The Hidden Glasgow Forums

Cheers for the advice folks, I'd previously had a quick shot of the K100D and liked the way it handled. So I've went and ordered it the K200D

I'll hopefully post a few piccies soon

Nice one

Mind and claim your 50 quid cashback too: http://www.pentax.co.uk/en/photo.html

And try not to worry if you do what I did, which is to take a few photos, get crap results and think 'oh bollox'. DSLRs involve a bit of a learning curve, but they're well worth it. Hint for when you get it and have the manual to hand: turn on the histogram and 'show bright/dark area' on the instant review.

£50 cash back - RESULT

I fully expect that I will be on a bit of a steep learning curve, i'm used to just pointing and clicking - So i'm especially grateful for the tip about the histogram

nice yin. dont forget to get a fast type 6 SD- HC card

I'm going out this week to try out the first proper camera I've ever had my hands on, the Nikon f-801s (Thanks, JohnR ).

Is this a hot deal??

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product ... _id=102529

Canon Digital SLR Camera - EOS 5D Body,
EF 24-105 f/4L & EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lenses,
Battery Charger (CB-5L), Power Cable, Battery (BP-511A),
Battery Cover, AV Cable, USB Cable,
Wide Strap (EW-100DGR),
Manual, Registration card and Software CD-ROM.

for £2,279.00 Delivered

Which is obviously alot! But numbers aside is it good value for what it is....???

(prior to seeing this I'd been leaning towards a nikon d300...)

looks like a good deal, but its a discontinued model and out of stock.

This is in a different class to the D300, and more comparable to D700 but a generation or 2 older.

L lenses are usually hard to beat.

Canon charge extra for hoods, all of the other manufacturers include matched hoods with most of their lenses

I guess it was a hot deal then - it was in stock at time of posting. I figured that the price essentially made the camera body around the £640 mark which is roughly half the list price for the body elsewhere. It only came onto the radar after spotting this offer, normally i'd have thought it over budget, hence looking at the D300 (granted not THAT much cheaper but still..).

The guy in Calumet was recommending Nikon setup over Canon on the grounds the nikon lenses were sharper. Which is what led me towards looking at Nikons- he said this as he stood in front of a Nikon display stand so may be commercially biased towards nikon...but ... does this verdict hold true?

If you were starting from scratch would you go down the canon or nikon route????

Good question. I have been a Nikon user for over 20 years but have heard very good things about Canon. I also love the photographs I see posted from Canon users.

If I were beginning over today I would certainly give them serious consideration.

I really think you need to try to spend time handling both types of cameras as ergonomics can make an enormous difference.

Sharon wrote:Is this a hot deal??

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product ... _id=102529

Canon Digital SLR Camera - EOS 5D Body,
EF 24-105 f/4L & EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lenses,
Battery Charger (CB-5L), Power Cable, Battery (BP-511A),
Battery Cover, AV Cable, USB Cable,
Wide Strap (EW-100DGR),
Manual, Registration card and Software CD-ROM.

for £2,279.00 Delivered

Which is obviously alot! But numbers aside is it good value for what it is....???

(prior to seeing this I'd been leaning towards a nikon d300...)

Thats an exceptionally good deal - the two lenses alone are worth £2K, so you are basically getting a 5D thrown in for 279 pounds. The 5D is still an excellent camera too. At that price for that equipment it does seem slightly suspicious... even at the best prices you can find on the web that's basically a grand off.

I'd agree with John, without a previous investment in a system there is technically so little between the big 3 manufacturers that it comes down to how the cameras feel in your hand, how the menus are navigated, how deep in the menu you have to go to reach frequently used settings etc.

I'm including Sony along with Canon and Nikon as they have Pro level lenses available (Carl Zeiss and Sony G) as well as higher end bodies along with the provenance of the Minolta system.

Sharon wrote:The guy in Calumet was recommending Nikon setup over Canon on the grounds the nikon lenses were sharper. Which is what led me towards looking at Nikons- he said this as he stood in front of a Nikon display stand so may be commercially biased towards nikon...but ... does this verdict hold true?

Nikon and Canon users can sometimes be very bad for talking down the opposite system. In reality both Nikon and Canon have a range of lenses every bit as good as each other, although the current Canon EF line up is slightly larger (not that it really matters - it would be a pointless exercise costing over 200k to buy them all!).

Its a truly ridiculous statement to suggest all Nikons are sharper - every lens is different. In the typical pro grade lens (i.e. fast 70-200mm, 300mm etc) performance is often almost identical. IMHO this is a total non issue. Both of them make great lenses.

AlanM wrote:Canon charge extra for hoods, all of the other manufacturers include matched hoods with most of their lenses

Thats not entirely true - All of the L series lenses always include a case and a hood, and sometimes a tripod collar. However you are right with regard to all the non 'L' lenses, hoods are not included. The two lenses Sharon mentioned in that 5D deal would include a hood and a case, and I'm pretty sure the 100-400 comes with a tripod collar too.

My wife's just got me a belated Christmas pressie ( we postponed it because we had a death in the family), a Nikon D60 camera kit. The thing is, I'm really not much more than a holiday snaps kind of guy.
I've always wanted to get into photography but I never seem to 'see' the photo opportunity if you know what I mean. I look at photos on this forum of seemingly everyday mundane things but they make amazing pictures. That's what I don't seem to be able to 'see', I would just walk down the street missing all the photo opportunities.
I was thinking of buying "The Photographers Eye" by Michael Freeman as this seems to be about how to compose better pictures. Has anyone read it, and would you recommend it. If not, are there any other books websites etc that might be useful that you could recommend?

I've got this book and would recommend it, if just for some of the images in it!
It is a useful book as long as you take your time to work your way through it. Don't expect to be an expert from a quick glance at a few pages and don't get disheartened if you can't remember many of the composition tips. Keep practicing and they will come.
Good luck.