{"id":124,"date":"2006-01-03T00:33:54","date_gmt":"2006-01-02T15:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2006-01-03\/124"},"modified":"2006-02-04T23:42:46","modified_gmt":"2006-02-04T14:42:46","slug":"my-cameras-fit-of-jealous-rage-looking-for-a-d-slr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2006-01-03\/124","title":{"rendered":"My Camera’s Fit of Jealous Rage; Looking for a D-SLR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

\n\nI really like my little Canon\nSD500<\/a>, or, as it's called here in Japan, the Canon IXY Digital 600\n(what is it with cameras and silly names here?). It takes<\/span> great shots (see\nmy archive of pretty-photos blog\nposts<\/a>, and nice photos\ngallery<\/a>), and have no plans to replace it any time soon.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nStill, it's fun to daydream about a big<\/span> hefty SLR<\/a> with\na large<\/span> image sensor, fast shutter, good lenses, and features like shutter-\nand aperture- priority (which are basic, but point-n-click cameras\ngenerally don't have).\n\n<\/p>\n\n

\n\nSo, lately I've been browsing the most-excellent Digital Photo Review<\/a> site, dreaming\nabout what I'd get if I got<\/span> something. Yesterday, I was reading<\/span> about\nsuch-and-such a feature<\/span> on a Canon<\/span> camera, and I wondered<\/span> if my current\nCanon had that feature, so I grabbed<\/span> it and turned it on, but instead of\nturning on smoothly (lens sliding out), it made a nasty<\/span> grinding\/clicking\nnoise and displayed “E18<\/a>”\non the monitor. Uh-oh.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nIt was definitely not working, other than making un-camera-like grinding\nnoises. And gee, I was<\/span> only looking<\/i> at other cameras!\n\n<\/p>

\n\nIt's still under warranty, so I brought<\/span> it in today and the guy at the\nstore guestimated that I might<\/span> get it back toward the end of the month.\nSigh.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nWell, since I was at the store I checked<\/span> out two cameras I'd been looking\nat online. One is the<\/span> Canon EOS 350D “Digital Rebel XT” — in\nJapan called, I kid you<\/span> not, the EOS Kiss DIGITAL N<\/b> (What is<\/i>\nit with Japanese camera names?). Digital Photo Review has a 31-page<\/b>\nreview<\/a> of it.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nThe other was the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D — in Japan called α-7\nDIGITAL<\/small><\/b> (which is a much<\/span> better name than its little\nbrother, the α SWEET DIGITAL<\/b> — What is<\/b> it with\nJapanese camera names???). It turns<\/span> out that I ended<\/span> up actually looking\nat the latter (α SWEET) by mistake, although I didn't<\/span> realize it\nuntil I got<\/span> home.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nIn any case, I didn't really care for either. Both happened to have zoom\nlenses attached at the store, and neither could apparently focus well. I'd zoom out<\/span>, focus on something, than zoom in only to find that it was\nwoefully<\/b> out of focus. I have a<\/span> hard time believing that modern zoom\nlenses don't hold focus across the zoom, so I tried<\/span> taking a picture<\/span> and\nthen reviewing the shot on the camera display, zooming up visually on the\ncentral part of the pic. They were out of focus.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nThese cameras were heading toward $1,000 (they list for $1,500, but since\nthey've been out for a while<\/span> their price has come down) and they were\nwoefully disappointing. I hope it<\/span>'s just because they were floor models.\nThey seemed cheap, had flashes that popped surprisingly up when the\nauto-focus needed them, and had thumbwheels (for changing options) that\nwere rough and hard to use. Ugh.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nMy sister has the Maxxum 7D and loves it, and a friend<\/span><\/a> who is a fantastic\nphotographer<\/a> recommended the predecessor to the Canon 350D. I don't<\/span>\nknow what to do.\n\n<\/p>

\n\nCan you recommend a good Digital SLR (where the definition of\n“good” is partially defined by this wishlist:\n<\/p>\n\n