What camera(s) do you own?

[Smeerworst]

Just ordered a Sony DSC-HX200V. (yes just now ^^ )

Hoping to do some far distance laser video's.
30x optical, and up to 120x digital zoom

Good for testing beam divergence of an laser beam. :beer:

And just some photo shooting, a.k.a bridgecamera.

 

[Gofilord]

I own a Canon 600D with:
18-55mm
50mm F/1.8
70-200 F4 :bowdown:

 

[SpyderFire]

Im looking to enhance my shots , anyone here have a Nikon full frame dslr with specs and recommendations on their lenses? I would like to use a lens that is good for all occasions.

 

[Trevor]

I'd say the D700 is currently the best all-around Nikon body right now. It's a lot of camera for the money.

Regarding a do-everything lens... what exactly do you need?

Stay away from those silly superzooms...

Trevor

 

[ryansoh3]

Agreed with Trevor. If you do have the $$ for the D800, go for it. If not, the D700's perfectly fine.

Depending on your budget, the 28-70mm f/2.8 is pretty much the "standard" lens. Probably offers the best quality among zoom lenses, but then again, it's not cheap at all.

However, I still use a DX body because FX is certainly more expensive.

 

[Benm]

I must have girly hand because I have the Canon IXUS 115HS camera beside the Canaon 7D.

I'm not sure its down to girly hands... personally prefer pocketable camera's over dslr's in 90% of cases. I prefer something that's not a pain in the ass to carry around, and currently use a Ixus 310.

I actually like taking pictures with dlsr's, but never bought one since i know i'd rarely bring it along (where do you put those things when on the move anyway?). Sure, if i went somewhere specifically to take pictures i'd lug along a bag with a camera and a couple of lenses, but i wouldn't want to be lugging something that heavy and expensive around on holidays and such.

 

[Youknowwhatitis]

Should have put an Olympus option in there

 

[Bionic-Badger]

DSLR: Just got a cheap D200 off eBay for $300. Replaces an old D40 that I paid twice that amount for when I got it. Now I can use lenses without internal motors. When I replace it I'll turn it into an IR camera.

Compact: Canon S95. Got it via Canon's customer loyalty program with a busted old camera. Replaces my S90 that somehow "grew" (according to forum posts) some mold or fungus on the lens. Now I leave the case zipper open while not using it so that it'll air out.

I'm with Benm with regards to compacts vs. DSLRs. The S95 gets used probably 10x the amount of the DSLRs. The DSLRs capture more light and usually take better pictures, but I can bring that S95 everywhere without worrying that I'll bang it up, or spending time trying to fish it out of the bag for a shot.

 

[Benm]

Low light conditions can be a bit frustrating with compacts - i guess that goes for all of them though. Even the 310HS with its cmos sensor can be tricky to use in fairly dark indoor places (churches, for example).

 

[Trevor]

Low light conditions can be a bit frustrating with compacts - i guess that goes for all of them though. Even the 310HS with its cmos sensor can be tricky to use in fairly dark indoor places (churches, for example).

CMOS vs. CCD doesn't have much of an affect in a compact. The thing that really hurts a compact camera in low light is the size of the pixels. They're tiny!

Trevor

 

[Blord]

I use my Canon DSLR all the time. I know the camera is bulky and heavy but the photos taken by this camera is stunning. I want to capture the moment and wants the best quality available. My P&S camera aren't much used.

 

[RA_pierce]

I use my Canon DSLR all the time. I know the camera is bulky and heavy but the photos taken by this camera is stunning. I want to capture the moment and wants the best quality available. My P&S camera aren't much used.

I agree with Blord.
Compact P&S cameras may be convenient but there is no compromise for image quality and control with a DSLR.
For me, when I take out my camera to shoot, it's more about getting the shot, rather than getting a shot (or at least trying).

• Canon EOS 60D
• Canon 60mm f/2.8 USM macro
• Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM
• Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II
• + Some accessories

My gear is modest but I can carry it all in one bag and shoot anything from macro to landscapes.
I plan on upgrading my 60mm macro to Canon's 100mm f/2.8L IS macro.
For now, though, the 60mm offers a lot of performance for a little money. And it's tiny.

 

[Benm]

CMOS vs. CCD doesn't have much of an affect in a compact. The thing that really hurts a compact camera in low light is the size of the pixels. They're tiny!

Trevor

It's hard to say really. You don't get identical compact camera's where one has a ccd and the other a cmos sensor.

Before the ixus 310HS i had a panasonic fx500. It has a similar lens size, zoom range, megapixels, etc., but a ccd sensor instead of the cmos in the ixus. I find that the ixus actually does perform a bit better in dusk conditions, but its not amazingly better. Also, there is about 2 years of development between those two cameras, so the improvement could come from something else - better algoritms to reduce noise or motion blur, for example.

 

[Bill King]

Sony Cybershot DSC-H20. I did not research it very well before making the purchase. Requires special battery, type G Li-on. Special memory sticks, Memory stick pro duo. It has auto focus with a mind of its own. Sometimes I can coax a decent shot or two from it.

 

[Trevor]

It's hard to say really. You don't get identical compact camera's where one has a ccd and the other a cmos sensor.

Before the ixus 310HS i had a panasonic fx500. It has a similar lens size, zoom range, megapixels, etc., but a ccd sensor instead of the cmos in the ixus. I find that the ixus actually does perform a bit better in dusk conditions, but its not amazingly better. Also, there is about 2 years of development between those two cameras, so the improvement could come from something else - better algoritms to reduce noise or motion blur, for example.

Well, the things that come to mind are the smearing on a CCD sensor (bright points of light turning into lines) and the fact that CMOS does better at high ISO.

But if I had to shoot in low light, I'd take a Nikon D200 with its low-pixel-density CCD sensor over any P&S with a super tiny CMOS (or CCD) sensor.

Trevor

 

[Benm]

To keep comparison a bit fair, i'd stay that the cameras have to be roughly the same size (about a pack of cigs). Even a compact like an olympus PEN3 would easily outperform both cameras despite being basically a p&s, but aided by its bigger (switchable) lenses.

As far as noise goes: I find it to be better with cmos sensors in dark conditions, but worse in fully lit ones. It's by no means terrible, but if you take a picture in brought daylight (iso 100, f/8, 1/500s) the cmos sensor produces some noise in, for example, the blue of the sky.

I'm not sure why the iso value cannot be lowered below 100 (even when set to auto) on this camera though - it could be a technical limitation of the sensor design.

As far as ccd sensors smearing bright spots of light into lines: I've noticed that they frequently do that in preview mode, and the lines often look a bit dotten/stroked. When you take the actual picture, however, the line is not reproduced at all. This is probably due to the frequent polling of the sensor in preview mode, and usually doesn't affect the pictures you shoot.