Need to seek a DSLR advice from my polkfamily

doggie750

Finally decided to seek some real help from my own family. I am in the market of DSLR and leaning towards Olympus e510, XTI, Canon 30d...Got any 2cents for meh.

Been to DSLR fanatic FORUMssss.........just got more confuse

Strong Bad

What are you looking to shoot? Nature, family, sports, etc...? How much ya looking to spend? How far are you looking to go in photography?

I'm a Nikon man, so obviously I would ask if you've looked that way.

Based on the models you listed, I say go for the Canon 30D. I don't know enough about the Olympus. Really though, Nikon and Canon are the two big dogs in the industry and have the best cameras, lenses and accessories.

Talk to me Goose!

John

zingo

I second the Nikon. Great body and lots of options. I'm a D50 guy, but that's not for everyone. One of my friends loves his Canon Rebel, so I'm plugging that too.

billbillw

I say stick with Nikon or Canon. They've been doing it the longest and you really can't go wrong with either. When I was heavy into film photography, I was a Canon SLR user, so I have a slight preference to them mainly due to familiarity, but I know that Nikon makes excellent products too.

doggie750

http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/pentaxk10d_samples/ #26 & 27
VS
http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/canoneos30d_samples/ #10, 16,
VS
http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/olympuse410_samples/ #32



http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/pentaxk100d_samples/ #30-31
VS
http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/canoneos400d_samples/ #39-40



http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/canoneos30d_samples/ #18
VS
http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/olympuse410_samples/ #35


:eek:[/QUOTE]

jcaut

I looked at those samples to try and figure out what you're seeing that confuses you. All those cameras will take beautiful pictures, in the right hands. One thing to keep in mind about those samples is that, even though the subject may be the same in the samples from two different cameras, they're taken at different times with different lighting and at different settings on the cameras. I don't think they're really meant to offer a comparison between two cameras. If you look at the range of samples from one camera, and pay attention to the settings used, you can get a feel for how that particular camera handles color, noise, shadow detail vs. highlight clipping, etc.

For comparing camera to camera, it's better to look in the full reviews where they compare a studio scene shot with different cameras. There the lighting and other variables are largely eliminated and the differences come down to the camera. For example, here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse510/page24.asp

or, comparing noise vs. detail here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk10d/page14.asp

You should also keep in mind that those review samples are shot by people who are generally pretty good photographers. Having a very capable camera doesn't automatically guarantee gorgeous results. Having a capable camera CAN give you the opportunity to get those gorgeous shots that you might otherwise miss.

I use Canon bodies, and I'm very happy with them, but I wouldn't say I'm partial to them.. It's just the system that I bought into and I've found no reason to switch. Plus, I've got lots of lenses and stuff, some left over from 35mm Canon film SLR's. I don't know much about Oly, but you really can't go wrong with Nikon or Canon. Much like audio, you shouldn't purchase just based on reviews: Use the reviews to narrow your selection, but then go to a store where you can pick up each model. The weight, size and handling are important, probably moreso than the image quality differences. For instance you mention a 30D and the Rebel Xti; The XTi is a newer camera and has features that the 30D doesn't including more pixels (which shouldn't matter to you unless you plan to print posters). The 30D is the "better" camera, but the ways in which it's better might not matter to you. They feel a lot different in your hand. Some people like the small and light camera, and some people think it feels cheap.

What do you like to take pictures of? Sports, landscape, people, wildlife? Little bit of everything? Each of the cameras you mention (and each manufacturer's "systems") have their strengths and weaknesses. Figuring out which ones are most important to you will probably be the key to making a good decision.