Camera Labs

Hello everyone,
I need to make a decision on weather to buy one of these three cameras fairly quickly as i am going to Hong Kong for a couple of days and the prices are cheaper over there.

I really would like having video on the SX1 and i cannon afford any better than an entry-level DSLR. It all really comes down to image quality - if the SX1 has nearly as good quality as the entry-level dslr's then i'll go with that - but if i'll be taking allot better images with a dslr then i'd rather that and buy a seperate video camera later down the track as i don't film that much video.

Thanks for your help,
James

In my opinion, dslr will always be better than compatcs (correct me if I'm wrong) and if you want video I think it'll be bbetter to get a video camera coz using video on dslr eats the battery quickly and also the memory...

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Canon EOS 500D

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I've yet to try it for myself, but I've heard that video on DSLRs is yet to be properly implemented in a useful way - no focusing, for example.

If video is important, then i would do one of the following:
1 - get a top quality bridge camera;
2 - a cheap DSLR & cheap video cam/point+shoot
3 - wait for properly functional video to appear on affordable DSLRs

Looks like #3 is our due to time constraints. # 1 is by far your cheapest option.

I suppose it depends on what you want to photograph as to whether to go for # 1 or 2

Manual focus is possible



Like the Canon SX-1 IS
Definitely a good camera and zooming is quite a lot of fun. You can zoom while filming + auto focus. The screen is very nice as well (as it's not fixed like those of these DSLR's) and the picture quality is not bad. The EOS 1000D has the better picture quality but only 3x zoom (kit-lens).

The D3000 doesn't have live view - I'd really miss that.

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone - so this is where i am now...

1) I would not like the AA batteries in the SX1 and would much prefer the Lithium battery in the dslr's

2) And I would really like having video on the SX1

3) And I would like having the huge zoom rather than spending thousands of dollars on new lenses

4) - BUT i still dont have a straight answer on how well this camera performs against the dslr's with stills

5) I am leaning towards a dslr because i want to take my photography further but i dont know with which brand to go with - some people say the Nikon kit lenses are better and that you will have to spend allot of money on a cannon lens to get a good one, but Nikon's customer support is terrible and allot of people complain about the 1000D's annoying menu system...what do you think about this?

6) Here is what camera labs has to say about D300 vs. 1000D...

- Canon’s EOS 1000D / Rebel XS is over a year older than the D3000, but remains Canon’s current entry-level DSLR and hence the main rival for the new budget Nikon. Both the 1000D / XS and D3000 share the same 10 Megapixel resolution, 3fps continuous shooting and the same range from their 18-55mm stabilised kit lenses.

In its favour, the Canon features Live View, a depth-of-field preview facility and comes with free software to remote-control the camera from a PC or Mac, along with a much more sophisticated RAW processing application. In its favour, the D3000 features a slightly more sophisticated 11-point AF system (versus 7-point), a larger 3in screen (versus 2.5in), viewfinder gridlines and a friendlier user interface for beginners.

But for many beginners, the lack of Live View on any new DSLR is a deal-breaker, and crucially as an older model, the Canon has already enjoyed online discounting, making it look competitively priced compared to the D3000 – at least during its first few months on sale anyway.





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I dont think i need live view but i would really not like having grid lines - however, i really like the idea of controlling the camera with your computer, but i am a beginner so i guess the GUIDE mode would help me.


Can someone explain this RAW stuff - why is it no good on the D3000?

Thanks for all your help,
James

See inline




Ultimately, your wants are the following: video, high amount of zoom, low-cost, image quality, next-level-photography.

Looks like your budget is the limiting factor here. I'd recommend that you set a budget, prioritize your wants, and see which wants you can accomplish.

For example, if video and high-zoom is more important than image quality and photography, then your SX1 will be just fine.

If image quality, and creative control of your photography is more important, then an entry-level DSLR will be your choice.

If budget is flexible, and you want video AND good image quality, then take a look at the Panasonic GH1. The "kit-lens" is a 10x zoom. They sell for $1500 USD on amazon.com.

PS: phew that was a long response. But I was in your shoes a few months ago, so I thought I'd offer what I've learnt.

Thanks for your advice - that really cleared some things up for me...

i'm almost certain on the Canon EOS 1000D

but i'll still try the other's out in-store

thanks again,
James

jamesgower ...

Just saw this Kenrockwell review of the D3000 ... not complementary:

http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3000.htm

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Only Nikon
Nikon D80, Nikkormat EL
Nikkor 35mm F/2, Nikkor 50mm F/1.4, Nikkor 105mm F/4, Nikkor 75-300mm F/4.5-5.6

I don't find Ken Rockwell to be a useful source of information to newbies. His views are very polarized, and not fair or balanced at all.

His opinions could still be useful (or entertaining) for someone who are already familiar with photography.

I would take his word as reference and do a bit more research on your own.

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Nikon D700 | 16-35 | 50.8 | SB-600 | OP/TECH PRO

Under what conditions? i.e. are you going to be taking mostly static shots during broad daylight? (e.g. landscapes) And will you be viewing them primarily on a computer monitor (or TV w/ built-in card reader)? Under those conditions, the SX1 should hold up quite well.

It's when you have to compensate for lower light levels by increasing the ISO (e.g. indoor sports) or when you want to make larger prints that the SX1 will start to fall behind the entry-level DSLRs.

HTH - Mark

+1 -- I stopped keeping up with him quite some time ago -- while some information he gives is interesting, he has a clear biased on many fronts that doesn't provide objectivity. ymmv.

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Olympus e-620 / 14-42mm / 40-150mm
Metz 48 AF-1
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My Flickr

i love my Canon 1000D, great into camera imo.

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