need your advise!!

Thinking of getting a prosumer camera....

Going to Grand Canyon & Niagara Falls next mth ... dont want to bring my Nikon F80 ... want to buy a digi cam...so that I can tell on the spot if my pix is okie.

If money is not a concern, and these are my requirements, what are your advise? Many thanks in advance!! :

1) at least 5 mega pixels
2) with thread for filter
3) 28 to 200 mm
4) small and handy
5) EXCELLENT PICTURE QUALITY
6) with Bulb - at least 30 secs
7) with easy dials to switch from manual to auto

anyone knows when is the next digi cam exhibition ?? before May 04, I hope!

many cheers!!!!

[leonzhu]

Originally Posted by molamola Thinking of getting a prosumer camera.... Going to Grand Canyon & Niagara Falls next mth ... dont want to bring my Nikon F80 ... want to buy a digi cam...so that I can tell on the spot if my pix is okie. If money is not a concern, and these are my requirements, what are your advise? Many thanks in advance!! : 1) at least 5 mega pixels 2) with thread for filter 3) 28 to 200 mm 4) small and handy 5) EXCELLENT PICTURE QUALITY 6) with Bulb - at least 30 secs 7) with easy dials to switch from manual to auto anyone knows when is the next digi cam exhibition ?? before May 04, I hope! many cheers!!!!

Nikon D70. Simple choice.

[mervlam]

Originally Posted by leonzhu Nikon D70. Simple choice.

Brother.. this is the Canon subforum

I recommend the Canon Powershot Pro1.

See here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...canon_pro1.asp

Only problem is minimum shutter speed is 15 secs, which is more or less the standard for prosumer digital cameras.

thanks Leon.
But not that simple la.....D70 is a digi SLR.
I just want a prosumer digi for now.

If I want a SLR, I wont go for D70, I will go for D1X.

I agree, Pro 1 is very superb recommendation.
28 to 200mm, excellent pix, etc etc but 2 things stand in my way - no bulb (only 15 secs) and use of CF as media.

Do you know the street price now?
Will Canon be having an exhibit soon??

If I want a Canon SLR, I will go for EOS1DS. The most desired SLR on earth!

[leonzhu]

Originally Posted by molamola I agree, Pro 1 is very superb recommendation. 28 to 200mm, excellent pix, etc etc but 2 things stand in my way - no bulb (only 15 secs) and use of CF as media. Do you know the street price now? Will Canon be having an exhibit soon?? If I want a Canon SLR, I will go for EOS1DS. The most desired SLR on earth!

Well, the 300D and D70 are "prosumer DSLRs". so, youa sked for prosumer mah.

Pro1 IS is a good choice, my only nitpick is the zoom-by-wire ring. why not mechanical?

merv, hehx. okay lor, then get the 300D. and wait 3 secs.

[mervlam]

Originally Posted by molamola I agree, Pro 1 is very superb recommendation. 28 to 200mm, excellent pix, etc etc but 2 things stand in my way - no bulb (only 15 secs) and use of CF as media. Do you know the street price now? Will Canon be having an exhibit soon?? If I want a Canon SLR, I will go for EOS1DS. The most desired SLR on earth!

My friend bought one from Cathay at $1800.

Exhibition? dunno

EOS 1Ds?? Brother, you say you want prosumer digicam deh..

Originally Posted by leonzhu merv, hehx. okay lor, then get the 300D. and wait 3 secs.

i dont like 300D, because of the 4 seconds

no la... I said if I want a SLR now, I will go for either Nikon D1X or Canon 1DS.

But now I am only doing prosumer digi only la...

so you guys are recommending
1) Canon pro 1
2) Nikon D70 (Leon, this a prosumer? hmm ... I thought it can interchange lens with F80? hmmm)

What abt coolpix 8700?
Or Oly E1??

Thanks bro for humouring me! appreciate la!

[leonzhu]

Originally Posted by molamola no la... I said if I want a SLR now, I will go for either Nikon D1X or Canon 1DS. But now I am only doing prosumer digi only la... so you guys are recommending 1) Canon pro 1 2) Nikon D70 (Leon, this a prosumer? hmm ... I thought it can interchange lens with F80? hmmm) What abt coolpix 8700? Or Oly E1?? Thanks bro for humouring me! appreciate la!

The 300D and D70 are both considered Prosumer class DSLRS (and the D100, to some people), not Pro-grade. But yes, they are TRUE DSLRs, with interchangeable lenses.

If you get this, you can use whatever lenses you have for the F80. and well, almost any Nikkor lens.

Coolpix 5700/8700 are good, but slow, compared to D70. Depends on what you want.

Might i suggest you go down to CP or some other major retailer, and try every camera that suits your crriteria. Then make your choice. Might be useful to bring someone familiar with such things.

Been to CP & AP and Funan already.
Was torn now between Pro 1 & CoolPix8700.

D70 is really that good now, meh?? Frankly, hv not think of it until you mentioned. hmmmmmmmm So what did it comes with? Just body?

[Klipsch]

Molamola. The D70 is a Comsumer DSLR. In other words, Nikon's entry level line of DSLR.

But if i have to pay $1.8K for the Pro 1, i will get the D70 with kit lens instead. Wont even have to think.

http://www.nikon.com.sg

There you go.

Its interesting.....
We are in the Canon column and Klipsch & Leon are recommending me to go for NikonD70..... (just cheeky )

I wont consider D70 for now bec I need movie recording feature. But thanks to all who recomends it... your suggestion sets me thinking HARD what I really want and now I know -
choice 1) Canon Pro 1
choice 2) Coolpix8700

Thanks, Klipsch, for considering my pockets but I thank God that I am one of those few people who does not need to worry about cash.

[Klipsch]

Originally Posted by molamola Its interesting..... We are in the Canon column and Klipsch & Leon are recommending me to go for NikonD70..... (just cheeky ) I wont consider D70 for now bec I need movie recording feature. But thanks to all who recomends it... your suggestion sets me thinking HARD what I really want and now I know - choice 1) Canon Pro 1 choice 2) Coolpix8700 Thanks, Klipsch, for considering my pockets but I thank God that I am one of those few people who does not need to worry about cash.

Nope i am not recommending the D70. If i want to buy myself a new camera body now, it will NOT be the D70. But if i have to make a pick between the $1.8K Pro 1 or the D70, i will get the D70. See the difference?

If i am not on Nikon system right now and i wanna buy a new camera, it would definitely be the CANON 1D Mk II.

[Watcher]

Originally Posted by molamola Thanks, Klipsch, for considering my pockets but I thank God that I am one of those few people who does not need to worry about cash.

Originally Posted by molamola If I want a Canon SLR, I will go for EOS1DS. The most desired SLR on earth!

Then you will have no problem of asking someone here to mod your "most desired SLR" to take movies! Any Canon user willing to do it?

[ST1100]

Originally Posted by Watcher Then you will have no problem of asking someone here to mod your "most desired SLR" to take movies! Any Canon user willing to do it?

Ok, his 'most desired SLR' is the 1Ds, which fires at 3fps.

So to get video at 30fps, you will need 10 pieces of 1Ds, rigged to fire sequentially one at a time within 1/3 of a second, giving 30 fps. They will have to be mounted in a specially crafted 10-camera mount that is able to compensate (somewhat) for close-distance parallax errors. The cameras and mount will cost about S$130,000, but thankfully, Molamola has no moolah isues. i'm willing to take up the project if molamola is funding it.

Of course, you'd still need a microphone, since the 1Ds doesn't record sound simultaneously.

[Garion]

Originally Posted by ST1100 Ok, his 'most desired SLR' is the 1Ds, which fires at 3fps. So to get video at 30fps, you will need 10 pieces of 1Ds, rigged to fire sequentially one at a time within 1/3 of a second, giving 30 fps. They will have to be mounted in a specially crafted 10-camera mount that is able to compensate (somewhat) for close-distance parallax errors. The cameras and mount will cost about S$130,000, but thankfully, Molamola has no moolah isues. i'm willing to take up the project if molamola is funding it. Of course, you'd still need a microphone, since the 1Ds doesn't record sound simultaneously.

Good one there! Dun forget the 10 pieces of 70-200 f2.8 L IS lens needed for the 10 1Ds's. Thats another $30,000, giving a grand total of S$160,000.

[Amfibius]

I think I would have to agree with the D70 suggestion. You already have a Nikon F80, so you would have a collection of lenses to go with it?

NONE of the current line of 8 MP "prosumer" cameras cut the mustard in my opinion. They're all based on Sony's 8MP sensor which is a noisy POS even at ISO200. And it is unforgiveable that they cost more than an entry level DSLR.

The ONLY advantage for you to get a camera like the F828 or Canon Pro 1 would be size and movies. Ask yourself whether you care that much about size, or whether you are better off getting a cheap DV camera to take movies.

Movie quality from digicams aren't great anyway ... it seems like a neat feature but in the end nobody ever watches the movies. I mean, what can you do with movies? Too big to email, picture quality too poor to print, quality too poor to transfer to DVD (and even then you need a SUBSTANTIAL hardware and software investment). All the movies I made with my old Canon S40 are sitting on my HDD doing nothing.