Is this a good price for this camera ??

[LokoTripper]

One note on that:

Recently my Minolta 7d was stolen. I got around 3500 total for all the loss out of my truck. This included my camera, laptop, tools, water jugs and my 105th jacket.

the money went to pay bills, and get a new camera. i setteled on a Canon 1Ds Mk.1
That Camera is actually 3 years older than my Minolta, and about 12 steps higher in quality. (Do a Google search on the 1Ds.) So I am running a 6 year old camera that dusts my stolen 4 year old camera by leaps and bounds. So your right. Just because its 5 years old doesnt mean its out of date or not good. It just means its 5 years old.

Dude . . . just to settle this , and go out and get this baby hehehe

How good is the Canon EOS 20D in poor light conditions ?? you know those friday biker night out can get really dark and sometimes (if not all the time) I take a lot of night shots

Also is the 18-55mm lens that is included with this camera any good ?? what will be the next best lens for this camera , for a beginner like me ??

 

[Soocom1]

It has a 1600 and 3200 ISO setting. This will create a fair amount of "noise" (lots of funny colors) but with a good flash and ALOT of practice, the pics at the night time rides should come out fine. You'll need to learn flash distance, ISO ratings, et al, and how to use the lens, but you'll be just fine.

The lens is a general all around lens Canon produces for their Lens kits. It'll work just fine. Although its a 3.5, its still a moderately fast lens. (Another bit of learning here..lol)

Get a really good and hot flash for that. 580 ETTL or such. Again..practice, practice, practice.
Read this:
Canon 18-55mm

Oh and for the next lens, I strongly reccomend saveing a bit of money and getting a 70-200 either f4.0 or 2.8. The 2.8 is much heavyer and faster especially for the night shots. But runs around $1200. So save up for that one. I have the f 4.0 and love it.
Lighter weight, and good glass.

 

[UUilliam]

1.Why does the SLR cameras cost more than “regular” cameras ??

They have more functions thus meaning you have better control over how the image will output, It is also better in IQ usually and the fact you can change lens' and get larger Field range (*mm)

2.Is an 8mpx SLR better than a 10 or even 12mpx “regular” camera ??
Yes, put simply
MP is just a measure of how many pixels are inside the image so a 12mp is a larger print size than a 6mp but!! a 6 mp SLR image can be blown about 30 - 50% while retaining IQ whereas a 12 mp normal camera can only be increased 10% with a decent loss of IQ

3.Are my pictures gonna look better just because it’s a SLR camera ??

Nope... you need to learn to use the functions
also it will be larger thus harder to carry with you

4.Does it also depend on the picture taker ??

yes

5.Which of the following would you get and why ??

Personally i say... keep your camera... you use it for the road as it is light, compact and you make a superb photo (judging from the image you uploaded) there is no need for the extra weight on your bike or the bulk of having a large camera on it... the only pros that you would get out of it tbh
Dynamic range will be better, Low light is usually better (but harder to keep still)
Quicker capture (from button to time it takes image)

if you set it to auto it should work okay or even program mode...


The thing about SLR cameras are they cannot record video (except for new models e.g. Canon 5dmk ii, 500D, Nikon d5000, D90 and the new panasomic lumix g1 which i think is rubbish.)

I say just get the nikon coolpix(but buy this camera too if it is goodquality, if its ful lof bumps n scrapes i say stuff it, make sure it has been taken care of so it retains its value so you can sell it on for more or learn to use it.)
but the nikon coolpix should work well for you

 

[LokoTripper]

Thanks for the input dude !!

I am really really looking to make the right decision here :thumbup:

 

[Dao]

One thing I would like to chime in is. In order to fully take advantage of the 20D, there is a little learning curve. But it all worth it. Once you know more about the SLR/DSLR camera in general, you will know why people spend more money on the SLR/DSLR cameras. (as well as lenses )

As for the low light shots, you may want to look for lenses that has wider aperture. (People sometimes refer those lens as fast lens)

The kit lens that came with the 20D is 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6.

In that case, the "Maximum" aperture (F/3.6-5.6) varies with the focal length (18-55mm). Smaller the number, larger the aperture.

Wider aperture lenses such as the one with F/2.8, F/1.8 or F/1.4 are general good for low night photography. And they are usually better optically as well.

Anyway, welcome to the forum and feel free to ask around.

 

[LokoTripper]

One thing I would like to chime in is. In order to fully take advantage of the 20D, there is a little learning curve. But it all worth it. Once you know more about the SLR/DSLR camera in general, you will know why people spend more money on the SLR/DSLR cameras. (as well as lenses )

As for the low light shots, you may want to look for lenses that has wider aperture. (People sometimes refer those lens as fast lens)

The kit lens that came with the 20D is 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6.

In that case, the "Maximum" aperture (F/3.6-5.6) varies with the focal length (18-55mm). Smaller the number, larger the aperture.

Wider aperture lenses such as the one with F/2.8, F/1.8 or F/1.4 are general good for low night photography. And they are usually better optically as well.

Anyway, welcome to the forum and feel free to ask around.

Thanks dude . . . I will be getting the camera tomorrow morning , and as soon as I learn how to use the camera with the included lenses , I will save some money for a better lens , thank you :thumbup:

 

[benlonghair]

Ya the body is only so much of the camera. For example, my D60 cost me $322. The 70-300mm lens I run around with cost me $460.

I don't know much at all about canon, but from all I've seen and heard, look for a 50mm f/1.4 or 1.8. They're fairly inexpensive and good in low light. I personally learned on an old film SLR that had a 50mm f/2.0, which I miss like hell for night shots.

And by the way, the f/?? refers to the width of the aperture. It represents the focal length of the lens (such as 50mm) divided by the number. So an 50mm f/4 would have a max aperture opening of 12.5mm. The only reason I bring it up is it makes it easier for me to remember if I understand how the number is come to.

EDIT: Another thing I wish somebody had told me earlier than I figured it out: A 'stop' is a specific measurement of light. If you "stop down" 1 stop it's reducing the light entering the camera (or the sensitivity of the media, wether film or digital) by half. ISO 100 to 200 is one full stop up. (In other words, you can go from a 1/50th shutter to a 1/100th shutter if you change the ISO up one.)

If you want to a great reference, pick up Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure." It's pretty simple stuff that will make you say "How did I miss that?"

Have fun with your new camera.

 

[LokoTripper]

Ya the body is only so much of the camera. For example, my D60 cost me $322. The 70-300mm lens I run around with cost me $460.

I don't know much at all about canon, but from all I've seen and heard, look for a 50mm f/1.4 or 1.8. They're fairly inexpensive and good in low light. I personally learned on an old film SLR that had a 50mm f/2.0, which I miss like hell for night shots.

And by the way, the f/?? refers to the width of the aperture. It represents the focal length of the lens (such as 50mm) divided by the number. So an 50mm f/4 would have a max aperture opening of 12.5mm. The only reason I bring it up is it makes it easier for me to remember if I understand how the number is come to.

EDIT: Another thing I wish somebody had told me earlier than I figured it out: A 'stop' is a specific measurement of light. If you "stop down" 1 stop it's reducing the light entering the camera (or the sensitivity of the media, wether film or digital) by half. ISO 100 to 200 is one full stop up. (In other words, you can go from a 1/50th shutter to a 1/100th shutter if you change the ISO up one.)

If you want to a great reference, pick up Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure." It's pretty simple stuff that will make you say "How did I miss that?"

Have fun with your new camera.

Thanks dude . . . I will keep you guys posted as soon as I get it , and I will definitely be around as I really want to learn to shot my camera the right way

 

[IgsEMT]

Tripper:

1.Why does the SLR cameras cost more than “regular” cameras ??
VERSATILITY & Control
2.Is an 8mpx SLR better than a 10 or even 12mpx “regular” camera ??
Better? it depends on what you'll be getting - with an 8megapix you can print 16x20' Mpix.com - Help
3.Are my pictures gonna look better just because it’s a SLR camera ??
look at #4
4.Does it also depend on the picture taker ??
Y E S
5.Which of the following would you get and why ??
The only thing I like about P&S is the fact that they are small. Otherwise, I'm an SLR fan. I like the way Nikon feels in my hand. I've work with both Nikon and Canons and LOVE the Nikon feel. Its like ice cream. I love chocolate and Nikon is my chocolate.


·Is an SLR camera for me ??
20d is a great camera. One of my friends and a coworker uses it as a backup body at weddings and uses it to photograph his kids
·How did you knew you needed an SLR camera ??
I wanted more control of my camera along with versatility
·I do plan to start printing my pics , is COSTCO a bad place to do so ??
print one and see what it looks like.
·How do I know if I need lens or special lens ??
for beginner and what you described your 18-55 is more then enough
·How do you pick which lens you need ??
That is based on what I'm shooting

·Is that a good price ??
20d | B&H Photo Video
Figure lens is another $100, 4gig card is another $20.

·Would you get this camera instead of a brand new one ?? (most important question of all . . . )
That depends on my budget and my purpose and only you can answer that Q.
·Or would you get one from my list ??

·Is this camera better than the 3 I listed ??
HELLZ YEAH

Good Luck with your purchase
Joe

 

[Boutte]

So did you get it?

 

[LokoTripper]

So did you get it?

unfortunately no . . . the guy backed from the deal , so it is not gonna happen , to bad , I was really really excited about this camera , and the thing is that I do not have a big budget , basically I am looking for a great camera (preferably an SLR digital) for $400.00 or less

 

[UUilliam]

If you really want a DSLR instead of a compact camera (which tbh i think is more suited to you for if your on the road it is easier to carry)
I would look into an Olympus e-420
there isn't many lens' for it though but it should work well for you
Olympus E-420 Kit (14-42mm lens)£289.99
Olympus E-420 Kit (14-42mm lens) from £289.99, UK Specialist Price Comparison Site, Camera Price Buster
Thats for Uk residents, but its a basic guide to how much your looking at tbh.

 

[Dao]

So did you get it?

unfortunately no . . . the guy backed from the deal , so it is not gonna happen , to bad , I was really really excited about this camera , and the thing is that I do not have a big budget , basically I am looking for a great camera (preferably an SLR digital) for $400.00 or less

Man .. I hate it when that happen. Keep looking around. You may find a great deals next time.

 

[IgsEMT]

Take a look at B&H, Adorama, focusCamera - see what they have in used dept. Might be worth it. Ebay might work out ok too.

 

[CW Jones]

I would say to jump on that deal if you already haven't. I go the 30D which is ony a little newer than that and has a few more features that make it worth the extra money I paid for it. If someone I knew had a 20D for sale with lens and everything as you described it, I would jump on it and pick it up as a second camera! haha especially for $350.

If you learn some of the controls and features it can be a great camera and turn out some really amazing pictures that you will be very happy with!