|
|
I loaned one of my D200 cameras along with the 18-200 VR lens to a co-worker for a few weeks. He’s doing a big family vacation and had hoped to have had his own SLR for the trip, but circumstances caused him to delay the purchase. Hearing about his predictement and remembering that he had generously loaned me his father's prized Leica M3, which I wrote about (and strangely, still covet) a couple of years ago, I offered him my travel kit as a return favour. Over the past few years, we’ve had many conversations about audio and photography (he’s the accursed guy who got me back into spending money on audio again back in 2005). Photographically, I’ve made a handful of recommendations to him, which were originally based on his desire to buy a digital camera to replace a Canon digicam that he no longer considered adequate for his needs. While recommending that he buy a Nikon would have been the easy choice for me, the co-worker has a Canon SLR using friend and he thought he would be able to borrow lenses and accessories from him. Hence, at the time, I told him a Canon 20D would be a good purchase for him and would offer him flexibility to grow as his photographic skills developed. At the time, he had some ambitions to become a full-fledged, serious amateur photographer. From my recollection, I never sugar-coated the advice and always tried to make clear to him that getting into photography with decent equipment commensurate with where he eventually wanted to end up as a photographer, would not be cheap. I suggested that using the 20D as a base would likely require a minimum investment of about $3,000 to buy the lenses he would want to have for decent wide to telephoto coverage, along with an external flash, a spare battery, and two or more high capacity compact flash cards. The “true” cost seemed to scare him off and he eventually compromised by buying a ‘tween or bridge camera in the Nikon Coolpix 8800. At the time, the CP 8800 looked fairly impressive on paper, with a 28-300 equivalent zoom with Vibration Reduction for stabilized photos, along with 8 MP resolution and the ability to use external Nikon flash units. However, despite outward appearances and specs, the CP 8800 is still a digicam class camera and as such, uses a digicam sized sensor and has minimal memory to buffer shots in action sequences, especially if shooting RAW. It’s also a slow reacting camera, which was the norm for digicams back in its day. I’m pretty sure I made comments to that extent back when the co-worker bought the CP 8800 and it was no surprise when a few months later, he commented that while he likes certain aspects of the CP 8800’s features, he found it too slow to try and take photos of his daughter running around. He also didn’t like the size of the CP 8800 when he wanted to travel lightly, but still have a camera with him, which only served to remind me of another piece of advice I gave him. When I suggested the 20D kit, I also advised him that he should budget in another digicam, because there would be times when he would not want to lug around a full SLR kit with him. As with the 20D advice, he ignored this too, but surprise, surprise, when about a year after he bought the CP 8800, he came back to me and asked if I had any digicam recommendations to make, because, well, there are times when he really didn’t want to lug around the CP 8800. Sigh! Ah, yah, sure, there’s this little Fuji F30, which is getting rave reviews for offering SLR-like quality at high ISO settings, yet still uses a digicam sensor and doesn’t cost that much. This time, he did take the advice and he bought the F30, which, while still digicam sluggish (but better than the CP 8800), has so far met his needs for a compact, take anywhere, camera. Fast forward to fall and winter 2007 and the co-worker is Jonesing for an SLR, because he finally realizes that only an SLR will provide him with the speed, response and quality he desires. Unfortunately, just as in 2005, in 2007, cost is still a factor, even if he does earn more than double what I make J However, unlike 2005, where he thought he would become fairly serious about photography, in 2007, he’s more realistic in understanding what he needs out of a camera. While speed, responsiveness and good high ISO image quality are important factors, RAW file quality and especially RAW file editing are not. The co-worker now knows that he’s a JPEG kinda guy and that he has no desire to sit in front of the computer editing away at RAW files that could bog down his computer, chew up inordinate amounts of hard drive space and necessitate a need to buy a workstation grade computer system to keep up…ahem, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Thus, in-camera JPEG processing is important for the co-worker, because all he wants to do is walk into London Drugs, upload his JPEG files and receive 4x6 prints in return. With that in mind, as hard as it was for me to do again, I suggested that he buy whatever Canon SLR he could afford and be done with it. I gave him such advice based on reading the SLR reviews at DPReview and noticing that Canon SLRs have consistently provided very good in-camera JPEG files when compared to other brands. The Canon JPEG output tends to be crisper, and as far as I know it, Canon has a tone curve that has a mid tone bump to provide the JPEGs with a little bit more visual appeal. Straight out of the camera, this helps to provide an overall, better-looking image than say a Nikon SLR with a more linear tone curve response (typical of Nikon’s higher end SLRs, but not so with Nikon’s consumer SLRs.) While Nikon, for its consumer SLRs, has improved the in-camera JPEG shake and bake recipe, my impression is still that Canon SLRs would make it easier for the co-worker to just shoot and print with good results with nary an edit required. But, there’s always a wrench thrown into the works and co-worker is an intelligent dude who does a fair bit of his own research into camera gear. His research led him to believe that in-camera stabilization would be very beneficial and, um, well, Canon doesn’t make any SLRs with in-camera IS. For that matter, neither does Nikon, but Olympus and Pentax do and both brands offer SLR kits in the bottom price range that the co-worker prefers (so does Sony, but the Alpha One is a bit more than the co-worker wants to spend.) Well, ah, yes, in-camera stabilization would be very nice to have, if available, but I admit to being a brand snob and generally can’t see beyond Nikon and Canon. Pentax’s history is somewhat iffy now that it’s been wholly subsumed into Hoya’s corporate entity, and as anyone who’s followed the story knows, Hoya’s primary desire for purchasing Pentax, was to get its grubby paws on Pentax’s medical equipment business. The consumer photography division is an afterthought that may or may not continue, depending on the whims of the Hoya masters (rumours of new Pentax SLRs not withstanding, since any such cameras would have long been in the works prior to Hoya’s takeover). Olympus, well, I don’t really see anything compelling about the 4/3 system to make me want to buy into it. If I really wanted in-camera stabilization, I’d just as soon buy a Sony SLR instead. One of the presumed benefits of the 4/3 system is supposed to be smaller cameras and lenses, but in the product and price range that I like to live in, those benefits are not readily apparent. The new E3 looks just as big and heavy as any other capable DX fromat SLR and pro grade lenses will always be beefier and heavier than consumer grade glass no matter what format the sensor is. Off the cuff, I suggested that given his desire to have as simple an SLR system as possible with stabilization benefits, he should buy a Nikon D40 with the 18-200 VR lens. The D40 is right in the price range that he likes and as a consumer-oriented SLR, it’s one of the Nikon SLRs with improved in-camera JPEG processing with a kinder tone curve. While “only” 6 MP, the resolution is more than enough to satisfy the 4x6 and occasional 8x10 printing needs for the family album. This suggestion seemed to have struck a chord with the co-worker with only a change in camera model to the D40X, otherwise, I think the all-in-one, 18-200 VR lens is the key that appeals to him. As one moderately wide to moderate telephoto lens, he wouldn’t need to change lenses if he were to get one of the many two-lens kits available from assorted brands. With the VR, he need not worry about in-camera stabilization. With the D40X, he’d have all the resolution he’d ever need and he would enjoy superior high ISO image quality than he currently receives with the CP 8800, or even the Fuji F30. And, while the D40X is a consumer oriented SLR, it would still be faster and more responsive than either of his current cameras. Sounds great, now let’s pull out the Visa and…whoa, wait a second. Since you’re the guy that’s always concerned about cost, have you actually thought out what a D40X/18-200 VR kit will cost you? The 18-200 VR lens alone, is worth more than some of the Olympus and Pentax kits you had researched a few weeks back. Heck, the D40X by itself is worth almost as much as some of those kits and now you’re suddenly willing to pay double the cost? Plus, you’ll need to buy SD cards, because the D40X won’t take that nice 4 GB card you bought for the CP 8800. And, while I’m at it, you’ll really need to fork over another $150 to buy the SB 400 flash unit, because the built-in flash is not high enough to clear the length of the 18-200 lens, causing shadows in the lower half of the frame. Oh, by the way, you’ll also want to buy a spare battery for the camera, so you don’t get caught short. All told, we’re probably looking at around $1,800 after everything is said and done, which takes us right back to 2005 and your desire to spend that kind of money on an SLR kit. Although over a $1,000 less than the 2005 kit, $1,800 is still a hefty amount for people that live in the real world, as opposed to the world I live in where I eat Kraft dinner to afford my toys...just kidding, I only had to do that in university. Personally, I have doubts that that kind of money is going to be spent, but who knows, now that he’s tasted the forbidden fruit of a very capable SLR in the D200, mated to the 18-200 lens that he’s very big on, maybe he might. Co-worker has been using the D200/18-200 combo since Christmas Eve, and he seems quite besotted by it. The 5 fps speed and responsiveness is everything that he’s desired in an SLR and now I’m somewhat concerned that he’ll be too spoiled by it to want to use the D40X. To use a quote he used on me, why would you want the Keg after you’ve had Morton’s (steakhouse chains). To try and make it as easy for him as I could, I set the D200 for JPEG capture (Large, Fine), sRGB color space, Color Mode III (for more color saturation), and High sharpening. The camera was also set to Program Auto mode, so all he had to is point and shoot (after he took to the idea of using the AF-On button at the back for focusing). Continuous Focus mode and Continuous High (frame rate) were set to give him the best responsiveness of the D200. All of which resulted in him taking more photos than he expected to. He now understands why I offered him the use of two 8 GB flash cards (he took one only after my insistence, thinking that he’d be fine with just his 4 GB card). He also understands why he needs a second battery, because he’s been doing a lot of chimping with the camera’s LCD, which tends to drain down the already power-hungry D200. As my co-worker has discovered, actual usage of the equipment talked about trumps assumptions and it’s gratifying to my ego to hear him say I’ve been right all along J However, as discussed earlier, it still comes down to opening up that wallet and actually making the purchase. From all our conversations about photography, high-end audio, or cars, money has always been a factor for both of us and compromises have to be made. While I’ve joked around that my co-worker drives a nice BMW, he quickly points out that he bought the car used and that my Mazda minivan, bought new, cost more than his Bimmer. Ouch! Well, ah, um…your momma wears army boots. Actually, the better rebuttal would have been, what’s the cost of servicing that BMW versus my Mazda to keep it running on the road? Seriously though, we’re both working stiffs, even if he does make substantially more than I do (back at ya, you Bimmer driver). We both have families to look after and while on the surface, I’m a bit more (okay, a lot more) profligate buying the the techno toys, I’m always racking my brain with how I can make the best purchase possible. E.g. I wouldn’t mind trying out what an Apple MacPro tower can do for my photo editing, but the budget dictates that I stick with PC and build a custom hot rod box that matches the specs of a MacPro tower. I’m also of the mind that if I need a particular tool to get the job done, I’m not afraid to spend the money to get that tool…within reason. But, then I take photography pretty seriously (ya think?) as a hobby and passion, while others obviously do not, hence my sometimes lack of understanding of their perspective that they don’t want to go off the deep end like I have and end up with a room full of gear to support the pursuit. However, I don’t try to give advice indiscriminately and I do try and consider what the person needs and I do try and give advice using my own experience and knowledge to save them the trouble and expense that I’ve gone through in my own photographic or audio life. While my co-worker says he has no regrets buying the CP 8800, if he had bought the Canon 20D back in 2005, we would not have had an ongoing dialogue about what cameras and lenses to buy and you would not be reading this ditty right now J My co-worker was the one that suggested that I write about our discussions that you're now reading, but reserved the right to rebut anything I wrote with his own comments, so stay tuned for a follow-up after he returns from his vacation in a few weeks. Now, consider the co-worker who has to live in the real world and mitigate his desire to consume with his obligations to family to another person who also recently asked me for advice on what gear to buy. This person, who shall also go nameless, has to choose Canon for his photographic gear (why is not important for this discussion). While the budget is more liberal than my co-worker’s, it is not so large that he can consider Canon’s 1D series SLRs, which is too bad, because then I’d be borrowing it on a long-term basis J However, the budget is large enough to accommodate a 5D along with a few L series lenses to support the full frame coverage. He bought a 30D a little while ago and back then, I suggested that if he wanted Canon’s best moderate telephoto zoom lens, to buy the 70-200 f2.8 IS lens. I warned him about the $2000 cost and suggested that if he didn’t want to spend that much, to consider the 70-200 f4 IS lens instead. A short while later, he came by and showed off his new 30D and the f2.8 version of the lens. So much for worrying about the budget, and yes, this is the same 30D and 70-200 lens that I was able to use for a couple of months. He came back recently and asked for specific and detailed recommendations on building a full Canon-based kit along with the required accessories needed to take some serious photos. While no specific budget was set, the hint was that he wanted what I would want to buy for myself using the 5D (and companion booster grip) as the base camera. Fox in a chicken house, blank cheque, child in a candy store with a C note in hand…insert favorite analogy here. We started with the 16-35mm f2.8 II lens to provide him with wide-angle coverage for the 5D. Next, I suggested that he go with the 24-105mm f4 IS lens for normal range coverage, with the IS feature trumping the one-stop advantage of the 24-70mm f2.8 lens (spotty QA of this faster lens was also a factor in not recommending this lens). He already has the 70-200mm f2.8 IS lens, so with three zoom lenses he has ultra wide to moderate telephoto coverage. Next was suggesting the 580EX II flash to finish off the Canon gear. For a tripod, I offered him two choices for a carbon fibre unit, one from Manfrotto and one from Gitzo at double the cost of the Manfrotto. After I told him I personally desired the $800 Gitzo, he quickly crossed out the Manfrotto option. For the tripod head, I suggested the RRS BH-55 head with lever clamp and the appropriate RRS L bracket and lens plate for his Canon gear. The high cost of these best in class accessories didn’t faze him one bit. Last, was advising him that while the 5D is a nice camera, there are strong rumours of its replacement to be announced in early 2008 and that if he wanted the latest and greatest for this class of camera, to wait it out. He readily agreed to this, given his desire to have the best...within reason, i.e., remember, no 1D class camera. He’ll be buying the pieces slowly, but I have little doubt that most, if not all of my recommendations will be followed and yes, I will be able to try them for extended periods of time J |
|
Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
|
  |
|
Edwin's
Vignettes - Making Recommendations