hoopsontoast
Established Member
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
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