OMG I've gone digital.

[MattHunt]

Well I've taken the plunge and a D300 is sitting beneath the desk.

I have to admit that I am still not convinced that this is the smartest thing I've done since I managed for 20 years with a film SLR so I've barely touched the packing. Of course I might just be in shock and the feeling will wear off once I start to browse _{the 400 page manual....}

[James Wheeler]

The more sophisticated film SLRs always had chunky manuals too

To be honest, I had no idea that you weren't already digital! Luddite!

Nikon though?

[MattHunt]

The more sophisticated film SLRs always had chunky manuals too

To be honest, I had no idea that you weren't already digital! Luddite!

Nikon though?

I am! I about 3 years away from being a Leveller I suspect.

I am already 'in' the Nikon system although I shoot a lot of stuff on old M42 Pentax's having inherited a bunch of gear when Dad died and having some gear already.

I did consider switching from Nikon to either Pentax/Samsung or the Canon 450D but I do find the ergonomics and controls less intuitive than Nikon and the Samsung and I'd have lost out on changing lens mounts, especially when switching the Sigma 100-300.

Of course now  have to wait until Amazon deliver my memory card Until then I've a very expensive door stop.

[James Wheeler]

Ah. memory cards You'll need a few of them

Someone said somewhere else: DSLR = Don't Shoot Lots of Rubbish You will enjoy the freedom to experiment without the cost of film processing though, I certainly did when I bought my first DSLR last year, in fact those very costs are the reason I had to give up the photography side of things many moons ago!

The D300 does look a nice model and definately worth staying put if you have a bunch of lenses that will fit already!

[Darren Harbar]

Well I've taken the plunge and a D300 is sitting beneath the desk.

I have to admit that I am still not convinced that this is the smartest thing I've done since I managed for 20 years with a film SLR so I've barely touched the packing. Of course I might just be in shock and the feeling will wear off once I start to browse _{the 400 page manual....}

Wahey - well done Matt! The D300 is an excellent choice too!

Looking forward to seeing lots of pictures now!

Darren

[MattHunt]

Thanks!

Since Mrs H is away during the summer for ELEVEN WEEKS I think I might be at one or two or three airshows. I might even get once decent shot - but as James rightly points out I can now make a total horlicks of exposure, focus and composition for free.

[paul b]

        Hello Matt,
 
 
                         I thought i was the only person in the world without a digital camera until recently buying one.
                        I've only gone for a compact, Panosonic TZ3, which far outstrips my ability, thought a DSLR would
                       be wasted on me. Thankyou to Darren for the advice at the gathering and in his magazine.
                      Next thing to master is posting photos, well if they're half reasonable !!
                     
                      When i once mentioned Nikon on here, That young James Wheeler replied " Canon old boy "   

                                                 Regards Paul (slowly creeping into the 21st century) B .   
                   

[Darren Harbar]

        Hello Matt,
 
 
                         I thought i was the only person in the world without a digital camera until recently buying one.
                        I've only gone for a compact, Panosonic TZ3, which far outstrips my ability, thought a DSLR would
                       be wasted on me. Thankyou to Darren for the advice at the gathering and in his magazine.
                      Next thing to master is posting photos, well if they're half reasonable !!
                     
                      When i once mentioned Nikon on here, That young James Wheeler replied " Canon old boy "   

                                                 Regards Paul (slowly creeping into the 21st century) B .   
                   

Times are changing Paul - it's fast becoming a Nikon revival - but not for me just yet!! 

[James Wheeler]

I see Andy Rouse has taken the plunge and gone Nikon!

How do their longer lenses fare focus speed wise etc Darren?

[ROBH]

Hi all, one of our friends has his own blog site and he's just bought one too.
Gave me a little guided tour around it, great piccies and looks great.
http://imagespike.wordpress.com/

[MattHunt]

So far I am smitten with the auto focus on the thing, and its rendition of colour seems pretty to good (given my red/green colour blindness I am open to suggestions     )

Probably going up to the Marathon this w/e so will see what happens then.

The weather proofing seems OK - it still works after Sunday's snow!

[MikeKippes]

I am truly hoping that a digital SLR is to not be wasted on me. 

After many years of thinking of myself as a low tech geezer I have taken the plunge with a Canon Rebel xti and am slowly wading through the manual - can't wait for flying season, as our Labradors are getting tired of me bugging 'em to stay still while I'm figuring out buttons.

Hoping to be somewhat competent with this by (and looking forward to) the weekend of the supporters' gathering,
Mike

[MattHunt]

I am truly hoping that a digital SLR is to not be wasted on me. 

After many years of thinking of myself as a low tech geezer I have taken the plunge with a Canon Rebel xti and am slowly wading through the manual - can't wait for flying season, as our Labradors are getting tired of me bugging 'em to stay still while I'm figuring out buttons.

Hoping to be somewhat competent with this by (and looking forward to) the weekend of the supporters' gathering,
Mike

Somebody at work wanted me shot them how their 350D worked last year - without the manual. After about 2 lunchtimes of trial and error it suddenly 'dropped into place'.

 In my very humble opinion (   ) the hardest part is translating that Y Manufacturers '3D enhanced logical stepped exposure  coverage system' actually means: "Once you've pressed THIS button, the camera automatically brackets the exposure, thus allowing you to bracket shots easily - just you could before we took aperture rings off our lenses!"

[SoundmanJohn]

Well, my ebaying of my old analog camera bits and pieces has gone a bit better than I thought, so now I'm totally torn about which DSLR to get. I know that Canon currently has the best glassware, but I'm not really in that league/price range at the moment, so my first purchase will be something with a kit lens. I was pretty much sold on the Nikon D60, which seemed to offer most of what I need (good low light behaviour and low noise at high ASA settings along with spot-metering) at quite a decent price, but then I find the Canon D450 might just squeeze into my price range as well. Or I could go second-hand and get a decent long lens as I'm not MegaPixel mad. Anyone got any suggestions? Top whack that I can spend is likely to be around £475 if the ebay gods continue to smile.

Thanks for any advice.

John

[MattHunt]

I would get thee to a camera shop (nunnery's are really bad for camera advice)    and start handling a few. I was put off a D70 because it was uncomfortable in my hands.

Since you've got a good idea of what the camera needs to be able to do, I'd see which is easiest to handle and 'gets on with you' then balance that against the quality of available glass. For longer distance, Canon do seem to have the edge with their 100-400 which seriously tempted me into changing systems when buying my DSLR.

Getting a card and taking a few test frames on each for comparsion at your leisure might help too?
Rgds


Matt