![]()
Monday 15th August 2011 Chris Cheesman
Canon’s EOS 600D has won the European Camera of the Year title at the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) awards. Judges lauded the 600D as a ‘good-value camera that has a very strong set of features and customisable functions. ‘Its excellent resolution and low-noise characteristics, even at high ISO settings, make it an extremely desirable model to amateur photographers’. Amateur Photographer (AP) is a founding member of EISA which the magazine rejoined in 2007. AP is the only UK photography magazine to belong to EISA, which was founded in 1982. The organisation is made up of around 50 special interest magazines from 19 countries. Commenting on EISA, AP Editor Damien Demolder said: ‘It does not exist to line the pockets of its members, to court those who might be in line for an award or to flatter those that do eventually win. ‘It exists to bring the best magazine technical departments from all over Europe together in one place to discuss, debate and then agree on which of the cameras, lenses and accessories, launched in that year, will best serve the needs and expectations of enthusiast photographers across the continent.’ This year’s honours list included Pentax’s 645D medium format digital camera, which clinched European Professional Camera 2011-2012. ‘With the introduction of the Pentax 645D, the medium-format market has gained a much anticipated and highly competitive member that offers exceptional image quality and handling,’ read the EISA citation. meanwhile, Nikon’s D7000 was voted top European Advanced SLR Camera. ‘At the head of Nikon’s semi-professional line of cameras, the D7000 is packed with the high-end features it inherited from the company’s D300 and D300s models. The solid body offers high-speed autofocus, a bright 3in LCD, dust control, dual SDXC card slots and full HD video.’ This year’s top cameras also included the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 (European Compact system Camera); Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V (European Compact Camera); and Fujifilm FinePix X100 (Advanced Compact). Sigma’s 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM scooped the European Lens title. ‘Sigma has produced a telephoto zoom lens that offers professional features and exceptionally good image quality at a very reasonable price,’ said judges. The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM won the Professional Lens category; Tamron’s AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD was voted European Zoom Lens 2011-2012; and Samsung’s NX 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 ED i-Function bagged the European Compact system Lens title. Also claiming victory was Epson’s Stylus Photo R3000 which was awarded the European Photo Printer of the year. FOR FULL DETAILS SEE HERE
Got an opinion on this story? why not post a comment on our news message boards
I am very interested in purchasing a digital SLR camera to learn with. I have taken a photography class and would like to experiment more creatively with a digital SLR so I would say I am a beginner. I am mainly looking at Canon and Nikon. I have other Canon products which I am very happy with but the D-SLRs are a bit on the pricey side from my budget right now, however I do hear that they have the widest range of lenses. so my questions: 1) What are the main differences between the Canon Rebel series and say the 20 or 30D models? 2) Is a Nikon 80D comparable to a Canon 30D? What would you say is the best one for a beginner? 3) If I see a good price on a camrea body alone, should I take it and then invest on a good lens or start off with a kit? — The cameras that are attractive to me in terms of affordability are the Canon 20D and Nikon D40.
The D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. it will get you in the Nikon family which is a great place to be. If you buy accessories and lenses, you will be able to use everything on any Nikon that you might upgrade to later on.
Here are a few reviews, in case you have not read them yet. be sure to note that they are several pages long and some of the reviews also have some sample images that you can look at.
dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40…
steves-digicams.com/2007_revi…
popphoto.com/cameras/3756/cam…
kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40…
I hate to see people slam the camera because it can't autofocus with older Nikon lenses. it is true that there is a "slight problem" with older Nikon lenses not autofocusing on the D40, but if you do not own a bag full of older lenses, it is not going to be a problem. it is barely a problem anyhow. If you check nikonusa.com for "AF-S" lenses, which are ALL 100% compatible with the D40, you will find 23 lenses, including 7 "VR" (vibration Reduction) lenses and one true macro lens with "VR". there are another 25-plus lenses in the current catalog that provide all functions except autofocus as well as many (possibly dozens) "out of print" lenses that will work just as well. In addition, although these lens will not autofocus, most of them will still give focus confirmation. from the D40 manual: "If the lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of faster, the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm whether the portion of the subject in the selected focus area is in focus. After positioning the subject in the active focus area, press the shutter release button halfway and rotate the lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed."
The D40 only has 3 autofocus zones arranged horizontally at the center, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This might be considered a limitation, but realistically, most people will find this perfectly adequate, especially if you are moving up from a point and shoot with only a center zone.
You can get the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens at B&H Photo (available through Yahoo! Shopping or at 1-800-622-4987) for $550 (April 2007). You will want to add a decent SD memory card and I recommend a Sandisk Ultra II or Lexar Platinum II – either 1 GB or 2 GB would be great. You can get one from B&H also for $30-45.
Sigh, OMG said it all but Ill just repeat some stuff too,
1) The Rebels vs the 20Ds/30Ds. Basically the Rebels are easy to use, not hidden features execpt for Custom Functions which happens, amuetuers will never use so dont really a problem. The Rebels are cheaper, made mostly of plastic, but the XTi has moore megapixels than the 30D. The 30Ds have 5FPS while the XTi has 3 FPS. Same size sensor. The 30D is made of mostly metal, more pro features, like the spot meter, thumb wheel. their basically the same camera but the 30D is has more flexiblity and is more durable than the XTi. Not saying theres anything wrong with the XTi, I love mine but the 30D is a very prosumer orietened camera.
2) D80 vs the 30D. I would chose the 30D just because the 30D has better JPEG formats and is basically the same IQ in RAW. so if your doing alot of JPEG shots the 30D is great for beginners. BUT its a prosumer camera, you will have to learn how to use it.
3) I would start off with the kit and build up later. Whats the point in investing in a $1000 lens when you shoot in auto? Doesnt make sense does it? Learn your camera, shot a few months with the kit, and learn the limitations of your camera and lens. it will help you decide on which lens to buy next.
I would get the XTi over the 20D and the D40. The 10MP is very nice, its really easy to use, not heavy, and it has everything the 30D has but no spot, thumb wheel, status LCD, metal body. IF you dont need those, then the XTi is the best bargin you can get with a lens kit for under $1000. Of course B&H has kits that have the 28-135mm f/3.5-4.5 thats a great lens but of course youll get L glass fever later on…. trust me…. XD
1) The Rebel XTi is Canon's current entry level model. The semi-pro 20D has been discontinued and replaced by the 30D. The 20D/ 30D are more rugged cameras and they have more (advanced) options, like 5 frames per second vs. 3.
2) The Nikon D80 is more evenly matched with the Rebel XTi. It's a tad more expensive than the Canon but it's also worth it. The 30D can best be compared to the Nikon D200. again, the Nikon is a bit more expensive, but it's worth the price difference.
The Rebel XTi and the Nikon D80 are both great for beginners. You could also look at the cheaper Nikon D40 and at the entry level Pentax models (the K110D and the K100D which has built-in image stabilization). It's true that you have a wider lens selection with Canon and Nikon. Charles' warning regaring the D40 (and D40x) is valid to some extent: these two models can not use all of Nikon's lenses. Most noticeably, they can not use prime lenses, such as the 50mm f/1.8.
3) You get a better price when you buy a kit vs. buying the same body + lens separately. If you can get the lens you want as part of a kit, do it that way.
4) The 20D and D40 are miles apart in terms of price and performance. The 20D is a MUCH better camera. perhaps you meant the D40x. That's a different model, but the Canon is still miles ahead. I think the kit lens for the 20D was the Canon 17-85mm. That's a seriously good lens, too. that combination is probably overkill for a beginner, but if you can afford it, why not?
my suggestion
go to yahoo shopping
digital cameras
digital camera GUIDE
it will help you choose
Assuming your lenses match the coupling pins on the DSLR and focus on the same plane, yes. however, keep in mind you won't be getting the same image as you would on film as the digital sensor is generally smaller than what you would find in 35mm film cameras and there may be a slight color focus shift as the sensors have different focusing points for the RGB colors than does film.
Yes if the lens is the same brand as the camera if not you can always just get an adaptor which cost like 250$
i want to get one for my birthday the price doesn't really matter and i have no clue whats the latest of these brands i have a point n' shoot from sony (TX7) and i absolutetly love it! but i've heard Nikon has some real good cameras too so can i also get some tips and pointers on my next purchase for a camera please and thanks for your time(:
Two of their newest cameras are the a33, and a55. they arent reflex in the traditional way, because they use a translucent mirror to archive fasters speeds. They have many nice features like the possibility to record or take 3d photos.
Nikon has a few more or less new nice options, but so far i think a very good choice is the canon 550d (europe) / t2i (in america) that can become almost like a pro filming camera with the magic lantern firmware, as long as you are careful to install it properly (i advice you to seek someone who has done it before, and read a lot about the project)
The latest dslr from Nikon is D5100 and the newest from Sony is a55.
I wrote a bit more about the Sony a55(see below) – it's a highly regarded camera on sites such as dpreview and I'd recommend it especially if you already have Sony stuff and you're making the transition from compact to DSLR.