Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 26, 2008 Report Share Posted July 26, 2008 After more hunting and reading reviews etc the Olympus 520 has caught my eye with the four thirds lens mount system. This could save me money as such as technically the focal length of lenses are doubled compared to a standard 35mm, so a 100 macro technically becomes 200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest olly_k Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 Hi AWARNER, I am also interested in macro photography. One thing I will say is that the camera you choose should be comfortable with you. When I went to Jessops I had read about, and wanted the D50, but also, whilst at first dismissive, wanted to try the 350d. When I held the camera's in the shop I much preferred the 350d. I prefered the size, and the camera operated much better than I expected. This model was also cheaper at the time and had a couple more functions like Dof preview etc... Image quality wise each manufacturer has their trates e.g. Nikon colours are quite vivid whereas Canon more tru to life which is perhaps more beneficial with Macro. What I find frustrating about the 350d is that as I am getting better I am finding ISO adjustment very frustrating. You should not have to look away from the viewfinder to achieve this as it is a setting every bit as important as shutter & f-stop. This appears to have been addressed to some extent with the 450d, at least ISO is displayed within the viewfinder! Obviously not a problem with 20d + Also autofocus was improved in the 400d, and improved yet again with the 450 so if you run around after your kids this could be all you need to know. The 350d doesn't really keep up with such subjects although lens choice is a prime contributer here. Of course, there is Olympus and Nikon it may be more beneficial for you to go down the Olympus route but personally I would concentrate on how the thing feels first as you are effectively starting over, so the 'system' argument maybe doesn't apply here. So what to do? Go to DPreview or Steves digicams, and get an idea how to use the cameras, i.e. how to use functions you think you will use then get down to Jessops and try each camera in turn. I think you will be instinctively drawn to the camera you want by this time and that is the one I would personally buy. I should contribute a couple of my better shots I guess... Coolpix 8700, amazing camera for Macro as long as subject doesn't move. SLR + Lens to match perhaps £600 ++ (No kit lens will come close here!!!) My best so far (just for detail) with Canon 350d and Sigma 17-70 Macro lens So I guess the other point is if money is tight and the kit lens can't do what you want is SLR the right choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 Very nice shots there. The Coolpix get some good reviews. Only a few days till payday then I can see what I can actually afford or need to save. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shadamehr Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 I've been back for a while now, mainly posting in the older sectinos of the site, but I do more light admin and bits and pieces. than heavy posting. Unfortunately I still use a C550 and can not justify getting a contract with a network just to get a cheap handset so it's not as easy to post in some of the newer areas now. Cheers Ash - still nice to see you back in whatever capacity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WearTheFoxHat Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 I've been toying with the idea of getting a bit more serious with my photography again. Since doing my O levels in photography (yes ok I'm that old, and stop sniggering at the back) back in the 80's career led me in a different direction and I went from SLR to a digital point and click. Now looking at the DSLR world my budget is going to be in the region of £400 as a starting point, I know there are hundreds of reviews on the net but I am wondering if there is anyone here with thoughts and preferably actual experience in using a DSLR and what they prefer. I was looking at the Pentax K200D but then I found out it uses 4xAA batteries which is a definate no no for me. This is a bit of a pain as my old lenses I have are a Pentax-K fitting and so I would have been able to use them again rather than spend out hundreds more on additional lenses. Nikon D60/D80 look interesting but as it's the lower end you do get what you pay for so the saying goes. Anyway any ideas or thoughts? Sorry to bump this thread! I've got a Nikon D80, and love it. Although some newer models have come along since. I was all set for the Canon 400D, but took some advice and went into Jessops to "hold the camera". I would suggest you try the same. The canon looked to be ideal, but when I held it, it just felt far too dinky in my hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 The D80 is a higher level than the 400D, I'll be popping into Jessops later today to have a further look. I don't trust the sales staff one bit, apart from the kids that work there what appeared to be the shop manager did not have a clue about backward compatibility of lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WearTheFoxHat Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Another forum I use has a lot of photography folks on there ... it's a gaming forum, but has some people who just visit it for photography advice. Some of them are very good with regards to kit, filters, lenses etc. trickery.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Well went into Jessops, staff were more interested in talking to each other. Unfortunately no one there appeared to have age/experience on their side. I'll have to pop into town and see what London Camera Exchange can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WearTheFoxHat Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 lol ... I must agree, that in some camera shops the staff are more geeky than in computer shops. Huddled round talking about focal points!!! Really does bug me when there are tons of staff and no-one interested in selling. I've walked out of too many furniture shops lately as during the process of moving house I was in tatty trousers and painted shirt and decided to look around a furniture store for a new lounge suite. I got completely ignored on several occasions, and one store only asked if they could help after I'd walked the entire length of the store and was literally just opening the door to leave. I said to the assistant "too late mate, I'll go elsewhere!". So I then walked into another furniture store, up to the assistant and said "Im here to get a suite, this is what I want .... if you can do it for the right price; right delivery; and right timescales ... then I will buy it now!". Got fantastic service and a lovely suite! Shame you have to lay it on the line to get decent service in this country! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Shuflie Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 After more hunting and reading reviews etc the Olympus 520 has caught my eye with the four thirds lens mount system. This could save me money as such as technically the focal length of lenses are doubled compared to a standard 35mm, so a 100 macro technically becomes 200. Technically its the field of view that changes, not the focal length. My boss did a comparison between his full frame canon film camera and his 30D a few weeks ago using identical lenses on each. What he saw through the view finder on each did not make the subject seem larger or smaller in either camera, the real difference was that with the full frame camera he was able to see more at the edges of the scene. Of course printing out the images on the same size paper makes it look as if there is more telephoto magnification from the 1.6x 30D sensor, but the same effect can be achieved by enlarging the centre portion of the full frame image before printing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 What they say regarding lenses is that digital shot will give the lens a equivalent size magnification of around 1.3 1.5 to its 35mm counterpart whereas the Olympus four thirds method gives you x2. The Olympus four thirds system was designed with Kodak from the ground up and based on digital technology, other formats were initially designed for the 35mm camera and have been taken over to the digital format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 Went to London Camera Exchange and the K200D has the right feel. They also had this deal which while they claim it's exclusive I've found the same offer elsewhere but even more expensive http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Product.asp?Prod...-+-18-250-ED-AL The main reason for the K200D is the build quality, all internet or shop reviews I have seen all say for the money it can not be beaten. With this deal it has a really nice lens with an excellent focal range, with the 500mm mirror I already have this it would only mean I have to save up for the macro later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 Isn't this it for 50 sqid less? http://www.comwales.com/eshop/product.php?productid=31587 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest olly_k Posted July 30, 2008 Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 Technically its the field of view that changes, not the focal length. My boss did a comparison between his full frame canon film camera and his 30D a few weeks ago using identical lenses on each. What he saw through the view finder on each did not make the subject seem larger or smaller in either camera, the real difference was that with the full frame camera he was able to see more at the edges of the scene. Of course printing out the images on the same size paper makes it look as if there is more telephoto magnification from the 1.6x 30D sensor, but the same effect can be achieved by enlarging the center portion of the full frame image before printing. No it is not the same as zooming in a digital sense, as the effective resolution is decreased which leads to pixelation. With a crop factor you have the same number of pixels concentrated within the inner focal plane of the lens (full frame lens don't forget), so the quality of the final print is very much dependent on the quality of the glass used. Some full frame lens do not produce very good results with crop sensors which is why it is always better to use a lens designed specifically for digital sensors. Of course digital lenses can't be used with full frame sensors due to the focal plane not covering the full sensor area! Another thing is that he used two different cameras with two different viewfinders - viewfinders show anything from about 86% to 97% of the image in a pro SLR. So the only fair test would have been to look at prints of carefully controlled subjects i.e. fixed focus lens with some sort of chart. The crop factor does exactly what it says so a 50mm lens on a 1.6x sensor will be equivalent to an 80mm lens on a full frame sensor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Isn't this it for 50 sqid less? http://www.comwales.com/eshop/product.php?productid=31587 It is but need to check if they are an authorized Pentax dealer. With LCE you claim back £50 via pentax so it would work out only a few pounds more, unless ComWales can do the cash back offer as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 The Canon EOS 1000d is supposed to be very similar to the 450D but cheaper http://www.parkcameras.com/ProductDetails/...CFQ6T1Qodznh5SQ Have you had any luck with ComWales? I found them via Google so no idea what they're like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest awarner (MVP) Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Looking at the specs the 1000 is not close to the 450 on the finer details. Comwales does not appear to be an authorized Pentax agent so could be selling imports, this means that warrany issues may entail depending where the camera comes from. I also tried calling them to as further questions but after about ten minutes you just get an answering machine. This happened all four times I tried calling them. I went to LCE and bought the K200D in the end, with £50 cash back from Pentax it worked out about teh same price anyway. I also managed to get a two year warranty at no extra cost by the store pretending they were a larger branch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Confucious Posted August 1, 2008 Report Share Posted August 1, 2008 Ah! The devil is in the detail. Sounds like you got a bargain then. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Looby Posted August 2, 2008 Report Share Posted August 2, 2008 Enjoy your new DSLR camera :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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