ronbudway

After a ridiculous amount of research I have decided to wait on going

digital. The thing that really made the decision for me was all of the

positive info I have seen on the canon 10D. Though it is sometimes

called a prosumer camera, it seems to be far superior to any of the

5mp cameras in many respects, most importantly in my opinion the

larger chip size. Also, being a rebel owner I asume there will be a

pretty gentle learning curve for me if and when I decide to get a 10D.

My big question at the moment is this: would the canon ef 35 - 80mm

1:4-5.6 I have on my rebel be any good at all on a 10D body? I know

about the multiplying factor of 1-1.6, so I'll lose a good deal of

wide angle, but if I could use this lens I might go ahead and buy a

10D now.

Also, is there a wide angle lens I could buy for a 10D, that would

work reasonably well for not a lot of money? Sorry, I know "reasonably

well" is subjective. My intent is fine art prints, not advertising or

magazine, so I do not think "perfect" image quality is necessary.

Thanks

I appreciate your response Beau, but the cost issue is much more than you think. A prosumer cost 1/3rd what an entry level dslr with a lens costs, not 3/4ths. Also, I took a look at a Nikon D100 and the Canon 10D and was amazed by how large they are. I was expecting something more like my little rebel. Much too cumbersome for me.

As I stated in my original post, I am much more of an art guy than a techie and the majority of opinions I have seen on the top of the line prosumer cameras say that the quality is at least within the general vicinity of a dslr. Technical reviews (steve's, dpreview) point out, for example, how well the Nikon's noise reduction system works and that the 8x optical zoom lens works better than expected. How much would a quality 35mm - 280mm cost for a dslr? That's right, a fortune. Don't misunderstand me, I realize there are definite advantages to the dslr, I just don't think they justify the extra expense for me personally, considering my applications.

By the way, you might check out ebay for deals on darkroom equip. With so many switching to digital there is a ton of really good really inexpensive used darkroom equip out there. When I was teaching B&W I took the opportunity to make a list of everything one would need for a darkroom including a sink and the wood and drywall to make an enclosure in a corner of my cellar. With the ebay prices for equip I think even with the sink you could do it for about $2000. You could even forgo the sink and just put 'em in a bucket of water until you can give them a good rinse in the kitchen sink. I know a guy who does that who has won first place in a competitive local art show 2 of the last 5 years.

Thanks so much for the very helpful feedback. I have considered scanning, but it seems like it would be too tedius for me. I mentioned 16x20 because I have seen where some have claimed a prosumer can do it, but in reality I do not see myself needing that capability. Even if I did, I absolutely agree that the resolution "problems" that would arise could become part of the work.

I plan to print any art pics by taking them to a printshop and having them put on real photo paper. I do not know a whole lot about how this works, but it is my understanding that this is commonly done. I know this could be expensive, but I would only be printing a very select few pics in this manner.

Again, thanks for the help, I am just about ready to take the plunge.

I am interested in using photography for fine art purposes and I am

not sure if I should spend the money to build a darkroom in my cellar

or to set myself up for digital photography. I am a public school art

teacher, I have degrees in studio art and art education, and I tought

B&W photography for a year at a high school. The only gear I have now

is a canon rebel slr with a cheap lens. For the kind of work I do,

mostly aimed at exposing peculiarities of being human through candid

shots, I do not believe resolution is all that important, not

uninportant, but not critical.

My main question is this -- If my intention is to take pics of people

in their environments (and therfore have the "art" be more about ideas

than color or resolution), manipulate the pics in photoshop, and have

prints as big as 16x20 made, will a high end prosumer camera provide

me with enough quality? Digital slr is out of my price range. Having

done a lot of research I am leaning heavily towards a Nikon coolpix

5700. I would hope to be able to market pics at local art shows. Is

prosumer good enough for this, or should I forget about it 'til I can

afford dslr (probably never)?