Thinking of buying a Nikon D3100

i own a Canon DSLR and for my details use the G11 for the past year or more .. this camera hands downs beats the DSLR and as a added bonus is WAY less bulky.
I will put the G11 against any DSLR any day
 
fredcandetail said:
i own a Canon DSLR and for my details use the G11 for the past year or more .. this camera hands downs beats the DSLR and as a added bonus is WAY less bulky.
I will put the G11 against any DSLR any day
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:rolleyes: :doh:
 
I would suggest buying a refurbish T2i from Canon. I got mine for 550 shipped, came with everything that a new one would. I like T2i more then 3100 because the LCD screen has 1 million pixel while the Nikon has around 250k pixel. Which mean you can see picture a lot clearer on Canon.

If you want their # for CLP I can PM you it. You have to send them a old P&S to get 20% off their refurbish price.

I just got my first DSLR and loving it. I recently bought a 50mm 1.4 for portraits.
 
fredcandetail said:
i own a Canon DSLR and for my details use the G11 for the past year or more .. this camera hands downs beats the DSLR and as a added bonus is WAY less bulky.
I will put the G11 against any DSLR any day
Click to expand...

LegacyGT said:
:rolleyes: :doh:
Click to expand...

No possible way. I think that the G11 is easier to use, set and forget. That is why you are getting better results. You dont know how to work your DSLR. Spend some time shooting with it and you will see a major difference.
 
Jeff120 said:
No possible way. I think that the G11 is easier to use, set and forget. That is why you are getting better results. You dont know how to work your DSLR. Spend some time shooting with it and you will see a major difference.
Click to expand...

Actually, it's possible to get comparable results between a G11 and a Canon DSLR - assuming you have good light and certain subjects (landscape, architecture, etc.). Heck, read this article by photographer Michael Reichmann, comparing the G10 (predecessor to the G11) to a Hasselblad medium format with Phase One back:

Canon G10 vs Hasselblad H2

Of course, the big caveat is that you need good lighting - in medium to low lighting, the larger sensor in the DSLR would start showing its advantages.

Oh, one other reason why a G11 could produce better results than an SLR - the G11 lens is a better lens than the Canon kit lens, so a kit lens-equipped Canon DSLR would not be performing at its best.
 
umi000 said:
Actually, it's possible to get comparable results between a G11 and a Canon DSLR - assuming you have good light and certain subjects (landscape, architecture, etc.). Heck, read this article by photographer Michael Reichmann, comparing the G10 (predecessor to the G11) to a Hasselblad medium format with Phase One back:

Canon G10 vs Hasselblad H2

Of course, the big caveat is that you need good lighting - in medium to low lighting, the larger sensor in the DSLR would start showing its advantages.

Oh, one other reason why a G11 could produce better results than an SLR - the G11 lens is a better lens than the Canon kit lens, so a kit lens-equipped Canon DSLR would not be performing at its best.
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Under ideal conditions with an experienced operator, sure you can get great photos from anything. Heck I can get great pictures out of an iPhone under ideal conditions. The problem is that less than 1% of what I shoot is under ideal conditions, and when I print pictures, I print them BIG. At web resolution anything looks pretty good, but some of my prints are 36''x55'' large; a small sensor just will not look good at those sorts of resolutions.

Lets compare a few pictures at 100% crop to see if the G11 is really the same as a DSLR (images from DPreview.com reviews of both cameras)

G11 vs (ideal)............................................... 1D Mark IV(ideal):
G11_ISO80-ACR-crops.JPG
AK0C0148_acr-crops.jpg


G11 High ISO (3200) vs ................................1D Mark IV(3200):
G11_ISO3200_0326-001.JPG
canoneos1dmarkiV-ISO3200-001.jpg

G11_ISO3200_0326-002.JPG
canoneos1dmarkiV-ISO3200-002.jpg


Honestly we are trying to compare a Ferrari with an Accura. They will both get you where you want to go, but they are apples and oranges on pretty much everything else.
 
Someone suggested Ken Rockwell as a source of info, but i would like to add a word of caution: his reviews are... um... satyrical... lol
 
Bill, is that first series of photos from a bottle of vermouth?
 
You into still-life? I haven't met too many people that are...
 
LegacyGT said:
Under ideal conditions with an experienced operator, sure you can get great photos from anything. Heck I can get great pictures out of an iPhone under ideal conditions. The problem is that less than 1% of what I shoot is under ideal conditions, and when I print pictures, I print them BIG. At web resolution anything looks pretty good, but some of my prints are 36''x55'' large; a small sensor just will not look good at those sorts of resolutions.

Lets compare a few pictures at 100% crop to see if the G11 is really the same as a DSLR (images from DPreview.com reviews of both cameras)

G11 vs (ideal)............................................... 1D Mark IV(ideal):
G11_ISO80-ACR-crops.JPG
AK0C0148_acr-crops.jpg


G11 High ISO (3200) vs ................................1D Mark IV(3200):
G11_ISO3200_0326-001.JPG
canoneos1dmarkiV-ISO3200-001.jpg

G11_ISO3200_0326-002.JPG
canoneos1dmarkiV-ISO3200-002.jpg


Honestly we are trying to compare a Ferrari with an Accura. They will both get you where you want to go, but they are apples and oranges on pretty much everything else.
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Oh, I know that - I'm not saying that the G11 is better than a 1DMkIV (and come on, the 1DmkIV is hardly a fair comparison, as it isn't a "typical" Canon DSLR, with it's APS-H sensor). I did mention that it would need to be under good light, and only with certain subjects. I am just saying that the statement that it is impossible to get better shots with a G11 vs a Canon DSLR isn't true - after all, the G11 is one of the best compact cameras around, and we have no idea how old the SLR being talked about is, what lens is mounted on it, or how skilled the photographer is.

And going on a tangent, 36x55 are BIG prints - what do you shoot with? Full-frame I'm guessing?
 
umi000 said:
Oh, I know that - I'm not saying that the G11 is better than a 1DMkIV (and come on, the 1DmkIV is hardly a fair comparison, as it isn't a "typical" Canon DSLR, with it's APS-H sensor).
Click to expand...

i own a Canon DSLR and for my details use the G11 for the past year or more .. this camera hands downs beats the DSLR and as a added bonus is WAY less bulky.
I will put the G11 against any DSLR any day
Click to expand...

Your post contained a link comparing a G10 (and concluding it was equal) to a $40k Hasselblad camera, I hardly think it unfair to compare it to a $5,700 1D MIV to refute that point. You also said you would put the G11 against any DSLR any day a statement I could not disagree with more, so instead of arguing, I posted a comparison side by side to illustrate one very simple example of why I disagree with that statement.

after all, the G11 is one of the best compact cameras around,
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I will agree it is one of the best compact cameras, but it should not be compared to a full DSLR; apples and oranges. It's fine to suggest to the OP that it would be worth looking at instead of a DSLR(the subject of the original question). To present the G11 and a DSLR as interchangeable or equals (or beating them hands down) is in my opinion, very misguided.

And going on a tangent, 36x55 are BIG prints - what do you shoot with? Full-frame I'm guessing?
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No I have APS-C cameras, one of which is 7 years old and only 8.25 megapixels (from which I have a beautiful 36x55 shot of Florence hanging in my office) ... that's where the difference in sensor size comes into play, and why I don't mind carrying around a DSLR all day - to get that sort of quality and flexibility. It kills my back to do it, but at the end of the day all the advantages of a DSLR make it all worthwhile to me.

I am not trying to get into an argument here, but I disagree with several of the things you have said, and I believe that I have good reason to disagree. If the G11 works for you, that's fantastic, and I would love to see some of your shots. The best camera in the world is the one you have with you, for me that's going to be a DSLR if I can help it, but that's not the right decision for everyone. As you mentioned they are bulky, and with lenses can be very heavy (though with a 50mm can be very light); it's a tradeoff between quality, performance and flexibility. For you the G11 may be a hands down winner, but recognize that that is a personal preference, and nothing more.

:grouphug:
 
LegacyGT said:
Your post contained a link comparing a G10 (and concluding it was equal) to a $40k Hasselblad camera, I hardly think it unfair to compare it to a $5,700 1D MIV to refute that point. You also said you would put the G11 against any DSLR any day a statement I could not disagree with more, so instead of arguing, I posted a comparison side by side to illustrate one very simple example of why I disagree with that statement.

I will agree it is one of the best compact cameras, but it should not be compared to a full DSLR; apples and oranges. It's fine to suggest to the OP that it would be worth looking at instead of a DSLR(the subject of the original question). To present the G11 and a DSLR as interchangeable or equals (or beating them hands down) is in my opinion, very misguided.

No I have APS-C cameras, one of which is 7 years old and only 8.25 megapixels (from which I have a beautiful 36x55 shot of Florence hanging in my office) ... that's where the difference in sensor size comes into play, and why I don't mind carrying around a DSLR all day - to get that sort of quality and flexibility. It kills my back to do it, but at the end of the day all the advantages of a DSLR make it all worthwhile to me.

I am not trying to get into an argument here, but I disagree with several of the things you have said, and I believe that I have good reason to disagree. If the G11 works for you, that's fantastic, and I would love to see some of your shots. The best camera in the world is the one you have with you, for me that's going to be a DSLR if I can help it, but that's not the right decision for everyone. As you mentioned they are bulky, and with lenses can be very heavy (though with a 50mm can be very light); it's a tradeoff between quality, performance and flexibility. For you the G11 may be a hands down winner, but recognize that that is a personal preference, and nothing more.

:grouphug:
Click to expand...

Ummm... I don't own the G11 - I wasn't the one who posted that it was better than a Canon DSLR - that was fredcandetail (looks like I need to put up an avatar for easier differentiation...).

I certainly don't agree with the statement that it's better than an SLR in all things; but nor do I agree that an SLR will always trump the G11 - that's all I wanted to stress, that like any tool, a lot depends on knowledge and technique, and that getting an SLR is no magic formula that will suddenly make all your shots look fantastic.

I will agree that an SLR can easily serve as an everyday camera - my own is a 4-year old Pentax K100D, and yes, I do use a 50/1.4 as an everyday lens (though thinking of getting a 35, as the 50 is just a bit too long on a cropped format sensor). I do sometimes wish I could push the ISO a bit higher like on the newer cameras today, but it still serves me as a fantastic camera, and I've gotten great shots with it.
 
the best place to get one is bhphotovideo.com I actually like the canon 60d but for the price range you are talking there is the canon t2i. I guess it is personal preference. for the price I would go with the canon t2i, but you know the dslr shoot some awesome video and are the best for the price the only thing is the sound is not good.
 
Go with the Nikon, far more durable than the Canons. I am a newsman and have been shooting Nikon for years. Good luck!
 
And just to throw a spanner in the works, have you considered a camera outside of the big two? Pentax and Sony both make good DSLRs, and Sony, Olympus and Panasonic make mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras - still with large sensors and interchangeable lenses (so image quality is very close, if not on par), just no penta-mirror, so the bodies are somewhat smaller. Nice thing about the cameras of these manufacturers, vs the big two, is that they usually have in-body image stabilization, so any lens you mount is a stabilized lens - which can be useful if you're taking shots of the car with tired, shaking hands after a day of buffing :xyxthumbs:
 
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