It's not about the camera...

Bored + crappy DSC.

Quote from DeadWolfBones :

Amaaaaaaazing pictures all the way! An you've even got an RB4?!?

Quote from shashdev :

What camera are you using? That's an incredible picture.

Well, without the camera it wouldn't be easier to take a picture.

So: It's a 4 year old Canon EOS 450D with a Sigma 17-70 mm F2.8-4.5 DC macro lens and a bit of Lightroom.

Quote from shashdev :

Same question? What camera are you using? I'm in the market for a new one.

I got 5 years old Canon 30D, this was with Sigma 10-20/4-5,6 lens with CP. But, as stated above, it's not all about the camera. I think that a decent camera can really help you a lot...but it's like with a car, if you're a shitty racer, good car won't help you anyway.

Quote from smove :

Amaaaaaaazing pictures all the way! An you've even got an RB4?!?

A FWD RB4, alas.

Some from a hike last Friday:

Awesome pictures as usual. New desktop I think.

Lovely landscapes all 'ya.

I can't remember what I showed earlier. Here's some random selection of past few months. Not sure if there's much substance to write home about but hopefully some emotion translates.

All great, Mikko.

Quote from spankmeyer :

Lovely landscapes all 'ya.

I just love this picture.

Here're a few recent ones:

Went for a hike yesterday with the OM-D, 20/1.7 and 12/2:

DAMN DWB. Those are awesome. Especially the Gumball ones. Id love to go to one of those. Whats that first car? R8?

Yup!

Quote from DeadWolfBones :

Went for a hike yesterday with the OM-D, 20/1.7 and 12/2:

So errr, wow, those were perfection throughout.

Eh, the landscape did most of the work.

Awesome stuff, Ben!

Hmm OM-D, eh? Being a Micro Four Thirds user myself, how do you find it? Quite curious about that one.

Quote from de Souza :

Awesome stuff, Ben!

Hmm OM-D, eh? Being a Micro Four Thirds user myself, how do you find it? Quite curious about that one.

Well, it's like a mini-dSLR minus the OVF. Overall I like it a lot so far... just a few quirks I don't like (for one thing, instant image review occurs on the screen you're using to compose, so you can't review shots on the LCD if you're using the EVF).

Ergonomically it's pretty great, especially with the add-on two-piece grip, which really makes using legacy lenses via adapter a lot more comfortable.

Very good pictures guys.
I really like the black and whites ones.

Here is some of my recent pictures :

http://www.pbase.com/alland44/phototrip_today

Since there are a few enthusiasts in this thread, maybe you can recommend something...

I'm looking for a DSLR - I'm certainly no expert, but I have a basic understanding of photography... It's my first, so handling should be intuitive, but above all I would like a camera that works with the parameters I set (in both still and video shooting) without forcing or silently changing other values...

I've been looking at Canon 600/650D, Nikon D5100 or Sony Alpha 57/65... Is there a clear recommendation? I'd first use kit lenses and exchange them one by one with better ones - or should I go for a smaller body first and concentrate on better lenses? Or should I forget the APS-Cs altogether and save up for a full format camera?

How much of a priority is video for you?

I'll probably only make the occasional video here and there, but I want them to be of good quality...

Also, I'll be doing more action/sports shots than tranquil landscapes...

Quote from bbman :

Since there are a few enthusiasts in this thread, maybe you can recommend something...

I'm looking for a DSLR - I'm certainly no expert, but I have a basic understanding of photography... It's my first, so handling should be intuitive, but above all I would like a camera that works with the parameters I set (in both still and video shooting) without forcing or silently changing other values...

I've been looking at Canon 600/650D, Nikon D5100 or Sony Alpha 57/65... Is there a clear recommendation? I'd first use kit lenses and exchange them one by one with better ones - or should I go for a smaller body first and concentrate on better lenses? Or should I forget the APS-Cs altogether and save up for a full format camera?

Quote :

I'll probably only make the occasional video here and there, but I want them to be of good quality...

Also, I'll be doing more action/sports shots than tranquil landscapes...

I'm gonna throw a curve ball and say you should start with a Nikon D7000 body only and buy a couple of fast second-hand Nikkor AF-D primes or zooms on Ebay.

Now you have an inexpensive solution to good looking video, great stills and good lenses that you can use later if you decide to go for full frame.

After a while you could upgrade to a used D700 for pro-AF and features and let the D7000 handle back up body and video duties.

IMO you'd end up with quite nice and versatile setup relatively inexpensive way that would handle pretty much anything still or video related.

EDIT: Fixed model numbers.

Editor's note: Buying a few years old tech is not maybe the most media sexy thing but when done wisely you get better performance per buck with lower overall costs compared to buying latest bodies that do not bring much new to the table (DSLR video still looks like ass compared to proper cinema cameras, controls are terrible, lots of idiotic restrictions, AF hasn't advanced much in pro bodies for the past 4 years etc.)