DSLR options

I run a beat 20-35 f2.8L - it's pretty inexpensive these days if you look around and still a very good lens.

chrispiper said:
Before you spring for the 17-40 L think about finding a copy of the EF 20-35 f/2.8 L. Yes it's a little old, but it's a great performer. I've thought a few times about trying to trade it in for a newer 17-35 or 16-35 but it's hard to justify the cost when I can't really find anything wrong with it. And on a 5D it's truly a wide angle. Just a thought.

Chris
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You can always get a converted Rokkor 58mm f1.2 for about $450 these days. The color is unreal, but can easily be corrected too.

Soothsayerman said:
Bah, the 50mm 1.2 is very maginally better than the 1.4 yet costs almost 5 times as much. It is not worth it. The difference in savings is better spent on the 85mm 1.2 or the 70-200 is usm II, or if you want to go the other way, the 351.4 L.
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Frank Petronio said:
Just my two cents to go conservative and actually try these different cameras out. While the full-frame finders are great, the higher-end DX size bodies have wonderful finders that really negate most of the practical reasons for the full frame. The new Nikon D7000 and the Pentax K5 look to be great. And even though cameras like the D90 and D300 are now "long in the tooth", they are still fine - only incrementally "less" than the newest.

Plus Nikon has some nicer AFS DX lenses now, like the 35/1.8 - it's only $200 and as good as can be. For $1100-$1200 you can have a D300 w 35DX and it will probably do everything you need. Pick up a couple inexpensive primes or the now bargain-priced 17-55/2.8 DX.

Keep some money in your pocket in these uncertain times, save it or spend it on experiences to make better photos.

Plus... well, I never hated Canon... but I don't like them.
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Not that Nikon makes a bad product, but I hate the menus on Nikon cameras.
I've used Canon DSLR's extensively and the menus on them seem the easiest to work with. Maybe it's just the fact that I've used them for a while and have tricked myself into believing the menus are better on the Canons. Not to mention the ever versatile canon EF mount.
On the full-frame note -- I probably don't need it, but I just want my 50's to stay that way.
I'm not 100% against crop sensor cameras but I really would rather have a full frame.
I buy 90% of my gear used to save on cost, buying new really has never been the way for me.
Perhaps the Nikon line is worth a shot, I'll have to look into it.
I've got some time to decide and try things out, ultimately I'll decide when I get a hold of the cash to do it.
 
If you're a backpacker I'd suggest not to get the 24-70 or 70-200 f2.8. I've had a bad experience with them being so heavy. I'd get the 35mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8. Or 28mm f/1.8.
 
fullframe + zeiss or voigtlander manual glass - big, heavy, practical
or put money into m-mount lenses and wait for some new digital RF option (must be around corner)
 
I really like the viewfinder on my newly acquired d7000... 100% is nice, very different from an un-upgraded m8! Now I don't think it'll replace my m8 by any means, as I just LIKE RANGEFINDERS too much, but I'm definitely using and enjoying it. I agree with Frank–I think if you go cropped you'll get more value for your $$$, and less weight, which I always prefer.

Now, Canon or Nikon... I really think that's just a personal thing at this point.
 
I'd be shooting for the Newspaper, so the versatility of zoom lenses comes into play.
I have a decent stable of M lenses but for what a used M8 costs I could get all my DSLR gear second hand with good lenses.
I would love to shoot an RF but its not really practical for the kinds of limits the local cops use to keep you away from the action.
 
I never was happy with just one or the other (RF or SLR). I loved RF for wide and normal stuff, SLR for long and REALLY close, so I switched to Nikon RFs that went with my SLRs and was never happier. Everything turned the same direction.

If I ever move to Digital in a big way it will be with either a DRF or DP&S with a DSLR for the long stuff. Can't live in P&S world only and even the K5 is way to big for my pockets.

B2 (;->
 
If film wasn't such a slow process I'd shoot color film for the paper. The reality is that deadlines and lack of a darkroom really don't allow for film.
 
Isn't the discussion about the quality of the 1.2 compared to the 1.4 is rather theoretical? For a newspaper, the quality of the 1.4/50 should be more than good enough.
 
That is true, and the 50/1.4 was never not in the running.
Again, I've got some time to decide so I'm not in a major bind here.
 
fdigital said:
It's true :cool:

My 35mm ZE distagon is just unbelievable.
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At photokina I tried a 5D with a dedicated focussing screen in combination with the Zeiss 35mm. At f2 I wasn't able to produce sharp results. I tried to focus from a tripod at a static object and couldn't really see where the focus is. Of course I could use live view with 10x magnification but that's not for everyday use. So these lenses are not really for me.
 
How about a Nikon D-7000? I know it is not full frame but with an appropriate lens could work quite well, at least I believe (I'm planning to buy one for my wife ...)
robert
 
The D7000 looks pretty good to me, too (latest-greatest, buy before it is obsolete).

See Ken Rockwell's review. DX, but excellent IQ and it allows auto-exposure with manual lenses... He has a good decision tree vs. D700 (FX) on his front page. He gets bashed for presenting an opinion on everything, but I find him pretty accurate on equipment.

- Charlie
 
tom.w.bn said:
At photokina I tried a 5D with a dedicated focussing screen in combination with the Zeiss 35mm. At f2 I wasn't able to produce sharp results. I tried to focus from a tripod at a static object and couldn't really see where the focus is. Of course I could use live view with 10x magnification but that's not for everyday use. So these lenses are not really for me.
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There's a few things you need to know to do it well.

1. EE-S screen in a 5d - makes focus pop WAAAAY better.
2. Select AF point (I always use center single one) and half hold shutter button whilst bringing the image into focus, with the center point over where you want to be in focus. When it comes into focus the focus confirmation light will light up green in the VF and you can make the camera "beep" as well, and the AF point will flash red. Alternatively you can use all the focussing points and they will light up in succession as you focus, with the focus being on the point that lights up at the time.
3. With just a little bit of practice you can do it with just focussing and the ee-s screen though you can't expect it to be 100% precise in critical focus.

It sounds troublesome, but it's only because I've tried to explain it clearly and in detail. Overall I find focusing the 35 ZE on my 5d to be more accurate than most AF lenses, though they take about twice as long to attain focus - which isn't very long. Certainly no longer than a manual focus film SLR.

I'd say I could take 50 close and medium distance shots with the 35 distagon wide open and get 45 perfectly in focus

@ f2:
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fdigital said:
There's a few things you need to know to do it well.

1. EE-S screen in a 5d - makes focus pop WAAAAY better.
2. Select AF point (I always use center single one) and half hold shutter button whilst bringing the image into focus, with the center point over where you want to be in focus. When it comes into focus the focus confirmation light will light up green in the VF and you can make the camera "beep" as well, and the AF point will flash red. Alternatively you can use all the focussing points and they will light up in succession as you focus, with the focus being on the point that lights up at the time.
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If I use AF-assist with my 5D and an EF lens I am already just a little over the point when the AF point flashes. So I have to go back and forth 2 times to get it. I hoped that it would be better with a zeiss lens because it's said that it has a longer focussing way. But it's still not the case that I can turn the focus ring until the AF point flashes and then hit the shutter button. But perhaps I just have nervous fingers.
Besides that the quality of the photos is great. Very good lens quality.
 
Tom, I know what you mean, sometimes I do have to rack back and forth because I go too far on the initial turn past the focus point, but when I do that I just remind myself to slow down a little bit. The longer I use it the more accurate and quick I get.
 
So, I swapped all my Leica Gear for a 5D. I had swapped my 15/4.5 for a Tamron 28-75 2.8.
I added a plastic fantastic (50/1.8 II) to hold me over until I can afford to get that 50/1.2 and 70-200 F4 (or 2.8 if money allows) That will be a while until I can afford those.
Id like a good ultra wide zoom at some point, but the 5D and that 28-75 seem to be a pretty good match.
 
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