About 4 years ago, I got back into Photography.  I made the choice to go with the classic Minolta X700 and Minolta XD.  I got the 105 Vivitar S1 Macro, 24mm MD, 75-200 MD, 50mm 1.7 MD, and 28-85mm Tokina ATX lenses.  I felt at the time that for the best quality and color, you can’t beat slides.  I have to say that it was a lot of fun handling the manual Minoltas- the lenses were all metal and glass.  I liked having full control over the focus, DOF, and exposure… and there was no shutter lag.  For the most part, the cameras were very reliable, but being 20-25 years old, both had to have some repairs.  Since then, they’ve been solid.

I remember having a number of spirited discussions with friends who had DSLRs, and debating the pros and cons.  For me, it always came down to quality.  I bought the Canon A70, and although it did well, it had its limitations- the flash, the shutter lag, the power up time, the Autofocus, the AWB, etc.  But it was very convenient, and under certain conditions it took nice photos.

Back then, after I invested in a technology that one day will be phased out, I told myself that I would only upgrade when the DSLRs caught up to slide film.  I think that day is near if it isn’t already here- at least in prints up to 8X10, it’s hard to tell the difference.  With the older Canon 300D, you could tell it had problems with some of the higher contrast shots, but I think that’s much improved. 

The only thing that bugs me is using Photoshop to fix up problems.  Is that different that me going to the photofinisher and asking them to lighten up a certain area?  Is using Photoshop any different than using color and graduated filters or burning/dodging?  I’m not sure I can answer that one.  Maybe I’m having a problem with it because one day you could digitally manipulate a photo even further than you could with filters or getting the photofinisher to lighten or darken a stop.

But, there’s airbrushing that goes on with film…

In short, I have my eye on the Canon XTi.  The shutter is quick, lots of features, 10 megapixel, auto or manual mode, and very good quality.  This means I’ll have to get a whole new system of EF lenses and Speedlight flashes, but it will allow me to take a whack of pictures, and not have to wait for LDs to develop and print.  Not having to do that will save $$.  Plus, I’ll be able to use the EF lenses with an older Canon film body.  🙂