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DSLR vs Prosumer

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smagee

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I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.

I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some action such as a baseball game etc.

I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
smagee said:
I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon
Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big
difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.
Click to expand...
Going by this list, it sounds like you would be much better served with a "prosumer." You might want to consider alternatives to the CP5700 as well, though; although a good camera, IMO some of its competitors such as the Sony 717 and the Minolta D7i / Hi are even better.

More specifically:

1. There is no zoom lens available for DSLR's that covers the most used 28-200 range. The 1.6x crop factor means that a 28-200 will be more like a 45-320 -- more reach, but very limited at the WA end. In other words, if you do any wide-angle at all, you'll need at least two lenses.

2. Image quality on DSLR's is better than "prosumers," but 3-5 MP "prosumers" are capable of producing 8x10 prints that are far better than anything your corner minilab can produce from even the best film negative.

3 and 4. Currently, there is no light DSLR available. The Nikon D100 and the Canon 10D are the smallest, and they are pretty hefty cameras by 35 mm standards.
smagee said:
I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the
size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out
clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the
picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be
action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some
action such as a baseball game etc.
Click to expand...
Here's the snag. Prosumers have a lot of shutter lag and their AF isn't up to tracking moving subjects. You can get good action pictures, but you need to practice your manual technique -- manual-focus on a point, anticipate, and shoot. For this purpose, the CP5700 isn't ideal, as it lacks a MF ring -- it can be manual-focused, but not as easily as the 717 or D7i/Hi.
smagee said:
I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need
the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and
weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be
appreciated.
Click to expand...
Remember this: a Kodak disposable in the pocket is much better than a Hasselblad in your cupboard. If the camera is so big that you won't bother taking it with you, you will get no pictures at all. Sure, you would benefit from the faster responsiveness of a DSLR for some of your shots, but it sounds like you would miss a great many of your best ones because you didn't have it with you. It sounds like a "prosumer" might be just the right device for you -- as long as you're aware of the trade-offs.

Petteri

(For the record, until recently I've used a D7i, but I just switched to a DSLR -- because my "four most important things" list looks a bit different from yours.)
--
Portfolio: http://www.seittipaja.fi/index/
Photo lessons: http://www.seittipaja.fi/lessons/
Lessons mirror: http://www.ivydesign.com/petteri/
 
I recently traded up from the Sony S85 4mp digicam to the Canon D60, and even though the Canon was noticeably heavier and bigger, I am very glad I made the switch. The faster autofocusing and better photo quality (6mp and a CMOS sensor which gives more film-like results) are fantastic. I wouldn't mind a super-small digicam like the Optio for those occasions where I wouldn't want to carry the Canon, but the Sony (and the Nikon 5700 and Minolta 7i) are not so small either.

I found that with the Sony, some of the limitations were inherent in the camera (like shutter lag and autofocus). Now with the Canon, the limitations are mine, and it is really fun to learn how to use the camera and become a better photographer. The 10D has significantly better AF than the D60 too. Also, you have the choice of any of Canon's lenses. It is true that due to the 1.6 sensor magnification factor, it is harder to go very wide angle, so if this, and the smallness of the camera, is very important to you, go with a prosumer.

For me, I have absolutely no regrets and when I put the Canon in my hands I know it is capable of astounding results as I improve my photo-taking skills.
Petteri Sulonen said:
smagee said:
I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon
Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big
difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.
Click to expand...
Going by this list, it sounds like you would be much better served
with a "prosumer." You might want to consider alternatives to the
CP5700 as well, though; although a good camera, IMO some of its
competitors such as the Sony 717 and the Minolta D7i / Hi are even
better.

More specifically:

1. There is no zoom lens available for DSLR's that covers the most
used 28-200 range. The 1.6x crop factor means that a 28-200 will be
more like a 45-320 -- more reach, but very limited at the WA end.
In other words, if you do any wide-angle at all, you'll need at
least two lenses.

2. Image quality on DSLR's is better than "prosumers," but 3-5 MP
"prosumers" are capable of producing 8x10 prints that are far
better than anything your corner minilab can produce from even the
best film negative.

3 and 4. Currently, there is no light DSLR available. The Nikon
D100 and the Canon 10D are the smallest, and they are pretty hefty
cameras by 35 mm standards.
Petteri Sulonen said:
I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the
size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out
clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the
picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be
action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some
action such as a baseball game etc.
Click to expand...
Here's the snag. Prosumers have a lot of shutter lag and their AF
isn't up to tracking moving subjects. You can get good action
pictures, but you need to practice your manual technique --
manual-focus on a point, anticipate, and shoot. For this purpose,
the CP5700 isn't ideal, as it lacks a MF ring -- it can be
manual-focused, but not as easily as the 717 or D7i/Hi.
Petteri Sulonen said:
I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need
the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and
weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be
appreciated.
Click to expand...
Remember this: a Kodak disposable in the pocket is much better than
a Hasselblad in your cupboard. If the camera is so big that you
won't bother taking it with you, you will get no pictures at all.
Sure, you would benefit from the faster responsiveness of a DSLR
for some of your shots, but it sounds like you would miss a great
many of your best ones because you didn't have it with you. It
sounds like a "prosumer" might be just the right device for you --
as long as you're aware of the trade-offs.

Petteri

(For the record, until recently I've used a D7i, but I just
switched to a DSLR -- because my "four most important things" list
looks a bit different from yours.)
--
Portfolio: http://www.seittipaja.fi/index/
Photo lessons: http://www.seittipaja.fi/lessons/
Lessons mirror: http://www.ivydesign.com/petteri/
Click to expand...
 
I'm a Nikon SLR guy and looked seriously at the 5700. In the end I landed up with a Fuji s602z. One heck of a camera for the money (half the price of the Nikon... more $$ left for cards, batteries, etc.). 6x zoom, 4 megapixels with great range, fastest shutter-lag (i.e. least) around, full manual capabilities including a focus ring (like an SLR), even has a decent video mode. You may want to check it out... I was in awe after using mine the first time. Same size as the 5700, but I think that it has better lowlight focusing and I like the controls better. It may be disappearing from shelves though, so check it out soon.

By the way, I gave my 10 year old daughter the camera for (really) the first time, showed her macro and super macro and she came back into the house about 5 minutes later with these pictures (at DUSK!!) These are unretouched, only downsized in Photoshop. So although it will do amazing things (it's five-frame blast is worth the price alone with moving kids) I think almost anyone can use it. Although it is NOT a pocket size camera.





MacsterX
smagee said:
I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon
Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big
difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.

I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the
size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out
clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the
picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be
action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some
action such as a baseball game etc.

I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need
the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and
weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
smagee,

If those are your priorities and that's the type of shooting you'll be doing, IMO the pro-sumer class is where you should be looking. The top DC's in this class will give you excellent 8X10's, even with some cropping. The zooms are, in most cases, fast and long. Size and weight is no contest versus Dslrs. With lens, they are about 1/2 the weight and much smaller. Translating into a more portable, take anywhere camera.

If you've had SLR's all your life, you will enjoy the pro-sumers. Nope they are not SLR's, or even Dslr's, but they combine alot of the good features (zoom, manual focus, manual settings, great AF, etc...) and retain only a few of the bad features (size and weight in comparison with other DC's).

If image quality, or making really large prints, were of major importance to you, then a Dslr would be the only way to go, IMHO.

Steve
smagee said:
I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon
Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big
difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.

I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the
size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out
clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the
picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be
action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some
action such as a baseball game etc.

I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need
the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and
weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k

'If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an 'artless art' growing out of the Unconscious.'
 
Steve,

Image quality is extremley important. That is why I did buy a 10D, but now I am questioning the quality. So I am trying to test i.

Do you believe the Prosumers can give me good image quality to blow up to at least an 8x10.
Steve Cavigliano said:
If you've had SLR's all your life, you will enjoy the pro-sumers.
Nope they are not SLR's, or even Dslr's, but they combine alot of
the good features (zoom, manual focus, manual settings, great AF,
etc...) and retain only a few of the bad features (size and weight
in comparison with other DC's).

If image quality, or making really large prints, were of major
importance to you, then a Dslr would be the only way to go, IMHO.

Steve
smagee said:
I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon
Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big
difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.

I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the
size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out
clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the
picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be
action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some
action such as a baseball game etc.

I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need
the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and
weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k
'If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge
of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the
art becomes an 'artless art' growing out of the Unconscious.'
Click to expand...
 
smagee said:
Image quality is extremley important. That is why I did buy a 10D,
but now I am questioning the quality. So I am trying to test i.

Do you believe the Prosumers can give me good image quality to blow
up to at least an 8x10.
Steve Cavigliano said:
If you've had SLR's all your life, you will enjoy the pro-sumers.
Nope they are not SLR's, or even Dslr's, but they combine alot of
the good features (zoom, manual focus, manual settings, great AF,
etc...) and retain only a few of the bad features (size and weight
in comparison with other DC's).

If image quality, or making really large prints, were of major
importance to you, then a Dslr would be the only way to go, IMHO.

Steve
smagee said:
I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon
Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big
difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.

I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the
size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out
clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the
picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be
action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some
action such as a baseball game etc.

I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need
the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and
weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k
'If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge
of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the
art becomes an 'artless art' growing out of the Unconscious.'
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--

I would suggest the Sony 717. I take pictures with botht eh D1x and 717 and in 8x10 images it is hard to tell the difference. In fact unless I need a special lens length or lots of action, I leave the D1x at home and take the 717 Sony. I find my self leaving the D1x at home more and more.

Greg Gebhardt Nikon D1 & D1x. Sony 717, Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
 
Since smagee also needs it for action shots, he also wants to consider the Minolta DiMage 7Hi. Relatively quick AF, big buffer, high fps.

I own both 7Hi and Fuji S2 Pro. I actually use the S2 Pro more because with bigger buffer and faster processing speed, practically there is no waiting time. I can start taking picture even before the Microdrive is initialised, and when I taking pictures of models on the catwalk, I can take pictures when I need to, never need to worry about full buffer.

I think if you are coming from film SLR, 7Hi is one of the best with SLR-like control, manual zoom ring, focus ring, almost every control is outside (don't need to go through the menus). If you are coming from point & shoot, however, get something like Fuji S602 Zoom or Coolpix 5700, they both can be operated one-handed. DSLR? Don't think it's worth it.

Regards,
Bram
http://www.geocities.com/bramanteperkasa/
Greg Gebhardt said:
I would suggest the Sony 717. I take pictures with botht eh D1x
and 717 and in 8x10 images it is hard to tell the difference. In
fact unless I need a special lens length or lots of action, I leave
the D1x at home and take the 717 Sony. I find my self leaving the
D1x at home more and more.

Greg Gebhardt Nikon D1 & D1x. Sony 717, Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
Click to expand...
 
smagee said:
Steve,

Image quality is extremley important. That is why I did buy a 10D,
but now I am questioning the quality. So I am trying to test i.

Do you believe the Prosumers can give me good image quality to blow
up to at least an 8x10.
Click to expand...
That's all I print. 8X10's. I'm extremely happy with the 717's results at this size, and I believe this holds true even at a size or two larger. If you'll routinely be printing 11X14's, or larger, then a Dslr is a wise choice.

As for the 10D, I hope you'll be happy with it. Personally, there's just too much noise about "focus issues" for me to jump into that shooting platform, at this time. I'm heartened by the success that Petteri and Lisa Young, and others, have had, though. I hope you got one of the "good" 10D's :-)

Good luck and good shooting,
Steve

--
http://www.pbase.com/slo2k

'If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an 'artless art' growing out of the Unconscious.'
 
In re-reading these posts I haven't noticed anyone who has suggested the Olympus 730 or 740 zoom. I was curious.

Does anyone know how this compares to the Minolta, Fuji S602, Nikon cp5700 and Sony 717?
Bramante M Perkasa said:
I own both 7Hi and Fuji S2 Pro. I actually use the S2 Pro more
because with bigger buffer and faster processing speed, practically
there is no waiting time. I can start taking picture even before
the Microdrive is initialised, and when I taking pictures of models
on the catwalk, I can take pictures when I need to, never need to
worry about full buffer.

I think if you are coming from film SLR, 7Hi is one of the best
with SLR-like control, manual zoom ring, focus ring, almost every
control is outside (don't need to go through the menus). If you
are coming from point & shoot, however, get something like Fuji
S602 Zoom or Coolpix 5700, they both can be operated one-handed.
DSLR? Don't think it's worth it.

Regards,
Bram
http://www.geocities.com/bramanteperkasa/
Greg Gebhardt said:
I would suggest the Sony 717. I take pictures with botht eh D1x
and 717 and in 8x10 images it is hard to tell the difference. In
fact unless I need a special lens length or lots of action, I leave
the D1x at home and take the 717 Sony. I find my self leaving the
D1x at home more and more.

Greg Gebhardt Nikon D1 & D1x. Sony 717, Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
go to the nikon forum and you will get first hand information on the 5700. Great zoom, nikon glass. I have taken photos of sports events, macro, my grandson diving into the pool and playing. It all depends on what you plan to shoot with respect to what camera will better suit your needs. All the cameras mentioned will allow you to take good photos.

Harris
smagee said:
I am trying to decide between a prosumer camera like the NIkon
Coolpix 5700 or the DSLR cannon D10. I know the price is a big
difference, but I want to concentrate on buying what I want.

Things that are important to me:
1. Zoom Lens
2. Clear pictures to blow up to 8x10 if needed
3. Size
4. Weight

And in that order.

I have had SLR's all my life, so I could continue to live with the
size of the DSLR's...but I was looking forwarding to going smaller.

But then in researching, it seems if I want pictures to come out
clearer, I might want to go with the DSLR due to it will freeze the
picture. And the pictures per second are faster.

I mainly shoot vacation and family pictures. Vacation could be
action like Whales or Dolphin. Family pictures could have some
action such as a baseball game etc.

I like the weight and the size of the Coolpix.

I am having a hard time deciding if the 25% of the time that I need
the fast pictures and the clarity is worth giving up the size and
weight.

Any feedback on why to choose to go to the DSLR woudl be appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
--
Harris
Cp5700, N6006
Pbase Supporter
http://www.pbase.com/backdoctor
 
MactsterX said:
I'm a Nikon SLR guy and looked seriously at the 5700. In the end I
landed up with a Fuji s602z. One heck of a camera for the money
(half the price of the Nikon... more $$ left for cards, batteries,
etc.). 6x zoom, 4 megapixels with great range, fastest shutter-lag
(i.e. least) around, full manual capabilities including a focus
ring (like an SLR), even has a decent video mode.
Click to expand...
 
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