dslr

[tarzieboy]

although i,m not too good at managing a camera, i understand focal lengths, depth of field etc, & like my panasonicfz5 & casio 1000, i cannot stop reading about photography & wanting an slr to play about with, i sometimes think i am more in love with the tools( cameras) than with taking pictures. am eargerly awaiting Ian,s review on the olympus e400, as it,s the smallest slr, any of your views or advice would be helpful,, reading the article" fear is good" when taking shots, & to be more adventurous, interests me & tells me to have a go,,, john, p.s getting on a bit in years now, used to develop my own films, many years ago,,, john

[DTD]

Re: dslr

dSLRs are in my opinion a lot easier to use than compacts.
From what you have said I'm sure you'd be happy with any of the current crop of dSLRs.

[tarzieboy]

Re: dslr

many thanks DTD, i love the small dimensions of the e400, but reading the reviews i see that, although the e4oo is dainty, the nikon d50 is said to be easier to use, but i,m still leaning towards the e4oo or the canon xti,,, john

[Ian]

Re: dslr

HI John, just received a production E-400 this lunch time to test and am off to the test studio for some benchmark testing shortly. I'll have some preliminary results very soon.

Ian

[DTD]

Re: dslr

many thanks DTD, i love the small dimensions of the e400, but reading the reviews i see that, although the e4oo is dainty, the nikon d50 is said to be easier to use, but i,m still leaning towards the e4oo or the canon xti,,, john

We have a Nikon D50 at work (in fact we're buying another one tomorrow), it's a perfectly good camera and the Nikon Help Menu is well thought out.
But I wouldn't say it's any easier or harder to use than any other entry dSLR once you put them on 'Programme' mode.

I think a lot of camera choice comes down to personal preference. My friend has a Pentax which he loves because it's small and light. He really didn't like my Olympus E-1, because it's too big for his hands and what I call 'solid' he calls 'heavy'. My brother is thinking of getting a Pentax K10 as his first digital camera largely because he's had Pentax since a SP1000 in the 1970s (although he also mentioned the E400 as a possible, eventhough it's more a competitior to the K100). Personally, I haven't a clue as to why, but I've never considered buying a Canon. Camera choice is a bit more like choosing a car than we'd sometimes admit.

So I think I'm suggesting you should handle the cameras and go with your preference. I don't think there is a 'bad' dSLR on sale and if you can work a compact you will be able to work a dSLR.

Perhaps one thing to consider is both the Olympus and Canon models you mention are a newer generation than the Nikon D50.

[tarzieboy]

Re: dslr

looking forward to the test results Ian, does the e400 seem extra small in the hands,,, john

[Ian]

Re: dslr

The D50 is going to be cheaper by a fair margin, but it's last year's model, is 'only' 6MP and has a small LCD screen. It's decidedly larger than an E-400. Which one produces the better pictures? - can't yet say, though the D50 is an excellent performer in this respect. The E-400 has a more wieldy user interface, I feel. You can get to functions more quickly without ploughing through obscure menus, in other words. The E-400 also feels more responsive to use.

Ian

[tarzieboy]

Re: dslr

sounds good Ian, somehow i feel it,s the e400 for me. hope so,,, john

[Ian]

Re: dslr

I have reasonably large hands and the E-400 doesn't feel at all cramped to use. The almost complete elimination of the extended grip that is obligatory in most other DSLRs is, I feel, a success.

Ian

[tarzieboy]

Re: dslr

thanksDTD, yes i feel shure it will be one of the three e400 canon xti, or the pentax,

[Pops]

Re: dslr

many thanks DTD, i love the small dimensions of the e400, but reading the reviews i see that, although the e4oo is dainty, the nikon d50 is said to be easier to use, but i,m still leaning towards the e4oo or the canon xti,,, john

I can certainly second the comment from DTR.
I recently took up my first dslr and could kick myself for not doing so sooner. Whichever you decide on I'm sure you will not regret the move.