Canon or Nikon? Nikon or Canon?

[burnt_toastsg]

Yo fellas!
Another newbie in town looking for help... :sweat:

Looking around for an SLR but dunno what to look for. Had my eyes on the Canon EOS300 but then they got distracted by the Nikon 75! What's the diff between the 2? Canon or Nikon? Nikon or Canon? Budget? Er..less than $800??

Oh yah, there's this f-point no. on the lens...whazzat? Only know the lower the pointer, the better the lens (but also more expensive) but is it? :dunno:

Can enlighten?

:cheers:
burnt

 

[Snowcrash]

To solve your problem.... get the minolta dynax 5! ;p

On a serious note, what about your friends around you, do they use canon or nikon?

It's good to choose a system where you can have your friends to guide you since you are a newbie.

IMHO, Both are good, just different company.

BTW, If len choice not a concern, I would choose dynax 5!

 

[andylee]

Dynax 5 now comes with AF 28-100 f3.5-5.6 kit lens....ever try the Dynax 5 before??you should..

 

[showtime]

Yo fellas!
Another newbie in town looking for help... :sweat:

Looking around for an SLR but dunno what to look for. Had my eyes on the Canon EOS300 but then they got distracted by the Nikon 75! What's the diff between the 2? Canon or Nikon? Nikon or Canon? Budget? Er..less than $800??

Oh yah, there's this f-point no. on the lens...whazzat? Only know the lower the pointer, the better the lens (but also more expensive) but is it? :dunno:

Can enlighten?

:cheers:
burnt

the smaller the number, the bigger the max apperture size. therefore more light enters throught the lens. this allows for faster shutter speeds and ease of shooting when light is dim. it also offers shallower depth of field to create that nice sharp subject, blur background feel... (put really simply)

 

[burnt_toastsg]

the smaller the number, the bigger the max apperture size. therefore more light enters throught the lens. this allows for faster shutter speeds and ease of shooting when light is dim. it also offers shallower depth of field to create that nice sharp subject, blur background feel... (put really simply)

Oh I seeeee!! :bigeyes:

Cameras come with a fixed range of shutter speeds rite? How do we go about selecting the speed? So can I say especially for "motion" piccies, we need to use smaller no too? Er...what's that f-point called?

Any assessment of the Nikon F75? Can it take other brands' lens? e.g. tamron

Ta!
burnt

 

[coke21]

Oh I seeeee!! :bigeyes:

Cameras come with a fixed range of shutter speeds rite?

No, some cameras have speeds up to 1/4000, some up to 1/2000 only. Need to check the specs of the camera.


For panning shot or those with motion blur, think u need to take them at 1/30 or 1/60 shutter speeds. Most cameras should have this range.


Not sure about the fastest shutter speed for the F75. But it definitely can take your "motion" pictures.

With your budget, why not consider gettign F80?

 

[kingpin]

F75 package is a very good buy.

 

[alvin]

To solve your problem.... get the minolta dynax 5!

Dynax 5 now comes with AF 28-100 f3.5-5.6 kit lens....ever try the Dynax 5 before??you should..

I got my dynax 5 used, for less than 500 bucks. With your budget of 800, you can get a new set that's around 650-700? My kit covers a range from 28-80mm (wide to zoom), 75-300mm (zoom to very zoomed). The new one as mentioned by Andy will have a nice 28-100 range...

Rest of the cash can go towards film development/printing (SLIDES ROCK), or an external flash if that's one of your needs. I choose the minolta system 'cause for the same price, the competitor's bodies do not offer me spot metering. Lens wise I'm not critical, my photos have meaning only to me & my kakis anyway. I picked up a fast lens for the range I use most often, that's abt it.

That said, if you got kakis with similar photo systems can get the same brand, that was it's possible to share lens and equipment. Too bad spot metering very important to me.

 

[Avatar]

Oh I seeeee!! :bigeyes:

Cameras come with a fixed range of shutter speeds rite? How do we go about selecting the speed? So can I say especially for "motion" piccies, we need to use smaller no too? Er...what's that f-point called?

Any assessment of the Nikon F75? Can it take other brands' lens? e.g. tamron

Ta!
burnt

Yes, cameras come with a to capture motions, you may wanna set it to SP (Shutter Priority) with shutter speed of 1/500 and above (depending on what you need to shoot).

The "f-point" you mention is actually more referred to as f-stops, these are the values for aperture settings in your camera for your lenses. Try to picture the aperture as your eye's iris, it is the "gate" that controls the amount of light falling through the lens. The smaller number denotes a larger aperture (eg. f/1.4, f/1.8), these large apertures are needed for more light to pass through so that you can, for example, capture faster moving objects or more light for nightshots.

The F75 can take other brand's lenses too but make sure it is a F-mount type first before buying

It's shutter speed ranges from 30sec to 1/2000 in 1/2 steps. The F75 is built rather close to the F80 in feature/performance but it lacks the capability to push/pull film speed (ASA/ISO), thus if you are going to need this feature, you may wanna consider the more matured F80 as an option.

The F75 is currently being offered at a superb price level complete with standard and long range zoom lenses coupled with a Crumpler bag and tripod. Very good value for the beginner IMO, you may wanna take a closer look at it at your photographic dealer

 

[Winston]

Just to add on abt the F75.

It's flash sync is only 1/90, so if you have flash ON, you cannot take anything faster than 1/90, so if the subject is poorly lit and you use flash but the subject is moving fast, the 1/90 flash sync may result in blurred shot.

The F75 however has a vertical grip with a shutter release to use it in a vertical position. (battery is CR2)
The F80's grip, the MB-16, is only a 'AA' battery holder w/o any shutter release on it. (battery is CR123)

 

[showtime]

Not sure about the fastest shutter speed for the F75. But it definitely can take your "motion" pictures.

its 1/2000

 

[cafe vienna]

Well, I was going to suggest you start with something more basic/manual setup like a minolta X series but seeing you want something more automatic, a dynax is great!

Wow! a dynax 5 in my time cost me an arm and a leg AND head just with the standard kit...

but yeah i would agree that a minolta has that balance between a beginner and an advance user. Its a good SLR to start with definitely.

Snowcrash made a good point! Find out what your kakis are using and perhaps make a choice within those parameters. accessories can be really expensive and it's always easier to share. You not only have animmediate "expanded" range of accessories to use, but also have people to go shooting with (can be lonely shooting alone sometimes). Also, makes for good conversation pieces!

 

[Red Dawn]

neither....

Leica! :devil:

 

[lavenderlilz]

neither....

Leica! :devil:

evil! :nono:

 

[burnt_toastsg]

Hmm...seems like the Minolta Dynax 5 is a highly recommended one huh!

And here I am thinking that Canon and Nikon are the hot faves.. ;p

<quote> It's shutter speed ranges from 30sec to 1/2000 in 1/2 steps. The F75 is built rather close to the F80 in feature/performance but it lacks the capability to push/pull film speed (ASA/ISO), thus if you are going to need this feature, you may wanna consider the more matured F80 as an option.
<unquote>

What's pushing/pulling film speed for? Heheh..this is a total newbie, one who hasnt exactly exposed to the world of photography.

 

[Avatar]

Hmm...seems like the Minolta Dynax 5 is a highly recommended one huh!

And here I am thinking that Canon and Nikon are the hot faves.. ;p

<quote> It's shutter speed ranges from 30sec to 1/2000 in 1/2 steps. The F75 is built rather close to the F80 in feature/performance but it lacks the capability to push/pull film speed (ASA/ISO), thus if you are going to need this feature, you may wanna consider the more matured F80 as an option.
<unquote>

What's pushing/pulling film speed for? Heheh..this is a total newbie, one who hasnt exactly exposed to the world of photography.

burnt_toastsg, pushing/pulling film speed is for one to manually override the film's official ISO/ASA rating, say for example, one may need more sensitivity when shooting Fuji Velva 50, so by pushing it to 100, there will be more headroom for your shot to function under difficult lightings.

This feature is also useful if you are rolling your own films from bulk rolls because one may not be able to find suitable so many film canisters with the same ISO rating to accomodate the type of film involved. Thus, the ability to push/pull film has an advantage when it comes to this kind of situation.

Hope this answers your question.

PS. Minolta makes very good film SLR bodies too, it is just that they are not agressive enough in their marketing drive and also, slower in introducing the digital bodies to their arsenal.

 

[Zerstorer]

What the F75 lacks is the manual ISO override setting, which is useful if one uses bulk rolled film.

For normal pushing or pulling, one can just make use of the EV compensation adjustments. Since the F75 allows up to +-3EV, it is more than adequate such needs.

 

[burnt_toastsg]

This feature is also useful if you are rolling your own films from bulk rolls because one may not be able to find suitable so many film canisters with the same ISO rating to accomodate the type of film involved. Thus, the ability to push/pull film has an advantage when it comes to this kind of situation.

Hi Avatar,
are bulk rolls the regular rolls with 24 or 36 exposures? What do u mean by rolling your own films?

BTW, if there's a need to change a roll of film 1/2-way thru...is it possible with the F75, 80 or the Minolta Dynax 5? :dunno:

Maybe I should call myself Clueless..Heheh! :embrass:

 

[Avatar]

Hi Avatar,
are bulk rolls the regular rolls with 24 or 36 exposures? What do u mean by rolling your own films?

BTW, if there's a need to change a roll of film 1/2-way thru...is it possible with the F75, 80 or the Minolta Dynax 5? :dunno:

Maybe I should call myself Clueless..Heheh! :embrass:

burnt,

Rolled bulk films are not those regular boxed ones you find in stores, these are done manually by with a roll of bulk film (generally 100ft) and empty/expanded film canisters.

Our fellow CSer Bluestrike has a very nice article on this topic at:

http://www.clubsnap.org/display.php?file=articles/bulkloading/bulk_loading.htm

The number of exposures varies, depending on how far each individual will go when rolling the film.

You can change your roll halfway with the F75 or F80, these cameras feature rewind and film lead out features for you to do that.

 

[chriszzz]

Hmm...seems like the Minolta Dynax 5 is a highly recommended one huh!

And here I am thinking that Canon and Nikon are the hot faves.. ;p

As I always say, you have to consider the entire system instead of just the body. Think about what lenses you need or want, the kind of budget you have, and see if they are available for the brand. See also what kind of flashes you want and any accessories. See also if you later want to upgrade, what kind of body you can get and does it work for you.

Eg, if you go the Nikon route, you can get a F75 now, and later if you intend to upgrade, you can upgrade maybe to a F100 for film or D100 ( or its successor ) for digital. Likewise, if you go the Canon route, you can get the EOS 300 and later upgrade to EOS 30 or EOS 3 for film and EOS 10D/300D for digital. In otherwords, consider more than just your immediate needs.

The only thing against Minolta is that, if you wish to get a DSLR later on, there ain't 1 from Minolta as yet.