I just purchased a lens on Ebay for my Minolta Maxxum 3xi. It is a Minolta Maxxum 100-200mm 1:4.5 AF Lens. I paid total with shipping and insurance, $58 for it, I think I got a pretty good deal, as the lens appeared to be, and was said to be in excellent condition. I was looking at the AF lenses for the Maxxum on Best Buy and can't believe that this lens wasn't bid up more then it was, but I snuck in at the last minute and bid with like 30 seconds to go. Anyway back to my question, I will be purchasing a new digital camera here in the spring (maybe even before that). I have been looking at the Nikon D100 6.1 mega pixels, Canon EOS digital Rebel 6.3 mega pixels and the Minolta - Dimage A1 5.0 mega pixels. I am leaning more towards the Minolta at this point, as I am thinking that the lenses from the Maxxum will interchange with it??? I really like the Nikon, but if these lenses will interchange, I am thinking that would be like killing two birds with one stone. I have had a Minolta (SRT201) SLR for many years and it takes beautiful pictures, as does the Maxxum 3xi. But then again I just bought a Canon AE1 that also takes beautiful pictures (the three are very comparable). Is the Nikon really all that, does it take that much better of a picture then either a Minolta or a Canon? I don't have either a Canon or a Nikon that will interchange lenses, so this why I am thinking the Minolta will be a good deal for me, as I do have a few lenses for that Maxxum. Now if those lenses won't interchange, it will be between the Nikon and the Canon I think. Could someone with some knowledge on these digital cameras please advise? Thank you for your time. Brenda :)

The lens on the Dimage A1 is a permanent lens, it does not come off.... the camera is not a DSLR, but a prosumer level digital. The lens is permanently attached to the camera with a zoom of 28 - 200 mm. These other cameras all have their own lens mount specifications and you cannot interchange Canon lenses on a Nikon or vice-versa. You can however use third-party lenses from Sigma, Tamron, Quantary, etc, but you have to buy it with the proper mount. If you buy a lense from Sigma for example you need to make sure you buy it with the Nikon mount for a Nikon camera, again with a Nikon mount it will not work on any other camera but the Nikon. I can't give you advice on which is better as far as DSLRs but I've used Canon for years and now use Nikon, both are excellent and have fine reputations. What it all boils down to is which suits you better. And then building up that system that works for you. It would be a lot cheaper if you already had lenses for a particular brand and then you could just stick with the brand for the lenses that you had, but if you starting fresh, it's a big investment.....

OK let me ask you this, does Minolta make a DSLR? Maybe I have missed it in my search? Well if not that would narrow the field by one, as I want my digital to have that interchangeable lens, funny that lens on that camera looks like a regular lens! :( Any other cameras you might suggest I take a look at??? I am open to suggestions here! :)

Michelle said almost all that's really important. I'd just like to add, that you shouldn't compare that Nikon D100 with the Canon 300D. She costs almost double, so this ain't fair. Compare her to the 10D if you wish or wait on the smaller Nikon which is said to be on market early next year. The A1 is a great cam, even having this anti-shake built-in (IS in some canon lenses is not really cheap - but well worth it!), but i'd never trade her for a SLR again. Just my two ct. :)

If you ask for other D-SLRs: there's one system by Olympus and Sigma is releasing an other one. I don't know of any Minolta D-SLR, sorry!

Attached Link: http://www.minoltausa.com/eprise/main/MinoltaUSA/MUSAContent/CPG/CPGProducts?cname=dig

I went to Minolta's site to see if I could find a DSLR camera..... they have a subsection under digital cameras called "SLR Digital".... When going into this page, you find all of these cameras are **NOT** DSLR's but "slr type"..... I find that to be a bit mis-leading as none of these cameras can use interchangeable lenses... Here's the link to the page....

Thank you Michelle! I had done the same thing with the Minolta, just looked it up online, and to me it appeared that I was comparing apples to apples as far as interchangeable went. I had not physically handled the Minolta as I had the Nikon and the Canon. Maybe by the time I make my purchase, Minolta will have a new model out, and will be able to compete for my business. I have been a loyal customer to them as far as cameras go. And they haven't disappointed me until now. (I have the SRT and the Maxxum). Unfortunately if I go with either the Nikon or the Canon I won't be able to benefit from the interchangeable lenses I already possess.:( Decisions... Decisions.... Decisions! Thanks for the link, I was surfing through Minolta's site the other night. :-S I usually take my time picking out what I want. I do know that the Nikon D100 is a very nice camera, but I am not sure if I would benefit anymore from it then I would the Canon. Going to do a little digging here, will let you all know what I find out, might even fire off a letter to Minolta! ;) Brenda :)

I have never owned anything made by either Olympus or Sigma, not sure if there is an interest there or not, will take a look see, and tell you what I think. In a way I kind of have my heart set on that Nikon D100, as I know that it will be something that I will continue to use for a long time. But, like Michelle said, starting fresh is a big investment. OK off to google land I go! ;)

Yea, what Michelle said. The picture quality of the Canon Digital Rebel (300D) is equivalent to the EOS 10D (they use the same CMOS array and Digic processor). The difference is in the features, customizability and build quality (10D winning on all those counts). The Nikon D100 has similar image quality to the 10D - I think the 10D is a bit better in color reproduction and lower noise, but only because of its newer technology. Really, they are both fantastic cameras. If going between the two, I'd look to the lenses to see which one I'd prefer. Minolota doesn't have a DSLR now, but they have already announced that they will be releasing a Digital Minolta Maxxum in 2004. How good it will be, that's anyones guess. It always makes me nervous when a company brings out a product for the very first time. In the price range your looking, besides those, there's: Sigma SD9 and SD10 DSLRs - SD9 was their first digital and has some weak points, SD10 is supposed to be better (both use the Foveon image arrays which is a really interesting technology). Olympus E-1 DSLR - It's Olympus's very first DSLR. The 2x multiplying factor kind of bugs me on that camera. They also use a new lens mount specifically made for this camera, so lenses for their film cameras won't work. Pentax *ist D DSLR - No one ever seems to talk about it so I have no idea how real owners feel about it. -=>Donald

Attached Link: http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/

OK Google pays off again! Found this page that reviews all of the digital cameras! Woooooooo Hoooooo! Donald, did I ever tell you that you are wonderful? Thank you for your honest reviews! Check out this link guys! :)

Just purchased a Nikon D100 (still waiting for the delivery) after going through some intense research and head scratching. What made up my mind was the Nikkor lenses I already have. If I were starting from scratch, I probably would have gone with the Canon 10D. (Slightly more resolution (6.3 MP vs. 6.1), cleaner images (less noise), ISO starting at 100 (D100 starts at 200)). That being said, these "differences" are minimal - not worth dumping my existing lenses. A good way to decide is to define what type of photography you want to do, and go with the system that offers an equipment line that fits the definition. Both Canon and Nikon have virtually everything you could possibly want (Nikon may have the edge, since they haven't changed the lens mount since the old Nikkormat series) Nikon's "new" DSLR is the D70 - a slight drop from the D100 designed to compete with the Canon Digital Rebel, and will be priced below a grand.

hi Brenda ! i am nikon fan and use nikon since 1979. but i think all three cameras are very good. i don`t think a camera can make a picture much more better as an other camera.very important for me is the light and a very good lens (zB. 105mm Macro )much more important as the camera body. greetings Gerhard :O)

Nilla - I am not clear as to how much interest you have in a DSLR as a long-range project; that is - do you expect to expand and get more lenses and need/want to expand the type of photography you do? Or are you just interested in a single camera with maybe a lens or two?

If you think you may have a long-term or expandable interest go very slow, be careful and get the maximum information and experience you can before you buy. Renting would be an excellent idea.

Reason - you are buying into a SYSTEM, not a camera. Canon, for example, has (I think) 47 lenses, with 4 major body types ranging from the 300D thru the 10D, the 1D and 1Ds. The 1D and 1Ds are full professional grade cameras.

The 1D, for example, is primarily intended for sports/motion photography, with a fairly small megapixel count (4 mpx) but an 8 frame per second capability with a 40 frame buffer - that is, you can focus on, say, a surfer, and take 40 successive shots at the rate of 8 per second to have a good chance of capturing a significant "moment". Maximum size print will be around 16X20 inches. This body is around $3000 street.

The 1Ds has an 11 mpx sensor (full 35mm frame) and rivals medium format film in quality. Body about $7000 street.

The 300D and 10D are consumer rather than professional cameras, tho the 10D is so close it is kind of a cross-over, and many are used by pros. The 10D body is about $1300 street.

The lenses which fit all of these bodies range from a couple of hundred dollars up to $10 - $12,000 as I recall.

The Nikon range is comparable, tho Nikon has become the weaker of the two - Canon and Nikon.

The other players - Minolta, Olympus, Pentax, et al - have very, very attenuated lens lines and will likely remain niche items.

It is worth noting that Canon introduced the concept of optical stabilization and owns the basic patents on stabilization, tho Minolta in the A1 introduced a novel method - moving the sensor, not a lens element. If they can apply this to their new DSLR it will be revolutionary since it means ALL lenses would be stabilized.

This long post is to encourage you to think about your ultimate goal. If you want a fully expandable system, IMHO, Canon and Nikon are the only choices.

If you just need a single body and a couple of lenses you have a much wider choice.

As an additional comment - the first step when you buy any DSLR should be to put the camera on a tripod. Use a remote release (don't buy a camera body which does not take one).

Get a perfectly exposed and perfectly focussed image at each zoom range and stop the camera may be used at. This will take a couple of hours, but is INVALUABLE because you now know what the camera is ultimately capable of and have a standard to judge your working images by.

One more note - despite image stabilization the cause of most poor or less-than-optimum images (film or digital) is CAMERA MOTION. Image stabilization is not magic, tho it helps. Good luck - willie408

OK I do understand that I will be buying into a system. Now with the news that Donald gave me, I am thinking I may just very well wait until Minolta comes out with their Maxxum DSLR, as I have quite a few lenses. I have always used a Minolta camera, and they haven't disappointed me yet. In all honesty though that Nikon (D100) I was playing with Saturday, really sparked my interest! I have every intention of going professional, I figure maybe I will start with Art Festivals and if my work goes over there as well as it has with my co workers... then the sky will be the limit. (I shoot 35mm) Want to see what kind of photography I shoot? Click on my name and look at my gallery. I don't think I could ever do weddings. But would consider doing children's photos. All of the images in my gallery were taken with a Sony Mavica FD100. I have been very much impressed with this little Sony, so much so that at one point I was even looking at their cameras as an option for upgrade. Honestly though? I want either a Minolta, Nikon (D100) or Canon (10D) I originally thought that the 300D was a good option until I started reading some of the feedback on it (see link I left in above message). It seems to have problems with flash and images taken indoors. Maybe I will just go beat my head up against the wall for a while, and just maybe the answer will come like magic! wink grin Thank you all for your input here! Anyone else want to throw in their two cents? I am more then willing to listen to what you have to say. Brenda :)

If a picture is worth a thousand words... D100 - ISO 800 - 116mm (70-210 zoom)- 1/250 - F4.5 - WB Floresent - EV 0 - Sharpening on High (Photoshop for resizing & slight crop) (Thanks Donald!) BTW I have had the camera 2 weeks. Note the puck in the goalies glove. Magick Michael

As you stated, the 300D would have problems with flash and indoors .. just have to answer "no". Don't have any problems indoors. It may be a drawback, that the 300D in her original state cannot use a whole studio-flash-equpiment (some matter of triggering or the like .. don't understand that totally for i don't need it) but if your not doing indoor-(wedding-)portraits, that doesn't matter at all to you. Also, there'll surely be an adapter soon that solves this problem. But would anyone use the 300D as a studio-cam? Don't think so ... As Donald said, the only differences are some manual modes, the 300D doesn't offer (your decision if that matters to you or not), slightly faster picture-series on the 10D, the use of a prisma-mirror instead of pentaprisma and a magnesium body on the 10D compared to plastic on the 300D. Therefore the 10D is heavier but may last longer .. but i don't have a bad feeling in my 300D too and she's 500 Euro lower and comes with a not to bad lens. There even are some minor advantages of the 300D to her bigger sister: the built-in flash is higher as in the 10D, so there's less red eyes with using that flash. If you like to hear, i'll look at home for the rest of that article. Can't say anything to that upcoming Minolta ... but if they really put that A1 anti-shake into her (and it works as great as canons IS already does), it could get a killer-cam! Maybe waiting on this one and taking a close look is the best you can do right now. But as Canon (and Nikon) already have a lot of experience with D-SLRs, i'd be careful too .. But i think, Gerhard said what is most important: it is you, taking the pictures, not the camera. If you are good, it doesn't really matter if it's a canon, nikon, olympus or whatever. If you don't know your business, it doesn't matter too. Some tech-freaks keep loosing that out of sight .. ;)

Raven - Mind if I ask what you mean by the 300D having problems with flash and indoors? As for the studio flash thing, it's not that it can't do it. It's that the 300D, unlike the 10D, doesn't have a PC Sync socket. That's the socket that your studio lights hook up to. It's really not a problem (the Nikon D100 doesn't have one either). You can buy a little $20 accessory that fits into your hot shoe and has a PC Sync socket on it. You then plug the studio lights into that. Remember one thing if you ever try it, just like with a normal camera flash, make sure the lights have a trigger voltage of 6VDC or lower. If unsure, it would be wise to get a Wein safesync adapter (it keeps the voltage going into the PC Socket at 6V or lower. -=>Donald

Donald: i'd like to know of that problems too ;-). Brenda quoted that review saying this, my answer was "no". I don't have any problems indoors. Sorry for not saying that more clearly. Mea culpa .. Also thank you for the clarification about that sync-socket ;) Best Regards Tom

Attached Link: http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/canon-rebel-300d-reviews.html#owner_reviews

OK here we go! I went to the link that I supplied earlier, and clicked on your Canon 300D. Most of the reviews are excellent, however, there are a few people that are not happy at all with this camera shooting indoors, and the results they get. Maybe I did not make it clear. I don't want to do weddings, but I do want a camera that will shoot well indoors without using PSP or photoshop to correct the images. Because maybe, one day I might have to do a wedding to survive, and a camera that doesn't do well indoors won't sit well with me. Even though I do most of my work outdoors, I do have children, and I do like to photograph them and holidays and the like, the 300D just does not seem to be the camera I am looking for, even though it has a rather nice price. I want a camera that I don't have to wait for the company to "work out the bugs", I want a camera that after purchasing it, I won't have to go out and buy "extras" to make it work properly. I am going to copy and paste here a few of the reviews that I read on the 300D. See I didn't just look at all the good things people had to say about them, I also read the bad reviews too, and I started seeing a pattern on the complaints people had. (hopefully Canon will too!) If you would like, I can also give you a detailed report on the 10D and the D100! ;) Here are a few samplings: Canon, what a disappointment! by Loren Sep. 29, 2003 Overall Product Rating: Pros: 6.3M pix., good outdoor shots, fast Cons: flash shots are .66 to 1.66 stops too dark in any mode Recommended: No Has Owned Product: 6 Day(s) Ease of Use: Very Good - Fairly easy to learn and use Durability: Very Good - Well made and will last a long time Portability: Average - Bulky, but functions well Photo Quality: Average - Low quality for framing Battery Life: Very Good - Lasts all day Lighting Conditions: Only good outside on a sunny day I would recommend this camera primarily for: Enthusiasts Comments: I have been shooting Canon since a young boy (when I took over my dads EF and fell in love with photography) but I almost lost my joy the day I purchased the Digital Reblel. Ok, it wasn't that bad but the D. Rebel compared to the Canon G2 for overall color balance, out-door and especially in-door photography of your average family get togethers is horrific. The D. Rebel in any mode with flash is on average 1 stop underexposed. Adjusting for it only causes white area to clip (over expose compared to the rest of the photo). It seems to have a tendency to underexpose in general. I get almost the same response with either the built-in flash or the Canon 420EX flash. If you bounce the light of the ceiling with the 420EX it does better, but the scene is still poorly lit at about .3 to .6 under exposed and the lighting is uneven across the picture. I would give it good marks on speed; it generally focuses quickly and shots happen almost as fast as you press the shutter button. I would guess there is about a quarter second delay from the moment you press the shutter botton to the time the image actually records. It does have some good adjustability in the none program modes, but I don't want to have to adjust everything all the time. Once you use the G2 almost everything else doesn't compare - especially the D. Rebel. If you want a digital SLR that takes good outdoor shots this is the camera for you, but if you want a good all around camera that excels in the average family setting as well as giving you plent of creative opportunity - buy a G2 while you still can and team it with the 420EX flash for a little softer lighting. It you will spoil you for life. (I am going to have to have a look at this G2!) Next... Excellent Camera by Grahamster61 Nov. 13, 2003 Pros: Fast AutoFocus,Excellent Picture Quality,Extremely Flexible Cons: Built in flash 75 out of 76 people found this review helpful. Really nice camera by TheCameraMan Dec. 4, 2003 Pros: Great price, speedy camera, so-so options, LONG batt life. Cons: Takes a little time to be proficient 30 out of 30 people found this review helpful. Great value, great quality by Rob Oct. 3, 2003 Pros: Fast, accurate auto focus, flexibility, lens compatibility Cons: No spot metering, tendency to underexpose flash shots 263 out of 271 people found this review helpful. Worth every penny! by bcreigh Oct. 16, 2003 Pros: Excellent image quality, Changeable lenses Cons: Less control than 10D, No PC connector bye bye film by fotozen Nov. 27, 2003 Pros: normal (analogue) SRL feeling, great pictures Cons: none 36 out of 38 people found this review helpful. This is what I have been waiting for by RockinRick Oct. 9, 2003 Pros: The camera has performed well in all instances. Cons: Cons? 89 out of 97 people found this review helpful. Great by jim Nov. 28, 2003 Pros: SLR-Hi-Res.-Compatibility with EOS lens-Quality Cons: 5 years ago - I would have killed for it! 17 out of 22 people found this review helpful. If you like Canon you will love this. by phh Nov. 28, 2003 Pros: SLR Digital at great price. Canon lenes for sharp shots. Cons: No lens hood with new 18mm to 55mm lens. 12 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Perfect in every thing, but .... by ehab Oct. 26, 2003 Pros: Perfect for outdoor, Perfect and fast auto focus Cons: very poor in indoor shots shots, very dark no matter what. 56 out of 82 people found this review helpful. Canon EOS Rebel 300D by joe Dec. 13, 2003 Pros: Very fast, unbelivable color and clearity Cons: Sometimes underexposes with the flash. There are many more reviews in there if you want to read them for yourself I will repost the link in this message! Now with that said, I will look at the 10D and the D100 the same way. I am not afraid of buying a D SLR that Minolta will come out with, because I will read reviews on it too. Minolta has done very well by me, as has Canon. I have two of each that shoot 35mm film, and as far as quality goes? You can't pick out which camera shot what. Gerhard was right, it is the artist and the lens and lighting that is more important then the camera body itself. I have used a digital camera that is way below standard and amazed professional photographers with the results. I know my work is good and I know I have the "eye". Imagine how well I would do with a professional camera that is up to standard? OK enough said for now, going to go beat my head up against the wall again! ;) (It is getting clearer now! LOL!) Toodles! Brenda :)

Sorry for not really reading all that ranting about the 300D indoors. There'll always be people having to rant as there'll always be people (just as an example) loving the Sony F828 for being the best one can ever buy (without ever having that cam in their hands or at least reading a review of someone, having it). I especially love the talk of people declaring any lens below 1000 as "shards" .. i almost think, they love to hear themselfes talk? They shouldn't talk that much and take pictures instead ...

That's the reason, why i'm starting to ignore every review in the web .. lot's of blahblah one can believe .. or not. No way to know, whom one can trust. I'd prefer to ask Donald over here .. sure i can trust him! :)

What's true: the 300D does underexpose if she doesn't get the perfect exposure. That's quite fine with me for i am able to repair an underexposed pic really easily via computer whilst an overexposed pic ist lost .. nothing to repair. Also, that does apply only in 0.1% of my pics .. at a maximum. 90% are done in manual mode where i myself am the one who has done something wrong if the exposure isn't perfect, 9.9% the camera getting it quite perfect and 0.1% that may be underexposed for someone. Not to me, but one can discuss that. So it's just you who has to decide. As the 10D uses almost the same electronics, that problem (if it would exist) would be hers too.

Sorry for not being able to agree this time dear Brenda. *hugz, Tom :)

No need to agree with me Tom, I stated my case and presented what I read to support my case. I will base my decision on reviews and opinions like Donald's. I just don't think that the camera that you are obviously very happy with, will suit my needs. Even you admit that there is a problem, I personally prefer not to have to "repair" images in Paintshop or Photoshop, to me it is not what the camera saw when the shutter clicked. And if the 10D doesn't suit my needs, I won't buy it either! I recently had what could have been two beautiful sunrise pics that I took that were underexposed on the digital. Rather then keep and try to rescue these images, (Donald and I played with them) I trashed them. Just my way of thinking I guess. I think it has something to do with the perfectionist in me. Brenda :)

Just a note - finally got my D100 in...and....WOW! I haven't even started taking this thing to its knees yet, and I amm impresseed!

That pics were underexposed a lot more as the canon would do it (10D or 300D) worst case. To get them that dark, you'll need to shoot it in manual-mode or make some serious mistakes ... but if you'll find a camera out there, never ever underexposing (and not having them to bright too), do not hesitate to buy her :)). Of course i'm happy with my camera (wouldn't have bought her in any other case) and of course i'll gladly admit, that there are a lot of other cams out there, that are way better than mine and/or fitting better to the needs of other people. The only thing that makes me a little angry is, if people out there tell things that are just plainly wrong or taken out of context (not refering to you dear Brenda!). Just once again: where's the problem with a little underexposing? We don't talk of almost black pics as your one was. And, to be true: if you don't want to do postwork, by all means stay with an analog camera. Shooting in raw-mode (which all pros do - not talking of me g) won't get you a single pic that's usable without postwork. Good luck on your search and i really hope you'll find what suits you best. hugz, Tom :-)

I'd say that about 90% of all complaints about a true DSLR camera is due to user error or user misunderstanding. Some come from film with no digital experience and expect the camera to behave exactly as their faithful old film camera did. Others come from point-and-shoot digital cameras where the camera took care of 90% of the work for you. DSLRs are complex tools that require the user to understand what it is they are doing and what it is they want to do. Reminds me of a message on one of the other photography forums I'm on. The person had just plunked down around $3000 on a EOS 10D, 24-70mm 2.8L and accessories. They were complaining profusely about the poor photo quality of the 10D and how soft the photos it took were. When asked by someone what depth of field they were trying to achieve in one of the images, the person responded with "What do you mean by depth of field?" -=>Donald

Attached Link: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

Well said DHolman A lot of people use the LCD to judge their photos, has I found the display LCD on the EOS 300D is a lot brighter than the actule photo. So having read a article from the "The Luminous Landscape" web site(see link) I have started to use the histogram as a light meter, I have better results now. As for the bulit-in flash, I never use it I use a Canon 420EZ Speedlite which gives you more control than a built-in flash will ever give you.

Azy - Yup ... it's the only way. I use the LCD image on the 10D to judge composition, sharpness, for judging correct shutter speed in some instances, to see if the light falls the way I want (looking at shadow lines) and if the highlight areas are blown-out. I use the histogram to judge actual exposure. It's also strange how many Canon 10D/Digital Rebel and Nikon D100 users I've talked with who have no idea that their camera can be set to automatically show blown-out areas (bright areas with no detail in them). I know the manual can be daunting, but I'd suggest reading through it completely at least 3 times. After renting the D100 that week and seeing all it could do, I read the manual for my 10D 3 times before I ever fired a shot with it (I needed to wait for the batteries to charge anyay). And I still pick it up and read through sections of it from time to time so I don't forget one of the more esoteric functions. -=>Donald