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Here are the four cameras I have collected so far.
El Primero
This one belongs to Pete. I thought it was my fault the door broke on theD-65 he had. So I just upgraded the camera to this one. (What an upgrade! lol)

(Haven't named this one for some reason)

The Baby

Big Boy

I'm jealous of your Yashica!




Ian

I shoot with a D200, 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lense, SB-800 Speedlight. Most of you guys have probably already seen my shots in the Creative Photography topic, but if not you can check out my Flickr as well. The camera is not actually mine as I share with my dad, but I try to use it as much I can.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkyend/

wow, can't believe i didnt list my stuff here:

i have a canon rebel XTi:


canon 50D:


and four lenses:


canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS, canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5, canon 50mm f/1.8

looking at buying the behemouth 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens after i save up some more. will likely sell the 70-300 to help pay for it.

I have a Sigma SD14

I also have that 17-70 lens which is also in picture. Then I have Pentax-M 50mm f/2 for it also. It's nice that K-mount lenses does fit in SD14 without any adapters

Then I have flash-unit for it, the Sigma EF-530 Super.

Hopefully soon I have enough money to buy a battery grip. Also I would like to buy a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens for it. Maybe I go for K-mount lenses but those aren't cheap either, at least those what I would like to have, like 135mm f/2.5 or 24mm f/2.8. Then there is also the M42 world. M42 mount adapter isn't not so expensive, but there are so many lenses that I can't keep on track which is good and which isn't. At least I would like to have Pentacon 135mm f/2.8, so called bokeh-monster with it's 15-blade aperture. Also the Helios 40-2 would be nice.

Canon EOS Rebel XS (1000D) w/ Canon EFS 18-55mm IS kit lens
Canon EF 70-300mm III
I wish my zoom had IS, but maybe later I can sell this one and with some extra cash get something a little more versatile.


EDIT: I also still have this...

but I want to sell it and help create that "extra cash" I was talking about.

This post has been edited by Alex on Jul 26 2009, 04:58 PM

if you want a nice all-in-one, the canon EF-S 18-200 IS is a nice choice. it runs anywhere from 500-600$ depending on where you get it. its got great focal range; hitting wide angle to telephoto in a single lens. it has a little distortion in the wide end, and the zooming and AF functions arent as smooth since its not a USM, but it does have Image Stablization and is great for walk-around versatility. you could sell both the 75-300 and the 18-55 to help cover the cost. if you don't need wide angles, the EF-S 55-250 IS lens is another nice one, and runs considerably cheaper at 200-300$. taking full 200-300mm zoom shots without a tripod is tough, especially when you're limited to f/5.6 at that range (which would require longer exposures compared to like an f/4 or f/2.8). IS greatly helps when those lower f/stops arent available.

also, sigma and tamron make similar 18-200mm lenses for cheaper, but i've personally never had experience with anything other than canon brand lenses.

check out http://www.adorama.com and bookmark it, because you will likely buy most of your stuff there.

This post has been edited by am3pkcet on Jul 26 2009, 08:02 PM

Those super-zooms just suck hard. If you wanna have better lenses, buy a constant aperture lens, like Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 or Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, then a quality telephoto lens like Sigma/Tamron 70-200 f/2.8, Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 or Canon 70-200 f/4L. Yes, they are more expensive but you will not be dissapointed. If you don't wanna buy a whole new army of lenses, then buy a 50mm f/1.4 from Sigma or Canon. Sigma is better from f/1.4->f/2.8 clearly..

they are a LOT more expeisve and not nearly as versitile. what those 18-200 and 55-250 lenses are for is to be an all-in-one for someone who doesn't want to carry around 4 lenses and have to change them every time you need something outside of their specific use. not to say these lenses are bad by any means (and i will be likely picking up canon 70-200 2.8L IS sometime soon), but they are not designed for entry-level use, they're for the dedicated who doesnt mind dropping $1,000+ on a single lens. Alex specifically asked for something more versitile and prefferably with IS, which is what both those EF-S lenses are. all lenses exist to fit a certain market need. some people need a lens with a huge focal range. some people need a top notch quality prime or specialty lens. thats the beauty of having a market full of lenses, you can pick and choose what fits your needs and your budget.

and while i've had no personal use, i've read many comparisson reviews that sigma and tamron lenses don't have the quality of canon L lenses, and are about on par with mid-range canon glass in term of slightly poorer construction and build quality. glass quality was OK, but again, not quite up to the L glass. i tend to stay away from them and have no problem paying for nice canon lenses.

</rant>

This post has been edited by am3pkcet on Aug 5 2009, 03:59 PM

sony dslr a200.
pictures ive taken are here:
album 1
album 2
album 3

Well, the majority of even more enthusiastic amateur photographers have a hard time even considering anything in the L-series. Sigma and Tamron are right on par as far as quality on most other lenses our "demographic" would be looking for.

However, Alex, I cannot stress this enough: spend the maximum amount of money you can on each lens. The better the glass the better your pictures. No argument.




Ian

apparently i found out just today that the software that came with my camera was actually usefull! the EOS utility allows remote control of my cameras; including live feed from compatible cameras like the 50D. most all settings can be controlled remotely from the computer as well as being able to zoom in on large video previews on the monitor itself! how cool is this?! i only wish i knew about it sooner. it serves as a motivator to transform my garage into a studio! lol

Yeah! It was a week or 2 before I even installed the software, but I found these features right away and had some fun with them.

Lucky guys! Pentax doesn't have any equivalent software that I know of. :/




Ian

Yeah, it's no secret us Canon guys have a few more goodies than Pentax, but don't let it discourage you! Be PROUD of your Pentax!

yeah, the only real reason i initially went with canon was that it seemed to be the most ubiquitous camera. several years ago in my intro photo class, the professor, 3 out of 4 TAs, and about 2/3 of the students in class all had canons. most of the rest had nikons, and a handful of people would have odd offs like sony or olympus. it made my decisions pretty easy: the more of something means the more support for something. after looking into it and finding out canon is "the official camera" of many sport series' i felt even more comfortible with my choice. but there is just an unbelievably amount of accessories, software, lenses, and support for canon bodies; to the point where quality was a negligible differenct from its competition (though recent models like the 50D and 5DmkII seem better in many areas over its rivals; according to reviews. in fact if it werent for the low burst fps, i'd go so much as to say the 5DmkII is the best affordable full frame camera currently available).

wow... i got a bit off there! lol.

Someone should help me find a good wide angle, some distortion preferred. A wide or fish axillary may also be a possibility. I think these would be a looot of fun to use at shows, the skatepark and the rare chance I get a decent car to shoot. I'm pretty budget minded and I'd like to stay well under $300. Has to fit an EF/EF-S mount.

super wide lenses (especially for crop sensor bodies) are gonna run really pricy. your only real options are gonna be the canon EF-S 10-22mm (which i have, and absolutely love) or the sigma 10-20mm. the nice thing about the sigma is that it can be used on full frame cameras, while the 10-22 canon can only be used on crop sensor bodies.

the 10-22mm lens on a crop sensor equates to about 16-35mm on a full frame. so if that 10-20mm sigma is used on a full frame, it would be the equivelant of using a 6-12mm lens on a crop sensor. in the process though, it introduces large distortion and vignetting.

the point is that to get super wide on a crop sensor you NEED the 10-15mm range, and those lenses will run 500-800$ depending on brand and condition. i found the sigma listed on adorama for about 480$.

Yeah, in my research after that post, Sigma and Canon's 10-22mm are exactly what caught my attention. One thing I did was rummage through wideangle pictures in Flickr and figured out what lens was used in the ones that had the distortion I like. All were 10-22s.

Nikon D60 kit. Wooo nikon users unite!

to choose between the sigma and canon, it depends on what your future plans are and your budget. i think the canon has a better build quality, but good things have been said about the sigma as well. here's a pic i took of a gigantic tree in balboa park:





so i don't really see any vignetting at all at wide 10mm (though, was shot at f/9) and distortion is mostly minimal; limited to the outside corners.

here's a review of the canon: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews...ens-Review.aspx

i've had no personal experience with the sigma other than holding it in a store.

This post has been edited by am3pkcet on Aug 21 2009, 10:22 AM

That actually looks like a good bit of distortion from everything outside of the reach of the branches. I kinda like it.

You would get a better sense of the distortion if you took a picture of a building or something that has lot's of vertical and horizontal lines, making sure the keep the camera completely level and around 6' off the ground.

EDIT: Also I think the Sigma 10-20mm is around $500. :/ However, I would advise to just wait until you have enough money to buy the Sigma 10-20mm. I have heard so much good about this lens and I have done a fair amount of research on these wide angle lenses.




Ian

This post has been edited by BOZZ Savage on Aug 21 2009, 11:48 PM

The thing about me is, I definitely have the money to buy these things, so my actual "budget" is much larger than what I'm willing to spend. I'm definitely Scot. I found a pretty decent 20" LCD monitor for $100 and I'm still hesitant to get it.