New gadget

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:31 pm

I was going to say toy, but it's no toy. It's a camera, a Canon 20D.

My current camera is getting long in the tooth (2 megapix), and I need a more powerful one with more resolution. Borrowing a friend's camera to take those Grand Canyon shots really helped me understand more about what I wanted or didn't want.

I was doing a little more post-purchase research and found one reviewer who (in late 2004) said this was flat-out the best DSLR under $2,000. So I felt a lot better about spending nowhere near that, even given that ALL reviews are biased in some fashion.

XMENPorsche · Post by **XMENPorsche** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:43 pm

Congrats, d00d!

What lens did you get with it?

Just out of curiosity, what steered you away from the D70 that I told you about? The extra megapixels?

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:20 pm

Several niggly things. The resolution was part of it, but the biggest issue was that I tend to like shooting in the dark. Well, in crappy light, anyway.

The way Canon combines their CMOS sensor and DIGIC chip, the 20D has an ISO 3200 that's actually usable, and the 1600 is good.

I was torn between the Rebels and the D70 because the build quality of the Rebels wasn't quite where I wanted to be. So D70 was the better choice there. But the 20D is solid.

I got the 18-55 kit lens. (I believe f/3.5-5.6) Obviously I'll need to get a longer tele; the 75-300 might be fun. But it'll have to wait for a bit.

BTW, you were telling me the deciding factor of that D200 was the 5 fps burst. Looks like the 20D/30D can do that, too. 20D is supposed to have a loud shutter, though.

XMENPorsche · Post by **XMENPorsche** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:49 pm

BTW, you were telling me the deciding factor of that D200 was the 5 fps burst. Looks like the 20D/30D can do that, too. 20D is supposed to have a loud shutter, though.

Yes, but the 20D/30D do not have weather sealed bodies. When you shoot baseball games (like I do) and motocross (like I will be doing) you have to take into account the very dusty environment. I don't want to spend a whole lot of time using Photoshop to remove dust specks from images. Plus, the D200 is 10.2 mp. It just fit my requirements a bit better than anything Canon had to offer in the same price range.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:08 pm

Well, I'll give you that. I don't plan to get into a lot of dust, though I might shoot a game now and then.

Defiance.enD · Post by **Defiance.enD** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:25 am

Gambit,

I had the 75-300mm lens, and I can only say this, stay away from it. I actually gave mine away. It's slow, and just not that sharp of a lens.

I'm a very big "L" lens fan, so therefore, have a tendancy to spend the money, but they are worth every penny.

Save your $$$ and when you get some cash together, go to B&H Photo's website: www.bhphotovideo.com and check their used lens area, and see if you can find a good: 9+ rated 70-200mm f4/L lens.

So far, my lens stable holds the following lens:

17-40mm f4/L
28-135mm f3.5-5.6
70-200mm f4/L
400mm f4/L

And here's the kicker. I wished I had faster lens as I'm going to try to get more into wedding work. So I'll eventually be spending some serious $$$ someday.

Defiance.enD · Post by **Defiance.enD** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:31 am

Shot with the 70-200mm f4/L from about 15feet away, and cropped.

Shot with the 400mm f4/L from about 15 feet off my front porch.

Shot with the 400mm f4/L with a Quantaray 2x TC attached to my 10D from ... well... you can tell there was some distance.

Defiance.enD · Post by **Defiance.enD** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:33 am

Oh yeah...

forgot to mention...

CONGRATS on your new peice of equipment. !!!!

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 11:06 am

The Pelican shot is beautiful...the detail is very very nice.

Defiance.enD · Post by **Defiance.enD** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:28 pm

Thanks Ice,

One of the few (very few) benefits of living near the coast.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:33 pm

Yeah, I'd estimate the range on that last shot to be about a quarter-million miles, give or take a few thousand...

I hear what you're saying about the L lenses, Cowboy, but budget is much more of a central concern. I'll of course research any lens purchase carefully to avoid the absolute crappers as much as possible.

Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:05 pm

It's here! Yippieee... Took a few snaps on auto just to try it out, and it's... NICE!

Defiance.enD · Post by **Defiance.enD** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:50 am

Woot!!!

Looking forward to seeing what you can capture with it!

If we could just get things to dry out around here, maybe I can get out with my bag of goodies.

I'm sure y'all are looking for things to warm up, and thaw out up there.

XMEN Ashaman DTM · Post by **XMEN Ashaman DTM** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:39 pm

I wish we could get your snow and cold here. Edwards is so dry, even though it's been in the 20s and 30s in the morning.

XMENPorsche · Post by **XMENPorsche** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:08 am

XMEN Gambit wrote:I hear what you're saying about the L lenses, Cowboy, but budget is much more of a central concern. I'll of course research any lens purchase carefully to avoid the absolute crappers as much as possible.

The nice thing, though, is that you've bought into a system. Now you can take your time getting the glass. If you ever want to upgrade your camera body, the glass will be good to go.