FAQ: What is the best digital SLR?

[gnnyman]

Well, I think I want to add my two pennies worth as well - the best digital camera is not yet invented.
The progress in digital imaging is very fast, the normal lifespan of one model in a store is maybe 9 months, for professional SLR's maybe 12-18months and then they are replaced by something which does more, has more pixels, more automatic, shoots faster etc.
Currently, as of today, I would rate the Canon 1DSMkII and the Nikon D2X as top of the line in the class of "35mm"type cameras. A totally different animal are the pro backs - 22MPx as top of the line, and the results you get with those backs show how far away any DSLR is from the real top of the line.
If money is no issue, try the two mentioned DSLR's and see which one you like more. A full frame sensor is not necessarily a knock-out feature and the math tells you that 12Mpx with a magnification factor of 1,5 equals 18Mpx with a factor of 1. Pixelsize is certainly not uninteresting (noise...) but the gaps between the pixels are also important (fillfactor). If you cannot/don't want to spend that much money, then I would rate the Canon 20D overall better than the same class competition.
So, that's my contribution to this question - George Nyman

[DanaG]

I retract my earlier comment about the Pentax *st D. It will, in fact, use all K mount lenses that fit on Pentax cameras. That's pretty much any K mount except some Ricoh lenses that jam the mount.

I've been using my valuable old M lenses on the *st D for a while now. You have to use them in manual focusing and manual metering mode (DUH, they're manual lenses.....) but the process isn't amazingly different from using them on the old MX cameras.

The A lenses will give you more automation choices, if you're into that sort of thing. I personally have no problem with 1) take a meter reading and 2) shoot the photo. That's how I've done it for years!! But an A lens will give you all those fancy program hyper whatever modes so you can put the camera in "dummy" mode and snap away.

So the upshot is, get whatever camera your lenses will fit on. Cameras come and go, but good lens is a friend for life!!

[Bodryn]

I have an *istDS and have been really enjoying taking pictures of the night sky. I have an f/1.7 lens that came with one of my Ricoh cameras. I set the camera at 800 or 1600 ISO and set the shutter for 8 or 10 seconds to get pinpoint pictures of constellations even at f/1.7, showing stars as dim as the eye can see. I use the 2 second self-timer to eliminate vibration. Then all I do is mount the camera on a tripod and point it at different things and snap away. I just love the fact that all my good old Pentax and Ricoh lenses get to be used after being neglected for like ten years or so. I have a 2.8 135mm lens that I still plan to use and an old and very heavy 28-200 zoom which I may replace with something much lighter and more convenient.

The viewfinder is so good that I can get a very precise focus on closeup objects with the 1.7 lens.

It would be nice if the camera had image stabilization. Or should I say individual lenses? I also would like it if it had a full frame imager so I could take full advantage of available wide angle lenses. I suspect that in the future Pentax will come out with something like that. Canon is coming out with one but it will cost over US$3000

[PuckJunkey]

I'll post a late vote for the D70 / D70S. Good color performance, decent noise performance at 200 and 400, easy to set up and use, and lasts a good while on a single battery charge. My biggest complaints are the small LCD and the lack of a remote terminal. Otherwise great camera for the money. And a great backup once you move to something better.

[JSPhoto]

Buying a camera, digital or film is not an easy task. When you buy one your looking for the best you can get for the money you have available. Sometimes though you need to go beyond your limits due to learning from others mistakes or your own.
I started out with a cheap Polaroid P&S, then went to an Olympus C2100UZ, wore it out and then moved up to a Canon 1D. After three years with it it is now a backup to a 1D MKII N.
How I went from the 1D to the MKII N is because the 1D needed repaired and it took so long to get it back I had to get something else as the 300D just couldn't handle it as a backup.
When I purchased the MKII N I went overboard on what I could afford, but considered more than just the "what I can do now" and looked ahead to what do I need for the future, as well as, can I make the money back. I finally decided that buying a used 1D was not the route to go, but buying a new MKII N was the route to go with the amount of work I had done this past year.
I also decided to purchase two lenses, which should cover all my needs for camera and lenses in the foreseeable future. It made sense then, and now makes more sense as I gotten additional work since buying the new camera and lenses.
So I believe that when purchasing a camera you need to not only look at what you can afford now, but what your future needs will be, and take a look into the future. Things may surprise you how they can fall into place.In my case I got two huge jobs coming now because of this purchase. Both are for a magazine, one is shooting 5 basketball games in one day, the other is 5 football games (state championships) in two days. There will be additional jobs coming out of these two as well from the rumblings I'm hearing from additional possible customers. Think ahead!

JS

[carney2]

I'm hoping it's the Nikon D200. I have not gone digital yet, and the D200 is the first camera that has me even a little excited.

[yogestee]

>The best DSLR is the one you use.

The best DSLR is the one the other guy uses!!

Jurgen
Australia

[danag42]

Now we're back to the issue of: what lenses do you already have? If you have quality lenses there's no point to switching systems, the lenses are the most important part of your equipement.