First DSLR purchase advice

[Britain]

ha ha just empty every pocket..good purchase!

[Lawrence]

Thanks Vern, I am excited to finally have the opportunity to take some decent pictures of my daughter's swimming. I feel like I missed out so much with my point & shoot these past few years.

Big thanks to Erik, Daniel, and all who participated in this thread and guided me.

[NAILER341]

That is a great deal on that lens. Congratulations.

[daniel_buck]

That is interesting and seems quite handy, thanks Daniel. It seems that the 60D has a AF-ON button that lets you focus similar to the 1/2 press on the shutter and also a * button. Perhaps this is what you are talking about?

See if there's a custom function that turns the * into the focus button. Try it, I bet you'll like it :-) If it's the same as my camera, when you hit the * button it will auto focus until you let go (even if auto focusing is set to continuous), so it only engages the auto focusing while you have the button held down, and stops as soon as you release. It's quite handy, I love it, have been shooting that way for probably 9 years now.

[The2000Yankees]

So I have decided to take the plunge and purchase my first DSLR.

I have settled on the Sony a57 because it is easier to use for a beginner like me and it is also very fast. But now I have a dilemma on the choice of lenses and I hope you guys can give me some pointers. I can get it with either of the following:

1. Body + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens + 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Telephoto Lens + 16GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card ---> $850
2. Body + 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens + 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Telephoto Lens + 16GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card ---> $900
3. Body + 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 High Zoom Lens + 16GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card ---> $1,200

I really like the convenience of option 3, however there is a big price jump and I don't want to be short sided as I plan to use the camera for other things besides swim meets. Would I miss not have the multiple lenses or would the 18-250 be sufficient? What would you guys recommend? I am starting fresh so I am open to all suggestions.

Here is the link to what I am looking at if you want to see the specs
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto..._Alpha_bundles

I have been a Nikon user since I was 16 and would normally recommend Nikon DSLRs to anyone. However, I realize they are a bit on the expensive end and are more for pros such as myself. (My current weapon of choice is a D3S),. I would like to advise you to get option 2. You can use the 75-300mm for your daughter's swim meet. You won't need to switch lenses for action shots. 75mm is not that much telephoto and you can just shoot from further away if you are shooting objects that are closer. You can switch to your wide zoom when you are taking group shots or something. 75-300 is not a "fast lens" but if you use higher ISO settings, you may be ok. You should also consider getting a 50mm f/1.4 standard lens, which will give a amazing sharpness and a higher latitude for low light situations. I use a 19-200mm f3.5-5.6 Nikkor lens almost all the time.

[The2000Yankees]

Nevermind my previous reply. I just read more into this string and realized that you aren't going with Sony after all.

[The2000Yankees]

Well, congratulations on you new DSLR. You are on your way to become a pro. There are some good photography forums and knowledgebase out there that can help you master your camera. Good luck.

[The2000Yankees]

With Canon your auto outputs to .jpg files. Bad for post processing. Shooting in manual outputs to .raw much better if post processing is required. Nikon and Sony not sure what they output to. Someone at work shot a wedding with a Nikon and sent me the files, they were not raw format. Research what output you require.

You can shoot RAW or Jpg or uncompressed Tiff format with most Nikon DSLRs. I prefer shooting at RAW as it captures ALL the data and can be processed any way you like. Also, RAW files cannot be changed, that is why law enforcement agencies use RAW files for evidence handing.

Nikon uses a proprietary RAW format called NEF RAW and these files need to be post processed (kind of like developing a film) with a software. The person that sent you the RAW files should have post processed them and exported them as Tiff or Jpg files and send you those. If you have NEF Raw files on your hand you can download a free post processing software called Nikon View NX2, open the files in that software, adjust/process and then export the files as Jpg or Tiff to use them.

Here is the link to download View NX2:

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answ...id/61#Anchor-1

If you need any help post processing, you can message me or reply to this post. Thanks.

[daniel_buck]

I agree on the comment about shooting RAW. I'm pretty sure any major brand DSLR can output RAW files (whatever their file type is, NEF, CR2, DNG, and so on). They are all basically the same.

Especially with newer cameras with better sensors and processors, a badly exposed image can often be saved if you have the RAW file. That, and adjusting the white balance and other things is very easy in the raw conversion. You can save presets in most raw converters, so that you process all your images the same, and then go and adjust them as needed.

[Lawrence]

I just bought this http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1126541

So I just received the 50D today, the packing was extremely poor (still making sure everything is ok) and it is not what was advertised. The owner claimed that the camera had 3,712 shutter clicks in his ad, but I hooked up the 50D to my laptop upon receipt and it has 37,839 shutter clicks. That's 10 times the amount and I am not really happy about it. I will contact the seller and ask him for a refund and to take it back, but anything you guys recommend I should do if he tells me to pound sand? File with Paypal?

[NAILER341]

That camera is supposed to be good for 100K actuations. Unless it is in poor physical condition, I'd try to get some money back from him and shoot with it.
It did come with a bunch of extra batteries and other accessories, right?

[daniel_buck]

Yea, if you decide to keep it, there should probably be no problems with the cameras shutter, they can take alot of clicks.

That's pretty lame though, that it was not as advertised. I'd try and get the seller to refund and take it back on principal alone. If he wasn't telling the truth about the shutter clicks (and he was off by a whole lot!) who knows what else he's not telling the truth about, maybe it got dunked in water at some point?

If you decide to keep it, you could always send it to Canon locally in Irvin, and have them check it out.

[Lawrence]

I hear you that 37K clicks is low in the grand scheme of things, but the part that bugs me is him not being truthful about it. I did have a conversation with him and asked him point blank if he was sure of the count, he told me he ran EOS Utility. I also asked him if he was going to mail it priority and insure it, which he did not and my 10-yr old could have done a better job packing it.

I have seen 50D with under 5K shutter clicks for the price he advertised his, so I was going to work things out and ask him to refund part of the purchase price if keep it. If he does, I have a good camera to learn with and if he won't, I'll then file with Paypal.

He mentioned he had the camera cleaned at his place of work, but looking through the view finder I can see a small black spec next to one of the AF points. Is this something that can easily be cleaned by the user or does it need to be done by a local camera shop?

On a side note, I received the lens and this thing is mint and pimp. It is in great condition and I can't wait to shoot with it. That guy on POTN was great to deal with.

Edit: Yes on the extras... 4 batteries, 2 chargers, grip, and hand strap. No original battery cover if I decide to shoot without the grip, so the grip has to stay on all the time.

[NAILER341]

The dust you see may be in the eyepiece. You have to look at a photo to be able to tell if it is on the censor.
I take mine to Canon for cleaning and service. It is a part of the Professional Service package where they do free cleaning and general maintenance.
Good luck on that thing Lawrence!
You might talk to Chris (Dukes69) and see if he wants to get rid of his 50D. He is shooting with my old camera body. I think it had less then 10k on it.

[Lawrence]

Well, I sent the seller an email and filed a resolution claim with Paypal. After a lengthy discussion (he still doesn't admit knowing about the higher shutter count) he offered to refund $100 and I agreed since the camera seems to be working normally. Everyone is happy.

I'll definitely look into the Canon CPS program, thanks for the tip Erik.