Best camera for an a beginning enthusiast?

[bogeyman]

Dunno. But I'd guess:
1. An xD card is smaller and more convenient to carry.
2. An Olympus xD lets you do automatic panorama stitching.

1) Have you ever seen an xD card? Without a magnifying glass?

1a) I find those big heavy CF cards so hard to carry! Come on - it's not exactly like Ansel Adams lugging 80lbs of 14x11 fragile glass plates up a mountain on the back of a mule.

2) Panos are an art unto themselves. The xD card is not the solution.

[expat]

1) Have you ever seen an xD card? Without a magnifying glass?

1a) I find those big heavy CF cards so hard to carry! Come on - it's not exactly like Ansel Adams lugging 80lbs of 14x11 fragile glass plates up a mountain on the back of a mule.

2) Panos are an art unto themselves. The xD card is not the solution.

1. Yes. I find the size more convenient, as I find SD cards too. It's just a personal preference.
2. xD is not the solution, only a solution.

So you don't like them. Fine. I do. Personal preference.

When you condemn Olympus for having an xD and a CF slot when they "could have had 2 CF slots", don't you think you're taking it a bit far? They give users the choice; you argue that one of those is so bad that nobody should be able to have it?

[bogeyman]

When you condemn Olympus for having an xD and a CF slot when they "could have had 2 CF slots", don't you think you're taking it a bit far? They give users the choice; you argue that one of those is so bad that nobody should be able to have it?

The design decision costs money in manufacture and ups the end price.

They are pushing their proprietary xD memory card format and engineering a slot for it, when almost nobody wants to use it (too small, fiddly, fragile and EXPENSIVE).

They even have an xD slot on their pro-line models (E1, E3). Show me a pro who wants to use an xD card (with gloves on)!

[expat]

The design decision costs money in manufacture and ups the end price.

They are pushing their proprietary xD memory card format and engineering a slot for it, when almost nobody wants to use it (too small, fiddly, fragile and EXPENSIVE).

They even have an xD slot on their pro-line models (E1, E3). Show me a pro who wants to use an xD card (with gloves on)!

If you don't like xD don't use the slot. No problem, right?

Costs money? Yeah theoretically I suppose. Like any other feature, e.g. self-timer, which some of us don't use.

PS are you implacably antagonistic to SD too?

[sasguru]

Well finally went for the Nikon D40. Ordered from Amazon.
BTW Jessops sell it for £40 more than Amazon - look for them to go bust soon. Salesman was pathetic and not interested in making a sale to someone who was clearly an interested punter, by chucking in a couple of freebies.

[Pondlife]

Can anyone comment on the difference in quality of pics from a SLR vs a compact camera. I'm just interested in point n' shoot photos with a std 50-55mm lense (assuming that's the std).


TIA

[AlanR]

Well finally went for the Nikon D40. Ordered from Amazon.
BTW Jessops sell it for £40 more than Amazon - look for them to go bust soon. Salesman was pathetic and not interested in making a sale to someone who was clearly an interested punter, by chucking in a couple of freebies.

I went to Jessops to have a look at buying a new camera, eventually decided on the Sony A200 with the 70-300mm lens. i let it be known that i was keen to buy there and then so asked if they could 'throw' in a camera case and perhaps a camera cleaning kit (total cost was a little over £30 i think), they didnt want to know. I mentioned that i had seen the same camera on Amazon a lot cheaper still not interested so i ordered the camera and lens from Amazon and with the £70+ i saved i bought a decent camera case.

I am all for helping the 'local' shops but when they adopt this approach is it any wonder that they are failing the way they are.

Anyway, happy snapping.

Alan

[sasguru]

Can anyone comment on the difference in quality of pics from a SLR vs a compact camera. I'm just interested in point n' shoot photos with a std 50-55mm lense (assuming that's the std).


TIA

Hey Pondy,

I spent most of yesterday reading this up and while I know nothing compared to some guys on here, the main reason I'm getting a SLR is that I expect to take better pictures of distance and low light conditions. Plus wide angle shots.
I think in good light and at close/medium distance compacts are almost as good as SLRs - certainly I've been able to take some very nice shots with a bog standard compact, but night time and distance shots have been generally poor.

[sasguru]

I went to Jessops to have a look at buying a new camera, eventually decided on the Sony A200 with the 70-300mm lens. i let it be known that i was keen to buy there and then so asked if they could 'throw' in a camera case and perhaps a camera cleaning kit (total cost was a little over £30 i think), they didnt want to know. I mentioned that i had seen the same camera on Amazon a lot cheaper still not interested so i ordered the camera and lens from Amazon and with the £70+ i saved i bought a decent camera case.

I am all for helping the 'local' shops but when they adopt this approach is it any wonder that they are failing the way they are.

Anyway, happy snapping.

Alan

These Jessops guys must be on on salary only. Not a good incentivisation scheme based on sales.

[sasguru]

Anyway here's an interesting article on why your camera doesn't matter