Just fair warning to anyone considering upgrading from their Point & Shoot (P&S) camera to a D-SLR: if you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound.

I'm sure there are others who could comment on this further, but I'll start with the short list.

The D-SLR is just the start. Then you start having thoughts of:

- Larger (1 GB+) and Faster (40X+) memory cards
- Additional lenses (my current object of lust is a Nikon 80-200 F/2.8)
- Software: Nikon Capture, Photoshop CS, or some other software to edit RAW
- Speedlights
- Filters
- Tripod(s) - both a full size and a table top version
- Camera bag


Before you know it your $1000-$1300 camera has turned into a $3000+ addiction.


All is not lost though. You'll love every moment with your new camera. Your knowledge of photography will grow considerably.

By all means make the jump, but just be prepared you're entering the deep end of the pool.

 

wow hit the nail on the head, i just picked up a laptop/camera backpack, in addition to the 1gig card, extra lens another soon, two tripods, filters, etc etc etc, but besides ordering my mini its the most fun ive had in a long time !!! oh not to mention an extra hard drive for the exponential increase in photos ive been taking. Thank god for iphoto!!!

 

. . . let us not forget the value of an external hard drive

 

Then, before you know it, you wind up doing something like this...

 

The Leica was a gift from my dad. I took it out for a test drive yesterday, and everything is in working order. yay! So many more steps than point and shoot.

 

True, but consider that many may have bought a digital point and shoot, but still have their old film SLR in the closet, with all the accessories you mention. Then it's more the price of the camera, and maybe memory cards.

I use both, a Pentax Optio 555 point and shoot, and the now somewhat older Nikon D1H SLR. I like both of them a lot, for different purposes. The biggest problem for me is the fact that they both use different memory card formats, the D1 uses compact flash, and the Pentax SD cards. Even though they are bigger, I actually prefer the CF format! The D1H is of a much lower resolution than the Pentax, but still takes outstanding pictures, and nothing comes close to it in terms of speed, 5fps and up to 40 pics in sequence. I still don't like the lag between pressing the button and getting the pic, with the 555. On the downside, the D1 is huge, bulky an dheavy, that's where the 555 comes handy. BTW, both were purchases for my lab, for personal use I would probably get different cameras.

 

That's true, but unless its a fairly new Nikon or Canon chances are the 35mm lenses and accessories won't work. The chances of filters being usable on 2 different lenses is pretty low, and you'll still have to get a new bag and big CF card no matter how much 35mm stuff you've got.

I know because I've got 2 Canon AE1 bodies with 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 28mm-80mm, and 80mm-200mm lenses, a nice flash, motor drive, 2 filter sets, the whole deal... and none of it is the least bit compatible with any of the new Canon stuff, so I've got to start all over. I've also got a digital PnS that I'll keep around for daily duty. Oh well, I enjoy having a lot of photo equipment... and ladies love a guy who can decorate his whole house with his own artwork.

 

:smile: Being married to a professional photographer, I can agree with everything that has been said so far...:smile:

Not to bore anybody with details, but I can say that we spend between $3K - $5K - 7K a year - sometimes more (yikes) on having to have the "latest, greatest, & fastest" - LOL!!

Mike is a Nikon guy all the way - he currently has 4 camera bodies (2 of which are the latest digital) and of course, all the tripods, lenses, camera bags, etc. etc. etc. But, that's how he makes a living so I guess I can't complain (at least not too loud - LOL!!)

Chow!

Donna

 

Nice! I didn't know Mike was a photographer. What equipment does he use? Is he shooting sports? news?

Part of me would like to make some money off of photography. Then there is the side of me that remembers how working in a bike shop one summer sucked all the fun out of cycling for me.

 

Next time I'm out in California (thats where I'm from originally, been in Atlanta 2 years now), I'll have to get to a meet with all you guys out there and we'll have a MINI Photo shootout.

And yeah, I've thought of the same thing. I was thinking of perhaps taking pictures at a bunch of meets and autocrosses and such and setting up a website charging just a small fee for hi-res versions of the pictures. Any thoughts on that?

 

Dave - to be honest - I don't know the names of the cameras - LOL!! D something or another - whatever the newest digital ones are...:smile: (expensive whatever they are). Since moving here, he has not yet landed a full time position, but he's doing a ton of freelance - mostly for the 2 big papers down here - North County Times and Union Tribune. Sports has always been his favorite......but he's doing a bit of everything at the moment. In between, he's getting some other freelance stuff with people he has contacted, so he keeps pretty busy most of the time...

And of course since he doesn't post on the boards (he leaves that to me - LOL) I give him the big pats on the back....he really is an awesome photographer - won MANY awards yearly when we lived in Virginia and he has some work being published in 2 upcoming books - I'm very proud of him....

You've done some great photos yourself! You should be proud of yourself from what I've seen you post....:smile:

Chow!

Donna

 

[QUOTE=Kyle]Next time I'm out in California (thats where I'm from originally, been in Atlanta 2 years now), I'll have to get to a meet with all you guys out there and we'll have a MINI Photo shootout.

Come on out!!!

Chow!

Donna :smile:

 

velVet.....that is truly a gift to be enjoyed. You can learn things about light with a camera like that...things that will make your understanding of photography that much deeper.

Dave - I know the money pit all too well...but in my case (like Mikes) I can justify purcahses as tools of the trade....although there are some wee extravagances.....

 

Saw this thread and started laughing, I have a new lens on the way to me now...

Current Collection:
Canon 300D (Digital Rebel)
Canon f1.8 50mm Prime
Canon 35-80mm (girlfriends' from Her film Rebel)
Sigma 28-80mm
Sigma 70-300mm
New Mystery Lens, it's a secret
Fast CF card + Backup Microdrive
2 Tripods (Mini + Full)
Filter Collection

Worth it? Hell yea, I missed working with an SLR.

 

wanted to ask the digicam philes here.... I just got a canon powershot pro1 and just wanted to know how to simulate the "sports" mode on my other digicam (canon s40)... what f stop / aperture etc. Thanks for the help..... or maybe I should trade up to a digital slr nikon d70 or digital rebel?

 

When my Powershot G3 died I decided to make the jump to DSLR.
I checked out the Nikon D70, Canon 10D, Canon Digital Rebel, and Canon Pro 1.
I tested all 4 at Sammy's Camera here in LA with my own memory cards. Each had it's pros and cons. This was a few months ago. If it was today I would get the new Canon 20D as it has all the stuff I loved about the D70 and the stuff I loved about the 10D/Digital Rebel. Super Fast with Killer Images.

The question you asked will open a huge can of worms, so these are my personal experiences, everyone has there own opinion.
I would tell you first go to DPreview and read there VERY detailed reviews.
Both Canon and Nikon make a wide range of VERY good lenses. So I am not going into that here, If you own a number of Nikon or Cannon Lenses it makes sence to stay with that brand. I didn't have either so I was starting from scratch.

My findings:

Pro1: Not a real SRL, took to long to focus and zoom
10D: Nice feature set, lacked EF-S mount, heavier and more expensive than Drebel
D70: FAST! instant on, good weight, fast shutter, good features. Has a problem with moiré, that was the killing point for me, the moiré issue can't be ignored
Drebel: faster than may P&S but not as fast as D70, very nice weight, fast shutter, very good features. Great Image sensor without the Nikon moiré issue.

That is what sold me on the Digital Rebel, perfect Cost vs. Quality for me.
For more on the moiré issue click that link. I was able to make it happen shooting inside the store. I took the same shots with all 4 cameras. the 10D and Digital Rebel have the exact same sensor and looked Identical. Image quality was better than the Pro1 or D70.

These findings are subjective and are just the results of my personal experience. I am a Visual FX artist in Los Angeles and deal with light, color, texture, and film on a daily basis.

 

The "camera curve" is not a function of digital. It is exactly what it was when 35 mm film was the standard. Just be happy you do not need darkroom equipment as well!


When I was a poor student with a Yashica Lynx rangefinder camera, my mother remarried. On my first visit home, I found the closet in my room full of stuff the new hubby had brought from his old digs. There sat some gold colored boxes marked Nikon....Hmmmmmm.

A brand spankin' new Nikon FTN Black Body with the 55mm F1.2 normal lens. I casually asked him about it and he said that someone owed him some money and gave him the camera instead. He didn't have much use for it so he said I could have it for $80. I figured "Great, I just got $600 (in 1969 dollars - do the math) worth of camera and lens for $80 - what a bargain!. But then I needed a soft release, and a reversing ring, and a telephoto lens, and a Halliburton case, and a motor drive, and - well you get the picture. I spent money for the next 10 years.

Now its digital, but its all the same thing - you'll want a telephoto for sports pictures, and a good portrait lens, and a macro setup, etc etc etc

Now I still have that Nikon, and I take it out every once and a while to work the controls and be sure the meter still works. I love that camera. I don't know if we are at the point where digital cameras will still be loveable after 35 years - probably not.

 

Speaking of cases, you might consider a Pelican. They're pretty rugged and watertight. I have a small 1200 for my trusty Nikon FE.

 

Great read, I know exactly how you feel about that camera. I acquired my AE1 body and 50mm lens from my grandpa after he got tired of doing all the manual stuff. I picked it up from him about 6 years ago after my high school photo teacher sent me home telling me my Kodak point and shoot wouldn't work for class... I couldn't fathom why not since I had taken some "awesome" pictures with it before. In that time I've probably shot countless rolls of film on it... 2 summers in a row I took beginning photo classes at colleges so I could just use their darkrooms and do what I wanted with the photography... and in that time I shot probably 10 rolls a week, plus I took as many photo classes as I could fit into my schedule during HS. Something about toting around a cold heavy metal bodied camera that you wind yourself after every frame, and then processing it from exposed film, to negatives, to hours and hours in the darkroom on prints, is just satisfying to me now, and I'll never ever get rid of my AE1 equipment. If I get wealthy enough in my later years I'm planning on converting a bathroom into a darkroom... I think that would be about the coolest thing ever.

 

A few steps deeper into the money pit:

Bogen 3221WN (055BWB) Tripod Legs (Black)
Bogen 488RC4 Midi Ball Head with Rapid Connect 4 System (Quick Release)
Nikon SB-600 Speedlight

Nothing to do now but wait for UPS.

 

Cool... I'm currently using a cheapo Ritz Camera tripod, but thinking about upgrading. Or, at least getting a ball head for it - I'm tired of playing with the legs to level the camera.

Not to be contrarian, but... what's the advantadge of a high-end tripod over a cheapo one? If the cheapo hasn't had any noticable problems for me, should I just keep it?

 

A number of years ago I bought an 8x10 so I would have something that would exceede the resolution of digital for a few years. It has a 300mm Nikor-W f5.6 lens that requires 95mm filters I keep meaning to get something other than a UV filter, they are all custom made at that size. The best suggestion I have had is a gel filter holder for a movie camera and 5" gel filters. The filters are reasonable, but the filter holder is 'custom' and costs $500+ You have to get some darkroom equipment since the local drugstore does not do 8x10. The rest - tripod, lights etc are required as well. You cannot hand hold an 8x10.

 

I've been using my cheapo Target tripod and here are the problems I'm trying to address.


1) Like you say, leveling is a PITA without a ball head.
2) Leveling with the legs. I've done that too.
3) The locking mechanism (if you can even call it that) for the head on my cheapy tripod doesn't really "lock" easily without significant force and even then the act of locking changed the level.
4) I don't feel comfortable with placing my D-SLR on my cheapy tripod when I eventually get the 80-200 F/2.8 lens I'm looking at as my next major purchase. The reason being for long exposures I don't want a slow downward drifting of the head.
5) There isn't much weight to my cheap tripod and I feel like I need a little more weight and some less flexible legs to make a solid mount for long (5+ minute) exposures.


That's my reasoning anyway. I'm sure someone with more experience (like dandp) can share some other reasons too.

 

Good points DiD.

My cheap best buy tripod has been moderatly effective. Having a level has been useful but the light "cheapiness" of it somewhat scares me at times. Especially if I'm using it on an incline. I think I just need to step up to something else.

 

I think the real eye opener for me was when my camera appeared to weigh more than my tripod. Then I started to contemplate what it would be like with a telephoto and a speedlight.

More thoughts on tripods here:
MINI Camera & Video :: Tripod Advice