Just starting a fight ... Canon v. Nikon (and Pentax!) ... and GO!

[DanNV]

Well, my 2 cents... I went with a 20d and a Tamron 28-75 XR Di lense. (Actually got the lense after I got the body and found out it didn't like my cheeper lenses...) I really like it. Decided against even looking at the D 70 because a friend got one and complaines about the color having a blue/greyish cast. I've heard the same from a couple other people who have them. My father had a Rebel and was getting great results straight out of the camera with no color correction. So, I stayed with Canon (I still have my AE-1 and F1n, I got both brand new, and have an Elan 7E, too.)

Kind of rambling, sorry. I haven't found anything I dislike about my 20d. It's been a lot of fun to play with. Whatever you decide, give Jason a call and see what he can do for you. He's good to deal with.

Dan

[C_J_Samples]

Hi,
Just wanted to comment on the one thing that really made the most sense to me. Doug seemed to spell it out the best. Find a place to rent each of the bodies for a weekend and then you will have a good idea which one you like the best for your style. It might take some looking, but here in Atlanta, you can rent almost anything you want in bodies and glass. Put the camera thru it's paces, high ISO, low light focusing, and see how they react in AI servo mode.

Now I will suggest a few other things to consider. Do you have friends that you shot with regularly? Being able to borrow, swap and loan things work well too. My friend at work is getting the 20D, so some of my lenses will be loaned when he needs them. Of course his first two lens purchases I already own......aarrrgggg.
I shoot with a 10D, love it. Didn't have much to gripe about until I held the 20D. Now of course it is way to slow, higher iso has tons of noise, etc. It is a long way from the Sony F717 I started with.

Chris Graphic Images

[Chief]

Bob, I will be in your area soon (10 - 31 Jan), would like to stop in and talk photo with ya.

[rjwarren]

Drop me an e-mail when you're headed this way!

hehehe [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]


John

[DarkLeather]

Okay, I haven't responded to the thread, but I swear I read everything! The email deluge was hard enough to get ahead of, honestly...
A few general "food for thought" observations inspired by the thread and attendant emails...
My investment in Pentax glass is not so great that I have any problem with starting over with a new system, so I was resolutely NOT allowing that to be the deciding factor. The fact that the *ist DS feels puny to me just about exactly balanced the glass out, in any event.
For a dedicated amateur, which is how I see myself, even though photography has become rather integral to my actual livelihood, any of the major brands (Canon, Nikon, Olympus, whoever...) have all the accessories I'm ever gonna need. And honestly, they're fairly similar overall in price and quality for the equipment I'm likely to need. One has better flashes, the other has cheaper zooms, yadda yadda yadda, but it does all seem to even out in the end. The two biggies both have wide and varied paths to upgrade as I choose, if I choose.
I looked into the rental idea, but by the time I rented all the bodies I'm interested in for long enough to really play with them, I could've bought one of them, so it didn't seem terribly practical. Just 'cause I finally have the money to get "real" equipment doesn't mean I'm suddenly rich... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
I realize that I should be setting aside money for lighting as well, but frankly, I'm pretty confident that if I can get the results I get now with my Halogens, I should be able to do pretty well with them using a DSLR, and I really haven't had the problems with heat and so forth that people traditionally complain about with hot lights.
The upshot of the whole affair is that I just got an offer on a Fuji S2 that I can't refuse, and I just played with one at the local camera store and like it better than any of the ones I was looking at. (I'd better; it's nearly twice as expensive...) Any Austin photographers with Nikon glass???
Thanks to everyone for their input, suggestions, and taking the time to help educate me!

--Sam