Help needed with which digital camera to buy!

I have been looking at digital cameras and have narrowed it down to 3.
I
want to upgrade to a more "professional" camera. It is so hard to
decide! I
would like something that I could take great pictures of my
grandchildren,
indoors and outdoors and also landscape photos. Do all these cameras
have
interchangeable lenses and also have filters available?

The ones I have narrowed it down to:
Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT
Nikon Coolpix 8700
Nikon Coolpix 8400

I would appreciate everyone's comments!

Karen

I have a Canon ET and I'm delighted with it...
It feels good in the hand, provides great quality, even does great B&W work
with built in (electronic) red, green and yellow filters. The only negative
is the kit lens which has a bit of barrel distortion but then it takes any
Canon lens.
I'm just back from China, first trip I've made with digital equipment. No
worries about x-rays or running out of film. Or dust and scratches.
Although I carried a telephoto, I found I didn't really need it. If you
shoot at high definition and don't plan on really huge prints, you usually
can crop your telephoto effect. The quality is that good! This is a 35mm
size camera that gives images as good as my old 2 1/4 Rolleiflex and that's
a sharp puppy.
I'm sure Nikon is just as good. But I'm very very happy with my Canon.
One I have been warned away from is the Olympus.
ds

"Karen H" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been looking at digital cameras and have narrowed it down to 3.
I
want to upgrade to a more "professional" camera. It is so hard to
decide! I
would like something that I could take great pictures of my
grandchildren,
indoors and outdoors and also landscape photos. Do all these cameras
have
interchangeable lenses and also have filters available?

The ones I have narrowed it down to:
Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT
Nikon Coolpix 8700
Nikon Coolpix 8400

I would appreciate everyone's comments!

Karen

"Karen H" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been looking at digital cameras and have narrowed it down to 3.
I
want to upgrade to a more "professional" camera. It is so hard to
decide! I
would like something that I could take great pictures of my
grandchildren,
indoors and outdoors and also landscape photos. Do all these cameras
have
interchangeable lenses and also have filters available?

The ones I have narrowed it down to:
Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT
Nikon Coolpix 8700
Nikon Coolpix 8400

I would appreciate everyone's comments!

Karen

The Canon is a DSLR, so it does have interchangeable lenses, the two Nikons
are compacts, and do not. All will be competent for the uses you mention,
you don't necessarily need an SLR type camera to accomplish them. And
filters are available for all of them, too.

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

"Karen H" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been looking at digital cameras and have narrowed it down to 3.
I
want to upgrade to a more "professional" camera. It is so hard to
decide! I
would like something that I could take great pictures of my
grandchildren,
indoors and outdoors and also landscape photos. Do all these cameras
have
interchangeable lenses and also have filters available?

The ones I have narrowed it down to:
Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT
Nikon Coolpix 8700
Nikon Coolpix 8400

If they are toddlers, I suggest a camera with quick ON time and fast
shot-to-shot speed.

You can further your research at www.dpreview.com. They have the
specifications of all digital cameras and reviews of many of them.

Karen H wrote:
want to upgrade to a more "professional" camera. It is so hard to
decide! I
would like something that I could take great pictures of my
grandchildren,
indoors and outdoors and also landscape photos.

Minolta 5D: Anti-Shake
Pentax DS: TTL Flash
Nikon D50: 1/500s X Sync
Canon 350D: 8MP

50/1.4
20/2.8

http://digitcamera.tripod.com/#slr

Yes, I agree. A compact with quick on and flash will be good for
toddlers. But most of the compact camera have very slow shot-to-shot
speed. Mostly, they have long latency (delay) within shuttle pressed
and picture taken. With a DSLR, you are able to do continuos shot,
depending on your DSLR capability. If you can settle with the DSLR
built-in flash, then it is more than good enough than compact. The DSLR
is almost instant-on. But if you prefer an external flash for better
picture quality, than you will need some time to install the flash gun.
By the time you are done, the toddler has run away!

My experience with my 2 dinos!
--
Adrian Hoe
http://adrianhoe.com/adrianhoe

Oh yes, I am using Canon EOS 350D and it is superb (at this price). You
can take a look at my photots at http://adrianhoe.com/adrianhoe.

--
Adrian Hoe
http://adrianhoe.com/adrianhoe

Why have you been warned away from Olympus? The ultra sonic vibrator on
the sensor really cool.

--
Adrian Hoe
http://adrianhoe.com/adrianhoe

"Karen H" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been looking at digital cameras and have narrowed it down to 3.
I
want to upgrade to a more "professional" camera. It is so hard to
decide! I
would like something that I could take great pictures of my
grandchildren,
indoors and outdoors and also landscape photos. Do all these cameras
have
interchangeable lenses and also have filters available?

The ones I have narrowed it down to:
Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT
Nikon Coolpix 8700
Nikon Coolpix 8400

I would appreciate everyone's comments!

Karen


The Nikons you listed do not have interchangeable lenses. If you do decide
to go that route, I suggest that you look at the 8800. I have that one, and
it is excellent -- and a level up from the others, I think (also without
intrchangeable lenses because it is not SLR).

MaryL

Karen H wrote:
I have been looking at digital cameras and have narrowed it down to 3.
I
want to upgrade to a more "professional" camera. It is so hard to
decide! I
would like something that I could take great pictures of my
grandchildren,
indoors and outdoors and also landscape photos. Do all these cameras
have
interchangeable lenses and also have filters available?

The ones I have narrowed it down to:
Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT
Nikon Coolpix 8700
Nikon Coolpix 8400

I would appreciate everyone's comments!

Karen

Karen, as others have said, the Canon 350 is a DSLR making it different to
the others. More "professional"? Possibly yes. Nikon make a similar D50
model with a better standard lens.

For faster response, and a wider angle view for landscapes, I would
recommend the Nikon 8400 over the 8700. The 8400 has a wide-angle zoom
(24 - 85mm), compared to the telephoto zoom of the 8700, and this
telephoto zoom lacks image stabilisation (the later 8800 model has IS
[which Nikon call vibration reduction - VR]). You can get lens adapters
(not interchangeable lenses) for both the Nikon 8400 and 8700/8800. The
Nikon cameras offer you almost as much creative control as the DSLR. Yes,
you can get things like polarising and neutral-density filters - the
effects of coloured filters can largely be reproduced in software.

I have the fast Nikon 8400 for wide angle, and the lightweight but very
capable image-stabilised Panasonic FZ5 for telephoto. I have moved away
from SLR cameras because of the great weight and bulk of the lenses
(particularly telephoto) and the very high costs.

David