Want to buy SLR Like or a prosumer Digital camera , please suggest?

Question

Camera should have nice optical zoom and provision for changing lens .
What about Sony Cybershot DSC H5 ?

Answer 1

About SLR: Changeable lenses, lenses may not be included, some "zoom" and some are fixed. If those are not the case and they're talking about optical zoom, they are not SLR.

About digital: Sony is crap for photography. They don't even make it them themselves, and all the accessories and stuff are proprietary. Sony is fine and all for video stuff, cd players, etc but they are not photographers, they just jumped on the bandwagon to make a buck when digital cameras got popular. Any photo lab technician worth his salt in color correction will tell you sony digital camera lean toward blue pictures. Blah. Go with a brand name that has been in photography for a long time like Nikon or Pentax. I like Canon and all, but I'm really not impressed with their digital cameras until you enter into the really expensive professional lineup. The digital rebel, for example, isn't worth the plastic it's made out of. It's chincy and overpriced for what good it does. With Canon you tend to pay more for the name brand even though it won't make any difference in your picture quality.

Proprietary = pain in the butt. Good luck finding your overpriced accessories for it. Especially with Sony.

Pentax makes a really decent digital SLR with shake reduction for a really good price compared to nikon and canon. That's what I recommend. Pentax has been doing photography for a seriously long time. They have this cool tendancy to pack more features and quality in for less money.

Pentax = much more bang for your buck, still a photographer's brand name, and Pentax accessories are easier to come by because they don't change them for every model.
The remote control I have for my pentax works on any pentax camera that can be controlled by remote. Not just certain models. From a customer service standpoint, they don't leave their customers behind in that sense.
That means next time I upgrade to a bigger better model all my lenses, toys and gadets will still work on the new camera.

Answer 2

The Sony is a great prosumer camera. Another brand to consider is Kodak. The P712 or P880 are great as well. They also have hotshoes for flashes. They also have threads for lens attachments. Nikon has come out with a DSLR that's around $500 as well. That will run a little more than the others, but it is an SLR.

Answer 3

DSC H5 - does not have changeable lens facility. If you are lookinf for starter SLR Nikon D70s would be perfect. Canon EOS - 300D would be equally better.

SLR Cameras are more difficult to maintain as the CCD gets dusted if the lenses are not changed properly. At the same time SLR gives photography a new dimension as you can have a battery of lenses to tackle all sorts of zoom requirements (wide to tele)

Answer 4

I like Alan M's answer. Personally I was recently given a Nikon D80 replacing a lost Nikon D100. I find the Nikon D80 gives me the tools I need to be creative with a camera. You can see some of my photos at http://www.fotki.com/davidgreystahl .

I would like to add that you may not need interchangeable lenses.
If you review photos on a site like http://www.flickr.com/cameras you can see the types of photos taken with different cameras by using their "camera finder" tool.

Great photos can be taken without interchangeable lenses and with less expensive cameras. You do not need 10 megapixels (but again I really like the results I can get with the D80's 10 megapixel). A prosumer camera like a Nikon D80 or Canon XTi will give you the ability to shoot in RAW mode - something I really like but again not necessary for great photos.

The biggest issue is learning to be comfortable controling the two basic controls of the camera: shutter speed and aperture - different cameras give you very different ways to do this.

Going to a camera store and or a friend and trying is essential. Every digital camera (and many film cameras) has a menu type system that lets you configure the camera and change settings, and every camera design makes tradeoffs about where to put what buttons. How it feels in your hand is important, if you aren't comfortable you won't use it - and as you use a camera you'll get more comfortable with its layout.

Finally you need to think about the types of photos you'll normally take. If you are outdoors type person living in a nice climate you'll want a camera with low ISO setting and fast shutter speeds. If you are a night owl taking photos in dark alleys in low light then you'll want higher ISO and image stablization software/hardware to help elimante shake. Fuji makes some cameras with very good low light abilities.

Summary: Taking photographs is a lifelong journey. Have fun, explore, ask questions, and there is no right or wrong answer.

Answer 5

No SLR-like/prosumer camera has changeable lenses (only "real" SLRs do), and they all have large zooms - so your criteria includes pretty much every camera in that segment. :-)

I'm looking for such a camera myself right now, and I've narrowed it down to either the Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd (6MP) or S9600 (9MP). Maybe (but only maybe) the Panasonic Lumix FZ50 (I've been pretty happy with my Lumix FZ3 - but it's time to upgrade.) But the FZ50 probably has too much noise in the images, for my liking.

Both Fujis have excellent image quality (best in this category), with the 6500 probably slightly better/even less noise than the 9600. But the 9600 has some excellent features which are missing on the 6500 - a much better viewfinder (I use this almost exclusively. If you usually use the display, this shouldn't worry you), a display which flips up or down, and a scroll wheel for quickly adjusting shutter speed/aperture. It also starts up in about 0.8 seconds, which is slightly more than a second faster than the 6500. (Worth considering if you don't want to miss any shots because you have to wait for the camera. Depends on what sort of photography you do, I guess.)

The 6500 has a slightly larger display (2.5 in. to the 9600's 2.0 in.) - although with the same resolution - and according to most reviews takes slightly (very slightly) better pictures. (But you really only notice this, if at all, when viewing at 100% on the screen. At screen-size or printed out, you'd never see any difference.)

I had a look at both of them (and the FZ50) at a store today. The FZ50 feels a little "cheaper" than the Fujis, in my opinion. And the 6500 suited my hands a little better, with the 9600 not far behind.

Finally (this is getting a bit lengthy - sorry!), what I like about the Fujis is that they actually look like real SLR cameras. Very professional, so to speak. No one's gonna laugh at your "little compact" when they see you with one of those. In fact, they'd have to look pretty close just to realise that it's not an SLR!

The downside is of course that they're a bit larger than the smaller Mega-Zooms (Canon S3, Panasonic FZ8). But even those don't fit in your pockets, so it shouldn't matter much.

Last but not least - search for some reviews on the net for any camera you're interested in, take a look at sample photos, and have a look at the camera first hand at a local store. (Doesn't mean you have to buy it there - they're usually much cheaper online.)

Answer 6

The Sony Cybershot DSC H5 does NOT have a provision for changing lenses.

In the "prosumer" segment of the market, there are currently five cameras that are available for around $1,000 that are attracting the most attention. You can pick up one of these camera - I like the Nikon - and get a lens with as much zoom as you want. I like the Nikon 18-200 VR zoom lens and will discuss it after I tell you about the cameras.

The February 2007 issue of Popular Photography has an article where they compared the top 10 MP DSLR's.

I took the scores and ranked the cameras similar to the way Formula 1 gives championship points. I just gave 5 for 1st place down to 1 for last place, splitting the difference when cameras tied in their catagories.

They evaluated Image Quality (giving this twice as much weight as anything else), Ease of Use, Control, and System Flexibility.

The final order and my scores are:

Nikon D80 - 17.5 points
- BEST in Image Quality, Control and System Flexibility
Canon Rebel XTi (400D) - 13.5 points
- Tied for best in System Flexibility
Pentax K10D - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Samsung GX10 - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Sony Alpha 100 - 7 points
- LAST in Image Quality, Ease of Use and System Flexibility."

Then again, this is the same magazine that put the Sony Alpha 100 dead last in this comparison named it the camera of the year in the previous issue!

Go to the original question and read the responses for more opinions.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiG00eHyd0oq5b.X7J.jiULzy6IX?qid=20070113133139AAHWJY0

If you want to get the "best" for the real world, consider the Nikon D200 or Canon 30D if you can afford it. For about $300-500 less, look at the results of the recent PopPhoto test and choose from that list according to your taste.

Personally, I use a Nikon D200 and would recommend it without hesitation to someone who has some knowledge of photography. For someone who wants the "best," but is starting with somewhat of an "entry level" knowledge base, I'd suggest the Nikon D80.

There are people out there who will state their preference for the Canon cameras and I will not argue with them. The Canon 30D and 400D are excellent cameras as well.

You would have to visit a camera store or camera department and pick them up and see what you think.

This review is now available online at:

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html

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Consider the popular Nikon 18-200 VR lens. Okay, it's not the world's PERFECT lens, but it is not too shabby. Go here and read Rockwell's review:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200.htm

Go here and look at the sample images. Click on them to view them full screen. If you click at least once in the white space, your cursor will turn into a magnifier when you scroll it back over the image. Click again over the image and it will zoom to 100% size so you can really examine the image.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200/examples/index.htm

"Optically, this lens is the best superzoom we’ve seen, though it’s not compatible with Nikon teleconverters, extension rings, or coupled macro bellows. It also costs about $300 more than third-party digital-only glass. But are extremely rugged construction, unusually well-controlled distortion, and four extra handholdable speeds worth the extra bucks? That, and more."

http://www.popphoto.com/cameralenses/2763/lens-test-nikon-18-200mm-f35-56g-dx-vr-af-s.html

Answer 7

You wouldn't make me buy a Sony camera if you put a gun to my head.

If you're considering getting an SLR camera then go for it, the possibilities are endless (and so is the upgrade path...)

Right now Canon is the undisputed leader in the SLR market for a reason, and their entry level offering is incredibly nice.

Take care!

Ignacio

Answer 8

Go with Canon or Nikon SLR.

Answer 9

your choices are simple - Nikon or Canon

suggest goign to local camera shop and touch/.feel what kinon/canon have to offer