Digital cameras: Help buying SLR
Help buying SLR
by CDarby8 - 2/1/07 1:30 PMHi,
I am currently thinking about buying a lightweight Digital SLR that is easy to use but can still produce good quality images. I am completely new to this area of photography and would welcome any advice.
I am planning to travel to Peru for a month and a good camera would be helpful to remember the trip. Therefore any advice on battery/memory capacity or ways to get round this obvious problem would be useful too. (maybe using portable solar chargers or something along those lines?)
Thanks in advance for any help.
price?
by shahrokhan - 2/1/07 8:15 PM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8how much much experience do u have with photography?
what is the maximum amount u r willing to pay?
The most expensive dslr can go upto $39000 and the cheapest can go around $400-500.
I would recommend for a beginner the Pentax k100d. the Nikon d40 is very similar but the k100d has image stabilisation so your shaky shots especially at night will turn out better. Both r kind of the same price.
Pentax k100d
by CDarby8 - 2/2/07 10:36 AM In reply to: price? by shahrokhanOK i will have a look at those, i was thinking up to $600/$700 but i am willing to add to that if there is nothing in that price bracket that is suitable for what i want.
The only experience i have is of general messing about with digital carmeras etc but i would rather go for something of a better quality than that this time.
Nikon D50 and some other options..
by g_harikrishnan - 2/7/07 10:50 AM In reply to: Pentax k100d by CDarby8One of the most stable choice for Casual as well as the serious user is the Nikon D50.. But let me tell you something, DSLR need some experience in Digital photography or else its gonna take you time to learn the function set and even more time to make the best out of it (it Quality photographs)... So if you are totally new to photography then i suggest you to go for cameras like the Canon G7, Canon S3IS, Sony H5 atc.. These are enthusiast cameras that for an excellent substitute for DSLRs..
Information you should know
by Village Idiot - 2/7/07 12:53 PM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8First of all, keep in mind the two big players in the DSLR market right now are Canon and Nikon. Pentax's new camera is their first entry into the dslr market as far as I'm aware. Probably the best bang for the buck is going to be the rebel xt, or the d50. I'm more familiar with Canon, but I can honestly say with you experience, either one will do more than you'll be able to learn in a couple of weeks.
All of the dslr have fully automatic modes on them, but it defeats the purpose of the camera. To get the most out of a dlsr you're going to have to learn about aperature and exposure and how they go together, if you don't already know. You're going to have to learn about photographing at night and being able to not use a flash. Probably one of the biggest assests will be a tripod.
You'll also have to keep in mind that any dlsr you buy that comes with a kit lens will only come with something around 18-55mm zoom. If you want lens with a larger zoom, you can always find a cheap one from Quantaray (sold by Ritz/Wolf cameras), but what you'll be getting is cheap. You can get a 70-300mm f/4 lens for about $150. It won't have the best quality but it will suffice. Cheap lenses go for about $500-700, with lenses costing as much as $5000.
I think the biggest piece of advice I'm going to offer to you is to purchase which ever you select as soon as possible so you have time to practice. Pick up some books on photography and find some forums that are noob friendly. And if you're just wanting to purchase a camera for your trip, and not wanting to get into the hobby itself, a dslr may be a waste of time and money for you.
If you just want a camera to take good quality pictures, I would reccomend a point and shoot. They have a few out that are above 10 megapixels (anything over 6 truly being overkill unless you plan on making posters of every shot) and have acceptable zoom functions and will have a very small learning curve.
a couple corrections
by hotshot982 - 2/10/07 8:57 AM In reply to: Information you should know by Village Idiotvillage idiots post seemed to be the clearest and most informative, but i'd like to make a few corrections. I've been learning serious photography for on my own for about 2 years now, and i just got a d50 for Christmas. before that i was using a Canon EOS Digtal Rebel as a high school yearbook photographer.
village idiot wrote:
First of all, keep in mind the two big players in the DSLR market right now are Canon and Nikon. Pentax's new camera is their first entry into the dslr market as far as I'm aware. Probably the best bang for the buck is going to be the rebel xt, or the d50. I'm more familiar with Canon, but I can honestly say with you experience, either one will do more than you'll be able to learn in a couple of weeks.
>he's right on these points, except that Pentax has been making dSLR for awhile now, but they were previously part of their *ist series. They may be good cameras, but, as said, canon and Nikon have the most market share by far, and they are quality cameras
All of the dSLR have fully automatic modes on them, but it defeats the purpose of the camera. To get the most out of a dlsr you're going to have to learn about aperature and exposure and how they go together, if you don't already know. You're going to have to learn about photographing at night and being able to not use a flash. Probably one of the biggest assets will be a tripod.
>not quite correct. *most* dSLRs have full auto, but not all. The higher end cameras (Nikon's D200 and D2X, pro-grade cameras) do not, but as those are pretty far out of your price range, i wouldn't worry. i only bring it up because our school's nurse just bought a D200 with only basic photo experience and now has to have our Photo teacher teach her how to use it. also, VI mentioned aperture and exposure as going together, which is incorrect. aperture and *shutter speed* are the two main factors in *determining* exposure. There all also other factors, but you asked for buying advice, not a photo lesson.
You'll also have to keep in mind that any dSLR you buy that comes with a kit lens will only come with something around 18-55mm zoom. If you want lens with a larger zoom, you can always find a cheap one from Quantaray (sold by Ritz/Wolf cameras), but what you'll be getting is cheap. You can get a 70-300mm f/4 lens for about $150. It won't have the best quality but it will suffice. Cheap lenses go for about $500-700, with lenses costing as much as $5000.
>you can also buy some cameras, such as the d50, in packages including a 28-80mm zoom, which will give you more telephoto ("zooming in", in case you didn't know at the expense of wide-angle ("zooming out")
I think the biggest piece of advice I'm going to offer to you is to purchase which ever you select as soon as possible so you have time to practice. Pick up some books on photography and find some forums that are noob friendly. And if you're just wanting to purchase a camera for your trip, and not wanting to get into the hobby itself, a dSLR may be a waste of time and money for you.
If you just want a camera to take good quality pictures, I would recommend a point and shoot. They have a few out that are above 10 megapixels (anything over 6 truly being overkill unless you plan on making posters of every shot) and have acceptable zoom functions and will have a very small learning curve.
>all good advice.
Choice of DSLR cameras
by Karada_uk - 2/9/07 4:37 AM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8I went through a similar process in June last year. I wanted a digital camera that would give me high quality shots without appreciable shutter lag. I had been using a Fuji S304 and had been plagued with taking wildlife shots that came out as empty frames because of the shutter lag. My choice was also influenced by the fact I also used a 35mm Nikon F401 and I had a couple of good autofocus lens which I could use with a Nikon DSLR. I pondered long and hard trying to decide between the D70s and the D200 - a big difference in price. I finally decided to buy the D200 and I am so glad I did. It is a fantastic camera, shutter lag is almost non-existent at 20 mS, the camera is ready to shoot almost as soon as you have finished switching it on (137 mSecs) and it can take 5 and a half frames a second if you want to take a series of shots. A fully charged battery can last for up to 1,800 shots, but generally it is less than that if you review your pics on the screen or use the built-in flash. You can also get an additional grip which will house two batteries to extend the battery life. It takes Compact Flash cards or microdrive.
As far as lenses go mine lives with a Nikkor 28-100 mm zoom lens on it which I find ideal for about 90% of my photography. I also have an 18mm-55mm zoom, my original 35-70mm from the F401 and a 70-300mm. I find that 99.9% of my photography is covered by the 28-100mm and the 70-300mm lenses.
Since I bought mine, Nikon have brought out the D80 at about half the price of the D200. This has the same 10.3 megapixel sensor and a lot of the same features but different electronics and isn't quite as fast as the D200 but it represents very good value for money and is probably easier to use for someone wanting to progress to a better camera.
Another camera that you might consider is the Samsung Pro815. This is a fixed lens camera with a 15x optical zoom lens and a huge 3.5" screen and has good battery life with a claimed 500+ shots per charge. It is not very fast compared to the Nikon but has a good range of facilities including being able to switch the viewfinder to the screen on the top of the camera so you can use the camera at waist level or over your head. Waist level is often very useful for candid shots because you are not looking at your subject.
Hope that this gives you some food for thought!
Buying firs DSLR
by merryoboe - 2/9/07 6:17 AM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8Don't overlook the used market - this is about the only way I can think of to start out in your price range. You can now buy a used Canon 20D with a starter zoom lens for $550-$650. The 20D is almost identical to the current 30D model; the only notable exception is the size of the viewing screen. The 30D body sells for $1,350, so you can see this is a good deal. (I have owned 10D, 20D models and up.) By starting with quality you can (1) have something to build on or (2) get your money back out if you want something different or want to upgrade. There are a lot of people out there who buy the latest models, so there are a lot of quality used cameras. Also, remember that lens quality matters, just like in film cameras. Another "before you buy" tip: there are places that rent cameras and lenses. It's well worth the money to rent one for a couple of days before you pay $1,600 for a lens.
Your request to have a "lightweight" DSLR kind of stopped me - I use big, fast lenses and they are heavy. Some of the newer Nikons have pretty small bodies, so you might like those.
As far as the cautions about practicing - they are absolutely correct. There is a lot to learn to get the best shots, but in the beginning you can often get away with using the automatic settings. Then check your photos in the screen and histogram and make adjustments.
Lightweight = More Shake
by Hopeitworkx - 2/9/07 6:30 AM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8FYI, "lightweight" isn't necessarily a good thing- it will be harder to hold the camera steady.
To see the importance of holding a camera steady, take 2 different pix of the same object: 1) One while leaning up against a telephone pole 2) One just standing w/ nothing to brace yourself against.
Nikkon D40
by Hopeitworkx - 2/9/07 6:37 AM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8Also, the Nikkon D40 is the model which replaced the Nikkon D50- kind of backwards from when the D80 replaced the D70 & D70s.
My opinion on buying used ANYTHING electronic (laptop, PDA, digicam, etc.) is that the minimal money you save is not worth the probability that there's something wrong with it- electronic gadgets aren't like cars, where you can usually get a pretty good feel for its condition. Also, a year in electronic gadgets = 10 years in cars as far as developments in new features, technology, etc.
Same for "grey market" items (search for it on CNET)- you're buying something w/o a warranty for a very small savings. There's a reason why no warranty is offered...
If you're on a tight budget, watching CNET's lowest price thing, shopping at the end of the month, is a good place to start for bargains.
Reply to digital camera SLR request.
by jlsquires - 2/9/07 6:48 AM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8I have had a wonderful long term (4 years) use of a Canon Power Shot S50 which I purchased at Costco. It has been to Brazil, Mexico, and bounced around in my farm pickup in temperatures from -30 to 117 degrees. The exceptional quality of the 5 megapixel pictures is notable and I have used them in Power Point presentations and even in the local newspaper. This model uses a compact flash card which also fits in my digital picture frame. Downloads to my laptop are very easy. I dropped mine 6' onto a steel deck and no damage resulted other than a noticeable dent in the back. This model uses a rechargable flat battery. I bought a Canon Power Shot A530 for my sister-in-law in Brazil. That model uses 2 AA batteries which are readily available in South America. The charger for my S50 is 110 volt. Some parts of South America are 220 volt but generally converters are availble locally. Good luck, Boa viagem! Jim Squires
Minimum Camera
by mwooge - 2/9/07 7:17 AM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8Reading through the posts, many people want you to get a high-end camera.
The minimum I'd reccomend is a name-brand, 3M camera. 3M is good for 8x10. More is better, but for most people isn't needed.
If you get a camera with a long zoom (10x) make sure it has an image stabilizer.
Just bought my first DSLR
by 2ndlookgraphics - 2/9/07 7:22 AM In reply to: Help buying SLR by CDarby8I had been looking for quite a while for the right starter digital SLR. I was finally convinced that the Sony Alpha DSLR would work best for me. One aspect that won me over was the anti-shake feature included with this camera. I haven't had the camera long but so far it seems to be working very nicely. I bought the camera with the 18-200 zoom lens.
re: Just bought my first DSLR
by mwooge - 2/9/07 7:56 AM In reply to: Just bought my first DSLR by 2ndlookgraphicsBy "18-200 zoom lens" I assume you mean 18-200mm. How much zoom is that in terms normal, man-on-the-street people can understand?
wide angle to zoom
by 2ndlookgraphics - 2/9/07 12:05 PM In reply to: re: Just bought my first DSLR by mwoogeFor SLRs a 45 to 55mm lens is considered normal focal length. Less than that is wide angle, more is telephoto. I like this lens because it gives me a wide range.
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