HI.need advice.i am looking to buy canon 60d dslr camera.though its old model well liked in between beginners and pros.these days roumers are that it is going to be replaced by new and better model.i would not be able to afford new model but a lot of people suggesting that wait till its lanch and prices will fall further.i am also looking into l lense ie 17-40 f4l.and prime 50mm 1.8 or 1.4.both canon.is there any recomendations on other brands without compromise on quality.thanks.
canon 60d
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I have a Nikon D7000 and a Pentax K10D plus some old film SLR's and from what I have found I would not buy another D-SLR. They are large lumps that say mug me all over them and the results are little better than the 4/3rds cameras unless you go to the full format type.
So step one what are you looking for. Point to remember is when ever you remove a lens you can get dust into the camera. With the D7000 with a Tamron 18 - 270 mm lens I never remove the lens. Which means if I had a good quality compact I could get same results without having £800 hung around my neck.
I would say to use a camera seriously it must record in RAW and it needs a good ISO. The K10D now rather old as cameras go only goes to 3200 which in days of film we thought was great but it means using fixed focal lenght lenses in woodland to get enough light. The D7000 goes to some silly heights and they don't tell you the actual ISO number.
ISO speed settings from 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800) of the Canon 60D is not as good as many of the higher range compacts. I have an old AE-1 Canon and the bayonet mount on the lens is very awkward to use. The Pentax mount is far better. In the main people go for Canon and Nikon so they can hire lenses, buy other makes and you will find it hard to hire a lens. This is why the pros use them not because the camera is necessary better I am sure there are better but for that one off contract they can hire a lens.
I find the D7000 is rather complex. Using the auto settings for example Snow it works well but when one looks at the auto focus and all the options it becomes mind boggling.
This is a big point auto focus. My Pentax has most the stuff in the camera body so I can buy cheaper lenses this also includes the anti-shake but the auto focus is slower than the Nikon where the auto focus is in the lens also anti-shake in the lens. The result is my Pentax battery last 4 times as long as the Nikon battery.
My Pentax does not have a live view feature it also can't take movies it's a true SLR it uses the reflex mirror. The Nikon has a live view and by enlarging the view one can see the focus spot-on. So with macro photography I don't have to lie on the ground to focus on the part of the flower I want. However I watch other members of the club with the lighter compact cameras with moveable LCD display like on my camcorder and they can take pictures above their head and on the ground without with the latter needing to lie on the floor.
So I have become quite envious of these compact owners who it would seem can do a lot more than I can.
The 4/3 rds seems to get best of both. Interchangeable lenses like the D-SLR and small size like the compacts. The point is today there is no need for the mirror. Without a mirror the lens is closer to the CCD which means without loss of quality the lenses are smaller and cheaper. Down side at the moment not as many lenses on the market but think that will change. People still use plate cameras today so I think in the same way we will still have D-SLR's in the future but I do think they will die out to a great extent and the 4/3rds or similar will take over.
I will keep my Pentax as I have all the reversing rings, extension bellows and at least 4 lenses but I may swap the Nikon for a compact with a good ISO and lens. Will want to be able to use a polarising filter so would like a filter screw at end of lens.
The Canon 60D is a nice camera to start with but I question buying new to learn with. Once you get any D-SLR you will find what you really want and you will want to change it. I have watched how many in the club have moved from the D-SLR to either good quality compacts or 4/3rds and when we go on outings they can carry everything in their pockets. Where the D-SLR users have rucksacks to carry it all. Also it means a lot lighter tripod can be used so even that's smaller.
Because the Pentax have retained the same K-Mount since late 70's although the automatic functions will not work with older lenses they will still fit and work. For mine I bought a 95mm - 210mm lens for £35 off ebay which works well. Using Canon and Nikon you don't have this option.
One last point is RAW files. My Nikon D7000 RAW files will only work with CS5 or better and this is not the only camera where the new RAW files will not work with older versions of Photoshop. I have a work around where all files are converted to DNG first. However the Pentax has the option of recording in Pentax own RAW or DNG to start with. Plus it's own RAW work OK with CS4. But there is no viewer allowing me to see thumbnails of the Pentax RAW in WindowsXP but with the Nikon RAW I can view thumbnails.
With all this I would go to a camera shop to buy not internet as finding out what will work with what is hard over the internet. I am lucky in North Wales we have a good shop. They will often let you borrow a camera for a day to try it out.
Not sure what you have in Yorkshire but sure there must be some good shops.
So step one what are you looking for. Point to remember is when ever you remove a lens you can get dust into the camera. With the D7000 with a Tamron 18 - 270 mm lens I never remove the lens. Which means if I had a good quality compact I could get same results without having £800 hung around my neck.
I would say to use a camera seriously it must record in RAW and it needs a good ISO. The K10D now rather old as cameras go only goes to 3200 which in days of film we thought was great but it means using fixed focal lenght lenses in woodland to get enough light. The D7000 goes to some silly heights and they don't tell you the actual ISO number.
ISO speed settings from 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800) of the Canon 60D is not as good as many of the higher range compacts. I have an old AE-1 Canon and the bayonet mount on the lens is very awkward to use. The Pentax mount is far better. In the main people go for Canon and Nikon so they can hire lenses, buy other makes and you will find it hard to hire a lens. This is why the pros use them not because the camera is necessary better I am sure there are better but for that one off contract they can hire a lens.
I find the D7000 is rather complex. Using the auto settings for example Snow it works well but when one looks at the auto focus and all the options it becomes mind boggling.
This is a big point auto focus. My Pentax has most the stuff in the camera body so I can buy cheaper lenses this also includes the anti-shake but the auto focus is slower than the Nikon where the auto focus is in the lens also anti-shake in the lens. The result is my Pentax battery last 4 times as long as the Nikon battery.
My Pentax does not have a live view feature it also can't take movies it's a true SLR it uses the reflex mirror. The Nikon has a live view and by enlarging the view one can see the focus spot-on. So with macro photography I don't have to lie on the ground to focus on the part of the flower I want. However I watch other members of the club with the lighter compact cameras with moveable LCD display like on my camcorder and they can take pictures above their head and on the ground without with the latter needing to lie on the floor.
So I have become quite envious of these compact owners who it would seem can do a lot more than I can.
The 4/3 rds seems to get best of both. Interchangeable lenses like the D-SLR and small size like the compacts. The point is today there is no need for the mirror. Without a mirror the lens is closer to the CCD which means without loss of quality the lenses are smaller and cheaper. Down side at the moment not as many lenses on the market but think that will change. People still use plate cameras today so I think in the same way we will still have D-SLR's in the future but I do think they will die out to a great extent and the 4/3rds or similar will take over.
I will keep my Pentax as I have all the reversing rings, extension bellows and at least 4 lenses but I may swap the Nikon for a compact with a good ISO and lens. Will want to be able to use a polarising filter so would like a filter screw at end of lens.
The Canon 60D is a nice camera to start with but I question buying new to learn with. Once you get any D-SLR you will find what you really want and you will want to change it. I have watched how many in the club have moved from the D-SLR to either good quality compacts or 4/3rds and when we go on outings they can carry everything in their pockets. Where the D-SLR users have rucksacks to carry it all. Also it means a lot lighter tripod can be used so even that's smaller.
Because the Pentax have retained the same K-Mount since late 70's although the automatic functions will not work with older lenses they will still fit and work. For mine I bought a 95mm - 210mm lens for £35 off ebay which works well. Using Canon and Nikon you don't have this option.
One last point is RAW files. My Nikon D7000 RAW files will only work with CS5 or better and this is not the only camera where the new RAW files will not work with older versions of Photoshop. I have a work around where all files are converted to DNG first. However the Pentax has the option of recording in Pentax own RAW or DNG to start with. Plus it's own RAW work OK with CS4. But there is no viewer allowing me to see thumbnails of the Pentax RAW in WindowsXP but with the Nikon RAW I can view thumbnails.
With all this I would go to a camera shop to buy not internet as finding out what will work with what is hard over the internet. I am lucky in North Wales we have a good shop. They will often let you borrow a camera for a day to try it out.
Not sure what you have in Yorkshire but sure there must be some good shops.
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Looks good but says it is for a MAC and 64 bit processor. There are many programs that will handle RAW files but one gets use to using one program in my case Photoshop CS4 which has easy to use sliders rather than have to use curves.
Nikon is not the only manufacturer to change their RAW files so old versions of Photoshop can't read them. Others in the club have also complained. I like the others in the club use Adobe DNG Converter I could use ViewNX 2 from Nikon and convert to TIFF but DNG files are much smaller than TIFF files.
But I pointed out because it's not something one thinks about when selecting a camera.
The FinePix F900EXR costs around £300 new has a ISO of 12,800 and a 20X zoom lens records in RAW and 16 Mega pixels not saying this is best camera never tried it but it gives the modern D-SLR a good run for the money and big point since lens is fixed no dust problems.
There are down sides. I see no way to attach filters and I do like my polarising filter, does not seem to have a hot shoe for flash.
The compact and the 4/3rds cameras have no mirror and so the lens is closer to the CCD but in general the CCD is smaller so the ISO is not as good.
A lecturer at the camera club I attend was saying how the D7000 Nikon was not a patch on the D700 Nikon and it would seem size does matter with the CCD and full format SLR is better than the cropped CCD size. But these are hardly entry cameras. The D700 at around £1500 for body alone is well beyond my means. But 12 mega pixels which is something to remember high mega pixels can be bad where to get them you lose the ISO ratings.
The pro will print to some huge sizes. I was looking at one the other day printed as a wall paper filled a 12 foot long wall. At that size it is important but when I enter competitions I have to reduce images to 1400 x 1050 so the extra mega pixels are gone.
I feel I made a mistake getting a D-SLR and likely I will replace it with a compact or 4/3rds so thought I should admit my mistakes hopping it will help.
For some the D-SLR is the right move but many buy one as they think it looks professional but then realise the size and weight means you just don't use it.
Nikon is not the only manufacturer to change their RAW files so old versions of Photoshop can't read them. Others in the club have also complained. I like the others in the club use Adobe DNG Converter I could use ViewNX 2 from Nikon and convert to TIFF but DNG files are much smaller than TIFF files.
But I pointed out because it's not something one thinks about when selecting a camera.
The FinePix F900EXR costs around £300 new has a ISO of 12,800 and a 20X zoom lens records in RAW and 16 Mega pixels not saying this is best camera never tried it but it gives the modern D-SLR a good run for the money and big point since lens is fixed no dust problems.
There are down sides. I see no way to attach filters and I do like my polarising filter, does not seem to have a hot shoe for flash.
The compact and the 4/3rds cameras have no mirror and so the lens is closer to the CCD but in general the CCD is smaller so the ISO is not as good.
A lecturer at the camera club I attend was saying how the D7000 Nikon was not a patch on the D700 Nikon and it would seem size does matter with the CCD and full format SLR is better than the cropped CCD size. But these are hardly entry cameras. The D700 at around £1500 for body alone is well beyond my means. But 12 mega pixels which is something to remember high mega pixels can be bad where to get them you lose the ISO ratings.
The pro will print to some huge sizes. I was looking at one the other day printed as a wall paper filled a 12 foot long wall. At that size it is important but when I enter competitions I have to reduce images to 1400 x 1050 so the extra mega pixels are gone.
I feel I made a mistake getting a D-SLR and likely I will replace it with a compact or 4/3rds so thought I should admit my mistakes hopping it will help.
For some the D-SLR is the right move but many buy one as they think it looks professional but then realise the size and weight means you just don't use it.
All the professional photographers that I know (admittedly not many) use exactly that. (Actually, it's "Mac" - short for "Macintosh" - not "MAC", which is "Media Access Control".)
I agree. That's what I use on my Mac (although I hasten to add that I'm not a professional photographer!)
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I have changed PC so now using CS5, but the point still remains one need to enquire what software is required to open the RAW files before you buy, and be sure it will run on the machine you have. CS5 would not run on my old PC it was just too slow.
I will admit when I first started using a D-SLR I did not realise why anyone used RAW. The software that came with my Pentax was not easy to use. And using programs like UFRaw with Gimp does allow use of RAW but does not really give one the ability to gain much from it.
It was only when I went to college that I realised how using RAW I could so greatly increase the dynamic range used. Where I wanted a very high dynamic range with Jpeg I would use 1 EV between images and with RAW I used 2 EV's between images. Taking 3 images is a lot quicker than 5 so reduces the problem with items in the image moving.
When I joined a camera club I realised that it was more because of using RAW than using a D-SLR that the members were producing good images. I now do very little in the main part of Photoshop most is done while converting from RAW to Jpeg.
There is however some down sides. All images are maximum size so in some ways my 10MP Pentax is better than the 16 MP Nikon as processing is so much faster.
I do not envy anyone trying to select their first good quality camera. Even though I had used a film SLR I did not realise what was now important. With film it did not matter if I used a Zenith or Canon it was more to do with the film selecting one to give really good colour rendering or work in low light. But with the digital camera it is also the film and the ISO becomes really important. I didn't think about ISO when I selected my camera.
I will admit when I first started using a D-SLR I did not realise why anyone used RAW. The software that came with my Pentax was not easy to use. And using programs like UFRaw with Gimp does allow use of RAW but does not really give one the ability to gain much from it.
It was only when I went to college that I realised how using RAW I could so greatly increase the dynamic range used. Where I wanted a very high dynamic range with Jpeg I would use 1 EV between images and with RAW I used 2 EV's between images. Taking 3 images is a lot quicker than 5 so reduces the problem with items in the image moving.
When I joined a camera club I realised that it was more because of using RAW than using a D-SLR that the members were producing good images. I now do very little in the main part of Photoshop most is done while converting from RAW to Jpeg.
There is however some down sides. All images are maximum size so in some ways my 10MP Pentax is better than the 16 MP Nikon as processing is so much faster.
I do not envy anyone trying to select their first good quality camera. Even though I had used a film SLR I did not realise what was now important. With film it did not matter if I used a Zenith or Canon it was more to do with the film selecting one to give really good colour rendering or work in low light. But with the digital camera it is also the film and the ISO becomes really important. I didn't think about ISO when I selected my camera.
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