Well, since I (erroneously) thought this forum to be about weird things (still crazy), I've avoided it 'til now. But I'm glad to find it.
Been through a Minolta s414, Oly c5050, and am considering a Panny fz1. Hesitation on the 2 meg thing; but won't spend up for a fz10. I'd rather put that much toward a 300D.
That 12x OIS REALLY has me intrigued, and it's size would allow me to carry it constantly. Just draggin' my feet on this one.....

I have a 3-4 year old (? - it's been a while) Olympus E-10. It's been a wonderful camera. I've dragged it over hills and through muskeg including a couple of near immersions (not recommended). It's behaved wonderfully. I'd upgrade to the E-20 but it's only a 1 megapixel change (along with a couple of neat features) so it's not quite "worth it" yet. If they keep the same system and go to an 8mp unit, I would buy it in a flash.

It's a complicated camera - lots of buttons and dials - but everything is in a place that makes sense for my fingers. The auto programs are pretty good and it has excellent manual controls.

The one "feature" that I orginally wished it had - changeable lenses - is, IMHO, less then completely desireable. It's really hard to dirty up the sensor if you can't take the lens off. You can buy a good telephone (albiet a bit heavy) and a wide angle that slip over the main lens.

Never had to send it to the factory, so i don't know how responsive they are.

The ability to use 4AA batteries, as opposed to a proprietary shape/size is another great feature. With the newer 2200 mAh Lithium-Ion batteries I can go pretty much all day without popping a new set in.

I've also recently started to shoot in the Olympus RAW format and let Photoshop do all of the heavy hauling in terms of image manipulation. I get significantly better results and much more flexibility that way.

Of course, your milage may vary...

I forgot to add my new digital camera to this thread.

Minolta A2
(as well as a Canon S100 Digital Elph)

I bought a Minolta A2 a few weeks ago. I decided on it over a Digital Rebel since it has a built in 28-200mm lens with an image stabilizer. It works great, superb ergonomics (imho), with manual buttons and dials for almost everything. And if you put a 28-135mm IS lens on the Rebel, the A2 is about half the size, and still has a more useful lens.

If I wanted to carry a camera bag with several lenses around with me, it would have been a close call, but I'd rather travel lighter, and always have the camera with me.

Well, bottom line is, when I am on vacation, traveling light is key, so I bring my S400 (subcompact Powershot) and leave the D10 (SLR) back at the office. Hey, I need a break, y'know! The 400 stays on my belt whether horseback riding, wine-tasting (up the Mendocino Coast) or hiking in the woods. So if I really feel motivated to shoot, there it is. Obviously I wouldn't make that my primary camera on a red-carpet shoot.

Canon Powershot G3 here

Here are some pics I have taken with it

http://www.pbase.com/toogy

I have 3 digital cameras that I shoot with regularly

1) Canon s400- the perfect cam for sneaking into a Prince concert (although as my friend found out, they'll still take you in back and give you a good talking-to if they catch you...black out that LCD!!)


2) Canon EOS 10d -- using this thing in raw mode makes it very close to the perfect digital camera.

3) Imacon Ixpress 132C (22mp) on a Hasselbad H1. (don't hate me, its what I do for a living.) Despite what you may have heard, there is nothing quite like a 22mp back. I recently produced a show of black and white portraits (24x30 and 36x44) that left many of my photog friends shaking their heads. The detail is in the range of 4x5 (maybe better), the tonal range is beyond what you can imagine. It's really a studio camera, but I find shooting with it on location to be a real joy.

Barry

Barry, I use the same cameras as you ...except for the Imacon.
:-)

I guess I should pick one up the next time I have a loose $33K (not including the Hassie) to spend on a camera...it sounds like a sweet rig. Actually, the fact that you even mention the other two in the same e-mail as the Ixpress is quite an amazing testament to Canon products.

ive probably posted here before, but i have a 10D. :)

Mike

You know since photoshop cs came out, and I started using raw files off the 10D, I've become so much more confident about using it commercially. And it's really great having the higher iso's, and lens selections. The imacon is really an ISO 50 camera...not much use beyond studio, locked down, and full daylight situations---so it's nice to have both. By the way, I think you can still get the Imacon 132C - hasselblad H1 kit for about $27K....not that it makes the price any less absurd.

Barry

Barry,

That sounds good. I have been using my 10D for everything from event candids (can you say paparazzi, boys and girls?) to product photography for display advertising, Point-of-Sale material and catalogue publication, and have been getting away with JPEG files (of course re-saved as CMYK EPS files before doing any retouching). I just leave it set at ISO 200 and let it rip, using whatever lights and lens fits the occasion, just as I used to do with the film-based EOS. I'd be afraid to use the 10D for high-end formal portraiture or fashion work, but I don't do that anyway. It has more than paid for itself and has changed the whole way I work. I guess I'd call it the greatest bargain in the business right now.

Oh yes, and I usually carry the Powershot S400 on my belt just in case something funky happens with the 10D (batteries go south or it gets whacked by a drunk rock star) in the middle of a red-carpet walkthrough. And I just always have the s400 on hand with me wherever I go, so I'm never without a camera.

I've been using the 10D for about a year. Really a fabulous camera. Recently I've been using the 1D Mark II. It's a different realm.

I put my 10D on the block here several weeks ago. But, with no bites, I pulled it and have decided to keep it as a second body. It's smaller, lighter size (w/o battery grip) and its 1.6 crop factor will make it ideal for relatively casual walk-around work and for use with my longer lens.

I'm a happy owner of a CANON EOS-10D, POWERED BY A BATTERY GRIP, A 550EX FLASH UNIT, AND AS FOR GLASS A CANON 50MM F/1.4, A CANON 100MM MACRO F/2.8 AND A SIGMA 15-30 F/2.8 HSM DG

I bought a Canon A-70 15 months ago. I took 9000 pictures with it. I love that thing. I had a Nikon EM as a young Marine in Beirut, I cherish the pictures that I have with it. I had no idea what I was doing but managed to get some good shots. I remember trying to read about shutter speed, iso and F-stop while rounds were landing in the Airport. I would love to get a Canon Digital rebel and do the firmware crack that gives it a menu like the 10D. I will get one soon. I just perchased a Canon Optura 300 from buydig.com. I read about all of the video cams online. It is only because of the reviews that I read on this site that I decided on that video camera. It cost $705.00 with 3 day shipping. I am building a new Athlon64 XP51 machine this month. I will have a blast processing the video from the camera with it. It is not a 3ccd camera but it fits right in size, video quality and price for this family.

I've had a Nikon D70 with kit lens for about 2 months. Have added 2 lenses so far but am lusting for more. Also have a Panasonic 2mp that has a 12x zoom (could not pass it up for $230!) and my wife has one of the Canon 2mp Elphs. Started with the Oly 2040 (it broke in the first week). upgraded to the 3040. Followed by Minolta 5mp D7, Nikon cp5000 (great wideangle) and a Sony 717.

Thats 8 digital cameras I've owned in about 3.5 years. Might seem like a lot to some (or most) people... but I have learned a ton about photography that I never would have with my SLR film cameras- instant feedback has been the key for me.