camera suggestions

[akasmom]

I am believing for an slr camera, and looking around for opinions and recommendations from people with experience. Any favorite brands/models out there?

 

[cjwsb]

It depends entirely on what you want. Entry-level? Amateur? Pro-quality?

I am just a beginner myself, and have a Canon Digital Rebel with some very nice glass. Personally, I love it. You can also check out the new RebelXT.

The Nikon D70 is also extremely popular for beginners and amateurs.

Of course, these are ONLY if you want a digital camera. I know nothing of film SLR's...

Best of luck,

Chris

 

[ashes2beauty]

anything by Nikon.

I own an FM10, an FE, an N80, and a D70. I love Nikon.

 

[boxers]

I love cannon I have the digital rebel and a couple of film slr's of theirs I love them

 

[2Bhumble]

I have a Panasonic FZ20. Fantastic camera.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/fz20.html

 

[hippie4jesus]

I'm seriously considering getting a digital SLR camera...it seems to be the thing now. Just need to save some serious cash.

 

[lands21]

I have a Nikon N55 - works good for me - a real begginer

 

[Femme Savante]

I like film. I have always used film. I will probably stick with film until I die. I am not a big fan of digital cameras because I have seen two high-end digital cameras quit working after a light blow that my film SLRs would have shrugged off (you can drive nails with the Konica). Also, with digital cameras you will never get the experience of working in the darkroom -- and that's a great creative experience, learning how film is developed from the can to a successful print.

I use two cameras. One is an all-manual Konica SLR that was made during WWII and brought back from Japan by my uncle. It's a sturdy camera with a great, light-sucking lens on it. I use it for long-exposure, tripod-mounted shots at night or in low light. But I got sick of trying to focus the lens (glasses get in the way) and getting unfocused prints back. So I got a Canon EOS Elan 7e with a Quantaray 28-90 autofocus lens. I'm very happy with this camera. I took it all over France with me, shot a thousand photos, and got wonderful prints.

FS

 

[Buho]

The best prosumer camera out there is the Sony 828. Tremendous power yet easy to use, without the fuss of interchangable lenses. It also scales with you as you learn -- you can screw on conversion lenses (telephoto and fisheye) as well as a wide array of filters. Additionally, you can take some incredible infrared photos without the mess of IR film.

 

[robotneil]

However, I had that epiphany thing...

It is not the camera but the photographer that makes great photos.

Neil

 

[ashes2beauty]

However, I had that epiphany thing...

It is not the camera but the photographer that makes great photos.

Neil

very true.... but I still prefer Nikon, with Canon in close 2nd.

 

[robotneil]

very true.... but I still prefer Nikon, with Canon in close 2nd.

If that is what you are comfortable with then a Nikon is best for you.
I believe that the key to the whole thing is to think of the camera as a tool. If your camera is a tool then you should make yourself very familiar with it.

I do not own a digital SLR, All I have is a 5 mp Olympus but I am very pleased with it. I hope you enjoy your camera(s) and I would love to see some of your work.

God Bless,
Neil

 

[RefinedByFire]

I all depends on how much you want to spend. The following goes from cheaper--->expensive.

Digital Camera:
Nikon D50---->Nikon D70s------>Nikon D2X
Canon digital Rebel------->Canon 20D-------->Canon MarkII

Film Camera:
Nikon N75----->Nikon N80------>Nikon F5
Canon rebel------>Canon 7NE------>Canon EOS


Good rule of thumb: The lenses are more important than the camera body itself.

 

[kelemi]

I posted this in another post, but this is a great site to go for reviews and ratings of cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

hope it helps!

 

[utdbear]

Me and Southern Cross had this discussion a while back. He is a Nikon man and I'm a Canon man. To me, there is nothing out there that can compete with a 20D. The pictures that this camera takes are phenomenal. However, if you have been with Nikon your whole life, the 20D is probably not worth converting over to. But if you're new to the digital SLR market, I still think there's nothing better than Canon. If you're into it as a hobby, the Digital Rebel XT is a nice choice for under a grand. As for the 828, its a powerful camera, but its not an SLR, and it has trouble with detail. Purple fringing is a huge problem on the 828, because they tried to cram the 8mp sensor into a 2mp sensor size. Also it only goes to 28mm on the wide end, which I don't think it wide enough. My choice: Canon

 

[Buho]

Cons to the 828: As utdbear said, purple fringing (which I think is a lens issue, not sensor), and manual focusing (electronic viewfinder sucks for this). I reccomend the non-SLR if you don't want to buy a lot of lenses and have to juggle them in the field.

I've gotten past the 28mm limit by buying a Raynox MX3000PRO 0.3X semi-fisheye conversion lens (9mm equiv). Also, I now shoot multiple shots and stitch them together for ultra-wide, ultra-sharp images. (One example.) Stitching is time-intensive, though, so I can hardly reccomend that as a viable solution

 

[robotneil]

What about the Olympus E-volt?
That is a good Digital SLR as well.

Neil

 

[woohoo]

I like film. I have always used film. I will probably stick with film until I die. I am not a big fan of digital cameras because I have seen two high-end digital cameras quit working after a light blow that my film SLRs would have shrugged off (you can drive nails with the Konica). Also, with digital cameras you will never get the experience of working in the darkroom -- and that's a great creative experience, learning how film is developed from the can to a successful print.

I use two cameras. One is an all-manual Konica SLR that was made during WWII and brought back from Japan by my uncle. It's a sturdy camera with a great, light-sucking lens on it. I use it for long-exposure, tripod-mounted shots at night or in low light. But I got sick of trying to focus the lens (glasses get in the way) and getting unfocused prints back. So I got a Canon EOS Elan 7e with a Quantaray 28-90 autofocus lens. I'm very happy with this camera. I took it all over France with me, shot a thousand photos, and got wonderful prints.

FS

woohoo is a film fan too...
when you compare digital vs film, digital is made up of tiny pixels. The smaller these pixels are, the better the image looks, especially when you want bigger images. Higher resolution means more pixels per unit area.
As for film, there are no pixels. Meaning, no matter how close you look, or how much you blow the image up, it will still be sharp. Plus, digital cameras are stuffed with electronics, thereby making them more fragile, while film relies on plain physics(and chemistry), and a little electricity for features like auto focus, rewind, and what not.

To me, digital cameras are great for day to day useage, but film is cooler. hehe that's just me

hehe Femme Savante, you're right about the Konica(Minolta). Those are sturdy cameras.

 

[Justin Horne]

Me and Southern Cross had this discussion a while back. He is a Nikon man and I'm a Canon man. To me, there is nothing out there that can compete with a 20D. The pictures that this camera takes are phenomenal. However, if you have been with Nikon your whole life, the 20D is probably not worth converting over to. But if you're new to the digital SLR market, I still think there's nothing better than Canon. If you're into it as a hobby, the Digital Rebel XT is a nice choice for under a grand. As for the 828, its a powerful camera, but its not an SLR, and it has trouble with detail. Purple fringing is a huge problem on the 828, because they tried to cram the 8mp sensor into a 2mp sensor size. Also it only goes to 28mm on the wide end, which I don't think it wide enough. My choice: Canon

Pretty much exactly what he said...


I've got a 20D, awesome camera. Really, awesome camera. I'd post a full resolution picture for you, but it's about 4 megabites and over 30 inches at 100% across...
If you don't QUITE want that much camera, the D. Rebel (affectionately called the drebel) is the way to go.
Pretty much, Canon>Nikon, and 20D>Drebel

 

[Justin Horne]

However, I had that epiphany thing...

It is not the camera but the photographer that makes great photos.

Neil

I disagree, but that's me. Simple fact is you can do more with a 20D than a 2MP handicam.