Minolta A1 or Canon Rebel?

[daclown]

Im really at a loss. I primarily use my camera for web dev / design work / product shots / lanscapes etc.. and of course for fun .

The price is so good on the rebel camera and the sample shots look great!

i currently have a d7 and my only complaint is the slow AF and the batteries dying every 20 min.

which should i purchase? A1 or Rebel?

thanks everyone

Zach M.

[Mathilde uP]

The Rebel will give you certain advantages
- choice on lense quality
- faster operation (true slr's are faster than look alikes)
- no noise reduction because it is not needed (Canons word). In fact you will notice noise at 400 and more iso, but the noise levels are indeed low enough to permit a bulb as long as the camera has power)
- Iso 1600
- Camera does not look provocative expensive (can be usefull in crowded city areas )
- Wide choice of Canon EF lenses

Disadvantage of Rebel;
- Camera looks like a bathtub dolphin
- Equivalent of something like a 28 mm film lense is not very common (28/1.6 = 17.5mm lense)

The things to say in favour of Minolta;
- ready to shoot camera is lighter than Rebel
- no risk of getting dust on ccd.
- Design looks impressive.

Disadvantages of A1
- only iso 800, makes me suspicious about camera noise.
- Too much buttons (hardly any room for alternative hand placement)
- Tripod mount not in centre line of lense.

For product shots I would serious condsider the Rebel, for proffessional fun shots during long hikes, the A1 might be nicer.
And although 6mp may sound like an overkill for web design, it is nice to just grab a shot and cut out the parts you need for webdesign...For such purpose you might also want a personal choice with lense quality.

[NHL]

One more item in favor of the A1 is its impressive IS system built-in to the camera, and 1/10s @ 200mm had been tried on the dpReview thread... to do the same on the Rebel would have to be more costly IS lenses (if at all possible @ 1/10s).

There's another advantage (or disadvantage) because of its interchangeable lenses design: If your intention is never to go out of the 28-200mm range then why do you need to carry extra lenses and having to swap them (and clean after the dust) when an all-in one can do just fine... and more compact too! If you're in for the DOF of the Rebel then it's a different story, but then again more expensive wider aperture/faster lenses are in order here as well

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...essage=6054972

BTW the battery on the A1 is the same type as the Canon so that issue is gone (you can still use AA with the optional handgrip though)

[Mathilde uP]

Originally Posted by NHL

One more item in favor of the A1 is its impressive IS system built-in to the camera, and 1/10s @ 200mm had been tried on the dpReview thread...

I would love to see that, pitty the forum is closed right this moment

Originally Posted by NHL

There's another advantage (or disadvantage) because of its interchangeable lenses design: If your intention is never to go out of the 28-200mm range then why do you need to carry extra lenses and having to swap them (and clean after the dust) when an all-in

Nhl, what you say is quite true. However most prosumer cameras tend to have either 1 or more lense shortcommings. With SLR it is up to the user what (s)he considers acceptable or temporary, you don't have to trash the whole camera if you make over time money to buy better or specialsitic optics. Even more important, quality lenses with everything, thus wide/ super zoom /macro are normally about $700 or more. I'm glad the A1 has a good IS, but I doubt it has a $700 lense, the weight of the camera shouts no ;-) Current price of A1 would also buy a Rebel with a $200 lense. Good lenses start at $500

I must shamefull add to this that I only recently discovered how much difference lense quality can mean for the same user. It is not just a bit sharper and brighter, it is a different between having the feeling you still need to learn a lot or geting a professionnal photo with even with your eyes closed.

[NHL]

Yeap... We have an apple / orange comparison here!

My point is with the A1 you basically have everything whereas the same price point on the Digital Rebel is just for starter, ie a 2nd lens is absolutely required to cover the same reach. The lens on the A1 is the same as on the D7's series which is quite good and is of Minolta's top-line G family, it's also an APO with relatively free CA even @ 28mm. The reason this lens is inexpensive is because it could be made more compact because of the smaller image circle, and not of lesser quality. It's all glass... (check my gallery). This camera would be the choice for folks who appreciate compactness and ease of use of an all-in-one camera (Also don't forget the F828!). :P

For folks who want to go beyond the 28-200mm range and to exploit the better DOF, the Digital Rebel would be the choice; However, this capability does not come for free since there's really no good $700 zooms in Canon family: basically there's the economy (ie cheap) series with all the trade-offs, and then there's the over $1000 "L", beside one'll need IS on all the EF lenses to equal the A1

This is where the 3rd party lens manufacturers (ie Sigma, Tamron, Tokina etc) come into play... Either way it'll cost more! BTW I still have my D7 and still amazed by its capability especially in the dark with its WYSIWYG on full manual and even use it to adjust the settings on my 10D @ night (Mars shots?)... :lol: