So the decision is now at hand……the choice of a digital SLR camera.
Here is what I’ve narrowed my choices down to, but I am need of some help in the lens dept. Frankly, I’m looking to obtain a professional lens with a focal length of at least 120mm, preferably up to 200mm. Suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Below are the 3 choices I have before me and a brief review of those models I have to choose from……
…………….
The Olympus E-1
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse1/
The Olympus E-1 Key Features
* Magnesium-alloy body with environmental sealing (splash proof)
* Five megapixel 4/3″ Kodak Full Frame Transfer CCD (4/3 System compliant)
* 4/3 System lens mount
* Range of four ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses initially available (smaller and lighter than 35 mm)
* TTL viewfinder with removable focusing screen
* “Supersonic Wave Filter” cleans CCD at each camera start-up (dust is shaken from CCD)
* Dual USB 2.0 (full 480 Mb/s speed) and IEEE 1394 (Firewire) connectivity
* 3-point TTL phase difference AF
* Focus-by-wire manual focus
* Manual focus after AF lock available (switchable)
* 3 bulb AF assist lamp
* 3-zone multi-pattern metering
* Program Shift in Program AE mode
* Shutter speed range of 60 to 1/4000 sec (up to 8 minutes in Bulb mode)
* Custom delay ‘Anti-Shock’ feature (similar to mirror lock-up on other SLR’s)
* Continuous shooting 3 frames per second up to 12 frames
* Sensitivity range of ISO 100 – 800 plus 1600 and 3200 with ‘ISO BOOST’
* Exposure steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 stop (EV)
* Exposure compensation -5.0 to +5.0 EV
* Selectable color space; sRGB or Adobe RGB
* Wide range of white balance options, four manual presets, fine tuning
* Hybrid white balance sensor (on external surface of camera and using CCD)
* Customizable image parameters (saturation, sharpness, contrast)
* Noise reduction for ISO noise and long exposure noise (both can be disabled)
* RAW format and RAW+JPEG support
* In-camera RAW Data Edit
* Compact Flash Type I & II storage including IBM Microdrive and FAT32
* User upgradeable firmware
* 1.8″ 134,000 pixel LCD monitor with anti-reflective coating
* Control Panel LCD display with backlight (panel also has anti-reflective coating)
* Flash hot-shoe and PC Sync flash terminal
* Shading compensation (removes potential vignetting)
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The Nikon D70s
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042003nikond70s.asp
Nikon D70S High Points
* 6.1 megapixel CCD delivering a maximum image resolution of 3008 x 2000 pixels.
* 1/500 flash sync, 1/8000 second top shutter speed.
* SLR design with true, TTL optical viewfinder.
* 2.0 inch 130,000 pixel TFT LCD with adjustable brightness.
* Polycarbonate body over a metal frame for strength with low weight.
* Interchangeable F mount lens design accommodates a wide range of Nikkor lenses, type D and type G recommended. 1.5x multiplier applies to focal length.
* Body supports both mechanically-coupled and all-electronic AF-S lenses.
* Program, Digital Vari-Program (Scene), Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual exposure modes.
* Depth of field preview button.
* TTL flash exposure metering in three modes (with the SB-800 flash).
* ISO 200 – 1600 exposure range.
* White balance has auto, six manual modes, and preset option.
* Three color modes, plus contrast, saturation, hue, and sharpness adjustments.
* Built in, five-mode popup flash; can also act as a master controller, or “commander” for SB-800 and SB-600 flashes.
* External flash hot shoe.
* Continuous shooting, Auto Exposure Bracketing, and Self-Timer modes.
* JPEG, RAW (NEF) and JPEG + RAW (NEF) file formats.
* Uses Compact Flash Type I and II, plus Hitachi Microdrive
* USB cable for computer connection
* Captures up to 3 frames per second.
* Buffer can hold up to 144 large/normal shots (actually more, in our tests), with high-speed CF cards.
* Five-area AutoFocus.
* Included CD-ROM loaded with PictureProject software.
* Video cable for connection to TV
* Optional battery holder that accepts 3 CR2 disposable batteries.
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Canon EOS 20Da
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0506/05060101canon20da.asp
Canon EOS 20Da specifications
General
* Weight
* 24.2 oz
* Width
* 5.7 in
* Body material
* Magnesium alloy
Main Features
* Sensor resolution
* 8.2 megapixels
* Optical sensor type
* CMOS
* Effective sensor resolution
* 8,200,000 pixels
* Gross sensor resolution
* 8,500,000 pixels
* Light sensitivity
* ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO auto (100-400)
* Shooting modes
* Automatic, Program mode, Manual mode, Portrait, Landscape mode
* Shooting programs
* Close-up, Landscape, Sports mode, Portrait mode, Night portrait
* Special effects
* Monotone
* Max shutter speed
* 1/8000 sec
* Min shutter speed
* 30 sec
* X-sync Speed
* 1/250 sec
* Exposure metering
* Evaluative, Partial (9%), Center-weighted
* Exposure modes
* Bulb, Manual, Program, Automatic, Depth-of-field, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, E-TTL II program flash
* Exposure compensation
* ±2 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
* Auto exposure bracketing
* 3 steps in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
* White balance
* Custom, Presets, Automatic
* White balance presets
* Flash, Shade, Daylight, Fluorescent, 2800K – 10000K, Tungsten light
* Status LCD display information
* Program, Aperture, Drive mode, Film speed, Flash mode, Focus area, Frame counter, Metering mode, Photo quality, Shutter speed, Autofocus mode, Self-timer mode, Photos remaining, Battery condition, Manual focus mode, Red-eye reduction, Exposure compensation, White balance indicators
* Still image format
* RAW, JPEG, RAW + JPEG
* Continuous shooting speed
* 5 frames per second
* Color support
* Color
Camera Flash
* Type
* Pop-up flash
* Flash modes
* E-TTL, Auto mode, Red-eye reduction, FP flash (high-speed synchro)
* Red eye reduction
* Yes
* Effective flash range
* 11.5 ft
* Features
* Ratio control, AF illuminator, Flash +/- compensation
Additional Features
* Self timer
* Yes
* Self timer delay
* 10 sec
* External flash terminal
* Hot shoe, PC terminal
* Video input features
* AE lock, AF lock, DPOF support, Direct print, Auto power save, Histogram display, PictBridge support, USB 2.0 compatibility, Backlight compensation, Digital noise reduction, RGB primary color filter, Display brightness control
Viewfinder
* Type
* Optical – Fixed eye-level pentaprism
* Color support
* Color
* Field coverage
* 95%
* Magnification
* 0.9 x
* Dioptric correction range
* -3 to +1
* Frames
* Autofocus frame
* LCD display information
* AE lock, Aperture, AF-in-focus, Shutter speed, Red-eye reduction, Exposure compensation, Flash charge completion
Display
* Type
* LCD display – TFT active matrix – 1.8 in – Color
* Mounting
* Built-in
* Resolution
* 118,000 pixels
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HERE ARE THE 3 PRIMARY LOCAL PHOTO SHOPS I’VE BEEN EXPLORING…..
http://charlottecamera.com/
http://cameraworldnc.com/
http://www.biggscamera.com/
