devwild

haha, he may have a battle on his hands if he ever did

When you can't afford a nice 300mm+ telephoto, you find yourself wanting to crop a lot when you're shooting things (animals, buildings, sunrises, etc.) at a distance. That's the biggest benefit of these new high resolution sensors for everyday use - lots of room to crop and recompose your shot after the fact, and still get something nice to show to the family. If the lens can't keep up, you lose a lot of that wiggle room because the resolution isn't doing you any good. You'll note that I specifically said it's frustrating to detail freaks, but fine for everyday use - I have a similar lens myself and totally agree. That, and you have to realize that as audiophiles of various degrees, most of us have the personality type to begin with! More detail! More range! More bass... wait...

One of the things I like about the Nikons better are the flash options, if you're doing a lot of indoor shots, that's probably a solid plan. Don't forget to pick up or DIY a diffuser, and if you get really ambitious about lighting, there's always cheap strobist kits out there. More evil ways to drain your wallet, that's all we need!

The nikon folks I know eventually tired with this lens and stopped taking it out for just this reason (this is a problem with most of both nikon and canon VR/IS consumer-class zoom lenses), and it's a bigger issue with the newer bodies, because the 12MP+ resolution really lets you know when your lens isn't quite sharp enough. These lenses are great for casual shooting and family photos, but if you're a detail lover (architecture, landscape photography), it will drive you to swap out eventually. However, both companies are upgrading all these lenses because of these complaints, so it's good to keep an eye on the reviews.

It's funny, I'm 6'5" with big spider hands, and while I've heard this a lot, I've never had a problem with the Rebel series. It seems that because my hand size is so large, I curl my fingers downward on the front side of the grip, and it just kind of works. Most of my friends agree with your comments. I have problems with the grips on some normal DSLRs because I can't comfortably hold the grip normally or curl my fingers. It's a good example of why to always try for yourself. The battery grip accessory makes these bodies much easier to hold for most people, but it negates a lot of the size benefit if you wouldn't normally use one (but it is great for portrait shots).

You guys should let me know if you do a comparison of the Stackers and CTH, I'm starting to seriously think I need a hybrid on my desk at work and would be happy to sit down and do some testing - remember the presonus can be really handy for amp comparisons.

A fun site to get you drooling over the lens options (usually a little behind the newest selection, but still good for comparisons and overviews of what's available from both first and third parties): photozone

As said, lenses are really where the money needs to go, it makes a world of difference regardless of the body. Depending on your shooting style I recommend taking a close look at your lens options first and foremost. Personally I own an XSi - I wanted a 50D as an upgrade from my XT, but it didn't come out with certain features I want, and know will be released within a year, so I chose instead to go cheap (I was able to get the body for under $400), and I plan on keeping the XSi even when I do upgrade as a secondary camera. It's not as much of a step below the 40D as some might tell you, the biggest faults being in low light due to limited iso options and a bit less dynamic range. It's a big step up from the previous Rebels with larger viewfinder and more competitive image quality. The resolution and performance is up there with the bigger boys for most shooting, and the small size and weight can be really convenient when traveling. It should be noted that the next rebel is rumored to be released soon - most of the rumored features are unfounded guesses, but it will most likely have more bells and whistles in many ways than the 50D (canon is horrible about that). Basically all I'm saying is that if you want to save some money for lenses, I feel the line is still a viable option - you can always upgrade in a couple years, and once you start buying lenses the body is only a fraction of your total cost. Glass is going to be a long term investment, while the body is going to cause a lot more upgraditis anyway. I've also used the D90 thanks to a friend who recently bought one, and it is an outstanding camera for the price point, and the feature set, including video, is a lot of fun. I considered jumping ship and dumping my canon gear, but couldn't give up the lenses. Right now I'm happy I didn't, because it looks like I'm getting an awesome deal on a lightly used canon 24mm tilt-shift this weekend. As for lenses, I highly recommend the Sigma 10-20mm on either brand (the canon 10-22 on canon bodies performs a little better/costs a little more), a very fun lens. Sigma's new 50mm prime is supposed to be a serious competitor too, and I believe it. There are some great options in 90 or 100mm macro lenses that are worth looking into, and you can either use one of those for a portrait lens, or get an 85mm prime. Good luck!

Bah, all this love, you're making me wish I would have listened to them more at the meet. I was more focused on headphones than amps this time around and didn't really think it through Ah well, I'm sure I'll have more chances

By overall sound quality, and ignoring practicality and amp finickiness issues. "Equality" levels obviously subjective, and despite very different sounds. SR404 > K701 / SA5000 > Frankensenn > K81DJ > KSC75 Throwing in past owned items: SR404 > K701 / SA5000 > SR 225 (c-pad) / HD595 > Frankensenn > SR 80 > A700 > K81DJ > HD280 > KSC50 / KSC75

Well, I prefer lower volumes than the average person... I attribute that as part of the reason I actually like the SA5000 and didn't generally find grados harsh (except on a PPA, that hurt). It seems to depend on the frequency though... perhaps all I can do is buy a pair and try for myself?

How is the bass aside from "less boomy" with the foam removed? Does it get overly bright or harsh at all? (the K701 for example can be ear-piercing defoamed)

Now this is interesting. Makes me want to go ahead and pick up a pair to try out

Koss will release a new electrostat to rival the HE90!

Oh yeah, that reminds me. My couch rig, Onix XCD-88 (opa627) -> M^3 (ad843) -> SA5000 It's been enjoyed by enough people that don't normally care for the 5000 that I feel pretty darn confident with the synergy there, and am afraid to touch it unless I replace it all.