Digi Slr's? (photo strut)..

Ayrotollah77Ayrotollah77 415 Posts
edited November 2010 in Strut Central
So I have been shooting with mostly film for a long time but recently I have been getting some photo work and you gotta have a digital for that. I'm looking into the world of Dslr's..i need something basic but good for a decent price (a good used one would be nice). Anyone got some suggestions/advice?Peace
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  • CBearCBear 902 Posts
    What's your price range? The Nikon D300 or D90 is pretty good for semi-pro work on a budget. Pair that up with an 18-200mm and a 50mm f1.8 or f1.4. I can do quite a bit with that.


  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,783 Posts
    If you want a "long term" investment., get a Canon 5D and some nice lenses.

  • i bought my first camera 4 years ago, it was a Nikon D40 and i bought it the day it came out, since then i have taken about 50,000 photos and couldnt recommend a better camera, i wasnt being brand specific with what i bought, but i knew that Canon and Nikon made the best DSLR's...

    make sure it has the ability to do video (mine doesnt so i might upgrade my body to a new one eventually)
    and as well you may wanna make sure your current lenses fit on the body of which ever DSLR you go with..i havent check what "new" in the market of cameras now, but i am really happy with mine, sadly my camera is only worth a couple hundred dollars now compared to when i bought it, mine came with a 18mm-55mm & 55mm-200mm lens and a polarization filter for about $1100..

    you can get way more bang for your buck now-a-days...

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    I'm looking to buy a Nikon D7000 as soon as body only comes out. First DSLR with auto-focus for video. Tho, I'm not sure how great it is yet...

    But if you got dough. 5D Mark II with putting money down on some good lenses.

  • billbradleybillbradley You want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,914 Posts
    CBear said:
    What's your price range? The Nikon D300 or D90 is pretty good for semi-pro work on a budget. Pair that up with an 18-200mm and a 50mm f1.8 or f1.4. I can do quite a bit with that.



    on all of this

  • i am actually in the market for a DSLR as well, my wife has outgrown her point and shoot, and the holiday's are around the corner. she is not an expert photog, but is ready to take the next step in photography. here is what i found...

    the best sub-1000$ DSLR is the Canon EOS Rebel T2i, the thing doesn't differ much from a comparable Nikon, however it offers alot of features that the big daddy Canons have, including 1080p HD video recording. keep in mind, this product is built with the prosumer in mind, not a professional.

    outside of the sub-1000$ genre, the pick is HANDS DOWN the Canon 5D Mark II. there is no question, if money isn't a huge issue, your decision is made.

    not knocking Nikon, but i found the more updated Canons to edge out the newer Nikons in terms of price/performance. however, i have friends that swear by the D90.

  • What do you have already? What sort of work are you planning on doing?

  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    Depends on the application (5D is the obvious pick if you can afford it, and for high ISO the D90 shines), but I've been blown away with my Panasonic GH1, esp. it's ability to do 1080p video.

    With an adapter you can use full size lenses easily, though not always with full AF or stablization.

  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    billbradley said:
    CBear said:
    What's your price range? The Nikon D300 or D90 is pretty good for semi-pro work on a budget. Pair that up with an 18-200mm and a 50mm f1.8 or f1.4. I can do quite a bit with that.



    on all of this

    Agreed on the lenses, 50mm prime with f stop below 2 is THE clutch go to lens.

  • gravelheadwrapgravelheadwrap corn 948 Posts
    I'm working with a Canon 5D Mk II. I recommend it if you've got the money as everyone else said.

    Otherwise I can recommend the Canon T2i and the Canon 7D. I have friends that use them regularly and are completely happy. I know I would be..

  • i got the d7000 but i havent used it that much. they fixed the jello vision problems but that autofocus bit in video mode is kinda cumbersome. i pretty much just use manual. shoots much better in low light but the first ones out right now all have pixel dropout that is pronounced in low light. luckily the nikon fix-it spot is right here in el segundo or somewheres and you can walk your shit in. in any case it is a great camera and feels like some pro shit. not sure if it is or not tho.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    spelunk said:
    billbradley said:
    CBear said:
    What's your price range? The Nikon D300 or D90 is pretty good for semi-pro work on a budget. Pair that up with an 18-200mm and a 50mm f1.8 or f1.4. I can do quite a bit with that.



    on all of this

    Agreed on the lenses, 50mm prime with f stop below 2 is THE clutch go to lens.

    Co-cosign.

    One thing with the SLRs that do HD video - the only complaint I have with the D90 is the lack of autofocus in video mode. HUGE pain in the ass. I don't know if the newer ones fixed that but I'd sooner shoot HD off my iPHone than try to use my D90's features for it.

  • im not sure if autofocus is the right word. its basically the same thing when u take pictures, you have to hold the photo button down halfway and go through the motions of picking the right "green square" thing. also the autofocus mechanism is hella noisy so i wind up using manual anyways. i'll admit tho, using a 50 can get annoying cuz the focus is so sensitive but i just play it off like some arty bokeh shit!

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Shig: the D90 has manual focus but there's no way it can readjust focus otherwise. I find it to be a complete pain in the ass unless I'm shooting something static but in that case, why do I need video?

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    mannybolone said:
    spelunk said:
    billbradley said:
    CBear said:
    What's your price range? The Nikon D300 or D90 is pretty good for semi-pro work on a budget. Pair that up with an 18-200mm and a 50mm f1.8 or f1.4. I can do quite a bit with that.



    on all of this

    Agreed on the lenses, 50mm prime with f stop below 2 is THE clutch go to lens.

    Co-cosign.

    One thing with the SLRs that do HD video - the only complaint I have with the D90 is the lack of autofocus in video mode. HUGE pain in the ass. I don't know if the newer ones fixed that but I'd sooner shoot HD off my iPHone than try to use my D90's features for it.

    D7000 is the replacement for the D90. First DSLR with autofocus.

  • manwell. i was talking about the d7000 which is this years upgraded version of the d90. it has autofocus in video mode, but like i said its pretty cumbersome. the bigger problem with the d90 is that most the shots had to be fairly static anyways to avoid the jellovision. with the d90, i got pretty used to shooting primarily with a tripod.

    oh, the d7000 also fixed that retarded exposure lock problem. on the d90 i had to hold the AE lock button down for the duration of a shot. not with the d7000.

    other problems with the d7000 is that although you can pretty much shoot in complete darkness, the video gets real noisy unless you use the old lenses with manual aperture only. and again, it seems like everyone that picked up the d7000 has pixel dropout issues in video mode.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    Shig. Have you noticed any dead pixels? Either on the sensor or the screen?

  • yes. im prolly not using the corrrect terminology but thats what i meant by "pixel dropout". straight out the box in low light my shots looked like fucken xmas lights. i thought it was only on the viewfinder....but its not.

    again, nikon will fix this problem if you send it in and are willing to wait about a month to get it back. luckily for me, the center where all the busted nikons are sent is in LA, and they said it would only take a few days to fix.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    Yeah... My friend just bought one and right outta the box had 2 dead on the sensor and 3 on the screen. Damn, I might have to wait awhile to pick one up.

  • can you even get one right now? i was about to return it but then i would be ass out until prolly after the holidays.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    They are just now slowly starting to show up here in Canada. But they are selling just in a kit. No body only units.

  • the_dLthe_dL 1,531 Posts
    not too sure why people are mentioning HD video as essential item in a a still camera? a video camera and a SLR are completely separate items, you can get either that can do both, but it should not be a consideration when buying a SLR for photography.
    The obvious choice would probably be to go with the DSL body of what you are currently using as that way you can go on using the lenses etc that you already have.
    If that isnt the way you want to go, it really depends on what kind of budget you have, for a very reasonable price you can some competitive entry point bodys like the canon rebel xsi then just buy a decent portrait lens

  • Thanks for the input..In terms of jobs i'm doing a lot of events..so working with various light and environments. Personally I like to shoot a lot of low light stuff. I have been using a Pentax k-1000 for years and its a beast! Whats the verdict on Pentax digi's? I read some good stuff..Oh my price range is max $1500 right now. Probably cant afford any real good lenses right off the bat.

  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    IMO stick with Nikon sensors for low light, real clean even at high ISO settings.

  • the_dLthe_dL 1,531 Posts
    i have heard good things about the high end pentax DSLR's, but that was from a guy who shoots 99% nature related, and was by no means a pro, having said that he has shot with SLR's for 40 odd years so I am sure he knows what he is looking for.

  • the_dL said:
    not too sure why people are mentioning HD video as essential item in a a still camera? a video camera and a SLR are completely separate items, you can get either that can do both, but it should not be a consideration when buying a SLR for photography.

    thats nonsense. i got the d7000 explicitly for video. the functionality and options you get with a dslr that shoots video is about 1/3 the cost of an equivalent video camera.

  • the_dLthe_dL 1,531 Posts
    really, you could almost get a media quality 3 chip video camera for the cost of a decent DSLR, what functions does a d7000 have that compare to that?
    ps not trying to shit stir or challenge, genuinely interested as I havent used my DSLR to take video before.

  • the_dL said:
    really, you could almost get a media quality 3 chip video camera for the cost of a decent DSLR, what functions does a d7000 have that compare to that?
    ps not trying to shit stir or challenge, genuinely interested as I havent used my DSLR to take video before.

    one of the main reasons why i liked using a dslr to shoot video is the subject's expectations of what i was doing. for the most part when i point a dlsr at a stranger they assume im capturing 1 shot and cant really be bothered by me. as opposed to pointing a video camera at someone where the subject understands how much more reavealing that can be. their reaction is less genuine with a video camera. you can also get into a lot more places with a dslr than you can with a video camera.

    most, if not all, 3ccd prosumer video cameras dont have the option of interchanging lenses. that opened up a whole world for me that i could never acheive with a comparably priced camcorder. using dslr is a lot closer to using a 16mm film camera than it is to using a camcorder. and i like the look and the results a lot better with dslrs.

    the new d7000 has a intervalometer and can also shoot at i think 6 frames per second in camera mode or whatevers. that look would take quite a bit more time and effort to create with a video camera.




    anyways, i was out kinda late last night shooting stuff around town. i figured out that the AF on the d7000 can be adjusted to act just like AF on a camcorder.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    grandpa_shig said:
    most, if not all, 3ccd prosumer video cameras dont have the option of interchanging lenses.

    The Sony does. But the lens choice is specific for that video camera. So, it's not like your gonna pop on your Sony lenses. Tho, maybe a Chinese company will drop some adapter for them down the line...

    But yeah... DSLR's are getting to a point were they are at par or surpassing most video cams. People are starting to shoot TV shows and Movies with them.
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