the trigger just yet, but its effectively a D7000 with few less features in a more consumer/lighter body for half the price... $500 for a refurb body and a few lenses and you'll meet your budget over just over a $1k...

Good option and it uses the AF system based on the D200 (which I have but with Fuji guts) and I've shot some sports with it.

I think if sports are very important then you have 3 steps in the Nikon world:

Every current camera up to the D7000 (they really love that D200 AF) has the same AF system and it works well but you do have gaps.



D7000: There are no gaps in the AF points, better and close to the D300's 51 point but not all the way there.



D300/300s/700: no gaps and a ton of AF points so the tracking works amazingly. This is actually a pro-level sports AF system.



On this final image the red squares are the 5D's AF points so you can see the difference. IIRC the 5D has a similar layout to the AF on your XTi so it would be a good comparison.

[Grainbelt]

Originally Posted by Rectaltronics

Some of the newer, better DSLR cameras perform with much better noise levels with less loss of clarity at higher ISO settings. So yeah, it can be about the body too.

Cuts both ways - the camera body still has to be able to lock focus, and faster glass is very very helpful with that. Sure, a modern body can net you a fast enough shutter speed at high ISO and F/8 (where that crappy glass is finally sharp) but even before the lens stops down, you're fighting with locking focus through F/5.6 glass.

For me, a noiseless, clear, out of focus shot at ISO 12,800 and F/8 is less useful than a noisy shot at ISO 1600 at F/2.8. Modern software cleans up noise pretty well, provided you got the exposure half-assed correct in the first place. That is where I was coming from suggesting fast glass and a new(er) body - get better AF module than an XTi but enough budget for really nice glass that doesn't depreciate.

[DriveShaft]

Originally Posted by HardCase

I have the Panasonic GH2 and am tempted to get an OM-D for a second body. But.....I agree, that the C-AF aspect is troublesome. I had an earlier Oly m4/3 camera, the E-P2, and loved the JPEGs it produced, but the lack of an integrated EVF and the fact that the plug-in one was not secure, meaning it could (and, in my case, was) be lost easily, necessitating a $300 replacement part, made me want to pull my hair out. I ended up giving it to my son and daughter-in-law when my granddaughter was born, and they've made good use of it. The OM-D definitely looks like a significant improvement, but it has a way to go yet....

I am thinking that, one of these days, Panasonic will come out with a GH3, and I'll be looking closely at that. I'm fully committed to the m4/3 format. I did toy with the idea of going full-frame, but I'm not THAT serious!

I figure they'd one day come out with an OM-D model that could push the SHG 4/3 lenses (constant f/2 zooms w/ smooth creamy bokeh). Right now, it's the continuous AF, and the lack of support for those lenses that hold me back. If they came out with a m4/3 version, I'd be thrilled...but I don't see them doing that anytime soon. I wouldn't be nearly as picky if it weren't $$$$. But since they want an arm & a leg...

But boy, I sure do miss running with my Pen. I shot my bro-in-law's engagement pics this weekend, and I was running around with 25lbs of DSLR equipment on my back. Fun...but quite the workout.

[cyron]

I just bought a Canon T3i, and I am VERY happy with my Purchase. http://500px.com/staswright (some of my pictures)

I don't know how I feel about keeping the camera on the bike because of the vibration. There are a lot of moving parts in the DSLRs. One of my favorite cameras I have had was a Canon G1. My mom left it on a cruise ship, and I was devistated. My dad replaced it with a Nikon 5700 which I absolutely hated! I bought a Casio Exlim after that which was horribly grainy.
My dad just upgraded from a Panasonic Lumix(don't know model) to a Sony A55 SLR. He likes the low light capability of the Lumix better than the Sony.
I've heard some not so good reviews on the Sony NEX series cameras. They are an option for a mirrorless SLR system. I think it's just the hard core SLR fans not liking the lack of a mirror, or traditional style SLR.

I'm not a very skilled photographer, but I think with the right lighting any $200+ brand name camera can do a excellent job.
Even my iPhone does a good job.

[RocketJohn]

Originally Posted by cyron

Even my iPhone does a good job.

my iPhone is my best camera b/c its always in my pocket (possibly giving me cancer)... and I don't miss shots...

When I hear NikonVstrom above talk about find a used D700 on the cheap, it makes me want to go that route...

all in all, there is a reason D7000s are never on sale and sometimes hard to find... best balanced body... I just wish it was full frame so I could start collecting the nice glass now... decisions decisions...

[HardCase]

Originally Posted by DriveShaft

But boy, I sure do miss running with my Pen. I shot my bro-in-law's engagement pics this weekend, and I was running around with 25lbs of DSLR equipment on my back. Fun...but quite the workout.

My entire "kit" including camera and six various lenses, from 100-300 down, and other misc goodies, all fits in a bag that measures 8"x7"x10" and weighs maybe 10 or so pounds. When I got the FF wild-hair up my bung last year, I quickly realized that the logistics of everything would be daunting.....not to mention the $ of starting out from nothing! I don't rule out the possibility that I might want to play with FF someday, maybe after I retire or something, but for now I'm just really happy with the m4/3 setup.

[DriveShaft]

Originally Posted by HardCase

My entire "kit" including camera and six various lenses, from 100-300 down, and other misc goodies, all fits in a bag that measures 8"x7"x10" and weighs maybe 10 or so pounds. When I got the FF wild-hair up my bung last year, I quickly realized that the logistics of everything would be daunting.....not to mention the $ of starting out from nothing! I don't rule out the possibility that I might want to play with FF someday, maybe after I retire or something, but for now I'm just really happy with the m4/3 setup.

I kept my m4/3 kit in something about that size...a wee bit smaller. I keep my dslr kit in something about the size of an international carry-on bag. I literally did the math...it's less than half the size (44%). And what's more...it can double as my pocket cam when I'm rolling with a prime (Pen in the rear pocket, and 20mm in the front pocket.

I'm pretty sure I'll be backin the m4/3 camp eventually. Fundamentally, they got the next-gen architecture right. They needed to build the technology to fill certain capability gaps...and have done a great job on some of them. They're a few years out on others. But unless the laws of optical physics changes, it's only a matter of time for me. In fact...I still have the lenses.

[HardCase]

Originally Posted by DriveShaft

I kept my m4/3 kit in something about that size...a wee bit smaller. I keep my dslr kit in something about the size of an international carry-on bag. I literally did the math...it's less than half the size (44%). And what's more...it can double as my pocket cam when I'm rolling with a prime (Pen in the rear pocket, and 20mm in the front pocket.

I'm pretty sure I'll be backin the m4/3 camp eventually. Fundamentally, they got the next-gen architecture right. They needed to build the technology to fill certain capability gaps...and have done a great job on some of them. They're a few years out on others. But unless the laws of optical physics changes, it's only a matter of time for me. In fact...I still have the lenses.

I really liked my Pen with the only big beef being the lack of a built-in viewfinder. That aftermarket detachable one was bright and clear, but ungainly and insecure, and I lost one at a street fair where there were crowds and bumping and jostling. The GH2 is bulkier. The primary dimensions are similar to the Pen aside from the eyepiece, but even with the excellent 20mm pancake lens it's no pocket camera, more just like a nice compact SLR.

I agree that there are a few "tweaks" yet to be made to the m4/3 lineup. I'm curious to see what the GH3 is like when/if that one comes out one of these days.

Edit: I didn't mean to hijack and make this into a m4/3 thread. There is one of those although it's been moribund for a time. Perhaps I'll go find it and bump it up.

[Klay]

My Olympus Tough is not so tough.





I'm pretty sick and tired of Olympus. What point-and-shoot should I get next? Panasonic Lumix? It needs to be shock- and water-resistant.

[Grainbelt]

Originally Posted by Klay

I'm pretty sick and tired of Olympus. What point-and-shoot should I get next? Panasonic Lumix? It needs to be shock- and water-resistant.

The Panasonic TS3 gets pretty excellent reviews, in that class.

[Klay]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

The Panasonic TS3 gets pretty excellent reviews, in that class.

That's what everybody seems to be saying.

[straightrod]

Picked up a Panasonic DMC-TS4 for 10 days of kayak fishing in the Florida Keys. Gave the camera to my wife who refused to submerge it in the ocean despite its ability to be water proof to 40 feet and shockproof to 6.6 feet. Pics came out OK on auto but one was better off learning to compensate for exposure. Video was not bad.