Banon
Contributor
Hi all,
So I've decided to take the plunge from P&S to DSLR and have been investigating choices on the internet... and there are a LOT of choices and a lot of opinions. I'd like some ideas on what you experienced DSLR users might choose if you were buying a completely new setup in the next 6 months.
It will probably help if I give you my thought process, so here it is.
My motivation to move from P&S to DSLR is picture quality, pure and simple. I don't think there is any other reason to change. P&S wins (however slightly) on size, weight, cost, and ease of use. DSLR wins on picture quality.
That said, my primary DSLR shopping criteria is size and weight... but I still want the best picture quality possible. Call me fickle.
Back to P&S for a minute, I checked out the Canon G9. It's a tempting option in a slightly smaller package, but it's not really that much smaller than the Oly 410, the Canon 400D, or the Nikon D40x. Of course all of those DSLRs have a lense that sticks out several inches in front. The housings are also a little bit bigger, but some are close enough to the G9 sizes that I'm comfortable with the difference.
I mostly like to shoot macro, but I will definitely buy a "general purpose" lense and port for non-macro dives.
If I'm honest with myself, I'm a lousy photographer. I like to play, and I take shots that make me happy (I've got a smiling spotted eagle ray pic that always makes me smile back), but when I look closely at the shots I take with my Sea&Sea DX3000 and now Oly SP-350, I don't get anything close to the amazing quality of the shots I see posted on this site... but I want a new toy to try.
I like live view and haven't decided, yet, that I have to give that up with a move to DSLR.
The SeaTool housing for the Canon 400D looks like the smallest housing currently available for a fairly current DSLR. Is there another DSLR housing that is close in size?
I'm also a bit curious if Canon might not introduce a 500D in February of '08, and that it might have live view like the recently introduced 40D. I can afford to wait and see.
I have no brand loyalties or pre-existing equipment that will influence my decision. Both my strobes are Sea & Sea YS-25s, so I plan to buy a new strobe as well (probably just one).
My self imposed budget is about $5000.
My timeline to have everything is May 1, 2008. Our next big trip (North Sulawesa, Indonesia) is soon after.
So enough about me. If you were in the position to buy a new DSLR setup in the next 6 months with a budget of about $5000 US, what would you get?
So I've decided to take the plunge from P&S to DSLR and have been investigating choices on the internet... and there are a LOT of choices and a lot of opinions. I'd like some ideas on what you experienced DSLR users might choose if you were buying a completely new setup in the next 6 months.
It will probably help if I give you my thought process, so here it is.
My motivation to move from P&S to DSLR is picture quality, pure and simple. I don't think there is any other reason to change. P&S wins (however slightly) on size, weight, cost, and ease of use. DSLR wins on picture quality.
That said, my primary DSLR shopping criteria is size and weight... but I still want the best picture quality possible. Call me fickle.
Back to P&S for a minute, I checked out the Canon G9. It's a tempting option in a slightly smaller package, but it's not really that much smaller than the Oly 410, the Canon 400D, or the Nikon D40x. Of course all of those DSLRs have a lense that sticks out several inches in front. The housings are also a little bit bigger, but some are close enough to the G9 sizes that I'm comfortable with the difference.
I mostly like to shoot macro, but I will definitely buy a "general purpose" lense and port for non-macro dives.
If I'm honest with myself, I'm a lousy photographer. I like to play, and I take shots that make me happy (I've got a smiling spotted eagle ray pic that always makes me smile back), but when I look closely at the shots I take with my Sea&Sea DX3000 and now Oly SP-350, I don't get anything close to the amazing quality of the shots I see posted on this site... but I want a new toy to try.
I like live view and haven't decided, yet, that I have to give that up with a move to DSLR.
The SeaTool housing for the Canon 400D looks like the smallest housing currently available for a fairly current DSLR. Is there another DSLR housing that is close in size?
I'm also a bit curious if Canon might not introduce a 500D in February of '08, and that it might have live view like the recently introduced 40D. I can afford to wait and see.
I have no brand loyalties or pre-existing equipment that will influence my decision. Both my strobes are Sea & Sea YS-25s, so I plan to buy a new strobe as well (probably just one).
My self imposed budget is about $5000.
My timeline to have everything is May 1, 2008. Our next big trip (North Sulawesa, Indonesia) is soon after.
So enough about me. If you were in the position to buy a new DSLR setup in the next 6 months with a budget of about $5000 US, what would you get?