DSLR cameras...

....I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and read
about. Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

Developwebsites wrote:
...I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and read
about. Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

Go to dpreview.com and read the reviews there. Nikon and Canon get most
of the attention, but others may fit the bill as well. Do your homework
and figure out what you're looking for in a camera, then choose what
suits you (not me or not any others in this group) best.

Good luck and happy hunting.

"Developwebsites" wrote:

...I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and read
about. Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

IMHO, anything based on the Sony 1.5x sensor (e.g. Nikon, Pentax) is fine,
but Canon sensors are better. But not enough that you'd notice.

Dpreview (www.dpreview.com) has fairly thorough reviews of the dSLRs. Their
ratings are Highly Recommended, Recommended, Above Average, and Average.
Roland Karlsson put together this list (thanks, Roland!).

I'd recommend avoiding the "Recommended" camerasg. All have one glitch or
another. No AA (low-pass) filter (a mathematical requirement for correct
(and Moiré-free*) digital imaging), and/or high noise at high ISOs, and/or
limited lens selection. (Canon, Nikon, and Pentax, have near infinite lens
selections, including used and third party lenses.)

*: Although the current Nikon and Canon cameras have inadequate low-pass
filters, leading to occasional Moiré. Sigh.


Highly Recommended
* Canon EOS 20D (11/3/2004)
* Canon EOS-1D Mark II (6/14/2004)
* Nikon D70 (4/5/2004)
* Nikon D2H (12/19/2003)
* Pentax *ist D (10/28/2003)
* Canon EOS 300D / Digital Rebel (9/4/2003)
* Canon EOS 10D (3/31/2003)
* Canon EOS-1Ds (12/17/2002)
* Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro (8/2/2002)
* Nikon D100 (7/26/2002)
* Canon EOS D60 (3/24/2002)
* Canon EOS-1D (12/13/2001)
* Nikon D1H (9/19/2001)
* Nikon D1X (6/29/2001)
* Nikon D1 (11/27/2000)
* Canon EOS D30 (10/10/2000)
Recommended
* Olympus E-300 (1/10/2005)
* Sigma SD10 (3/19/2004)
* Olympus E-1 (11/29/2003)
* Kodak DCS 14n (5/20/2003)
* Sigma SD9 (11/26/2002)
* Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro (8/8/2000)
* Kodak DCS620x (6/14/2000)
Above average
None
Average
None
Not rated yet
* Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II [PREVIEW] (9/21/2004)
* Pentax *ist DS [PREVIEW] (9/13/2004)
* Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro [PREVIEW] (9/12/2004)


David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

ATSPAM (Developwebsites) writes:

...I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and read
about. Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.

The other manufacturers were very slow off the mark. Kodak made their
DCS series of digital SLRs for years, then Nikon brought out the D1,
then Canon the D30, and it wasn't until years after *that* that
anybody else finally brought out a DSLR.

How are Pentax, Minolta?

And Olympus. I don't know. Check dpreview.com for reviews, and look
for user reports in this group.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, , http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/
RKBA: http://noguns-nomoney.com/ http://www.dd-b.net/carry/
Pics: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/ http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/
Dragaera/Steven Brust: http://dragaera.info/

"Developwebsites" wrote in message
...
...I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and read
about. Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

Strictly speaking, I do not have a DSLR camera but it is FAR from a point
and shoot camera. The zoom lens goes from 28 to 200. I guess my message is
that there are cameras (such as mine) in between the two strict
classifications you might want to look at. I'm quite satisfied with my Sony
DSC-F828. I used the dpreview website to help me in my selection of
cameras.

"Developwebsites" wrote in message
...
...I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and read
about. Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

Strictly speaking, I do not have a DSLR camera but it is FAR from a point
and shoot camera. The zoom lens goes from 28 to 200. I guess my message is
that there are cameras (such as mine) in between the two strict
classifications you might want to look at. I'm quite satisfied with my Sony
DSC-F828. I used the dpreview website to help me in my selection of
cameras.

Developwebsites wrote:
...I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and
read
about.

"Good" is such a relative term!

Since Canon and Nikon dominate film SLRs, it's not surprising that they
also dominate D-SLRs.

It also happens to be the case that the two best prosumer SLRs are the
Nikon D70 and the Canon 20D. Since many buyers already have a
collection of lenses and flashes from Nikon or Canon, this gives those
two brands an advantage. For Canon, another big advantage they have is
that they decided early on to design their own low-noise CMOS sensors
for their digital SLRs, and they've gotten very good at it, this is
something that they aren't sharing with other manufacturers.

Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

The new Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D digital has gotten fair reviews, but
it is too expensive. The justification for the price is the built-in
anti-shake for the sensor.

On the low end, the Pentax *istD and the Canon 300D are pretty good.
Canon is likely to soon announce a successor to the 300D, which is
closer to the Nikon D70 in price and features, while keeping the 300D
as an entry level model (or replacing it with another entry level
model).

While I like to give the little guys a chance, the reality is that if
you don't already have a collection of Minolta or Pentax lenses, stick
with Canon or Nikon. For $1000, nothing beats the Nikon D70, but you do
get quite a bit more for the $1400 for a Canon 20D.

There are some other second tier D-SLRs as well, such as the Fuji
Finepix S2 Pro (Nikon mount), and the Olympus E300 (does not use
Olympus film SLR lenses), as well the SD10, as a third tier model from
Sigma, which is obsolete since it has only a 3.4 megapixel sensor.

Shop carefully, as their are huge differences in price from various
vendors. Amazon tends to have the best deals.

"Developwebsites" wrote in message
...
...I'd like to obtain a DSLR instead of a P&S.
Any good DSLR ones besides Nikon and Canon? These are all I hear and read
about. Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

And Olympus: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse300/

There are several choices beyond Canon and Nikon and probably more to come.
I own both Canon and Olympus digital cameras and find both to be fine
products ... but my Olympus is not an SLR.

Nikon D70 uses Sony sensor same one as Pentax *ist D and DS. Pentax *ist D
and DS low end????, boy do you have no idea.

Second tier S2Pro, not any more try an S3 Pro.

It also happens to be the case that the two best prosumer SLRs are the
Nikon D70 and the Canon 20D. Since many buyers already have a
collection of lenses and flashes from Nikon or Canon, this gives those
two brands an advantage. For Canon, another big advantage they have is
that they decided early on to design their own low-noise CMOS sensors
for their digital SLRs, and they've gotten very good at it, this is
something that they aren't sharing with other manufacturers.

Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

The new Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D digital has gotten fair reviews, but
it is too expensive. The justification for the price is the built-in
anti-shake for the sensor.

On the low end, the Pentax *istD and the Canon 300D are pretty good.
Canon is likely to soon announce a successor to the 300D, which is
closer to the Nikon D70 in price and features, while keeping the 300D
as an entry level model (or replacing it with another entry level
model).

While I like to give the little guys a chance, the reality is that if
you don't already have a collection of Minolta or Pentax lenses, stick
with Canon or Nikon. For $1000, nothing beats the Nikon D70, but you do
get quite a bit more for the $1400 for a Canon 20D.

There are some other second tier D-SLRs as well, such as the Fuji
Finepix S2 Pro (Nikon mount), and the Olympus E300 (does not use
Olympus film SLR lenses), as well the SD10, as a third tier model from
Sigma, which is obsolete since it has only a 3.4 megapixel sensor.

Shop carefully, as their are huge differences in price from various
vendors. Amazon tends to have the best deals.

Nikon D70 uses Sony sensor same one as Pentax *ist D and DS. Pentax *ist D
and DS low end????, boy do you have no idea.

Second tier S2Pro, not any more try an S3 Pro.

It also happens to be the case that the two best prosumer SLRs are the
Nikon D70 and the Canon 20D. Since many buyers already have a
collection of lenses and flashes from Nikon or Canon, this gives those
two brands an advantage. For Canon, another big advantage they have is
that they decided early on to design their own low-noise CMOS sensors
for their digital SLRs, and they've gotten very good at it, this is
something that they aren't sharing with other manufacturers.

Seems there are less DSLR choices than film SLR.
How are Pentax, Minolta?

The new Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D digital has gotten fair reviews, but
it is too expensive. The justification for the price is the built-in
anti-shake for the sensor.

On the low end, the Pentax *istD and the Canon 300D are pretty good.
Canon is likely to soon announce a successor to the 300D, which is
closer to the Nikon D70 in price and features, while keeping the 300D
as an entry level model (or replacing it with another entry level
model).

While I like to give the little guys a chance, the reality is that if
you don't already have a collection of Minolta or Pentax lenses, stick
with Canon or Nikon. For $1000, nothing beats the Nikon D70, but you do
get quite a bit more for the $1400 for a Canon 20D.

There are some other second tier D-SLRs as well, such as the Fuji
Finepix S2 Pro (Nikon mount), and the Olympus E300 (does not use
Olympus film SLR lenses), as well the SD10, as a third tier model from
Sigma, which is obsolete since it has only a 3.4 megapixel sensor.

Shop carefully, as their are huge differences in price from various
vendors. Amazon tends to have the best deals.