Full frame a necessity??

The beauty is you can rediscover your lens collection should you ever go FF.

Additionally lenses hold their value if well kept and documented (keep everything - box, receipt..) but bodies are more like typical consumer electronics depreciating pretty quickly.

So have you picked a religion? AKA Brand.

-Shea
 
The beauty is you can rediscover your lens collection should you ever go FF.

Additionally lenses hold their value if well kept and documented (keep everything - box, receipt..) but bodies are more like typical consumer electronics depreciating pretty quickly.

So have you picked a religion? AKA Brand.

-Shea

The whole lense thing is something I have been looking into today. I have seen so far (been on and off the computer all day because I have a 5 month old daughter) that the Canon lenses with the "s" designation can't be moved over to a FF body, is that right? Does Nikon have a similar designation, I can't find my nikon catalouge to be able to see right now.

As far as religion... Undecided... I have handled both the D300 and the 50D as far as feel they are both comfortable. From the quick run down I got from the guy at the store Nikon looks user friendly but with that in mind everyone I know shoots with Canon so I will have a ton of people who have been there/done that...
I found what seems like a good deal for the 50D priced at anywhere between $1399-$1599 with a 17-85 lens. The best price I have found so far on the D300 was higher than that without a lense and even though dear husband will let me... I feel bad spending the $$ as it is and that may just seal my fate...
 
That's right, there are 'crop factored' lenses (I should have mentioned that too) that will not migrate to FF. I think this is true for both brands (I shoot Canon, 5DmII).

I'm sure you would be happy with either brand, but it really is a choice you live with for a while... having a friend or two with the same brand could be fun for sharing knowledge and possibly a quick lens demo...

The research can be a *****, so hopefully you can simply enjoy making some exposures real soon.

-Shea
 
... having a friend or two with the same brand could be fun for sharing knowledge and possibly a quick lens demo...
The knowledge was something I had thought about but not the lense demos :) good point

The research can be a *****, so hopefully you can simply enjoy making some exposures real soon.

-Shea

I can't wait! My brain hurts from trying to figure it all out... I just want to make sure I fully understand what I am buying... Thanks for all the help it is so appriciated. We all have "stupid" questions and sometimes I really think that people don't remember how it was to start out
 
I skimmed over this thread but I haven't seen the massive benefit for APS sensors mentioned.

1. Your 200mm is effectively a 300mm still at the same 12mpx resolution. The lens may not perform optimally, but the quality of this combination is eons better than using a teleconverter, which makes an APS camera ideal for nature photography where lenses start getting very long and heavy.

2. Size matters. Getting a lens specifically designed for APS sensors means you get a lens which is very significantly smaller than their full frame equivalent. I am carrying a 18-200mm through Europe at the moment and it would be an incredible pain if it were any larger and heavier.
 
I think it's a bad idea to avoid buying a camera simply because newer and better ones will come out later. Buy what you need now and don't let the future bother you. If you start playing that game, you'll wait forever and you'll never own anything nice.

Buying modern electronics is like trying to cross a river. Most people wouldn't sit by the shore and wait for it to stop flowing before they'd cross; it will never stop or slow down for you. Cross now and get what you can out of it, or waste your time by waiting for it.
 
I think you would be very happy if you got a xsi or 50d, a speedlight and a nice lens or two. That would be a great starting set up that would give you lots of room to learn and grow.

Now stop researching and go get your camera! :)
 
XXD series are faster than anything Canon makes with a FF sensor that's affordable. The 5D and 5D MKII have slower focusing motors and only shoot at a max of 3.9fps. The next ff is the 1Ds series and you're going to pay $3000 for a second gen used camera. The new 1Ds MKIII goes for about $7000 new.

There is the 1D series, which is somewhat affordable as the 1D MKIII goes for about $3000 used. It does 10fps but it has an APS-H sensor with a 1.3x crop and is something like 10mp-12mp. But if you're on a budget, those cameras are a ton of money compared to something like a used 40D that you can get for $600.
 
In my opinion, full-frame sensors are never a necessity. With current sensor and image processing technology, crop sensors can produce incredible low-light photos at high ISO. Full-frame really comes into its own when you're at such a high level of photography, you begin to look at the limitations of your camera rather than of yourself or your lenses. Full-frame is the absolute best of the best of the best, with fantastic clarity and superb high-ISO results, but for the average photographer it's simply not necssary.

Personally, my dream camera would be a D300 (or whatever DX camera comes after that). I love shooting sports and wildlife, and DX helps me get the most out of the lenses I have. Also, things would get a helluva lot more expensive if I decided to shoot sports with a full-frame, going from 400mm to 600 adds another £1500 onto the price, easily.
 
For me lenses and lighting are a better investment than bodies. I would be inclined to get a cheaper body and spend the savings on a good flash and/or f/2.8 zoom(s). I love my 5D, and when I'm pushing the limits in low light I'm glad I've got it, but at ISO 400 or slower I can't tell the difference in 16"x24" prints from my 20D.

It's too bad the 5D mkII is getting such bad press. The better it does the faster the 5D mkI prices fall, and the mkI is a sweeeeeeeet camera, especially if we could get it for $1500 new!
 
In my opinion, full-frame sensors are never a necessity. With current sensor and image processing technology, crop sensors can produce incredible low-light photos at high ISO. Full-frame really comes into its own when you're at such a high level of photography, you begin to look at the limitations of your camera rather than of yourself or your lenses. Full-frame is the absolute best of the best of the best, with fantastic clarity and superb high-ISO results, but for the average photographer it's simply not necssary.

Personally, my dream camera would be a D300 (or whatever DX camera comes after that). I love shooting sports and wildlife, and DX helps me get the most out of the lenses I have. Also, things would get a helluva lot more expensive if I decided to shoot sports with a full-frame, going from 400mm to 600 adds another £1500 onto the price, easily.

I was shooting photos at ISO 6400 last Friday. The look good too. That's not something I could do with my 30D.
 

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