I haven't been here since I got my 10D 2 weeks ago. I've taken over 1,100 pictures so far (a big majority have been trashed). My GL2 has been gathering dust ever since. I'd really like to see a digital camra forum here as well. I know there's alot of experience here, and you all will be thrilled to answer all my silly questions :)

I bought it with the 28-135 lens, but already want another, the 300mm f4 L IS USM, which is out of stock everywhere !!

A few decent 10D samples are on my website.

Kirk

about the price of the 707...unless the buyer is an idiot you will never get enough to buy a 10d. Right now the 707 retails brand new for about $650 and you can find it as cheap as $575-600. You have a decent amount of accesories but the only ones of considerable value are the wide angle and the two memory sticks. So considering the camera is nearly two years old, as you said it was earlier, I would expect you get $700 from it...tops. But who knows, you may find a willing buyer.
You may also want to look into the Nikon D100 which is an awesome digital SLR and definitely competes with Canon's 10d. I guess its all preference, its kind of like comparing the GL2 and the VX2000. There are distinct differences but more similarities. I had a stock in Nikon equipment like a flash and a few lenses from my analog SLR so I went with the D100. Its an amaxing camera. Good luck selling your 707.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, I was going to sell the 707 and put the money towards a new camera. I just needed advice on how much I should sell the package for.

Ill check into the D100 and compare it to the 10D. Thanks again for your input and insite...

Best Regards,

John

A Vote Against the DigiCam Section
 

DVInfo.net is the best digital video site on the Web, period. Because of this and the high quality of the participants, it's natural to assume that the quality of a digital camera section would be the same.

I don't agree.

The entire still world is going digital. It would be nice to think that the digital camera section would gravitate towards the same sort of quality the rest of this site exhibits, but if you build a better digital mousetrap the world will, indeed, beat a path to your virtual doorstep. I'm sure those numbers are attractive to our esteemed publisher, but the cost will surely be lower quality created by the arrival of a mass market.

There are also some excellent and authoritative sites out there for still digital photography. Two that come to mind are Imaging Resourse and Phil Askey's site. I use both sites regularly, especially for product information. John, if you haven't checked both those sites for information, I recommend them.

All that said, many of us here use digital stills for video work. (I shot 90 minutes of footage for some friends yesterday and also took 50 stills; call it "C" roll.) If there were some way to focus a digital camera section on the application of digital still photography to video, I think that would be an excellent addition that fits the model of this site while keeping the mass market at bay.

Will

Alright guys...I need an opinion here...

Ive got a $2000.00 intial budget for my new camera. I really want the EOS 10D which is for sale at a local camera shop for $1499.00. For $200.00 more, I could get the extended grip/battery which would give me about 800 shots of battery life. That would bring my cost up to about $1700.00 just for the body and extended batterys. No memory, and no lens.

The package already comes with a battery, so its really not necessary initially. I would need a compact flash card, and a lens.

I was thinking, what if i bought the body, a small flash card for now, would i be able to afford a lens for the camera for about $400.00? What should I do? Should i get the body and extended batteries and spend about 300 on a lens? I need to have a complete setup because ill be without a camera for a little while if i dont buy a lens right away.

Should I just focus on battery and memory, then wait a few more months to invest in one of the 1500 dollar zoom lenses?

damn...i need help...thanks!

John

Rule 1: Get the best lens you can possibly afford.

Wait a few months with no lens?! Get a lens first. Whether it's a $100-$200 50mm or something else. As sweet as the battery grip is, you can't take many pictures with it instead of a lens.

I have a 10D. I would go with an extra battery and forget the handle grip.
It's not worth it right now imo when you have greater needs:

1) Best lens you can afford like Bob said. For $800 the Canon
17-40mm f/4L USM Lens might do a good job. I have NOT used it
so beware . . . check the camera lists as there are lots
of choices. I have a 100-400 USM L and
the 16-35 mm L. I like them both, but they are $1500 each.

2) Big CF card or two (I like my 1 gig microdrive). You won't get anywhere
near 800 high resolution pics on a 1 gig card.

B&H Photo had a booth at the MacWorld show in NYC last week, handing out flyers with show discounts.


$100 off 10D, #MWED29
$200 off 1DS, #MWED34
$200 off Epson 7600, #MWED49

Use the coupon number for your discount.

Flyer says the deals are good through July 30.

I would get a 256mb card. Many retailers have them for $50 after rebates (CompUSA, Office Depot, etc.) One battery will get you started, but budget for another card and battery ASAP.

I would recommend the 28-135mm IS lens (don't forget the 1.6X focal length multiplier). If you want a faster lens consider either of the 50mm lenses (F1.4 or F1.8). The 35mm F2 is also a decent lens. You can always get a fast L lens to supplement your general purpose lens as your budget permits.

Avoid the cheap starter lenses usually sold in the kits (35-80mm, 28-80mm and 28-90mm). They are mostly plastic and the digital format will show their optical weakness.

FWIW...a small thing to remember is that the advertised f-stop setting on canon lenses applies to 35mm cameras. With a slightly smaller CMOS than 35mm, there's an aparently smaller lens aperture. For example, the 28-135 f/3.5 is really an f/4.0

John,

I can offer you this:

1. Canon D30 – Recently serviced by Canon for calibration and cleaning.
2. One battery and one 128 Meg CF Card
3. All of the software, cables, charger etc. that came with it
4. Sigma 17-35mm f2.8-4 zoom lens
5. Tamron 24-135mm f3.5-5.6

I’ll sell the package for $1,200.00 – I wont sell pieces of it.

As a fellow board member my official advice to you would be to buy Canon L series lenses. I have many of them – I am also a professional shooter and have to pay $1,500.00 for the best glass available.

I have this stuff sitting around because I used it on jobs were two of my assistants and I would have to split up and cover 3 groups at the same time.

If you don’t need the latest in Pro gear this might be a package that will get you started.

Steve

You can see my photos at www.corporateshow.com click on the photo gallery.

The aperture of the lens is as stated, and does not change in relationship to the size of the imaging chip. I've tested the metering system in the 10D vs. EOS 3, Elan 7e and hand held meter. The meter readings were all in agreement.

Buried in the Canon lens documentation is a statement to the effect that indicated f/stop settings will vary by 1.25x for digital format cameras. I don't have the documentation in front of me or I'd quote, verbatim.

I'm still learning my Canon 10D, however, at the maximum specified aperture of f3.5 for my 28-135 Zoom UHM/IS lens, my 10D shows an f-stop reading of f/4.0. I've tried manually setting the CLAP wide open and can't get above 4.0.

<<<-- Originally posted by Bill Ravens : FWIW...a small thing to remember is that the advertised f-stop setting on canon lenses applies to 35mm cameras. With a slightly smaller CMOS than 35mm, there's an aparently smaller lens aperture. For example, the 28-135 f/3.5 is really an f/4.0 -->>>

Please explain this.

Change the custom function (CF 6) to read out in 1/3 stops. That lens is also a variable aperture lens, F3.5 at 28mm and F5.6 at 135mm. The F number is derived by dividing the focal length by the physical diameter of the opening. For example a 100mm lens with a 50mm diameter opening is an F2 lens. Target size (CCD etc.) does not effect the maximum aperture (nor does effective focal length of the lens).

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : Change the custom function (CF 6) to read out in 1/3 stops. That lens is also a variable aperture lens, F3.5 at 28mm and F5.6 at 135mm. The F number is derived by dividing the focal length by the physical diameter of the opening. For example a 100mm lens with a 50mm diameter opening is an F2 lens. Target size (CCD etc.) does not effect the maximum aperture (nor does effective focal length of the lens). -->>>

Exactly. The "focal length multiplier" is a misnomer and has no effect on the f-number.

yes, <kicking ground> of course, you're right...duh...thanx.

<<<-- Originally posted by Steven Digges : John,

I can offer you this:

1. Canon D30 – Recently serviced by Canon for calibration and cleaning.
2. One battery and one 128 Meg CF Card
3. All of the software, cables, charger etc. that came with it
4. Sigma 17-35mm f2.8-4 zoom lens
5. Tamron 24-135mm f3.5-5.6

I’ll sell the package for $1,200.00 – I wont sell pieces of it.

As a fellow board member my official advice to you would be to buy Canon L series lenses. I have many of them – I am also a professional shooter and have to pay $1,500.00 for the best glass available.

I have this stuff sitting around because I used it on jobs were two of my assistants and I would have to split up and cover 3 groups at the same time.

If you don’t need the latest in Pro gear this might be a package that will get you started.

Steve

You can see my photos at www.corporateshow.com click on the photo gallery. -->>>

hey Steve,

wow, that sounds like a pretty nice package. I checked out the D30, and the image quality wasnt too bad. It was pretty awesome for a 3.xmp camera.

I want everyones opinion. Should I buy something like the package stated above? Or should I save up a few hundred more, and get the 10D?

Hmm...thanks in advance...

Sounds like a pretty nice package at a decent price.

You can expect to pay around $3300 by the time you get a new 10D,
extra battery, decent sized flash card (or two) and at least one
good L series lens.

Remember, you get what you pay for . . . the 10D will impress and
be a good prosumer camera for the next year or two,
and if you take care of it, worth something when you go to upgrade.

(Personally, I'd pony . . . and DID! :)

The 6 mega pixel cameras are keepers, meaning unless you want to do huge prints you don't need to upgrade. I have shot with several non L lenses and I think you can be very happy with a 10D and the 28-135mm IS lens or the 24-85mm or a prime lens.

Steven's package is a great value but you might feel limited by the D30 after a year or so. It has about half the resolution of the D60/10D.

I'm using the 28-135mm IS lens, and let me tell you, it's one TERRIFIC lens.

Maybe I should actually TRY to sell this camera while I still can, I have 2 of them, it wasn’t even for sale until I offered it to John here. If I keep it for too long it will end up in my pile of “other old stuff” like a Tascam 4 track cassette Porta-Studio. That would be a shame because it is a great camera.

Buying digital cameras is just like buying a computer. How much can you spend and what are you going to use it for? We all know a guy that owns a PC with a P4 @ 3GHZ, 512Ram and a 120 Gig HD – What does he do with it? Checks his e-mail on AOL and types letters in Word. How much money did he leave at the store?

Jeff is right about the 6 mega pixel cameras being keepers. They have finally reached a resolution that will no longer result in dramatic improvements every 12 months. It’s just not necessary, more than that is like checking e-mail on AOL with the hot PC.

In case anyone is interested here is a little more on the D30. It will make great prints up to 8x10 (or 8 ½ x 11)– the fine/.jpg setting resuts in a 8x10 with 180 pixels/inch in Photo Shop. The rule of thumb for ink jet printing is 250 pixels/inch will render maximum quality from most prosumer ink jets. At 180 these prints look fantastic coming out of my Canon S9000. They are photo quality. If your not going to make prints bigger than that you will be happy. The real secret to ink jet printing is in the paper anyway.

It is a nice camera, the package I offered John will make a serious amateur very happy. Hey, for that matter, anyone want a Tascam Porta Studio? I could probably still find it in my shed.

Personally, I miss the days when I carried around a bag full of Nikon F3s. They were bullet proof, they worked at 30 below zero, you only put batteries in the motor drive, and your investment was good for many years.

I hope Chris gives us a place to keep this going.

Steve

Price drop
 

Sigma D9 now 999.00...

For the last week or two, I have been researching digital still cameras for a project where I would like to blow something up very large...this forum has been most helpful...

Hey guys, what do I use if I want wall-size photos? ;-) I would be modifying them on a pc, saving as TIff and taking them to a printer....any suggestions?

Michael

genuine fractals
 

hmmm I was reserching genuine fractals software...it seems to save images in a "lossless" .stn format...do outside printers take an .stn format??

M

I'm not really fond of Genuine Fractals. For me on Win2000 I found the software buggy (crashing Photoshop) and the results weren't all that better than taking some time in PS and interpolating yourself. For $160 dollars, I would rather save $145 and buy Fred Miranda's SI action. But if I was set on spending that much money, I would look at Extensis's SmartScale. Heard real good things about that and I just downloaded the demo.

<<<-- Originally posted by Steven Digges : Maybe I should actually TRY to sell this camera while I still can, I have 2 of them, it wasn’t even for sale until I offered it to John here. If I keep it for too long it will end up in my pile of “other old stuff” like a Tascam 4 track cassette Porta-Studio. That would be a shame because it is a great camera.

Buying digital cameras is just like buying a computer. How much can you spend and what are you going to use it for? We all know a guy that owns a PC with a P4 @ 3GHZ, 512Ram and a 120 Gig HD – What does he do with it? Checks his e-mail on AOL and types letters in Word. How much money did he leave at the store?

Jeff is right about the 6 mega pixel cameras being keepers. They have finally reached a resolution that will no longer result in dramatic improvements every 12 months. It’s just not necessary, more than that is like checking e-mail on AOL with the hot PC.

In case anyone is interested here is a little more on the D30. It will make great prints up to 8x10 (or 8 ½ x 11)– the fine/.jpg setting resuts in a 8x10 with 180 pixels/inch in Photo Shop. The rule of thumb for ink jet printing is 250 pixels/inch will render maximum quality from most prosumer ink jets. At 180 these prints look fantastic coming out of my Canon S9000. They are photo quality. If your not going to make prints bigger than that you will be happy. The real secret to ink jet printing is in the paper anyway.

It is a nice camera, the package I offered John will make a serious amateur very happy. Hey, for that matter, anyone want a Tascam Porta Studio? I could probably still find it in my shed.

Personally, I miss the days when I carried around a bag full of Nikon F3s. They were bullet proof, they worked at 30 below zero, you only put batteries in the motor drive, and your investment was good for many years.

I hope Chris gives us a place to keep this going.

Steve -->>>

hmm, interesting points...damn, if I dont pick up your camera, then im sure someone else would be happy to. Its a sweet setup, and yeah, I agree, you should sell it soon before it turns "ancient"....:) thanks again. I appreciate it...

Michael,

For large prints the Epson printers are available. You can upres with GFP and it does a decent job. You would save as a TIFF and burn the file to a CD and take it to the service bureau.

I was a beta tester for SmartScale (Mac) and I don't think it's in the same class as GFP, but give it a year or less. It may not be too stable on the PC yet. I heard from other testers that the PC version crashes still. Image quality is about 90% of GFP, but in some cases excedes GFP.

RE: 6 megapixel cameras are enough.

I'd not bet on it. I'd guess we will see 3-CCD cameras before too long. Or maybe 4-CCD cameras with a black channel to boot?

Regarding Genuine Fractals: I've enlarged photos from a Fuji Finepix Pro to 6 feet high at about 100 pixels/inch with excellent results... which can be quite astounding.

In fact, I had to re-print the image softer as the tiny pores and blemishes of the model's face was too apparent at close viewing distances.

Not many printers will take an ".stn" file, so you'd have to open it up at the final size and save it as a TIFF or JPEG.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

I doubt we'll ever see a 3 or 4 CCD camera in the 35mm or DX (APS size) market. The prism block is too large for a conventional style body. Pro's aren't going to want to throw away all there lenses. It might work for medium format (MF) that has interchangeable backs. One of the strikes against the new Olympus 4:3 format is the switch to new lenses. I just don't see National Geographic and other large organizations giving up there multi million dollar lens inventories.

I'd bet you that they'd trash everything to get a demonstrably better image. They've all done it before. Maybe with reluctance but they'd do it.

I can just see something with a 645 body size doing this. Perhaps the Foveon chip will finally become good enough to perform in this arena.

As I write this post, I am printing out 36"x52" poster of
a very complex image taken with a Canon 10D
of an osprey nest with two fuzzy chicks and an egg that's been "pipped"

I'm also trying to get genuine fractals pro here at the U. If I succeed,
I'll post back with my observations once I reprint it.

One thing , the large format printer only does 75 DPI, so
I am not sure how much better the image will look once processed.

For printing at such a low dpi you might want to look into NIK Multimedia. They make a product specifically for sharpening inkjet prints, NIK sharpener Pro. I've used it and it far exceeds USM (unsharp mask) in Photoshop. I believe they have a free download demo available also.

Thanks for the tip Jeff.

I got the poster in front of me, and it looks great. I had to do the usual
tweaking for the specific printer, but a bit of saturation boost and a
a hint of contrast seems to have done a good job.

The 10D ROCKS!

40D + which lens?
 

Years later, can anyone please tell me if and how the quality of landscape images is improved by using 17-40mm rather than 18-55mm with 40D?

FYI photo.net has a canon forum full of 40D users that probably give specific feedback on your question. Very nice site.

The 17-40 has better glass than the 18-55. It's sharper, more colourful and contrasty, focuses faster (in my experience), etc.

It's no Zeiss but it is one of the best wideangle zooms available for EOS.

Thank you Daniel.

In the meantime I've been using EF 24-105 and it's the best I've tried for both landscapes and close to mid-distant bird-flight ... sharp and fast. It's late in life to be learning to shoot and process RAW but now I have 2 good lenses, 24-105 and 100-400. The quality difference between 72dpi and 280dpi is amazing me.

Be careful with L-series glass - it's a slippery slope to f/2.8 zooms and f/1.4 primes. I started with a 50mm f/1.8 II and ended up owning (at various times) a 135/2, 70-200/2.8, 300/2.8 I, and 35/1.4.

And, much as I love my company 5D Mark II, there are few autofocus systems that can hang with a 1D Mark IIN for BIF.

Yes, buying L-glass is a one way ticket.

Once you use one L lens you will never want to use anything else for Canon unless you pay up past the L quality.