Canon 40D/Sony A700 vs rivals

hoopsontoast

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I am thinking of changing my camera at some point, and looking at the older mid-range DSLR's like the Canon 40D and Sony A700.

I currently have a Sigma DP1x, and love the Low ISO output, tack sharp lens and generally sharp output. Some samples here-
http://www.avforums.com/forums/photo-sharing/1669921-selection-sigma-dp1x-shots.html
It also produces very good B&W noise as well.

Before that I had a Konica Minolta 5D, which I really liked the layout and grip. I had the Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens with it which was great, if not massively sharp at the corners or wide open.
Some examples of this combo here- Photo Portfolio - a set on Flickr

What I liked about the KM was the colours, just seemed to make any shot stand out. The Sigma does B&W very well and Skys are also rendered very nicely.


What I am looking for is better higher ISO performance (800-1600) than the DP1x/5D and a little higher resolution as well.
Bulb function/long exposure, separate ISO/fn buttons etc and good build are essential.
Live View, Video and super high ISO (1600 plus) are not essential.

I do get some shots printed, and the DP1x was fine to A2, so as long as it can match the sharpness.

I would be looking at really two prime lenses, a fast 30mm/30mm for ~50mm Equiv. and later an 18mm wide-angle for ~28mm Equiv.
Possibly a 50mm-70mm prime later on for macro/close up but not essential.

So for looking at around £300 for a used body, there is the Canon 40D, Sony A700 (maybe a little more), Sigma SD15 (no real advantage over the DP1x) and some Pentax models. I prefer a larger/square grip so these seem to fit the bill too.
It would be up to around £300 for the 30/35mm lens as well to start off with.

FWIW, I dont like the layout/grip on the Nikons, used a D40 and a D90, not my thing really.

The A700 looks ideal, only downside I have read about is the aggressive automatic NR, which may have been sorted in firmware?

Any reason to research into other models?

Cheers, Rob
 
Cooked RAW was fixed in the A700 v4 firmware. There is an option to turn it off. :smashin:
 
One other option would be a 5D classic. What extra you spent on the body you could potentially save buying a £60 used 50mm 1.8 as opposed to a more expensive ~30mm for 50mm equiv on a crop

Canon 5d | eBay
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
I don't think you'd go wrong with the 40D - it's long in the tooth and an old sensor but a great cam by all accounts. I used to have an A700 and was pretty pleased with it but moved to Nikon for a D300s which I preferred. This guy Flickr: Search Ally Mac's photostream used to post on AVF and has some great (stunning some of them) shots on flickr with the 40D. Looks like he's now gone to a 5D III though!
 

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