digital hulks

[HunterJim]

I just returned from a "dealer rep" event at a local San Diego camera store celebrating inter alia their 55th year. Among the reps there were gents from Nikon and Canon. I talked to both and handled their high-end digital bodies with their respective image stabilized telephoto lenses mounted. I have been thinking about moving from my film cameras to digital.

To call these cameras massive would be the same as naming the Hulk "that geen guy". These things are so massive I felt that the designers have gotten away from what cameras are for .

And I am new here...


jim

[another view]

Welcome!

Speaking in terms of Nikon, some of their bigger cameras are pretty big and heavy. Actually it seems like they have gotten a little smaller and lighter - comparing the D1X with the D2H (think the D2X should be pretty similar in this regard). Also with their film cameras, the F5 is much bigger than the F6 (without external battery, F5 has it built in).

Sometimes I don't mind the weight, it can help with trying to hold it steady with slow shutter speeds. But yeah, I don't think hand-holding one of those and an 70-200 f2.8 all day would be a whole lot of fun!

[Speed]

To call these cameras massive would be the same as naming the Hulk "that geen guy". These things are so massive...

Hello and welcome to PR!

As for the massiveness of the camera's today, you have to ask yourself what you want in a camera. The pro bodies are going to be bigger and heavier than their consumer grade counterparts. Partly due to all the goodies built in (big motor drives, more features, etc) and partly because they are built like tanks. A pro expects his camera to stand up to a certain amount of being knocked around. As with most things, there are tradeoffs and compromises. More capability usually means more bulk and weight.

Being a Nikon guy myself, I took a quick look at their camera bodies and their weights:

N80 = 18.2 oz
F100 = 27.7 oz
F5 = 42.7 oz
F6 = 34.4 oz (the F6 doesn't have a built in battery pack like the F5)

Digital camera's stack up like this:

D50 = 19 oz
D70 = 21 oz
D100 = 24.7 oz
D2X = 38.4 oz (the D2H weighs the same as the D2X)

As you go up in features/performance, the weight goes up as well.

Now comes the fun part - deciding what features you need. If you absolutely have to have 12.4 megapixels at 5 fps, then you're going to get a D2X and carry that weight. If 6.1 megapixels at 3 fps will meet your needs, then the D70 is a lot lighter. I'm oversimplifying, but you get the idea. Decide what you want/need, and weigh that (no pun intended) against how much bulk/weight you're willing to carry.

[jar_e]

Just to chime in, welcome to PR.com!