Buying a new DSLR - Part 1

So now that I will be getting my money back from Sony for my Minolta 7D (See previous post) the question is what camera do I buy now. The 7D which I loved is still available at Walmart now for just about $700. A great bargain (I love this camera) but too much of a risk based on my recent experience. Plus why buy a camera with a known problem and a maker that is no longer there.

So then the question is what camera to buy. I hate doing this and I may end up regretting this decision but I am starting by eliminating one brand until I can be convinced otherwise. The brand being Olympus. This is not because I have any reason to believe that they are good or bad cameras. Its just that I cannot seem to find sufficient reviews on them. Also I dont seem to find many vendors that make lenses and accessories for Olympus. If shown otherwise, I will be more than happy to include Olympus cameras.

Therefore, based on preliminary research the current contenders are:

Canon EOS 20D
Canon EOS 30D
Nikon D70
Nikon D80 (just released, no major reviews available as yet)
Nikon D200
Sony DSLR-A100 (unlikely I will buy it)
Pentax DSLR (problem with Pentax is that they have a host of very similar models)

Nikon is about to announce a new 10 MP camera in the $1000 range. I believe we are just a few days from the release of information on that camera. Lets wait and see. As you will see I have added the D80 to the list above. The features of this camera are now avaliable but no major review of it is out as yet. Features are important, but the camera should also be able to perform well.

One of my main sources of information is dpreview. An instant comparison of the models listed above can be found here.

The table listed in this list, however, simply lists features that these cameras have. Not how good they are with respect to these features. Also, just having a lot of features does not make a camera good. What makes it good is whether you need these features. So lets start with features that matter to me.

• Price. This is not the most important feature. I have a range. I am trying not to go above $1500 for the body.
• Quality and customer service. After my fiasco with Sony, I do not want a repeat performance. If I am going to spend so much money on a camera and more on lenses they better give me quality products and good service.
• Compatibility with my existing Minolta lenses. This pretty much narrows down the list to the Sony A-100. Yes despite the horrible service I got from them I will evaluate their camera.
• Spot Metering. Digital cameras measure the amount of light and then adjust exposure to get the best possible picture. In spot metering you get the camera to adjust exposure to the amount of light you are focussing on. This way the light sorrounding this object will not impact the overall exposure of the shot. Imagine taking a picture of thr moon at night. The moon is a very bright object sorrounded by absolute darkness. Without spot metering the camera may try to increase the exposure as a result of the dark sky. This will result in a moon shot without any lunar features. Sometimes you dont want the camera being too smart :-)
• Low noise at high ISOs (800, 1600, 3200). I am not a professional and I do not have very many (infact any) very high speed lens. I found that low noise high ISO functionality allows me to compensate for a slower lens. Many a times while hiking in the back country I have been able to take wildlife pictures under inadequate conditions as I didnt have a fast lens. Just being able to take pictures at 1600 or 3200 ISO is not good enough. There is little value if the pictures are too noisy.
• Availability and variety of accessories and lenses. As I mentioned above buying a DSLR or an SLR should be a long term decision. Therefore one must invest in a camera for which there are plenty of lenses and accessories available.
• How well does the camera perform. It matterws very little as to how many features a camera has. The big issue is how well does it perform. At the end of the day all what matters is the quality of the pictures you get. Most of my decision making making will be based on this criteria.
• Effective Pixels/megapixels. You cannot discuss a digital camera without discussing megapixels. Many have said this is a key factor and many have said this is an overblown factor. To me this is a key factor. I have repeatedly said that there are features and then there is actual camera performance. We are currently listing features that are important to me. I feel the MP of the camera is important. Higher the MPs the larger the printouts I can get without adversely affecting the quality of the image. Also, higher MPs let me select a small section of the image and blow that up. And the end of the day, its all about the math. More the MPs you have, the more you can do with the image.