Over the weekend I had problems with my camera. Now it’s time for a new one. Around here I don’t have many options to look at cameras in person, so I ask the Dopers for their opinions. I’m looking for a dSLR. The primary specification is that it must have 2 memory card slots, one of which has to be SD. The only other specs that are required are that it will record in RAW format and the lens mount system has a long zoom (35mm equivalent of 400mm or greater) available.
Most of the other specs aren’t so important. Video? Doesn’t matter; I’m not going to be the next de Mille. Resolution? Everything today has far more megapixels than I want. (I’d like 8 megapixel but that boat sailed years ago.) Scene shooting? Nope, I use Aperture Priority most of the time.
Lacking a better term, the “system” (i.e. APS-C, 4/3rds) is not so important. Image quality is. I travel a lot and found full-frame cameras are too big and heavy for me to carry around all day. The Nikon D300 and Canon 7D are about the physically largest I’d want.
Given all that, what would you buy if you were me?
What’s your price range? Most of the specs you’re looking for are pretty standard starting from the most basic dslr. Where it gets a bit more rare is the dual memory card slots. I know the Nikon D7000 has dual SD slots, and it’s pretty reasonably priced, but other ones I know of with dual slots get expensive very quickly. If there are other less expensive ones that have dual slots I don’t know about, hopefully someone else will come along to add them to the list!
The Canon 7D only has a Compact Flash slot. The Canon T3i only has SD. The Nikon 3100/5100 only have SD. Are these deal breakers? It seems most cameras these days have dropped the dual memory card formats. If you really want SD cards, pretty much all but the professional level full-frame cameras have gone to SD.
If image quality is your main concern I’d consider the Canon T3i or the Nikon 3100/5100. The smaller 4/3rds systems are good, and they have some nice features, but they don’t sound like they add any advantage for you at a higher price with fewer lens options.
Why do you need two slots? I’ve have two digital DSLRs and never needed more than one – you can carry spare memory cards in your camera bag, and swop them in easily when you need to.
Most professionals want the ability to dual record to two cards, makes for redundancy in a paid shoot when delivering the goods. Should one go bad, not unheard of, you have the other one.
Good question. I use an Eye-Fi to get pictures into an iPad while I’m taking them. I’d program the camera to write JPG’s to the SD slot containing the Eye-Fi and the RAW to the other memory card. Having the RAW files go to the iPad takes too much time and is a waste of the iPad’s memory.
At this point, budget isn’t a concern. The only cameras out there that are out of my price range seem to be full frame, which I don’t want because of the size and weight.
I believe only the canon full frames have the dual slot, the lower tier canons are either SD or CF but not both. I have an eyefi card as well and I figured buying the cheapest rebel possible would be easier than finding a CF converter to put the card into, let alone why eyefi in their infinite wisdom never thought to actually market a CF version of the card.
I never understood the lack of CF Eye-Fi, too. Seeing that professionals pay quite a bit more for other wireless solutions, it seems an obvious market segment. Anyhow, having the Eye-Fi stream to the iPad, I can see immediately if I’ve gotten the focus/depth of field correct.
Not only that, but they are going to be losing the low end point and shoots and it will probably be on the newest crops and full frames as well. All they are going to have is the legacy market to sell to.
Nikon D7000 is probably your best bet. It meets your needs.
FWIW, I narrowed my choice down to Nikon D7000, Canon 7D, or Pentax K5, and I’m going with the K5. It doesn’t meet the dual card requirement, but it has the best APS-C DSLR image quality, best low light performance, it’s also the most compact DSLR, but also the most sealed/ruggedized. It lacks the dual card option but otherwise it’s regarded by a lot of people as the best APS-C DSLR there is - and it’s cheap. Through the end of the month, there’s a $300 instant manufacturer’s rebate that puts the body price at $1000.
It looks like I’m ditching the dual-card requirement. None of the options are doing anything for me. I guess I’ll just shove the SD card into the iPad and check the focus that way.
Telemark, you mention the smaller 4/3rds. Do you have any specific suggestions? The size is great for travel and I don’t need a lot of lens choices. I usually keep only a long zoom and a short zoom and maybe a lens tube.
Have you used the D7000, SeniorBeef? I’ve not been impressed with the focus accuracy of the D300S (necessitating the use of the Eye-Fi) nor the noisy pictures at low ISO’s in bright light. It takes great shots after dark but give it a bright sunny day at ISO 200 and noise is noticeable. Very odd.* I took a look at the K5. I see why you like it and I may end up getting it. I’ve had cameras with in-body stabilization before. In my opinion, in-body stabilization is better than in-lens. Have you held it and used it or are you judging based on reviews?
Confession time: the D300S is my former camera. I tried replacing it immediately with another D300S. Everyone locally was out of stock, saying a replacement model is coming. Since immediate gratification is out, I figured I’d check out the field before hitting B&H or Adorama. I’m glad I did. You all have provided me with food for thought.
The 4/3rds and other EVIL cameras (Electronic Viewfinders, Interchangeable Lenses) have some nice models. In particular, I think the Panasonic GX-1 is a very nice camera. But I think it works best with a relatively small lens to pair with the small camera body. If you are going to put a big honkin’ lens on it the major advantage of the camera is lost. The crop sensors from Canon and Nikon are bigger than the 4/3rd sensors, which generally translates to better image quality and at lower cost with more lens choices.
The D7000 is the same sensor as the K5 for all practical purposes, I think all current APS-C cameras that are 16mp are using the same Sony made sensor, which is pretty much the best available at less than full frame.
D7000 AF was specifically mentioned as being better than it in the K5 review on DPreview as well, and there are very limited options for 300mm+ lenses in Pentax. My friend uses the D7000 for birding, and he loves it. I use a Canon 7D.
If you already have Nikon lenses and/or familiarity with the system, Id say you’d want some awfully compelling reasons to switch. I would not agree that in-body is better than in-camera other than for cost savings, and have used both - it gets less effective for longer lenses, where its needed most.
One other system to look at might be the new Sony cameras like the SLT-A57.
Basing it on the reviews, but I’m going to order one over the next few days while the $300 rebate is still in effect. Price goes up $300 instantly on April 1, so order now if yuou want one.
Anyway, I’ve heard in general the K5 autofocus is less sophisticated than the D7000 - it’s 39 AF points vs 11, which isn’t necesarily conclusive. I’ve heard that Pentax is generally more accurate (sometimes slower, depending on lens) on static targets, but that the Nikon is better for moving targets.
I like in-body stabilization - the other poster is correct in that it’s not as effective at telephoto shots because if your lens is providing the stabilization, then your viewfinder image is stabilized, but with IBIS only the sensor is stabilized, so the viewfinder is jumpy. But of course the main benefit of IBIS is that it works for any lens. You can buy 30 year old manual glass and have it stabilized. You can buy wide angle lenses and have them stabilized (pretty much no wide angle lenses come with stabilization - it’s less necesary, but then you can get down to very slow shots in low light with the stabilization).
D7000 would be my second choice for a new camera so it’s not bad. Pentax does edge it out in image quality- they do use the same sony sensor, but each manufacturer uses their own mount/internal filters/digital-analog converters/etc. and the K5 tests out slightly better than the D7000 across the board. Pentax also applies less noise reduction at high ISO and retains more detail, which creates a better result that gives more post-process flexibility.
Plus Pentax just has some cool stuff you don’t find in other cameras - they don’t cripple their features at all to make sure a camera isn’t too powerful for its intended price range, they have more customization, more stuff is on a physical dial rather than in a menu, they’re more compact and more rugged, they have TAv mode - you set the aperture and shutter speed, the camera sets the iso - I have no idea how no one else has this mode since it seems like I’d do a ton of shooting in it. If you like primes, Pentax is definitely the way to go because they specialize in very good, very compact primes. I’m thinking of getting the 40mm limited which is about the size of a lens cap. Ridiculously compact system with great image quality there - it’d match most 4/3 cameras in size and crush them in image quality.
