"For the Canon, anybody have experience with the Tamron 18-200mm lens? "
check out www.fredmiranda.com for detailed user reviews using a variety of different bodies.


I don't have any direct experience with Tamron, but I was thinking about buying one for my RedRock M2 (www.redrockmicro.com) setup and asked that very question. The general reply was to avoid 3rd party lenses like this, as they have a tendency to be "very cheep."

((You get what you pay for i guess.. as for being cheap, its the reason they exist. They dont pretend to be equal to or better than original glass, but theyre a good option for those who dont have teh budget.. the Sigma 70-200 2.8 will give the canon 70-200f4USM a run for its money and its only 200AUD different in price... ))

They went on to explain "very cheep" means "soft" images.

((For video and HDV, this reallyisnt a problem. i'll explain.. you DONT want jaddies and you dont want pixelation. That and the fact that these lenses are designed to resolve abotu 10 or so megapixels, theyre perfectly fine for the 3mp found on HDV camcorders. IMO, these are a better option becuase of price and weight, and the softness (which on video WONT be noticable) will smooth out any aliasing/edging ))


"DSLRs totally opened up photography for me again. Snapping shots without a care in the world is sheer joy."
Same.. i used to shoot film many moons ago and the transition across through to digital was a little strange as i now have to consider that digital behaves like transparencies.. its was a differnt way o thinkign and composing.. but now, there is no restrictions apart from your own imagination

<"...digital was a little strange as i now have to consider that digital behaves like transparencies.. its was a differnt way o thinkign and composing.">

djpadre, can you elaborate on this behavior? Sounds interesting.

<"...there is no restrictions apart from your own imagination">

Umm, now I'm worried!

WesC.Attle, Just a heads up, the Canon mid-high range is very temperature dependent must be 45-50 F to operate correctly. Lower that 40F can cause complete failure or just-won't-work hit and miss operation, forcing us to return the cameras, many times,( Canon is/was working on this, may have fix it by now). No electronic camera is immune from the cold, but at least the Nikons work in -15F temperatures ( tho, this a real battery killer).

The worst thing about a digital camera vs. a film camera (although I can find many other pluses and minuses) is the fact that if the battery doesn't work, the camera doesn't work. At least with a film camera, maybe your meter won't work but normally the shutter will work and you can guess at the exposure.

I think we will mourn the day when film cameras die.

Dave T2

The worst thing about a digital camera vs. a film camera (although I can find many other pluses and minuses) is the fact that if the battery doesn't work, the camera doesn't work

Actually, there is one more issue, one that is actually even more sinister:

If your hard drive fails, you may loose ALL your pictures.

Put succinctly: Digital photos have a single point of failure for EVERY photo; traditional film has no such problem.

Almost everyone I know that has a digital camera offloads their memory card to their computer. They have a "My Pictures" folder that fills up with all their memories.

Most of these people have no backup ...

I just scanned all the photos from my parents and grandparents. Many of the negatives were from 1895-1910. 100 years old. The negatives were as good as the day they were developed, despite having been stored in a Midwest attic.

Will digital photos last 100 years? Well, neglecting the endless debates about the longevity of shiny discs, the real issue is getting them to those discs in the first place. The read/write nature of a hard drive, and the fact that it is always spinning makes it a VERY vulnerable media.

The solution? If you are serious about your photos, you MUST put them in at least two, preferably three places. I put all my photos on two different hard drives. I then back them up to "200 year" gold Mitsui CD-ROMs. Finally, I back up to DVDs. I put these on spindles, to save space. Takes a few minutes of time to do all this, but it's the only way I know of to avoid having one single power glitch wipe everything out.

How many people do you personally know that lost all their photos in a fire? Probably none. How many do you know that lost all their photos when their hard disk crashed? Maybe none today, but in the next few years, you will know dozens. Don't let it happen to you.

Canon 5D isn't weatherized.

For the Canon, anybody have experience with the Tamron 18-200mm lens?

Years ago, my wife had a Canon A1 with a Tamron zoom lens as it's all we could afford at the time. When we finally got a better lens (Canon I think, but I'm not positive), the difference in image quality was astounding.
Just like in the video world, you get what you pay for.

Mike

I got my daughter an Olympus Evolt E-500. It was around $700 for a kit at Sam's which came with two lenses. The quality of the pictures is outstanding. I think there are several good choices out there.

I think we will mourn the day when film cameras die.

Nah. Only film developers are mourning.

But the fact that film has lasted as long as it has is amazing. It will still have a place, but only on the sidelines.

I've been eyeing the Olympus E-330 DSLR because it is the only model that offers live viewing on the LCD screen.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1226

In terms of getting creative shots, the best thing about cheaper (non-DSLR) cameras is using the LCD screen to frame shots without sticking your eye to the eye piece. Imagine being at a parade/sporting event/show/etc and being able to hold the camera above your head and looking up to see what you are about to shoot. I'd guess most DSLR will offer a similar feature soon.

The upcoming Canon EOS-1D Mark III offers live LCD preview.

1D mk3 review

of course this is a $4000 camera. It is supposed to ship in April 2007.

Canon 5D isn't weatherized.

Correct unfortunately, and importantly the same goes for several of Canon's L lenses, so research is of the essence for those who frequently challenge the elements.

Sean Reid writes great pro photography info on his own subscriber-only site, but he gave a very interesting review of his Canon 5D and other cameras to imaging-resources as a freebie here, to promote his paid content one might presume.

He said the 5D had the third best viewfinder after the Leica R9 with a DMR back and the Canon 1Ds, and that the 5D had a true max. ISO rating of 4000, and that the noise was so low at this speed (ISO 4000!) that in many cases filtering wasn't even worth bothering with...

Also lots of interesting notes on different lenses at different price levels...

NOTE: Today I saw an announcement of substantial price drops on the 5D and the 30D. This is likely to mean that there are new models coming around the corner shortly. I can practically hear the footsteps already...

I have the Olympus e500. It's a decent camera for the price. Lot's of bang for the buck. But I've worked with a few pro photographers who have the Canon 5D. If budget wasn't a concern, that's the camera I'd have. As mentioned, it has a great viewfinder, excels in low-light situations and feels solid. Or in other words, basically the opposite of my Olympus.

I think we will mourn the day when film cameras die.

I've said it before to other folks and I'll say it again here.
Film will die when a video camera can equal the resolution and clarity of an IMAX camera.

Mike

I have a Nikon D80 with a Nikon 18-200VR lens. It does everything I need it to do. The newer and cheaper D40 is worth considering if you are on a tighter budget. The lens is more important than the camera. For example; I rather have a 6MP camera with a better lens, then 10MP camera with a substandard lens.

Jay Mitchell

Where did you see that? I am in the market for a 5D and they have had a rebate deal going for months---If you bought the 5D and another listed product you could get the 5D for around 2100--Is this a new deal. By the way, my comment about the 5D not being weatherized was in response to someone in this thread who said it was.

Mike,

I hope you are right about the film death, but if you go to the stores to check out 35mm film for your slr, the choices are getting slimmer and slimmer. Kodak has cut way back on its line of consumer film, and film prices are going up.

I am just amazed that people are paying $100 to $200 for cameras that give a poorer image than my $10 instamatic. And I just love the feel of my Canon AE1 camera. You can't beat the heavy metal and solid shutter sound. But alas, digital will take over faster than we expect.

and right now we are talking about the "low end" dslrs being $500 to $700. I could get a good midrange 35mm slr for that, even several years ago. A top Nikon was in the $600 and up range.

I know prices will drop, but it seems to be taking its time.

Sorry bout the rant.

Dave T2

If I had space and time for a dark room, I might still go for a film camera. Dark room photo manipulation brings artistic pleasure and more creative dignity than using digital with Photoshop.

I have Googled just about everything this week. The price cuts on the EOS 30D are because the 40D is just about to be announced, at any moment. 40D will get 10.1 mp and the anti-dust feature of XTi, and everything else that makes the D series better than XT series (faster fps, higher ISO etc). I especially like the 30D battery class. The XTi battery is weak from what I can tell. I'd wait for the 40D if the cmos censor was much larger than the XT series. I don't think it will be. Otherwise the finished quality is about the same for my usage.

I stopped by a popular shop called Bic Camera in Tokyo today to try out everything. The EOS XTi / 400D (named "EOS Kiss Digital X" in Japan) ease of use and size impressed me. The size thing keeps coming back because I travel a lot. I also got to try a few lenses. The Canon EF-S 17 - 55 mm F2.8 IS USM lens that I mentioned earlier is huge. I was blown away. I guess size is another price you pay for 2.8 lenses.

I think I need the 2.8 aperture since I was a little disappointed to find that the shutter speed indoors is still pretty limited on all the lenses. Of course I upped the ISO, but still... I'll need to do some indoor shooting from time to time.

I did spend a good amount of time with several Nikons. I always wanted one, but same as the film days, I seem to always find a better deal with similar quality in another brand.

Canon is running rebates here too I guess because everyone is waiting for the 40D. Nearly $100 cash back on the XTi, and $30 on the EF-S 17-55 mm 2.8 lens. I found a decent deal at a store that I have discount points with. They are bundling the XTi body with a 2GB 133x speed Lexar CF2GB-133-380 CF card for about USD $800. With the rebates and my added 11% discount, I feel good about the price.

I think I will dive back into SLR life tomorrow! XTi with the EF-S 17 - 55 mm F2.8 IS USM lens. Wish me luck...

emmm--Good luck. My theory has, and will always be, to heck with the body and long live the lens. I have an old 10D, that is an incredible workhorse. I put all my money in L series lenses because I found that most of the Canon stock lenses are inferior.

True, but don't forget ye olde 1.8/50mm. That old workhorse ain't bad...

I got a lot of great photos published with that, even when I had two backbusting camera bags full of high end lenses.

I picked up an XTi today! The best deal on the body turned out to be at the second tier neighborhood computer shop which has it marked down already. About $630 in USD including tax, + I get an $85 rebate later.

I had to travel further for the EF-S 17 - 55 mm F2.8 IS lens. The only good deal there was the points paid for much of my CF card and pro lens protector...

My first impressions are very good, mostly. I had an hour before sunset to play around at the neighborhood Shinto shrine. Full manual mode with AF seems to suit me best. Still getting used to adjusting the focus points. Shadows seem a little dark, I need to shoot a little on the light side.

I also think I will try increasing sharpness next time out for comparison. Going to an outdoor Japanese soba noodle festival tomorrow.

The color accuracy just blows me a way. In case anyone considering the same lens with the XTi, a full resolution sample, 3mb.some low res samples>

Canon 5D with 16mm to 35mm zoom = heaven