On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:33:57 GMT, "RG" wrote:


I've been looking at the new E-3 anyway - good excuse to get one.

You owe it to yourself to give the new D300 a hard look. If I was shopping
today, that's where I'd go and never look back. It's that good. Camera of
the Year and deservedly so.


It's a shame Nikon isn't like your local Honda dealer, giving a trade in on
the old for the new.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:56:46 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
"Reggie is Here wrote:

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Mon, 7 Jan 2008 20:03:03 -0400, "Don White"
wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:52:17 -0500, HK wrote:

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
Just got off the phone with Olympus.

The bill to repair my E-300, flat rate, is $310 plus 6% tax which
brings it to $328.60!!

Damn.

So much for that camera.
You think camera repair people should work for wal-mart wages?
No - I don't expect that.

I do expect a reasonable rate to replace the viewfinder glass and
upload the latest software.

It seems to me that 2/3s of the cost of the camera new (as of 2 1/2
years ago) is a bit excessive.
You're doing the right think. With electronics there might be a few
improvements in the 2008 version.
Do you need Consumer Reports recommendation?

Thanks, but no.

I've been looking at the new E-3 anyway - good excuse to get one.

How much do you have invested in Olympus glass?

A lot. Plus associated hardware.

On Jan 7, 5:31*pm, HK wrote:
wrote:
On Jan 7, 5:16 pm, HK wrote:
wrote:
On Jan 7, 4:52 pm, HK wrote:
Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
Just got off the phone with Olympus.
The bill to repair my E-300, flat rate, is $310 plus 6% tax which
brings it to $328.60!!
Damn.
So much for that camera.
You think camera repair people should work for wal-mart wages?
They are just part changers.....
Yeah, right. And they probably couldn't put together an 8' wood dinghy.

--
George W. Bush - the 43rd Best President Ever!

I'm just a puzzle maker... same thing 'cept I don't do repairs on
other peoples boats..

Please. I know what is involved in building small boats, and I have seen
skilled camerarepairpersons do their thing. There's no comparison in the
level of skills needed. The inside of a camera is still like the inside
of a fine watch, with the addition of electronic circuitry.

--
George W. Bush - the 43rd Best President Ever!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

And before I built boats, I did advanced electronics diagnostics and
repair in a couple of different fields.. Tiny little screwdrivers and
a good magnifying glass, and the ability to read a schematic and an
occilliscope.. NBD...

On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:33:57 GMT, "RG" wrote:


I've been looking at the new E-3 anyway - good excuse to get one.

You owe it to yourself to give the new D300 a hard look. If I was shopping
today, that's where I'd go and never look back. It's that good. Camera of
the Year and deservedly so.

If you're on a budget, look on ebay for the ton of D200's that people
are offloading now because the D300 came out. You can pick up a D200
for 1/2 of what someone paid for it just a few months ago, and less
than 1/2 the price of a D300. And most of them are in pretty much
like new condition because the camera update cycle is so short.

Yes, the D300 is nice. But the little bit extra it gives you isn't
worth anywhere near over twice the going rate for a D200. Especially
if most of your photography isn't of indoor low light without a flash,
which is the only place the D300 really outpaces the D200.

Yes, I have a D200. And it's awesome. Mate it up with the 18-200 VR
zoom lens and you have the ultimate walk around camera.

Here's some shots I took last week with that combo on a little walk
around tour of New Hope, PA. I just bought it myself and these are
the first pictures I took. I'm looking forward to even better ones
once I really get to know the camera.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheliko...08607375/show/

Steve

Steve wrote:
On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:33:57 GMT, "RG" wrote:

I've been looking at the new E-3 anyway - good excuse to get one.
You owe it to yourself to give the new D300 a hard look. If I was shopping
today, that's where I'd go and never look back. It's that good. Camera of
the Year and deservedly so.

If you're on a budget, look on ebay for the ton of D200's that people
are offloading now because the D300 came out. You can pick up a D200
for 1/2 of what someone paid for it just a few months ago, and less
than 1/2 the price of a D300. And most of them are in pretty much
like new condition because the camera update cycle is so short.

Yes, the D300 is nice. But the little bit extra it gives you isn't
worth anywhere near over twice the going rate for a D200. Especially
if most of your photography isn't of indoor low light without a flash,
which is the only place the D300 really outpaces the D200.

Yes, I have a D200. And it's awesome. Mate it up with the 18-200 VR
zoom lens and you have the ultimate walk around camera.

Here's some shots I took last week with that combo on a little walk
around tour of New Hope, PA. I just bought it myself and these are
the first pictures I took. I'm looking forward to even better ones
once I really get to know the camera.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheliko...08607375/show/

Steve


I love the steam locomotive shots. Nice stuff!

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:34:08 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Just got off the phone with Olympus.

The bill to repair my E-300, flat rate, is $310 plus 6% tax which
brings it to $328.60!!

Damn.

So much for that camera.

My daughter just told me she needs a film SLR, with wide/normal/tele
lenses, UV filter, etc, for a required college class. Has to have
manual ap/shutter/focus.
She's an ed major.
I guess I'm going to fix the shutter leather on my Minolta 102, or buy
a working body. I've got the rest.
But I am somewhat ****ed about this, because the last time I got the
sticking shutter fixed it cost $125 and only lasted maybe 100 frames.
That was at least ten years ago.
I was ready to go digital SLR, and you would think that a college
class would go that way.
They will do film processing, but you don't need an SLR for that.
It reminds me too much of when my son was required to take a
mechanical drafting class and buy all the T-square bull****, when
cad/cam was already being widely used.
Or that I had to waste time learning PL/I when it was already an
almost dead language.
I won't even begin to bitch about the cost of her schooling compared
to what I paid at the same school when I was there.

--Vic

Yes, I have a D200. And it's awesome. Mate it up with the 18-200 VR
zoom lens and you have the ultimate walk around camera.


I shoot with a D200 and the 18-200 VR as well. I'm extremely happy with the
outfit and am not ready to trade up at this time. However, if I was
starting from scratch and shopping for a new camera, I'd spend the extra
dinero for the D300.

I enjoyed you photos.

RG

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:08:14 -0500, HK wrote:

Steve wrote:
[...]

Yes, I have a D200. And it's awesome. Mate it up with the 18-200 VR
zoom lens and you have the ultimate walk around camera.

Here's some shots I took last week with that combo on a little walk
around tour of New Hope, PA. I just bought it myself and these are
the first pictures I took. I'm looking forward to even better ones
once I really get to know the camera.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheliko...08607375/show/

Steve


I love the steam locomotive shots. Nice stuff!

Thanks Harry.

Steve

On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:15:53 GMT, "RG" wrote:


Yes, I have a D200. And it's awesome. Mate it up with the 18-200 VR
zoom lens and you have the ultimate walk around camera.


I shoot with a D200 and the 18-200 VR as well. I'm extremely happy with the
outfit and am not ready to trade up at this time. However, if I was
starting from scratch and shopping for a new camera, I'd spend the extra
dinero for the D300.

Well, if I was shopping for new and money wasn't much of an issue, I'd
spend the extra dinero and get a D3. There, you have a huge jump in
capability over practically anything else and if you really are a
discriminating professional photographer, it's worth the price.
Otherwise, no.

While the D300 is well worth the price when compared to the list price
of a new D200, it just didn't seem to me to be worth over twice what a
D200 costs used. And I don't mind buying used. The one I got looks
and works like new, with less than 4000 shutter actuations.

At my price point, I had the choice between a used D200 vs. a new D80.
The D200 is sooooo much better than the D80. I'm glad I went the way
I did. I got the used D200, a brand new 18-200 VR lens and a brand
new SB-600 speedlight for less than the cost of just a D300 body.

I enjoyed you photos.

RG

Thanks. That's all that counts anyway.

Steve

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:10:13 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:34:08 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Just got off the phone with Olympus.

The bill to repair my E-300, flat rate, is $310 plus 6% tax which
brings it to $328.60!!

Damn.

So much for that camera.

My daughter just told me she needs a film SLR, with wide/normal/tele
lenses, UV filter, etc, for a required college class. Has to have
manual ap/shutter/focus.
She's an ed major.
I guess I'm going to fix the shutter leather on my Minolta 102, or buy
a working body. I've got the rest.
But I am somewhat ****ed about this, because the last time I got the
sticking shutter fixed it cost $125 and only lasted maybe 100 frames.
That was at least ten years ago.
I was ready to go digital SLR, and you would think that a college
class would go that way.
They will do film processing, but you don't need an SLR for that.
[...]

You won't find many professionals using film anymore. Just the
specialized large format stuff. But the good thing about that is you
can find *tons* of really high quality 35mm SLR film cameras being
offloaded for cheap since no one wants that stuff anymore. Ebay and
Craigslist are your friend.

I was in WalMart the other day and saw a new Canon EOS Rebel 35mm film
SLR for about what it costs you to fix your sticking shutter. If you
want new, that would be perfect for her class. It has all the modes
you mentioned.

Steve