DSLR for low light, arty stuff

scantron · Nov 29, 2009

Hi everyone, new here- great forum!

Derrel · Nov 29, 2009

Gosh, that's great that you're a first-time buyer who wishes to spend less than $1,000 for a low-light d-slr,not for family gatherings or kids' soccer practices, but instead one for low light nighttime, stars/moon/rainy/snowy weather,indoor,landscapes,some portraits and light painting, for a photographer who doesn't like to use flash and who prefers to focus manually most of the time,and who is not a victim of the megapixel marketing and who tends to use his photos for drawing references,and who therefore often crops and zooms his photos for composition. After a month of armchair researching, perhaps you could skim through the past three weeks' worth of posts, where there are ample threads, begun by posters exactly like you, with approximately the same budget as you, by people whose desires aren't perhaps as noble as yours (they often hope to shoot kids' soccer games and those awful family gatherings), but who also want to spend about the same amount of money,and who have also done about a month;s worth of armchair research and are considering the Canon T1i, the Nikon D5000, and the Pentax K200D, since all three of those cameras appeal to people who are the target market for inexpensive d-slr bodies with affordable lenses for people who have finally reached the limits of a digital point and shoot and who want a great camera that offers ample user control. You're welcome for asking this question for the 1,056th time,and I hope you can find what you're looking for from one of the three manufacturers who have each spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours studying the needs, budgets,and aspirations of photographers like yourself. I think that Canon, Nikon, or Pentax will have something pretty close to what you need. I would suggest the Canon T1I, or the Nikon D5000, or the Pentax K200D might be exactly what a person like you needs and wants.

scantron · Nov 29, 2009

Wow! You're a total jerk. What a great start here.
Goodbye to this forum and your awful moustache.

ANDS! · Nov 29, 2009

Derrel said:
Gosh, that's great that you're a first-time buyer who wishes to spend less than $1,000 for a low-light d-slr,not for family gatherings or kids' soccer practices, but instead one for low light nighttime, stars/moon/rainy/snowy weather,indoor,landscapes,some portraits and light painting, for a photographer who doesn't like to use flash and who prefers to focus manually most of the time,and who is not a victim of the megapixel marketing and who tends to use his photos for drawing references,and who therefore often crops and zooms his photos for composition. After a month of armchair researching, perhaps you could skim through the past three weeks' worth of posts, where there are ample threads, begun by posters exactly like you, with approximately the same budget as you, by people whose desires aren't perhaps as noble as yours (they often hope to shoot kids' soccer games and those awful family gatherings), but who also want to spend about the same amount of money,and who have also done about a month;s worth of armchair research and are considering the Canon T1i, the Nikon D5000, and the Pentax K200D, since all three of those cameras appeal to people who are the target market for inexpensive d-slr bodies with affordable lenses for people who have finally reached the limits of a digital point and shoot and who want a great camera that offers ample user control. You're welcome for asking this question for the 1,056th time,and I hope you can find what you're looking for from one of the three manufacturers who have each spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours studying the needs, budgets,and aspirations of photographers like yourself. I think that Canon, Nikon, or Pentax will have something pretty close to what you need. I would suggest the Canon T1I, or the Nikon D5000, or the Pentax K200D might be exactly what a person like you needs and wants.

Or you could, yanno, just not post and report the thread if you think it doesn't belong. But I suppose it's better for an obvious ADULT to act like a sanctimonious, sarcastic jerk. Most definitely that will drive the point home to the poster. Oh yea.

Goodbye to this forum and your awful moustache.

Lol - what the cheese.

In any case, all of those cameras you are looking at are going to be better high-ISO performers than the IS. That's just the way it is. If you are however willing to spend 1000 bucks or less, I would look into a refurbished D80 or D90, and couple that with an appropriate lens. If you're trying to do night-sky photography, I would look at some of the F/2.8 lenses, the ones that can go semi-wide to standard length (50 to 60 on the long end). But then your main issue is going to be how the camera handles noise-reduction from long exposures, and what kind of post-processing software you already have.

Battou · Nov 29, 2009

Also bare in mind that a lot of the older dSLRs have noteworthy pixel die out during long exposures that you will have to find and remove from the final image manually.

ANDS! · Nov 29, 2009

Battou said:
Also bare in mind that a lot of the older dSLRs have noteworthy pixel die out during long exposures that you will have to find and remove from the final image manually.

True. I heard this happening on D50's and some D80's. . .dunno about the prevalence of such on newer models since I really don't do any of that nighttime stuff. One or two pixels I could handle (over a year or so) - several at once; yea not so good.

Battou · Nov 29, 2009

ANDS! said:
Battou said:

Also bare in mind that a lot of the older dSLRs have noteworthy pixel die out during long exposures that you will have to find and remove from the final image manually.

Click to expand...

True. I heard this happening on D50's and some D80's. . .dunno about the prevalence of such on newer models since I really don't do any of that nighttime stuff. One or two pixels I could handle (over a year or so) - several at once; yea not so good.

I'm not sure about the really new ones but, I do know and have seen imagery displaying this element over the last year or so. I assume it's something camera manufacturers are working on eliminating but it's one of those easier said than done things. A lot of people misinturpret it as standard noise so the reports are somewhat short in comparison to it's actual prevalence.

scantron · Nov 29, 2009

Thanks for the backup! I did search the archives, but didn't find the specific info I was looking for.
Do either of you (but not moustache guy, unless you all have them, in which case I mean not the Moustache Guy... I'd rather not hear from him) have an opinion on the recent Pentax DSLRs- K200D, K20D, etc.? I'm pretty sure they both offer what I'm looking for, it's just that I don't know anyone that's owned one. That might say something, though...
Also, both the K200D & the K20D have CCD sensors (which supposedly create less noise)- is that more desirable over CMOS?
I'm not looking for a camera dedicated solely to night sky photography, I live in the city so it's never 100% dark outside. I guess I want what all of us noobs want- a pro camera without paying for it! :lol:

ANDS! · Nov 29, 2009

Get a refurbished D90. Any camera made by Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Sony etc. are going to be able to take good photographs. It's the systems and accessories that are going to separate the packs. Invest in either a Canon or a Nikon and save yourself the headache down the line when you want to branch out and find that you are not able to because of the limitations of the line you are working with.

Plato · Nov 29, 2009

scantron said:
Thanks for the backup! I did search the archives, but didn't find the specific info I was looking for.
Do either of you (but not moustache guy, unless you all have them, in which case I mean not the Moustache Guy... I'd rather not hear from him) have an opinion on the recent Pentax DSLRs- K200D, K20D, etc.? I'm pretty sure they both offer what I'm looking for, it's just that I don't know anyone that's owned one. That might say something, though...
Also, both the K200D & the K20D have CCD sensors (which supposedly create less noise)- is that more desirable over CMOS?
I'm not looking for a camera dedicated solely to night sky photography, I live in the city so it's never 100% dark outside. I guess I want what all of us noobs want- a pro camera without paying for it!

The leader in low noise at high ISO values. Of course, you'll also need to buy a lens or two.

Derrel · Nov 29, 2009

Battou · Nov 29, 2009

scantron said:
Thanks for the backup! I did search the archives, but didn't find the specific info I was looking for.
Do either of you (but not moustache guy, unless you all have them, in which case I mean not the Moustache Guy... I'd rather not hear from him) have an opinion on the recent Pentax DSLRs- K200D, K20D, etc.? I'm pretty sure they both offer what I'm looking for, it's just that I don't know anyone that's owned one. That might say something, though...
Also, both the K200D & the K20D have CCD sensors (which supposedly create less noise)- is that more desirable over CMOS?
I'm not looking for a camera dedicated solely to night sky photography, I live in the city so it's never 100% dark outside. I guess I want what all of us noobs want- a pro camera without paying for it!

But...But I has a moustache

Now, I have to admit that my dSLR expeirence is limmited to what I have read over the years. I also neglect reading up on new sensors due to not shooting digital my self. One thing I do know is noise is considerably more prevalent in low light photography. This is common due to High ISO commonly used to capture the lowlight shots, this is one element where film and digital both suffer the same way. If the sensor is confirmed to show less noise than the other then go for it if you can. I'm confident that you are going to have to expariment with the settings to find a good ISO and Shutter speed setting to get ideal results but, that too is common practice. :thumbup:

TJ K · Nov 29, 2009

scantron said:
Thanks for the backup! I did search the archives, but didn't find the specific info I was looking for.
Do either of you (but not moustache guy, unless you all have them, in which case I mean not the Moustache Guy... I'd rather not hear from him) have an opinion on the recent Pentax DSLRs- K200D, K20D, etc.? I'm pretty sure they both offer what I'm looking for, it's just that I don't know anyone that's owned one. That might say something, though...
Also, both the K200D & the K20D have CCD sensors (which supposedly create less noise)- is that more desirable over CMOS?
I'm not looking for a camera dedicated solely to night sky photography, I live in the city so it's never 100% dark outside. I guess I want what all of us noobs want- a pro camera without paying for it!

Hate to break it to you but that mustache guy is very knowledgeable with just about every camera system there is. A simple search anywhere would most likely answer your questions. Read/watch reviews look at sample pictures of high iso results and make you decision from that. We can't tell you what to get.
tj

ANDS! · Nov 29, 2009

Hate to break it to you but that mustache guy is very knowledgeable with just about every camera system there is.

Sadly such information is lost when one condescends and goes overboard with the sarcasm. It in fact has the OPPOSITE effect, as is being demonstrated here. You can be the smartest person in the world, but if you don't know how to talk to people - who is going to listen to you?

scantron · Nov 29, 2009

Battou said:
But...But I has a moustache

That's what I'm saying- it's perfectly alright to have a moustache.

Actually, all Derrel needed to do was point me to his photo blog. There's a ton of great info and well-informed commentary on there! You'd never know by reading it that he's a total ass on this forum.

What gives, Mr. D? You chose to click on my thread, just as you chose to click on all those other noobs' threads and insult them. Why are you reading the beginner's section anyway since you so obviously have great animosity towards them (and their non-searching ways)?
You are a man of great mystery, wrapped in a riddle.

Why such a horrible attitude?