What used digital SLR to buy

I just got a pretty good buy on a D30 body, but I'm confused on lens
compatibility.
Do the 18-55 EF-S lens (from Digital Rebels) work on the D30?
What other lens series work OK, if I'm willing to forego the automation?
Thanks
Bill



"Stefan Patric" wrote in message
news:CyWKd.55$Tt.54@fed1read05...
On Friday 28 January 2005 19:23, Greg G wrote:

Digital SLRs have been too expensive for me to pay much attention to
who makes what model with which features, etc. They still are.

But I see some less current models on Ebay that look like they might
be approaching my price range. So what do I buy?

About me:

I'm reasonably knowledgeable about photography, at least the ancient
variety that involves film. I've got a couple of Canon AE-1 bodies
and six lenses ranging from 17 to 200mm. I know that I won't be able
to use the lenses effectively with any digital I get. (I've heard of
the FD-EOS adapter, but it seems VERY clumsy)

I will want to be able to change lenses. I like wide to very wide
lenses and that doesn't come standard. A zoom to cover normal to
modest tele would be nice.

I want the option to control as much as possible manually. There may
be some whiz-bang modes I can scarcely imagine, but I like to be able
to make my own adjustments.

I will probably infrequently make large prints. I'm guessing that
means I can get away with less than the latest, greatest resolution.

I like shooting at night. I don't mind having to steady the camera. I
don't like flash very much. But, looking toward the future, I'd like
to be able to control off-camera flash.

It would be nice if the batteries would last a while.

It would also be nice if the whole CAMERA would last a while, although
I'm sure they will need more careful handling than my old Canons.

I'd love to get something decent, maybe used, maybe just fallen out of
favor due to newer, better models for say $500.00 or a little more.
Possible?

Yes!

I think a used Canon D30 and a Sigma 18-50mm f3.5-5.6 DC lens will fit
your budget as well as most of your requirements. D30s on eBay in Ex+
condition are going for around $400 US, and you can get a new 18-50 for
about $100 from most mail order photo dealers. That's quite a deal
considering when the D30 debuted in mid-2000, that it went for almost
$3000!

The D30 is, in my opinion, the DSLR "sleeper" on eBay, mainly because of
its 3MP rating. (Most buyers are going for 6MP models like the D60,
10D, Nikon D100 or D70, and Fuji S1 or S2, etc.) However, don't let
that throw you off. Its CMOS APS-C sized (about 15 x 22mm) sensor
produces exceptionally sharp, noise free images, that you can easily
upsample, when you need to produce prints bigger than 8x10. Actually,
the image file produced "in camera" is really intended for post
processing to a final image, anyway, rather than going straight to
print out of the camera. I was impressed enough with it to buy one
just last week, even though all my 35mm film equipment is Nikon.

If, however, you're still wary of that 3MP sensor, then go with the D60.
Same low noise CMOS type sensor, same sharp images, but 6MP with
improved performance and features over the D30. But it'll cost you
about $200 to $300 more.

Read the reviews and specs for both at www.dpreview.com and
www.steves-digicams.com

--
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group

"bill a" wrote in message
om...
I just got a pretty good buy on a D30 body, but I'm confused on lens
compatibility.
Do the 18-55 EF-S lens (from Digital Rebels) work on the D30?
What other lens series work OK, if I'm willing to forego the automation?
Thanks
Bill

The EF-S will only work on the 20D, and Rebel. The D30, D60 and 10D use
regular EF Canon lenses

All EF mount lenses fit the D30, D60 and 10D, but not FD or EF-S. EF-S
lenses only fit the Rebel Digital/300D and the 20D, so far.
I bought a used D30 in Sept, 2003 (for $400) to see if digital was a
direction I wanted to go. It was a good intro to the medium, and it used
the lenses from my older AF bodies, the A2 and 1n. When I did decide that
it was the direction I was going, I bought a 20D, and kept the D30 as a back
up.

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
"bill a" wrote in message
om...
Which series of lens fit the D30?


Thanks
Bill


"Lisa Horton" wrote in message
...

I would suggest to see if you can try a D30/60, and see if you are okay
with the operational compromises. If so, you're all set.

Lisa

Like Darrel said, the EF-S will only work on the RebelD and the 20D, the
only lens mount that is compatible with the D30 is the EF mount. You may
find FD to EF mount adaptors on Ebay, but there will be some image
degradation, and, of course, they'll still be manual lenses... ;-)

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
"bill a" wrote in message
om...
I just got a pretty good buy on a D30 body, but I'm confused on lens
compatibility.
Do the 18-55 EF-S lens (from Digital Rebels) work on the D30?
What other lens series work OK, if I'm willing to forego the automation?
Thanks
Bill



"Stefan Patric" wrote in message
news:CyWKd.55$Tt.54@fed1read05...
On Friday 28 January 2005 19:23, Greg G wrote:

Digital SLRs have been too expensive for me to pay much attention to
who makes what model with which features, etc. They still are.

But I see some less current models on Ebay that look like they might
be approaching my price range. So what do I buy?

About me:

I'm reasonably knowledgeable about photography, at least the ancient
variety that involves film. I've got a couple of Canon AE-1 bodies
and six lenses ranging from 17 to 200mm. I know that I won't be able
to use the lenses effectively with any digital I get. (I've heard of
the FD-EOS adapter, but it seems VERY clumsy)

I will want to be able to change lenses. I like wide to very wide
lenses and that doesn't come standard. A zoom to cover normal to
modest tele would be nice.

I want the option to control as much as possible manually. There may
be some whiz-bang modes I can scarcely imagine, but I like to be able
to make my own adjustments.

I will probably infrequently make large prints. I'm guessing that
means I can get away with less than the latest, greatest resolution.

I like shooting at night. I don't mind having to steady the camera. I
don't like flash very much. But, looking toward the future, I'd like
to be able to control off-camera flash.

It would be nice if the batteries would last a while.

It would also be nice if the whole CAMERA would last a while, although
I'm sure they will need more careful handling than my old Canons.

I'd love to get something decent, maybe used, maybe just fallen out of
favor due to newer, better models for say $500.00 or a little more.
Possible?

Yes!

I think a used Canon D30 and a Sigma 18-50mm f3.5-5.6 DC lens will fit
your budget as well as most of your requirements. D30s on eBay in Ex+
condition are going for around $400 US, and you can get a new 18-50 for
about $100 from most mail order photo dealers. That's quite a deal
considering when the D30 debuted in mid-2000, that it went for almost
$3000!

The D30 is, in my opinion, the DSLR "sleeper" on eBay, mainly because of
its 3MP rating. (Most buyers are going for 6MP models like the D60,
10D, Nikon D100 or D70, and Fuji S1 or S2, etc.) However, don't let
that throw you off. Its CMOS APS-C sized (about 15 x 22mm) sensor
produces exceptionally sharp, noise free images, that you can easily
upsample, when you need to produce prints bigger than 8x10. Actually,
the image file produced "in camera" is really intended for post
processing to a final image, anyway, rather than going straight to
print out of the camera. I was impressed enough with it to buy one
just last week, even though all my 35mm film equipment is Nikon.

If, however, you're still wary of that 3MP sensor, then go with the D60.
Same low noise CMOS type sensor, same sharp images, but 6MP with
improved performance and features over the D30. But it'll cost you
about $200 to $300 more.

Read the reviews and specs for both at www.dpreview.com and
www.steves-digicams.com

--
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group

Thanks for the info
Bill

"Skip M" wrote in message
news:UJeLd.222$mt.193@fed1read03...
All EF mount lenses fit the D30, D60 and 10D, but not FD or EF-S. EF-S
lenses only fit the Rebel Digital/300D and the 20D, so far.
I bought a used D30 in Sept, 2003 (for $400) to see if digital was a
direction I wanted to go. It was a good intro to the medium, and it used
the lenses from my older AF bodies, the A2 and 1n. When I did decide that
it was the direction I was going, I bought a 20D, and kept the D30 as a
back up.

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
"bill a" wrote in message
om...
Which series of lens fit the D30?


Thanks
Bill


"Lisa Horton" wrote in message
...

I would suggest to see if you can try a D30/60, and see if you are okay
with the operational compromises. If so, you're all set.

Lisa

Greg G wrote in
:

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 07:52:06 -0600, bob
wrote:

Greg G wrote in
m:

I will probably infrequently make large prints. I'm guessing that
means I can get away with less than the latest, greatest resolution.


What do you mean by "large"?
I think I've got exactly 2 pictures in my house that are 8x10. Most of
my pictures stay as 4x6; the better ones sometimes get to 5x7.

I thought it might be important to clarify that point -- for me, 16x20 is
large, and 8x10 is typical.


Why do you think you need an SLR, rather than one of the higher
quality non -slr digital cameras?

1. I want to be able to change lenses. I am especially interested in
wide-angle photography and I'm pretty sure that no camera's "built-in"
lens goes as wide as I would like. I understand that it will be an
expensive proposition to get such a wide lens, but I don't need to do
it right away. I've got lenses for my film cameras that go from 17mm
to 200mm. Even if someone were to make such a zoom, it wouldn't be
likely to do the whole range well.

2. I like to have control over the other parameters that SLRs
typically provide. I like to be able to set the aperture to control
depth of field and shutter speed to freeze action or deliberately blur
it.

You might be surprised though. Most of the better P&S offer full
controls, but they are harder to operate. Manual focus, in particular, is
a pain on my camera. That's one of the big draws of an SLR for me.

My camera has an equiv of 19mm with the accessory lens. I know there are
some people who buy the Nikon 8400 and the Nikon 8800, which, taken as a
pair, offer an extraordinary focal range, while costing less than an SLR
and a couple lenses. I'm not saying that it's the right choice for you,
but you might want to take a look to compare the options. The 8400 lens
has a wide end of 24mm, and with the accessory, I believe it is 17mm.
These lenses do have some barrel distortion, but that's easy to fix in
Photoshop.


3. I like to look through the actual lens that's taking the picture to
help gauge the depth of field. I'm hoping that depth of field preview
is something I might find on a digital. I suppose that could be
covered by the display, but it wouldn't be nearly as detailed.

4. I'd like to be able to focus manually, sometimes, particularly when
I've got close foreground objects mixed with distant ones. Autofocus
is nice for shooting pictures of (moving) people.


These last two are definite weak spots in the P&S arena. DOF preview
might not be as important as you think. In many situations where you have
time to use it, you could just as easily shoot a test picture and see.
DOF review, in a manner of speaking. With my camera, the sensor is so
small it seems like just about everything is in focus, no matter what...

Bob

--
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