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Comments on: The Real Deal 156: dSLR specs

Stephen Shankland drops by to talk about the specs you should look for when buying a dSLR camera.

Add a Comment (Log in or register) (8 Comments)


by segdaniel April 7, 2009 7:30 PM PDT: Ritz went into a chapter 11, this does not mean all stores are closing. I work for a store in Dallas and we are remaining open. Less than half of our stores are closing, all of the major stores doing good business will remain open; Like this Reply to this comment


by bleech April 8, 2009 1:31 AM PDT: There is something very, very important that you guys forgot, and it is a very critical point:
backwards lens compatibility, and lens compatibility. There are very many people that think that the best lenses [namely, Olympus and Cosina] can be used with any camera. Which is not true.

It isn´t as well that any lens made for a brand [bought at garage sales] can be used with current dSLR´s. Nor Nikon, nor Canon, nor Olympus can use older lenses. Only Sony can use Konica-Minolta lenses [the latest ones] and Pentax can use old lenses [Pentax has, indeed, the best by far backward lens compatibility due to the lens mount].

I have to disagree about the IS system: the very best [as far as I know in real world tests] is the Olympus system.

Then, about pro cameras.
The real pro camera market is getting very interesting. Hasselblad, Phase One, Mamiya, and now Pentax and Leica are heading to bump the pro camera market. They have the biggest sensors around, and will produce spectacular results. Canon, Nikon and Sony are quite some steps behind, still, and not really up to the mark in that sense.

All in all, my recomendation for a camera around 1000 US $ would be an Olympus E30 or a Pentax K20d, merely based on specs. The rest of the bunch are not up there, yet, at that price point.; Like this Reply to this comment

by joeyjoeyjoey April 8, 2009 6:46 PM PDT

I hear the "I don't use flash" or only "natural light because flash is not natural" statement a lot. And I find those that say these are photographers that don't know or haven't taken the time to understand and use flash properly. And just like a lot of podcast that attempts to talk about photography episode 156 was no exception to this.

Using proper technique of balancing ambient and flash, bouncing or taking it off camera with modifiers you can achieve photographs that "natural light" photographers would swear was shot without flash.

It takes time to understand how to use flash properly and maybe instead of just slamming the use of flash people interested in photography should actually learn how to use a flash gun properly.

After all photography is all about light, regardless if it comes 93 millions miles away or from a couple of AA battery powered speedlight/lites. Light is light. Improve the quality of light and learn to flash.

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by walakazoo April 9, 2009 8:56 AM PDT: I came here to post almost the exact same thing after hearing it said that you shouldn't use flash during the podcast. I use to avoid using flash when I first got into the digital photography but then I started to learn how to use external flashes properly to give good light and now I almost never shot without one. In fact, I have been saving up some money for a new photography purchase that at first I thought was going to be a new camera but now I'm thinking of a really nice flash like the Nikon SB-900 instead.

Also, completing ignoring flash means your ignoring one of the great advantages of DSLRs over compact point and shoots. Every DSLR (as far as I know) has a a hot shoe for attaching an external flash while most compact point and shoots don't, so you stuck with the crummy little flash that's built in usually. DSLR users shouldn't be bashing flash but learning and embracing flash as one of their big advantages.

Finally, natural light only photography, especially of people, is often very unflattering if the photographer doesn't really know his lighting. The subjects might not have "white flash face" but instead has dark shadows on the face and their eyes have no life in them because their too dark.

I completely agree with joeyjoeyjoey, photography is all about light and while natural light photography has it's time and place so does flash photography.; Like this

by DaveBinM April 8, 2009 11:22 PM PDT

Any real photographer knows that you need a flash for certain things. If you don't use a flash at least some of the time, that's silly, not to mention that sometimes flashes are essential for some outdoor shots.

Bleech, one of the things not to forget is you can get an OM adapter ring for the Olympus cameras to use OM lenses on their new dSLRs, and as an OM10 owner, I appreciate this accessory a lot, and as a side note, all of Canon's EOS cameras, even going back to film, can use the same lenses, at least according to a professional photographer friend of mine.

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by bleech April 9, 2009 4:32 AM PDT: Hey DaveBinM

What I meant with backwards compatibility is the ability NOT to use an adapter and still be able to mount junkyard lenses on your camera. On that regard, only Samsung and Pentax allow you to do so for lenses that go as far as 1970, and to some extent, Sony-KM mount.

There have only been two Pentax mounts so far: the K mount, and the Pentax mount [M42] up to now.

That is due to the fact that the K mount is an electromechanical mount, not simply electronic mount.

Via an adapter, still, all the cameras can use any lens [with some exceptions]. Thing is HOW that is implemented what matters.

On the other hand, about the EOS EF mount, there are quite some versions of it. And not all the EOS lenses [startig around 1985] can be used with no problem or full functionality of the lens on the current EOS Digital bodies.

It does happen more or less the same with the Nikon mount.

And mostly, the worst case is the Olympus one, where the Zuiko lenses lost all the functionality [as aperture control, for instance] because the Zuiko Digital lenses are electronic mount only lenses.; Like this


by taos07 April 9, 2009 3:01 PM PDT: Another camera podcast that seems to consider canon and nikon as the only 2 companies that make slr cameras; Like this Reply to this comment


by KamilWawrzyszko April 11, 2009 4:37 AM PDT: Regarding DSLR specs and camera:

I have a pentax K10D and I'm very happy with it. The only drawback of Pentax in comparison with Cannon or Nikon is noise. However, in all other areas Pentax is superior (in similar price range).

Regarding things like aperture, sensor etc., please visit my blog www.PentaxBody.com where you will find a few articles explaining my view on it. I will appreciate your comments.

Cheers

Kamil; Like this Reply to this comment

(8 Comments)

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