Question for former 602 now DSLR users

Jared Hunter · Sep 27, 2003

After nearly 10,000 shots with my 602 I feel it is time to move onto a DSLR for quicker response, higher usable ISO, and greater control of DOF. The 602 is a very capable camera which I'll definitely keep as a backup. I've been getting excellent wide-angle results (equiv 24mm) when used with an Olympus wide angle lens:

http://www.pbase.com/image/21697312/original
(resized only, no cropping - notice the sharp corners)

The problem is which SLR lens to buy after being spoiled by Fuji's f2.8 6X zoom. I've narrowed my DLSR choice down to the Fuji S2 Pro or the Canon 300D. Having been in low light situations where tripods or flashes were prohibited, I feel that image stabilization is critical, especially given the smaller maximum apertures of SLR lenses and the 1.5-1.6 multipler.

Criteria:

wide is more important than tele, but I still need some zoom for flexibility (doesn't have to be 6X)
good for everyday or travel use. e.g. landscapes and architecture
reasonable sharpness at wider apertures
possibly image stabilization (in lieu of a faster, more expensive lens)

Any comments or suggestions? These seem to be the front-runners:

If S2 Pro:

24-120mm VR (equiv. 36-180 mm)
not sure about which lens for

If Canon 300D:

kit lens 18-55mm (equiv. 28-88 mm). Screw on my Olympus wide angle will get me 0.7 x 28 = 20mm!
28-135 IS (equiv. 45-216 mm)

Thanks.

Karl Gnter Wnsch · Sep 27, 2003

Jared Hunter said:
The problem is which SLR lens to buy after being spoiled by Fuji's
f2.8 6X zoom.

Don't be sorry. There is a lot of good lenses around that deliver the goods.

Jared Hunter said:
I've narrowed my DLSR choice down to the Fuji S2 Pro
or the Canon 300D. Having been in low light situations where
tripods or flashes were prohibited, I feel that image stabilization
is critical, especially given the smaller maximum apertures of SLR
lenses and the 1.5-1.6 multipler.

I felt the same, esp. since I like wildlife photography and then you're most likely out and about in either dusk or dawn.

Jared Hunter said:
Criteria:

wide is more important than tele, but I still need some zoom for

flexibility (doesn't have to be 6X)

Ok. For me the main focus was on better tele than before but have been looking into wide angle lenses because I went for the 10D in the end - so there was no cheap skate kit lens for decent wide angle to get.

Jared Hunter said:
good for everyday or travel use. e.g. landscapes and architecture

reasonable sharpness at wider apertures

possibly image stabilization (in lieu of a faster, more expensive

lens)

OK, I'll try...

Jared Hunter said:
Any comments or suggestions? These seem to be the front-runners:

If S2 Pro:

24-120mm VR (equiv. 36-180 mm)

not sure about which lens for

I'm not so sure about the Nikon choices as I early discarded the S2Pro from the pile because of it's dual battery messup.

Jared Hunter said:
If Canon 300D:

kit lens 18-55mm (equiv. 28-88 mm). Screw on my Olympus wide

angle will get me 0.7 x 28 = 20mm!

If wide angle zoom is really your thing then you're probably better off using the Sigma 15-30mm lens, this will give you a good equivalent range of 24-48mm. You probably could use the same lens for your S2Pro but I have not seen many reports from people doing so.

Jared Hunter said:
28-135 IS (equiv. 45-216 mm)

Superb lens which I use as my main lens for normal photography. For wide angle I got the Tokina "plastic fantastic" 19-35mm and for tele I have the 75-300 IS USM from Canon. The 28-135 IS is clearly the best of the three and blistering fast at focusing.

If you are interested in lens choices then post this in the "Nikon SLR lens forum" and "Canon SLR lens forum" or have a look here: http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/index.php?cat=1
--
regards
Karl Günter Wünsch

tdkd13 · Sep 27, 2003

Seems to be a huge price difference in the S2 and 300D, if you opt for the cheaper you can fit a couple lenses in your budget, that said though, I think the S2 is a more professional camera and the 300D is more of an enthusiasts camera, if thats at all clear. The 10D may be more of a direct competitor to the S2 if you have that kind of budget.
Ted

Jared Hunter said:
After nearly 10,000 shots with my 602 I feel it is time to move
onto a DSLR for quicker response, higher usable ISO, and greater
control of DOF. The 602 is a very capable camera which I'll
definitely keep as a backup. I've been getting excellent wide-angle
results (equiv 24mm) when used with an Olympus wide angle lens:

http://www.pbase.com/image/21697312/original
(resized only, no cropping - notice the sharp corners)

The problem is which SLR lens to buy after being spoiled by Fuji's
f2.8 6X zoom. I've narrowed my DLSR choice down to the Fuji S2 Pro
or the Canon 300D. Having been in low light situations where
tripods or flashes were prohibited, I feel that image stabilization
is critical, especially given the smaller maximum apertures of SLR
lenses and the 1.5-1.6 multipler.

Criteria:

wide is more important than tele, but I still need some zoom for

flexibility (doesn't have to be 6X)

good for everyday or travel use. e.g. landscapes and architecture

reasonable sharpness at wider apertures

possibly image stabilization (in lieu of a faster, more expensive

lens)

Any comments or suggestions? These seem to be the front-runners:

If S2 Pro:

24-120mm VR (equiv. 36-180 mm)

not sure about which lens for

If Canon 300D:

kit lens 18-55mm (equiv. 28-88 mm). Screw on my Olympus wide

angle will get me 0.7 x 28 = 20mm!

28-135 IS (equiv. 45-216 mm)

Thanks.

--
http://www.pbase.com/tdkd13

Jared Hunter · Sep 27, 2003

Karl Günter Wünsch said:
Karl Gnter Wnsch said:

Any comments or suggestions? These seem to be the front-runners:

If S2 Pro:

24-120mm VR (equiv. 36-180 mm)

not sure about which lens for

Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about the Nikon choices as I early discarded the
S2Pro from the pile because of it's dual battery messup.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the S2 works without the CR123 batteries (disabling the on-board flash which I don't use anyways). What's holding me back is the higher price of the S2 compared to other DSLRs. Fuji has dropped it recently, but I feel it is still not competitive enough. It is probably better to put the cost savings into a better lens on another model.

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
Karl Gnter Wnsch said:

If Canon 300D:

kit lens 18-55mm (equiv. 28-88 mm). Screw on my Olympus wide

angle will get me 0.7 x 28 = 20mm!

Click to expand...

If wide angle zoom is really your thing then you're probably better
off using the Sigma 15-30mm lens, this will give you a good
equivalent range of 24-48mm. You probably could use the same lens
for your S2Pro but I have not seen many reports from people doing
so.

The problem with the Nikon VR and Canon IS lenses is that they have 72mm filter threads (vs the 55mm Oly wide angle) so the Oly is most likely out on the zoom lenses due to vignetting.

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
Karl Gnter Wnsch said:

28-135 IS (equiv. 45-216 mm)

Click to expand...

Superb lens which I use as my main lens for normal photography. For
wide angle I got the Tokina "plastic fantastic" 19-35mm and for
tele I have the 75-300 IS USM from Canon. The 28-135 IS is clearly
the best of the three and blistering fast at focusing.

Good to hear. I just hope that my shooting style doesn't require me to be constantly changing between the kit lens and the IS.

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
If you are interested in lens choices then post this in the "Nikon
SLR lens forum" and "Canon SLR lens forum" or have a look here:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/index.php?cat=1

Yes, I've been reviewing those forums for lens tips. However, I thought opinions from former 602 users might bring useful insights...

Doug Kerr · Sep 27, 2003

Jared,

Let me give you some general thoughts on teh topic. I am an S602 user who had just added a Canon EOS-300D to teh arsenal.

But for now let me make an urgent observation.

Jared Hunter said:
Screw on my Olympus wide
angle will get me 0.7 x 28 = 20mm!

28-135 IS (equiv. 45-216 mm)

Others more familiar with the 300D may have better insight in to this, but I don't believe the front end of the Canon FE 18-55 is in any position to hold up a WCON-07. I'm even gonna worry when my UV filter comes next week!

Just kidding about the filter, but I don't think the lens mechanical construction would make that attractive. Thre are things sliding in and out of things, most things made very nicely of a durable plastic, and all having more play that one might expect.

For futuer reference in any case, the filter thread on the "kit" lens is 58 mm, as with many other of the not-too-bizarre Canon EF lenses.

Gotta go shopping with my bride now - more thoughts on my first's day's experience with teh 300D presently.

best reghards,

Doug

Karl Gnter Wnsch · Sep 27, 2003

Jared Hunter said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but the S2 works without the CR123
batteries (disabling the on-board flash which I don't use anyways).

But I would want to use the onboard flash and dead CR123 are keeping the camera from functioning and they do get drained during transfers.

Jared Hunter said:
What's holding me back is the higher price of the S2 compared to
other DSLRs. Fuji has dropped it recently, but I feel it is still
not competitive enough. It is probably better to put the cost
savings into a better lens on another model.

I would do so as well, esp. since it seems the S2Pro is a bit more picky as to which lenses it likes and which not.

Jared Hunter said:
The problem with the Nikon VR and Canon IS lenses is that they have
72mm filter threads (vs the 55mm Oly wide angle) so the Oly is most
likely out on the zoom lenses due to vignetting.

Dedicated wide angle lenses are even bigger. So the wide angle converter really is a solution for small lens/small sensor type cameras.

--
regards
Karl Günter Wünsch

Boo · Sep 27, 2003

Jared Hunter said:
After nearly 10,000 shots with my 602 I feel it is time to move
onto a DSLR for quicker response, higher usable ISO, and greater
control of DOF.

I think I'm about to go there too!

Jared Hunter said:
Any comments or suggestions? These seem to be the front-runners:

If S2 Pro:

24-120mm VR (equiv. 36-180 mm)

not sure about which lens for

If Canon 300D:

kit lens 18-55mm (equiv. 28-88 mm). Screw on my Olympus wide

angle will get me 0.7 x 28 = 20mm!

28-135 IS (equiv. 45-216 mm)

I can't answer your question as I'm just thinking about lenses myself, but there seems to be some disaprity in the pricing of the cameras above - if you got the 300D, you could afford to spend a great deal more on lenses than if you bought the S2 due to the difference in body price to start with. Or have I missed something?

--
Fuji S602Z and 2800Z
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music photos
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk/lowlight.html - available light live music tutorial

Jared Hunter · Sep 27, 2003

Boo said:
I can't answer your question as I'm just thinking about lenses
myself, but there seems to be some disaprity in the pricing of the
cameras above - if you got the 300D, you could afford to spend a
great deal more on lenses than if you bought the S2 due to the
difference in body price to start with. Or have I missed something?

Yes, you are correct about the price difference. However, I'm not sure whether Fuji can maintain this premium in light of the competition. I prefer the professional features of the S2 but the current price difference makes it difficult to justify. Now if Fuji drops it to match the Nikon D100 or Canon 10D, that would help sway me back to the S2 over the 300D.

Karl Gnter Wnsch · Sep 27, 2003

Jared Hunter said:
Yes, you are correct about the price difference. However, I'm not
sure whether Fuji can maintain this premium in light of the
competition. I prefer the professional features of the S2 but the
current price difference makes it difficult to justify. Now if Fuji
drops it to match the Nikon D100 or Canon 10D, that would help sway
me back to the S2 over the 300D.

Believe it or not but in Germany the S2Pro is cheaper than the 10D (street prices) and I still went for the 10D because it's backed by a much better and more affordable set of lenses. For SLR's your initial purchase of the body is probably the smaller part of the whole system. Remember that you take the lenses (well except for the kit lens of the 300D which makes a heck of a good selling point once that time to depart has come) with you to the next body.

Just as an example the prices in Germany are:

Nikon 24-120 VR - 729 Euro
Canon 28-135 IS - 525 Euro.

So even on that one lens the difference is more than 200 Euro.

--
regards
Karl Günter Wünsch

Doug Kerr · Sep 27, 2003

Boo,

After resisting it for a while, I acquired a Canon EOS-300D yesterday, and I must say that so far I'm well impressed.

I have little feeling for what an S2 is like.

Doug

Ben Herrmann · Sep 27, 2003

First of all, you may have a harder choice (or easier choice depending on viewpoint) since you are starting from scratch. Since you have no lenses to speak of, you have a wide variety of choices. Then, once you've made the move to a particular system - Nikon, or Canon, you then tend to want to stay with that system and upgrade where needed.

I base the following statements on the fact that I own the Fuji S2 Pro, the Olympus C5050Z, and the Fuji 602. I most recently sold my Nikon D100 because in my opinion, the Fuji was far more preferable in color balance and resolution.

1. Welcome to the world of dust. You must be careful when changing lenses, keeping in mind to face the lens opening on the camera down ('cause dust settles down), changing the lens quickly (have them readily available), and try to do so in dirt free (read dust free environments). When dust settles you then must carefully (and I mean carefully) go through the motions of cleaning the CCD. Depending on the camera (the D100 is the hardest), CCD cleaning can either be a chore or a breeze. The S2 Pro is one of the easiest to clean.

2. Don't ask me to explain this, but with cameras such as the 602 or other brands such as the Olympus C5050, the Canon G3 or 5 etc., are calibrated to give you fairly good exposures right out of the camera. DSLR's on the other hand are more sophisticated and oftentimes you will find underexposures to be the order of the day causing you to do a little more post processing. But once you get accustomed to this, it will be no big deal, especially when you consider the resolution involved. One of the reasons I sold my Nikon D100 (which I hated to do because I've had Nikon equipment for over 30 years) was due to consistent underexposures by 1 - 1 1/2 stops for most photos. Of course when I used spot metering such as Charles Campbell's Chromazone method of spotmetering, or using an incident meter, the exposures were usually right on.

3. I would not sell the 602 if I were you. I'd keep it as a backup camera if you can. In fact, I am always figuring out ways to sell equipment or things around the house (the wife is next, along with the pets) so I can focus my next purchase on the pending Nikon D2X.

4. Those of us with investments in specific systems (i.e. Nikon gear), will tend to stick with the S2 Pro or other Nikon equipment. The same holds true for Canon - that's a no brainer for sure. But again, since you are first starting out, the field is wide open to you, and that may make your choices either harder or easier.

Boo · Sep 27, 2003

Doug Kerr said:
After resisting it for a while, I acquired a Canon EOS-300D
yesterday, and I must say that so far I'm well impressed.

I saw somewhere else that you'd just acquired one - good for you. I got a quick play with one today - I didn't think local camera shops had it yet and I found one sitting there in a shop window - much to my husband's alarm. I had a play with it and I thought it felt incredibly fast. I'm going to take my own MD in to the shop and take some of my own photos for examination. I think it might be the upgrade for me, I really liked the weight and feel of it - the larger dSLRs would simply be too large and heavy for my small and arthritic hands. I think this will get my attention and the S7000 deleted from my list of potentials.

Let us see some photos when you've had time to play - I'm particularly interested in high ISO/low light as you know - if you have some examples and I'd love to know what you think of the focussing in low light - it seemed good to me when I tried it in the dark corners of the shop which was the best I could manage today.

Have fun and keep us posted!!

--
Fuji S602Z and 2800Z
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music photos
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk/lowlight.html - available light live music tutorial

chris gunn · Sep 27, 2003

Jared Hunter said:
After nearly 10,000 shots with my 602 I feel it is time to move
onto a DSLR for quicker response, higher usable ISO, and greater

Jared Hunter said:
If S2 Pro:

Incidentally, I see the S2 sells in japan for 166000yen, or US$1485

--
cheers!

Gunn
CF data base:
http://www.finepix.nl/memcards/

training_editor · Sep 28, 2003

When I bought my 602, I went to the camera store and handled all the similar models. The 602 just seemed to fit my hand like it was made for it.

I was happy.

When I went shopping for a D-SLR, I did my research, but made my final decision when I went to the store and handled them all. The Canon 300 was too plastic for my taste; the D100 was too "Nikon" if you know what I mean; and the 10D was just too darn BIG. The Pentax fit me perfectly.

I was happy.

It takes 4 AA NiMH cells (alkalines in an emergency) as well as CRV lithium cells for over 1000 shots on a set of batteries. It uses the same sensor as the D100, and takes some of my newer 35mm Pentax lenses.

When I shot the same scene with my 602 and my Pentax *istD, it was no so much shocking at how much better than D-SLR was, but how good the 602 is, compared to an SLR at 3 times the price.

And, by the way, after I researched the heck out of my purchase online, I still bought it at my friendly local retailer; remember ... the same one who let me actually HANDLE all the cameras.

Boo · Sep 28, 2003

training_editor said:
When I bought my 602, I went to the camera store and handled all
the similar models. The 602 just seemed to fit my hand like it was
made for it.

Me too - I knew instantly it was the one I was drawn to.

training_editor said:
When I went shopping for a D-SLR, I did my research, but made my
final decision when I went to the store and handled them all. The
Canon 300 was too plastic for my taste;

I handled one yesterday and that was my biggest concern - I love the size, weight and positioning of the buttons (not dissimilar to the 602), but it does feel rather cheap in comparison - the lens especially - there is way too much play in the focussing ring for my liking. If I get it, I might just buy the body and my own choice of lens. The one thing I didn't like was the plastic body.

training_editor said:
It takes 4 AA NiMH cells (alkalines in an emergency) as well as CRV
lithium cells for over 1000 shots on a set of batteries. It uses
the same sensor as the D100, and takes some of my newer 35mm Pentax
lenses.

My other big reservation with the 300D - the spare batteries are over 50 pounds (although the camera is reputed to last very well on one charge - but there's no way I'll risk a gig shoot without spare power) and I already have a very efficient set up with AA Ni-Mhs.

I want to handle an *ist before I make a decision, but none of the shops locally (and I intend buying locally, I want to cop a feel of the very one I'll actually buy) have any idea when they'll get one, but I do like the idea of its size and layout and would like to handle one.

training_editor said:
When I shot the same scene with my 602 and my Pentax *istD, it was
no so much shocking at how much better than D-SLR was, but how good
the 602 is, compared to an SLR at 3 times the price.

People, to this day, are suprised when they see photos first, when I tell them my camera - so I know it does good work - so your comment concerns me a tad - I want to spend that amount of money and know I'm going to get vastly improved shots, if they're not at least twice as good - or more attainable in the first instance, the investment is wasted.

I'm now getting very confused and change my mind every three hours. Perhaps I should give the S7000 the benefit of the doubt as well!

--
Fuji S602Z and 2800Z
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music photos
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk/lowlight.html - available light live music tutorial

filibuster · Sep 28, 2003

Boo said:
I'm now getting very confused and change my mind every three hours.
Perhaps I should give the S7000 the benefit of the doubt as well!

--
Fuji S602Z and 2800Z
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music photos
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk/lowlight.html - available light live
music tutorial

Oh dear Boo! I think I detect a dose of ‘buying fever’ creeping in. Time to check one’s temperature. Obviously the condition is highly contagious as many on the forum are experiencing the very same symptoms. I fear there is no cure, but don’t forget that you are now entering for sure, the realm of diminishing returns. You are on the slippery slope of spending a heap of dosh on new kit that (my guess) may only show improvement in the photographic end result, by just a tad.
filibuster
http://www.pbase.com/filibuster

BigWaveDave · Sep 28, 2003

... the very difficult environment in which Boo works might be ideal for a D-SLR. I think cameras like the S602 and S7000 can hold their own against the big SLRs when shooting in ideal conditions. But in tough shooting conditions, like low light photography where a higher ISO is an advantage, or when shooting fast moving subjects where speed of operation is important, I think the SLRs separate themselves from the "prosumer" class.

filibuster said:
Oh dear Boo! I think I detect a dose of ‘buying fever’ creeping
in. Time to check one’s temperature. Obviously the condition is
highly contagious as many on the forum are experiencing the very
same symptoms. I fear there is no cure, but don’t forget that you
are now entering for sure, the realm of diminishing returns. You
are on the slippery slope of spending a heap of dosh on new kit
that (my guess) may only show improvement in the photographic end
result, by just a tad.

--
BigWaveDave

Karl Gnter Wnsch · Sep 28, 2003

Boo said:
I handled one yesterday and that was my biggest concern - I love
the size, weight and positioning of the buttons (not dissimilar to
the 602), but it does feel rather cheap in comparison - the lens
especially - there is way too much play in the focussing ring for
my liking. If I get it, I might just buy the body and my own
choice of lens. The one thing I didn't like was the plastic body.

The lens might be a bit plasticky but it provides a good wide angle to start with. Any other lenses I would recommend are much more substantial, such as the excellent Canon 28-135 IS USM, which will give you almost the same range as your 602Z does and with the added bonus of image stabilisation.

Boo said:
My other big reservation with the 300D - the spare batteries are
over 50 pounds (although the camera is reputed to last very well on
one charge - but there's no way I'll risk a gig shoot without spare
power) and I already have a very efficient set up with AA Ni-Mhs.

You can easily get a 3rd party one (I did for my 10D) for about 10-15 GBP (ebay is your friend here). They will last almost as long as the original if not longer and the camera is so lenient on it's powersupply that you'll be amazed.

Boo said:
I want to handle an *ist before I make a decision, but none of the
shops locally (and I intend buying locally, I want to cop a feel of
the very one I'll actually buy) have any idea when they'll get one,
but I do like the idea of its size and layout and would like to
handle one.

Do some research on the lenses you want to have first. Getting a DSLR body is only half of the game but it's the "in for a penny in for a pound" bit, because you are limiting yourself to the lenses available for the mount of that body. While there are a lot of 3rd party lenses available, the pentax lens lineup is small compared to the offerings of either Nikon or Canon. And the only image stabilized lens for the Pentax will be the Sigma OS lens just announced for 1600Euro.

As for the image quality, I was blown away by the quality of the 10D and the amount of control over DOF you all over sudden get:

Boo said:
I'm now getting very confused and change my mind every three hours.
Perhaps I should give the S7000 the benefit of the doubt as well!

It's your money and your decision, we can only offer our honest advice. For medication see you local doctor or pharmacist...

--
regards
Karl Günter Wünsch

Boo · Sep 28, 2003

BigWaveDave said:
... the very difficult environment in which Boo works might be
ideal for a D-SLR. I think cameras like the S602 and S7000 can
hold their own against the big SLRs when shooting in ideal
conditions. But in tough shooting conditions, like low light
photography where a higher ISO is an advantage, or when shooting
fast moving subjects where speed of operation is important, I think
the SLRs separate themselves from the "prosumer" class.

Many times I'm shooting fast moving oibjects at low light and really up against it - it rather depends on how animated the bass player gets!!! ;-)

That's what I'm hoping to achieve, a higher success rate and easier and more efficient shot acquisisition - I don't know if the actual resulting photos will, once published on the web, which most of mine are, be that much 'better' but I'd be reasonably happy if I had a greater success rate and more decent shots to choose from in the first instance and I got great shots that at present I perhaps just miss.

I've shot several gigs in the last ten days and due to the large amount of stage smoke, forward facing light beams and several musos having a great time and more lively than usual - my percentage of useable shots dropped enormously over what I'm used to bringing home, I have a hard drive full of 'just missed' shots - I keep them all anyway as memory and storage are the cheap bit. The more sophisticated light shows get, the more this is happening. I'd ideally like better quality shots at the end of the day - I'd certanly like more pixels for cropping, but I think my main reason for an upgrade is function - faster and more efficient focussing, faster shot recording and certainly higher good quality ISO would make a huge difference in itself. I don't find the 800+ ISOs of the 602 to be useable at gigs - I'd use them in an emergency rather than get nothing, but I lose more in quality than I gain in speed.

It's all rather academic anyway, I can't afford either, but can I afford not to? I do get a tad bored of being sneered at by pros using S2s and Nikons and looking down their noses at me in the photography pit (generally though the bass player doesn't blow them kisses), but console myself with a smug feeling of knowing that at the end of the day, when the photos are published, mine will suprise them more than theirs me. At this moment, I can't recall a publsihed shot from a pro working the same gig as me that I wish I'd taken, or they'd got better than one of mine. The 602 has served me well, but I now have a hunger for more.

--
Fuji S602Z and 2800Z
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music photos
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk/lowlight.html - available light live music tutorial

Boo · Sep 28, 2003

Karl Günter Wünsch said:
The lens might be a bit plasticky but it provides a good wide angle
to start with. Any other lenses I would recommend are much more
substantial, such as the excellent Canon 28-135 IS USM, which will
give you almost the same range as your 602Z does and with the added
bonus of image stabilisation.

I was quite surprised at the range of the lens, that was the impressive bit - it's a pretty good basic range to start with. I've seen the 28-135 IS USM mentioned several times, what sort of price are they - about 300 pounds? If I do got the 300D route, I think I'd buy a basic set up with perhaps one further lens, keep the 602 alongside for a while if I felt I missed any of its features in practice. Once I realised I'd carried it a few times and not actually needed it, sell it for more glassware.

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
You can easily get a 3rd party one (I did for my 10D) for about
10-15 GBP (ebay is your friend here). They will last almost as long
as the original if not longer and the camera is so lenient on it's
powersupply that you'll be amazed.

That's good to know, I was alarmed to see the full RRP of them. 15 quid is perfectly acceptable, it's only the price of some decent Ni-Mhs anyway.

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
Do some research on the lenses you want to have first. Getting a
DSLR body is only half of the game but it's the "in for a penny in
for a pound" bit, because you are limiting yourself to the lenses
available for the mount of that body.

This is my weakness, I'm not as knowledgeable on lenses as I should be. I worked with an Olympus OM1 for many years, but haven't kept up with lens developements since.

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
And the only image
stabilized lens for the Pentax will be the Sigma OS lens just
announced for 1600Euro.

Ouch!!! That's about the same price as the body!

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
As for the image quality, I was blown away by the quality of the
10D and the amount of control over DOF you all over sudden get:

I saw that photo when you posted it on the Canon forum I think, it's fabulous, I have a similar one I took of a maple leaf, but mine was with 3+ close up rings. The DOF in your shot, or lack of it, is amazing.

Karl Gnter Wnsch said:
It's your money and your decision, we can only offer our honest
advice. For medication see you local doctor or pharmacist...

Well, it will be the bank's money and they will unfortunately want it back and I do value everyone's guidance here and I've been looking at the Canon forum as well. What I need is to take the 602, S7000, 300D and *ist each to a gig, take some shots with each and simply compare results and ease of use and then choose. Not being able to do that makes the decision very difficult.

--
Fuji S602Z and 2800Z
http://www.peekaboo.me.uk - general portfolio
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk - live music photos
http://www.boo-photos.co.uk/lowlight.html - available light live music tutorial

Question for former 602 now DSLR users

Senior Member

Forum Pro

Veteran Member

Senior Member

Forum Pro

Forum Pro

Veteran Member

Senior Member

Forum Pro

Forum Pro

Forum Pro

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Leading Member

Veteran Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Forum Pro

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Keyboard shortcuts