Best camera for what I shoot?

[ryan_tracy]

I like to shoot landscape, rivers, wildlife really anything in nature. I really like the 40d I had the chance to use one and

it was nice. Now they have the 50d is it worth the extra money? Also I has thinking maybe the 5d. Any help would be

great, thankyou

[peter_j2]

Why not look at the specifications for the new Canon Powershot G10 here http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08091702canon_g10.asp#press

[mark_pierlot]

Ryan, get the recently announced 5D Mark II. Because it has a full frame sensor, it will produce images that have

the same "width" as the lenses with which they are shot. And this will be very useful when you're shooting

landscapes.

[benjaminoliverhicks]

I would stick with a crop body if you like to shoot wildlife more than landscapes.

[steven_f1]

The width to height ratio of the 40D or 50D is 4X5. Its a relatively square sensor. In contrast the 5D is a 2X3. It is

more rectangular. When taking wide angle shots I prefer the rectangular formate because it allows some seperation

between forground and background objects (especially when using a narrow aperture for maximum depth of field). So

in my opinion for wide angle full frame is better.

 

The 40D and 50D have smaller sensors so you have the 1.6 lens factor. Which means a 400mm lens will appear to

be more like a 540mm lens. This can be useful when taking pictures of wildlife. However the new 5DMkII has more

pixals so you can crop more.

 

The new 50D and 5DMkII have very high iso settings available. This might be helpfull in low light settings were you

want to freeze the motion of wildlife. The 40D and the original 5D are more limited in iso (3200) which may or may

not be a factor in your decision. For Landscape photography with a tripod I often use 100iso so I would not normally

use the high iso capability of the 50D or 5DMkII. Although I have been in situations were high iso was helpful.

 

Beyond this the cameras get very similar in my opinion. So conside the above and your own style of photography

when making your desicions. For myself it would be the 5D (which I currently have) or the new 5DMkII because I

prefer the full frame sensor. However that said you can get very good images with any of the SLR's Canon offers.

Price might be the biggest factor in your desicion.

[Charles_Webster]

@Steven F

"The width to height ratio of the 40D or 50D is 4X5. Its a relatively square sensor. In contrast the 5D is a 2X3."

 

This is flat untrue. The sensor ratio is 2:3 for all three of the mentioned cameras. Please do not propogate misinformation.

 

<Chas>

[nhut-nguyen]

http://www.adorama.com/ICA30D.html?searchinfo=ICA30D&item_no=1

 

That's the link to Canon 30D body from Adorama for $699 + free shipping brand new. Don't over look it because it has 8mpx sensor, it's much faster and more rugged than any of the Rebel. The 30D is 5 frames/sec vs 3 frames/sec of the 5D which helps a lot in wildlife and sport.

 

"New camera are for the rich, not for the practical" Ken Rockwell, I have to agree with him on that statement.

 

Save your money on lenses, that's where it matters.

[bob_osullivan]

Ryan:

 

I'm going to try to save you a ton of money here. From your question it seems that you are very new to DSLR world. And I doubt very much that you'd need or appreciate the enhancements that any of those listed cameras offer.

 

Too many people go way to far buying the camera and then get a crap lens with it, don't even think about lighting and then wonder why they're not happy with the photos.

 

For just starting out and shooting landscape/nature, I'd suggest the following. I put a * at the end of the items you should start out with. You can get the others later. These can be had for about $1,000

 

Canon XT, or XTi $500 approx. Way more camera than you need right now. *

 

Canon 50mm F1.8 $80 For low light and/or portrait work or when you want to blur the background

 

Sigma 10-20 $500 For landscape shots

 

Sigma 17-70 $300 General walk around lens *

 

Canon 70-300 4-5.6 IS $500 Tele zoom

 

Canon 430EX flash $300 For fill lighting on up close subjects with landscape in background

 

2' off camera flash cable $40 Usually it's better to have the flash off the camera body

 

Bogen Tripod $120 Must have for long exposures of landscapes *

 

cable release $40 Must have again *

 

This will be a very capable and flexible kit for you and cover many of the circumstances you will encounter. All this can be purchased for less than the 5D alone.

[JDMvW]

>>Now they have the 50d is it worth the extra money?<<

 

short answer yes. Not so much for the increased pixel count, but for the other incremental improvements, especially since the 20D/30D camera bodies. Better viewfinder, etc.

 

5D Mk II is a real step forward, and is a superior camera (to judge solely from its specifications, to be sure). Unless you have a bunch of 35mm film Canon EF lenses, there's not as much advantage over the 50D as you might think, however. If you are starting out "de novo", the 50D or even the 40D are good options for the money.

 

But don't overlook the simplicity of a G10, either. It produces nice pictures if you are more interested in results than technology.

[JDMvW]

Oh, while I agree with the "kit" proposed by Bob in general, there are a few suggestions I'd make.

 

for the cable release, Google™ for the Canon code for their expensive release, and you will find clones that are completely copies of them for very much less money.

 

I'm maybe not as hot on the Sigma suggestions, except for the 10-20mm, but would suggest you also consider the new Canon "kit" lenses (18-55 IS, 55-250 IS) for starters.

[hawkman]

"I like to shoot landscape, rivers, wildlife really anything in nature"

That makes it complicated, for the first two you need something like a 5DII with a bunch of wideangles for the third you need a high speed camera with telephoto lenses a 40/50D or a 1D MKIII, and for the latter you may need macro lenses as well (anything includes bugs and small creatures I assume)

[becks_panno]

Ryan I am in the exact same boat as you are. I have spent the better part of 5 hours researchinig, reading, chewing

my nails, and getting a headache over what to do. I have more or less come to the same conclusion as Mr.

O'Sullivan offered up to you. I come from years of shooting 35mm film as an amatuer with Nikons and Canon bodies.

By no means am I a semi-pro or pro..lol.

 

However here is what I have settled on thus far.

 

1. Canon Rebel XSI Body

 

Lenses:

 

1. EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 IS USM

2. EF-S 50mm F/1.4 USM (I'm not going to bother with the 1.8)

 

Flash:

 

1. 430EX or 430EXII

 

I have tripods and filters so I'm all set there (until I find I need something..lol)

 

Memory Cards SD

 

1. Two 8GB SD Cards

 

Ifigure this will run me about $2,300.00.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Becks

[becks_panno]

btw Ryan,

 

Canon is offering a rebate through 10/31/08. Here is the link.

 

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PromotionsAct#top

[peter_j2]

Becks Panno: I think you meant <b>EF</b> 50mm f/1.4 USM. If I had to buy a 50mm again, it would be the 3 times less expensive 1.8. It's disposable.

[becks_panno]

Yes Peter you are correct. I meant the EF 50mm f/1.4.

[becks_panno]

As with most things there are options and I still havn't reached a verdict yet on what to buy :-)

[becks_panno]

For what it's worth I took the plunge into the digital realm and purchased the Canon XSI yesterday.

 

I settled on the Canon EF 24-105mm F/4L IS lens. Although the EF-S 17-55mm F/2.8 is a faster lens, and has some great reviews I couldn't help the nagging feeling that it would not be usable down the line when and if I upgrade to say a 50D body. At some point I would like to get a nice wide angle EF lens for landscapes. I'm just not sure which to get as of yet. I prefer to stick with the Canon lenses so if anyone has a suggestion I would love to hear it.