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First specs of 300D

Hello everyone.
I'm new to this site and haven't yet taken the digital plunge but I'm debating whether I should. The new 300D looks quite attractive (especially price wise) but so does the Olympus E1. For me, whatever I do it will be new lenses etc unless I buy an all in one like the new Sony 8MP since I am an MF Contax man.
The thing which concerns me on the 300D, apart from the small and rather dim viewfinder and the quality of the lens "given" with it, is whether dust on the sensor is really something to worry about. The salesman who demonstrated one to me, if you can call it a demonstration with no battery in the camera, would not allow me to take off the lens because of the risk of getting dust on the sensor. That does not seem very satisfactory to me. The Olympus has some type of ultra sound shaking system which is said to remove "most of" the dust.
Looking forward to people's views.
Best wishes,
John
 
Hi John,
I have been shooting pictures sine about 1968.

My personal opinion is that you must always be careful about dust on the internals of a camera. This is NOT something new to the digital world or the Canon 300D/Digital Rebel.

My opinion is that the salesperson was trying to stear you to the other camera though I can't imagine why.

I am very much enjoying my Canon Digital Rebel.

At it's current price, I think it is a great buy.

Good Luck
 
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your helpful reply. Moving to digital will be a big step for me as I have long been a dedicated film man although I do now scan my transparencies and negatives in to the computer with a Minolta Dimage Scan Elite 5400.
The Canon does look an attractive camera and feels good in the hand. In fact I think it has better ergonomics than the new Olympus although it does not feel as substantial. As you say the price is good too, in fact amazing which must be a Canon ploy to capture the market. Good for them.
The other camera I am considering is the new Sony F828 which is a similar price although it has not yet arrived here and I have not been able to handle one.
I agree about dust in cameras and I find it very annoying to have blobs on the mirror and in the pentaprism but I understand that dust on the sensor can really affect the pictures in digital. Presumably surgery is then needed in Photoshop although often I find that it's needed too on scanned negatives even if processed by a "pro" lab.
Yes it's strange about the salesman's attitude. He didn't try to sell me anything else. Maybe he had been mislead by the Canon rep. or his manager or had read something or other.
I have read a review of the Canon in a Professional magazine which was pretty glowing but if I bought it would I then start to want to build up a collection of Canon lenses? and I wouldn't want to sell my beloved Contax stuff. Oh, decisions, decisions but I have reached a decision that I am going to go digital partly for the ease of use with the computer and reduced processing costs so I shall have to jump one way or the other soon.
Glad you are enjoying your Canon and thanks again.
John
 
Hi John, Keep hold of your Contax stuff john, don't know why people have to go digital fully as there is still a lot of pleasure to be had via film, I suppose it is the same or was with CD verses Vinyl, although it is easier to pop a CD in, there is still something about using vinyl that gives pleasure. I have used a Nikon 5000 since they came out but still derive tremendous pleasure from my Canon and Pentax camera's, and would never sell my F1n's at any cost JohnL
 
Thanks for the advice John. I don't think I could bear to part with my Contax (and Mamiya) gear which I've built up painfully over the years. I did part with all my Contax gear some years ago when I bought the Mamiya medium format outfit and immediately regretted it and had to start building up my Contax outfit again. I don't want to make the same mistake again but I do want to try digital. I would be really miffed if I had parted with everything and then couldn't get on with digital.
Thanks. I will take your advice and hang on to what I've got and try to decide on which digital camera to buy as well but it does restrict the choice because it reduces the funds available.
Cheers,
John
 
The trouble is john, as we all know, is what you buy today will be superseded in a short while, and not necessarily with more pixels, Also the second-hand market is dropping for film camera's (canon T90's were fetching £230-250 last year, now you would be lucky to get £170), people are moving to digital, but later on the market may up as people start to buy up old film gear for future value, maybe an investment, that’s why I suggested you hang on to your gear, and as for choosing which digi, best of luck to you, though some models do stand out. Regards john
 
As an avid photographer, and a nikon user for 40 years, I finally switched to my canon dslr rebel.
I have never in 40 years of picture taking enjoyed a camera as i do this canon rebel. the colors are breathtaking and the speed is enough for me
 
Thanks Charles. I think that user endorsements are probably the best way of actually judging the worth of equipment.
John
 
John,
I think that the Contax MF system prices seem to be holding up fairly well althought the N system and the G system prices do appear to have dropped a bit. But the MF system like Leica is perhaps a bit of a "niche" market.
I think that so far, I have narrowed my digital potential choices down to the Canon 300D, the Pentax istD, the Olympus E1 or the Sony F828 but they all need much more investigation as I haven't even handled some models as they are not yet available and some of those choices would be much more expensive than others and with a DSLR I would want to add additional lenses.
Cheers,
John
 
Good luck then with your choice John, I don't envy you! ps you've forgotten the Fuji
 
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