Older DSLR Question

mant01

mant01

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Ive been considering picking up an older model dslr second hand and was wondering for the price they are available which would you recommend? I saw a nikon DX2 for £500 and canon 5d's for around that price, so shutter counts put a side which is a golden oldie out of the older stuff youd recommend for the price.
 
The Nikon D2x is still a very capable camera, the only thing that lets it down is the size of the LCD screen on rear compared to what we are now use to using.
 
So out of the dx2 and the 5d would you say the nikon would be a better choice? Also Im sure there will be lots of older really good cameras, if you have experience with one please everyone let me know which it was.
 
mant01 said:
So out of the dx2 and the 5d would you say the nikon would be a better choice? Also Im sure there will be lots of older really good cameras, if you have experience with one please everyone let me know which it was.
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I don't use Canon, so have no experience of them.
 
Phil Young said:
Out of curiosity, why an older model?

I had a D2x but if I were spending £500, it definatly wouldn't be on it...
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Im just not keen on the cameras Ive tried in that price range new. Just feel cheap and like toys. The most Ive spent on a camera was a 60D and it still felt toy like to me.
I cant afford really more than £500 and I prefer the feel of 30d's, 40d's etc guess I like heavier cameras that feel solid.
 
mant01 said:
Ive been considering picking up an older model dslr second hand and was wondering for the price they are available which would you recommend? I saw a nikon DX2 for £500 and canon 5d's for around that price, so shutter counts put a side which is a golden oldie out of the older stuff youd recommend for the price.
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Depends on what lenses you already have for your Canon body. If you have a selection of lenses suitable for the FF 5D, then that's the obvious choice! If you'll be basically starting from scratch lenswise it gets a bit more complicated, although I would still recommend the 5D to YOU because lenses suitable for the 5D will work perfectly well with your current body (if you're keeping it).

Quite apart from the brand issue, the 2 cameras are very different animals and can't really be directly compared. The D2x is a full pro spec Dx body with a 1.5x crop factor while the 5D is a prosumer full frame body. Personally, I reckon it also depends what use it'll be put to - if your tsates lie more towards wide angles, FF is probably what you want, while for telephoto (wildlife from a distance for example), the 1.5x crop factor of a Dx body will give you extra apparent reach (although the same effect is easily achieved from an FF body by cropping to suit!).

Thinking a little more, FF every time IMO! The 5d will be newer than the D2 in terms of technology so will almost certainly handle higher ISOs and lower light better. If possible, try the 2 options side by side and take a few as close to identical shots on one of your cards to compare at home. Since you already have a Canon body, you'll be more familiar with their navigation system than the Nikon's too.
 
mant01 said:
Im just not keen on the cameras Ive tried in that price range new. Just feel cheap and like toys. The most Ive spent on a camera was a 60D and it still felt toy like to me.
I cant afford really more than £500 and I prefer the feel of 30d's, 40d's etc guess I like heavier cameras that feel solid.
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I'm a fully signed up member of the D2X appreciation society. I've had three of them now. There are a few features that really date them but they really are a lovely thing to use and very much not toy like. IQ is exceptional at low ISO but at high ISO it does fall apart quite quickly compared to modern offerings. Depends on what you shoot as to whether that is an issue or not. If you do go for one, I'd be careful how much you pay. None of mine have cost me more than £400 and that includes a very low use D2XS (not worth paying extra for an 'S' by the way).

A D300 will offer better IQ at higher ISO but with a slightly backward step in build quality.

Not sure on the Canon but I would guess that low ISO IQ will be even better again. All lens dependent of course.
 
Nod said:
Depends on what lenses you already have for your Canon body. If you have a selection of lenses suitable for the FF 5D, then that's the obvious choice! If you'll be basically starting from scratch lenswise it gets a bit more complicated, although I would still recommend the 5D to YOU because lenses suitable for the 5D will work perfectly well with your current body (if you're keeping it).

Quite apart from the brand issue, the 2 cameras are very different animals and can't really be directly compared. The D2x is a full pro spec Dx body with a 1.5x crop factor while the 5D is a prosumer full frame body. Personally, I reckon it also depends what use it'll be put to - if your tsates lie more towards wide angles, FF is probably what you want, while for telephoto (wildlife from a distance for example), the 1.5x crop factor of a Dx body will give you extra apparent reach (although the same effect is easily achieved from an FF body by cropping to suit!).

Thinking a little more, FF every time IMO! The 5d will be newer than the D2 in terms of technology so will almost certainly handle higher ISOs and lower light better. If possible, try the 2 options side by side and take a few as close to identical shots on one of your cards to compare at home. Since you already have a Canon body, you'll be more familiar with their navigation system than the Nikon's too.
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Thanks alot for that mate for that. The only issue with it is buying second hand its hard to get the different models to test in the same place. I did like the feel of the 5D but never had a chance to play with one. I think Im gonna do alot of leg work to second hand dealers and see what feels right. Ive never used a FF camera so I'll try a 5d before making my choice.
 
I love my D300, one of the best cameras Nikon have made in my opinion. Couple that with a 24-120mm lens and you have the perfect partner.
Ralspeed
 
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gad-westy said:
I'm a fully signed up member of the D2X appreciation society. I've had three of them now. There are a few features that really date them but they really are a lovely thing to use and very much not toy like. IQ is exceptional at low ISO but at high ISO it does fall apart quite quickly compared to modern offerings. Depends on what you shoot as to whether that is an issue or not. If you do go for one, I'd be careful how much you pay. None of mine have cost me more than £400 and that includes a very low use D2XS (not worth paying extra for an 'S' by the way).

A D300 will offer better IQ at higher ISO but with a slightly backward step in build quality.

Not sure on the Canon but I would guess that low ISO IQ will be even better again. All lens dependent of course.
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The shop selling it for £500 mate is Bonsers at newcastle. Ive been looking on ebay but hate the idea of not checking the camera before I hand over the cash. Where abouts did you pick yours up from?
 
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mant01 said:
The shop selling it for £500 mate is Bonsers at newcastle. Ive been looking on ebay but hate the idea of not checking the camera before I hand over the cash. Where abouts did you pick yours up from?
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Never used Bonsers myself. Never seem to have a great deal of used gear in stock when I've been in but it would be reassuring buying from an actual shop. MPB have three of them from £300-£500 if it's any use to you.

I got one from the classifieds on here, one on ebay and one from MPB. The ebay one was actually the best deal of the lot. It's not the worst place to buy as the buyer is pretty well protected these days, it's selling on there that is more of a mine field.
 
Is the D300 the same body as the D200/S5? If so then I actually rather like it, despite the stupid assignment of the control dials.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Is the D300 the same body as the D200/S5? If so then I actually rather like it, despite the stupid assignment of the control dials.
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Pretty much the same other than a few details. Biggest difference is the LCD size. Oh and they ditched the stupid method for zooming into an image that older Nikon's all seem to use. D300 simply has a zoom in and a zoom out button. Far simpler to use.

They did ditch the dedicated bracket button but you can assign that elsewhere. What do you mean about the dials out of interest?
 
If you can live without video, live view etc etc the 5D and fuji S5 pro are still hard to beat for image quality. Invest in a couple of decent primes, a decent flash and you'll have images comparable or better than much more modern equipment.
 
The Nikon D200 it is very heavy on batteries, also the picture quality is far better on the D300. Look at comparison chart on the net.
Realspeed
 
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realspeed said:
The Nikon D200 it is very heavy on batteries,
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I have never found this to be the case, in fact my D200 along with the 18-200VR Lens is my lightweight travel kit, I do a lot of trekking in remote areas of the world where there is no chance of any charging of batterys, so power is important to me.
 
I love using my 5D, I use it gripped all the time too, which makes any smaller DSLR's feel very cramped!

If you decide to go for the Canon, look for one with a later 3xxx serial number if possible - they updated the design as sometimes the mirror breaks free on the earlier ones (which I believe is still a free fix from Canon service centres). No sure way to know the shutter count either, so again, a late one is preferable.

Get a rocket blower too, 5D has no inbuilt sensor cleaning so you'll need to keep things dust free where possible.
 
After searching and reading alot of reviews I decided to go with a Nikon D300. Ive never used a nikon before but sure I'll get the hang of it. The camera has a low shutter count and is said to be in excellent condition. I'll receive it tomorrow :D
 
I had a D300 brilliant camera but sold it to switch to a D7000.......... some days I wish I had kept the D300 it's probably the perfect amount of MP you need for a crop sensor and built to last too
 
mant01 said:
What are canon 1d mark ii n like?
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Built like a bricksh!t house, great autofocus system, weather sealed, with the right lens still a great camera

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Deciding to go full frame I recently got a 1Ds Mk1 for £500 and the results are superb,way better on exposure and tonality than the 60D, would highly recommend looking at older high level DSLR's
 
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