shyee. EDITED 9/13 12AM.
okay so about a week since that last post... not bad i'd say.
btw, a dozen or so photos here.
i'm doing very well, but am still a slacker in school LOL. wait, shit, that's badbad. oh wells. but not oh wells. this is the semester that i should actually do work considering colleges will be taking a close look at the grades... oh eff word.
so instead of studying i've decided to like, update loljay lols.
basically, i know a few of you are interested in investing into a new digital SLR, so i thought i would share my thoughts on the slew of new dSLRs that have just been introduced. working at a camera shop i get the lovely chance to fiddle around with these toys TOOLS and see how useful they are. so, opinions are as follows; definitely read if you're looking into a new camera. as a warning, some of this may just seem like ranting.
canon's digital rebel XTi / 400D:
barely changed from the last. to be fair, the rebel still outputs some incredible images. images shot with high ISOs still beat the hell out of Nikon (or anyone else, for that matter), and canon really has the image processing down. on the flip-side, the camera is still really poorly built; the grip STILL sucks, though a small modification makes it a little better than the old rebel. and... oh ya, the XTi has a bigger LCD screen, but the viewfinder - which is what you'll use more often - is still pretty small and dark. also, 10 megapixels is a very slight difference from the XT's 8.2MP.
[ EDIT: yes, the new rebel DOES come with a brand-spankin' new dust-reduction system. is it worth the upgrade? i'd say no. and you would still be better off moving up to a 20D/30D if you'd like to go the canon way. ]
nikon's D80:
as much as i lovelovelove nikon (MUCH better cameras overall... but their image sensors for their digital cameras arent so hot), i'm finding it very very hard to recommend this. it's supposedly the successor to the D70s, but the build quality is barely on par with the D50. not good. and while it does have a larger screen and a much better viewfinder than the D70s, it really doesn't feel very substantial and doesn't offer much more than the D70s in the way of features. it DOES have 10 megapixels which is a pretty big jump from 6MP, but i doubt that this is really all that necessary... even I rarely print above 8x12", and you can easily squeeze 6MP photos into that size.
sony's A100:
no lies... sony's first SLR (based off a minolta camera) is pretty damn impressive. 10-megapixel sensor, in-camera image-stabilization (sony refers to it as "steady-shot") that makes every lens you put on it effectively an "anti-shake" lens, a dust-reduction system and sleek styling. not shabby at all. the kit lens is a joke (plastic lensmounts are never really a good sign...) but other than that i think sony has done a wonderful job putting out a full-featured SLR at an attractive price ($999 for a kit with the lens). I'm more than hesitant to recommend investing in an entire minolta/sony system (very few accessories / lenses compared to nikon or canon) but it's seriously one of the best-handling prosumer dSLRs on the market right now. and considering the materials used for its construction, it feels surprisingly solid and well-put together, and is remarkably ergonomic (though it doesn't beat the D200 or anything).
so, here's the deal. if you're looking to upgrade your rebel XT or D70s , don't bother. if you're looking for your first dSLR, i might recommend going for a used nikon D70s or a canon 20D (both of which can be found for under $1k these days... the D70s around $650 used). if you've got the monies, the D200 is definitely the way to go - weather-sealed body, 5 frames per second, and manual features galore. even moreso than canon's 30D. but definitely, definitely check out sony's new SLR as another option. it's pretty impressive.
as for myself, i think i might go out and a buy a film (!!!) body in the next week or two when i get another paycheck. yessir... i'd like to shoot more film, and my Nikon F2 is showing its limitations, specifically in the areas of flash (being from '71 it has no hotshoe), nighttime exposures (longest shutterspeed is a second not including bulb) and speed. not that i don't love it, but as an american i need something MORE, something new. so i shall buy an F5, methinks.
btw, a dozen or so photos here.
i'm doing very well, but am still a slacker in school LOL. wait, shit, that's badbad. oh wells. but not oh wells. this is the semester that i should actually do work considering colleges will be taking a close look at the grades... oh eff word.
so instead of studying i've decided to like, update loljay lols.
basically, i know a few of you are interested in investing into a new digital SLR, so i thought i would share my thoughts on the slew of new dSLRs that have just been introduced. working at a camera shop i get the lovely chance to fiddle around with these toys TOOLS and see how useful they are. so, opinions are as follows; definitely read if you're looking into a new camera. as a warning, some of this may just seem like ranting.
canon's digital rebel XTi / 400D:
barely changed from the last. to be fair, the rebel still outputs some incredible images. images shot with high ISOs still beat the hell out of Nikon (or anyone else, for that matter), and canon really has the image processing down. on the flip-side, the camera is still really poorly built; the grip STILL sucks, though a small modification makes it a little better than the old rebel. and... oh ya, the XTi has a bigger LCD screen, but the viewfinder - which is what you'll use more often - is still pretty small and dark. also, 10 megapixels is a very slight difference from the XT's 8.2MP.
[ EDIT: yes, the new rebel DOES come with a brand-spankin' new dust-reduction system. is it worth the upgrade? i'd say no. and you would still be better off moving up to a 20D/30D if you'd like to go the canon way. ]
nikon's D80:
as much as i lovelovelove nikon (MUCH better cameras overall... but their image sensors for their digital cameras arent so hot), i'm finding it very very hard to recommend this. it's supposedly the successor to the D70s, but the build quality is barely on par with the D50. not good. and while it does have a larger screen and a much better viewfinder than the D70s, it really doesn't feel very substantial and doesn't offer much more than the D70s in the way of features. it DOES have 10 megapixels which is a pretty big jump from 6MP, but i doubt that this is really all that necessary... even I rarely print above 8x12", and you can easily squeeze 6MP photos into that size.
sony's A100:
no lies... sony's first SLR (based off a minolta camera) is pretty damn impressive. 10-megapixel sensor, in-camera image-stabilization (sony refers to it as "steady-shot") that makes every lens you put on it effectively an "anti-shake" lens, a dust-reduction system and sleek styling. not shabby at all. the kit lens is a joke (plastic lensmounts are never really a good sign...) but other than that i think sony has done a wonderful job putting out a full-featured SLR at an attractive price ($999 for a kit with the lens). I'm more than hesitant to recommend investing in an entire minolta/sony system (very few accessories / lenses compared to nikon or canon) but it's seriously one of the best-handling prosumer dSLRs on the market right now. and considering the materials used for its construction, it feels surprisingly solid and well-put together, and is remarkably ergonomic (though it doesn't beat the D200 or anything).
so, here's the deal. if you're looking to upgrade your rebel XT or D70s , don't bother. if you're looking for your first dSLR, i might recommend going for a used nikon D70s or a canon 20D (both of which can be found for under $1k these days... the D70s around $650 used). if you've got the monies, the D200 is definitely the way to go - weather-sealed body, 5 frames per second, and manual features galore. even moreso than canon's 30D. but definitely, definitely check out sony's new SLR as another option. it's pretty impressive.
as for myself, i think i might go out and a buy a film (!!!) body in the next week or two when i get another paycheck. yessir... i'd like to shoot more film, and my Nikon F2 is showing its limitations, specifically in the areas of flash (being from '71 it has no hotshoe), nighttime exposures (longest shutterspeed is a second not including bulb) and speed. not that i don't love it, but as an american i need something MORE, something new. so i shall buy an F5, methinks.