The desire
I’m missing the photojournalism element of my old job. I was on the London underground – heading upwards on the escalator when the vivid colours of a mosaic jumped out at me… silhouette of a child on a London bridge on a trike etc etc… great images everywhere.
But I no longer have access to a pool of stills cameras and I’ve lent my old digital camera to my dad.
The research
So, I must buy a new camera for my own use – so rather unscientifically I’ve been trying to work out which camera to buy.
I’ve used Nikons before – so I thought:
Nikon D40? – I’d like more than 6MP.
Nikon D80 with the 18-200 lens? (£500-ish?)
But the D80 is old… so then I thought:
Nikon D300 with the 18-200 lens – Amazon £1,365.20 (I’m using Amazon UK as a guide for prices).
Did you see what happened there? It was a huge jump in price. Why? Because the high quality cameras use expensive components. But once you’ve used high quality cameras it’s difficult to go back to a civilian model…
But then for that price, I may as well go for a full frame sensor, rather than a Nikon DX.
So then I looked at the Nikon D3 – it’s got a full frame sensor. Body price: £2,799.00.
That’s a lot of money. They’re all a lot of money – but I’m getting slightly obsessed.
So I had to work out what exactly I want my camera for. For me it’s:
1) Capturing the world around me. Often fleeting moments
2) Covering the occasional big event
3) Experimentation – learning more about photography
So if I put aside my need for the latest gadget, what I’m really looking for is a convenient good quality camera that I can keep in my bag (a small rucksack). That’s why I like the Nikon 18-200 VR lens – it’s not professional quality – but I don’t want to be changing lenses and I know I like the zoom up to 200mm. 18-55 is not enough zoom for me.
And also, this is quite important, don’t forget – it’s the photographer not the camera.
And if you’re busy changing lenses – then you may have missed the moment.
FX or DX? Well I could buy a DX and take 2 steps back to capture the full frame. Well, yes, but I hanker after the full frame…
So then – it’s the photographer not the camera – so I should buy a compact – a Canon Powershot g9 (or even Ricoh gx200), right? I considered it. The Canon G9 looks like a good camera – small etc (amazon £280.34) but its photos can look painterly if you push it… and I want to experiment.
So then – back to the Nikon D3 -
Body price: £2,799.00 – but the 18-200mm lens is a dx, not an fx lens. I’d have to buy new lenses… professional lenses for the professional D3 – that use the full frame.
To start, I’d probably like the Nikon AF-S 24-70mm/2.8G ED – Price: £1,245.99
and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR – price around £1000.
D3 total price… around £5000.
But I don’t want to be carrying £5000 of bulky camera equipment around with me… but I still want the potential for great photos. So what to do?
The full frame Nikon D700? – £1,979.95 – but I’d still need to buy full frame lenses… around £4000.
So, right then, I’ll buy a Nikon D300 with the 18-200 lens – Amazon £1,365.20?
It’s a great camera and I don’t really need FX.
But then, there’s Canon.
The Canon eos 5d – it’s old (2005) – but it’s full frame and it’s dropping in price because a replacement is due soon. Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR Camera (incl. EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens Kit) - £1,592.00.
The 5D is full frame and is the cheaper camera used a lot by professionals…
I could afford a D300 for sports & wildlife (telephoto) – the crop is a good for telephoto.
But I want to capture the light of the street, etc.
I’d like a cheap full frame digital… and the Canon 5D is the cheapest out there (its replacement rumoured to be £2000 for the body. October 2008 update: Canon Digital SLR Camera EOS 5D Mark II £2,299.99 on Amazon UK – released November 30th 2008. £3,005.80 for the kit lense version).
But then again I may as well buy the £2000 Nikon D700 with a Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED?
But surely a Nikon D300… arrgh…. it’s the photographer not the camera.
And I won’t need full frame… I can’t justify £3000 grand on a camera – when really I need a good quality compact. But I know I’ll miss the dslr options…
So Nikon D300 with the 18-200 it is. Slightly smaller camera with good quality.
Probably.
On second thoughts – I want full frame -and I can spend around £1500.
Nikon – D300 + AF-S DX VR 18-200 mm Lens
by Nikon: Price: £1,469.95
But I can see more with full frame…
Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR Camera (incl. EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens Kit)
by Canon
RRP: £2,349.99
Price: £1,592.00
So I think the 5D with the less convenient lens… could be winning… but it is not weather sealed, but I won’t be swapping lenses often… but that’s less convenient
Or I could spend another £1000 and get the D700…
I’ll update this when I’ve parted with the cash.
The convenience of a d300 with the 18-200 or the full frame canon with a less convenient lens, but better image quality… ?
The decision
I bought the Canon EOS 5D. Here’s why:
It’s the cheapest full frame digital camera on the market.
It’s a classic camera – tried and tested…
Good enough, in skilled hands, for a recent Guardian front page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7774674@N07/2418228875/
Winner of 2007 World Press Photo Award used a Canon 5D etc.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7240590.stm
It doesn’t matter when new models come out – this camera is good enough for me (although the D3’s low light capability is supposed to be amazing…)
It’s fairly compact, it was in stock, I could die tomorrow and… and I like it.
Great post!! I just have to copy it :)