Which digital SLR for landscapes?

[Tom Rankin]

You can then get a 1 GB compact flash card for $52

Wow, if my 1Gig MicroDrive ever dies, I know I can get a cheap replacement now!

Actually, I hear those CF cards are much faster than the MicroDrive, correct? Maybe it's time for a 'gear' upgrade!

 

[David Metsky]

Wow, if my 1Gig MicroDrive ever dies, I know I can get a cheap replacement now!

Actually, I hear those CF cards are much faster than the MicroDrive, correct? Maybe it's time for a 'gear' upgrade!

Ditch the microdrive! They use way too much power, fail completely at inopportune times, and are significantly slower than cards. You can get a 1 Gig CF card for less than $30, a 2 Gig card for about $55. B&H is good, but you can do better.

-dave-

 

[linehant]

If you're looking at Nikon dSLRs, it's worth browsing www.KenRockwell.com. There are reviews of digital bodies, lenses, suggestions for using photoshop, etc.

If you're new to SLRs, it's probably a good idea to spend some time with the "kit" lens - which is a rough equivalent to 28mm-105mm in 35mm format - before making a decision on the next piece of glass you "need".

Telephoto lenses are nice to have, but wide angle lenses are generally more useful for landscapes - couple of reasons, depth-of-field being one.

Again, there's a fairly comprehensive discussion of all of this, as well as recommendations for long and short focal length lenses, at Rockwell's web site.

Have fun shopping!

 

[Brien]

Nikon and Canon are staples for sure and they make great camera's. Minolta however makes an anti-shake body so you can shoot with lower shutter speeds and still get a sharp image. This, to some degree, eliminates the use of a tripod as far as weight for soft light/early/late light situations. Minolta equipment can also be had for a song in comparison to Nikon and Canon and the quality is just as good, unless of course you are a megapixel counter which only matters to a certain point as it is the sensor that really counts when it comes to quality and a good sensor on a 6.1 megapixel camera can still produce a great 16X20 print as is the case for the 7D.

Sony which bought out Minolta is also going to make Minolta like DSLR's and handle all of the other Minolta DSLR's, so it's not like you'd be left standing alone with the camera.

If camera weight is an issue the D200 and the 5D - great camera's in their own right, both have some body to them.

 

[David Metsky]

Nikon and Canon are staples for sure and they make great camera's. Minolta however makes an anti-shake body so you can shoot with lower shutter speeds and still get a sharp image.

While that is true, Canon and Nikon make some exceptional IS lenses that do exactly the same thing. You can get Image Stabilization on all dSLR lines either in the camera body or the lens, and there are advantages of both.

If you want exceptional landscapes, you'll turn off IS and use a tripod. While IS is great, you're still shooting handheld and the shot won't be as crisp as if you used a tripod.

-dave-

 

[Grumpy]

While that is true, Canon and Nikon make some exceptional IS lenses that do exactly the same thing. You can get Image Stabilization on all dSLR lines either in the camera body or the lens, and there are advantages of both.

If you want exceptional landscapes, you'll turn off IS and use a tripod. While IS is great, you're still shooting handheld and the shot won't be as crisp as if you used a tripod.

-dave-

Dave's right on this. I've used Nikon's Image Stabilization (IS) -- Nikon calls it Vibration Reduction (VR) -- lenses, and have very mixed feelings about them. Useful in some situations, but I don't believe the sharpness matches what you can get with a tripod or other very solid support.

I'd bet more image degrade (lack of sharpness) we see in photos these days is due to camera movement than poor optical quality of the lens. Outright misfocus can be a problem, too -- autofocus systems are not perfect or foolproof, and can be trickier to use than you might think.

G.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Ditch the microdrive! They use way too much power, fail completely at inopportune times, and are significantly slower than cards. You can get a 1 Gig CF card for less than $30, a 2 Gig card for about $55. B&H is good, but you can do better.

Cool! Now i'm strongly tempted! I guess I know now that my microdrive's resell value is rapidly approaching 0!

 

[David Metsky]

Cool! Now i'm strongly tempted! I guess I know now that my microdrive's resell value is rapidly approaching 0!

You might have to pay people to take them off your hands. The era of microdrives in digital cameras is over, unless there are big technology changes. The solid state memory is better in almost all respects.

-dave-

 

[Tom Rankin]

You might have to pay people to take them off your hands. The era of microdrives in digital cameras is over, unless there are big technology changes. The solid state memory is better in almost all respects.

The purchase has been made! The Microdrive will now be the backup unit. It had a good long run, and served me well, never failed in the field, and captured over 10K pictures! When it came out it was by far the largest CF device available, and had a good price/capacity ratio. All these things were important to me then, but it's time to move on.

 

[dvbl]

Ditch the microdrive! They use way too much power, fail completely at inopportune times, and are significantly slower than cards. You can get a 1 Gig CF card for less than $30, a 2 Gig card for about $55. B&H is good, but you can do better.

-dave-

Dave... above you said, "B&H is good, but you can do better." Was that directed specifically to Tom concerning the CF card? Or was that a general statement that one can find better camera and lens prices than at B&H? I ask because so far B&H has the best camera and lens prices I've been able to find.

Tim, Darren, and Dave...speaking of B&H, I've never done any business with them. Am I correct in assuming that you've bought from them, or at least know people who have bought from them? If so, have you had good luck with quality, customer service, etc. I feel comfortable buying online from EMS, REI, LL Bean, and Campmor. But I don't know anything about B&H. Just want to check before I take the plunge. Thanks. And a huge thanks for sharing your camera and lens knowledge.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

dvbl, Over several decades I have purchased many thousands of dollars of photo equipment and film from B&H. I have used both the toll-free telephone and the website. I have never had any problems. Delivery is prompt and service is impeccable. The other photo store that I can recommend is Adorama where I have similar success.

Camera and lens prices at both B&H and Adorama are very competitive. Prices at other camera mail-order stores that seem too good to be true are often lures to bait and switch.

I suspect that for pure digital items like memory cards, you might find slightly better prices at the discount electronic/computer stores. I have not yet bitten the digital apple yet so cannot recommend any specifically.

 

[Tim Seaver]

What Mark said...same experience over the past 15 years at both B&H and Adorama.
Not necessarily the very lowest prices you can find online, but very trustworthy.

 

[Brien]

As a professional photographer, I've been dealing with B&H for years. You aren't always going to get the best price for itmes but you are getting great service and prompt delivery. I don't mind paying a little extra for peace of mind.

 

[David Metsky]

Exactly what others have said, B&H is extremely good and very competitive in price for major purchases. For some smaller things (batteries, memory cards, etc) you can get better prices at sites like newegg.com, which are also reliable. For major purchases, I use B&H, or dell.com where I've had good luck as well.

 

[darren]

I'm fifth in line to say exactly what the others said. B&H and Adorama are the bomb-diggety. If B&H says the item is in stock, it is in stock. No questions. I have ordered stuff from them in the morning and with ground shipping, I have gotten it the next day. You might find a lower price on some no name internet store or in the back of a photography magazine, but those deals are usually too good to be true. "Abe's of Maine" and stores like that often do the bait and switch or take your money and then tell you the item is "out of stock" when the never had it in the first place. I've never had any problems getting anything from B&H.

- darren

 

[lx93]

I've also heard that Abe's of Maine is not allowed to do business in the state of Maine, I wonder why...

 

[dvbl]

Question about CompactFlash memory card

What are some other types of CompactFlash memory cards in addition to SanDisk that would work in a Canon Digital Rebel? What are other good ones, and ones to avoid? Still shopping around for the best deal. Thanks.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Kingston makes some pretty reasonably priced, but fast cards.

Amazon has the 2GB for about $66.Kingston 2GB Elite

The PNY brand is even cheaper, but I haven't tried their cards.
The bottom seems to be falling out as far as memory card prices go, so if you can wait...

 

[David Metsky]

What are some other types of CompactFlash memory cards in addition to SanDisk that would work in a Canon Digital Rebel? What are other good ones, and ones to avoid? Still shopping around for the best deal. Thanks.

There really aren't any "bad" cards, all will work reasonably well. Some brands may have slightly more QC problems than others. Lexar and Sandisk are probably the top of the line.

For dSLRs you can take advantage of a high speed card for continuous shooting mode. The Sandisk Ultra-II cards are quite nice, I don't think the Extreme-III cards will get you any improved performance.

Bottom line, compared to the cost of the camera and lenses, the memory cards are peanuts. You can get 1G cards for under $30, 2G for around $50, so buy a few and never run out.

-dave-

 

[Grumpy]

I’ll attest to the excellence of SanDisk cards. Our shop (a daily newspaper) has some for Nikon DSLRs that have been in daily service for 5 years (and look it) that have had 10s of thousands of images “run through” them and still function reliably. What we call good goods. And not outrageously expensive, either.

G.