16 replies to this topic

[Plutarch]

Howdy Everybody,
Before I head out to Estes this week I'm going to stop by my local photography shop and buy myself a camera. My dad takes really nice photos with his 30 year old Minolta, and I'd like to start learning the art myself.
I know there are a lot of photographers on the boards, and if any of you could make a suggestion for a nice starter-camera to look for, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks!

[DeeCeeM]

It might be helpful to know if you are looking for a film camera or digital. Also, are you looking for SLR or point & shoot?

As for 30 year old Minoltas - my very first "real" camera was a Minolta 101 SLR with through the lens metering and manual everything. I loved that camera! A few years later, my parents got a Minolta 201 with automatic exposure. Without fail, every time we took side by side pictures, mine turned out better, because I had more control. (Though they took some really good ones, too.) I still have that camera; and though it is a little crankier now, it still works. The only reason I'm not still using it is because digital is so much easier with my website.

[Malok]

Can't beat digital for learning! Which camera you buy depends on how serious you want to get with it. If you really want to "get into photography", then you should probably consider a digital SLR such as the Canon Rebel. Otherwise, there are a wide range of decent point and shoot digital cameras which you may want to look at. There have been a few threads about this but I'm not sure where they are. Perhaps someone could provide a link to them. If you give us more info on what you are wanting to achieve we'll do our best to help.

[Plutarch]

Oh, sorry. I forgot that not everyone can read my mind!
I'm looking for an SLR camera. I was thinking about a digital, but I like the quality and the different things one can do with a "real" camera. I'll probably pick up a digital camera one of these days b/c like you said, they are easy...
P.

[Plutarch]

Oh,
I also really like the photos my dad has taken with his polarized [polarizing? I don't know the terminology!] lens. Such crisp images and bright colors. I also really like black and white pictures. This camera would be for "pretty" pictures of landscapes and animals, and maybe set up a few nice ones of me and the fiance to be our engagement photos!
We've got a little point and shoot camera for snap shots and animals too fast for a newbie like me to focus!

My dad is going to go with me to pick out the camera, but I'd really appreciate your input as well!
Thanks!
Plutarchia

[Malok]

I think you will find that most digital SLRs can take images of equal or better quality than any "real camera". The digital world has advanced to such a degree that many of the high end DSLR cameras are now the equivalent of medium format cameras. I think you will find that you can achieve similar results with digital to what your father did with film if you take the time to learn both the taking and processing of photos. Film cameras will become much more affordable over the next year or so as most 35mm cameras begin to be phased out. Unfortunately, you may see film prices begin to rise or find it becoming more difficult to find film as people switch to digital over the next couple of years.

The polarized "lens" you are refering to is actually just a filter that you screw on to the top of the lens. You can buy one for any lens. These can be purchased affordably at any camera shop and so this will not be a factor as you begin to look at cameras.

The big issues you need to decide on are how large you want to print your images and how long of a lens you need. Long lenses can be quite expensive and so I've stayed with the smaller wider angle lenses. Just a few more thoughts to think about.

[lovethemtns]

I used to have a film SLR, and last year went into the digital world and absolutely love using my digital camera. I do not have a digital SLR though. But I love the digital I have and being able to take multiple photos and knowing right away if they turn out or not and then just deleting the bad ones. Being able to crop on the computer is nice. You can crop out that tourists head that somehow got into your landscape picture so easily. I tell you I would not go back to film!!

Figure out a budget for your camera and then see what is available in your price range. How much zoom do you want? How many megapixels? What kind of batteries does it use? What is the shutter lag like? What is the viewfinder like?Go to the camera store, go there multiple times, and play with the cameras. Check out dpreview.com and read the reviews of all the cameras. An excellent web site. Another site Aaron uses is http://steves-digicams.com/.

There is a learning curve for using your camera, seeing what it can do and how the photos turn out. It really is fun!!

Good luck in whatever you decide. There is a wealth of info out there. We're here for you if you have more questions.

[SandyP]

Plutarch, if you are looking to buy an SLR, my suggestion would be to go ahead and get a digital SLR. You won't be disappointed in the quality. I promise!!! In fact, I believe you will think the quality of a good digital SLR like the Rebel gives you better photos because you can enrich & tweak the colors or minor exposure flaws in the photoshop software that comes with the camera. If you have a film camera and have to scan the picture in to edit it, it's never quite the same as straight from the camera. We have large, spectacular, framed prints all over our house that we bought from Erik that were done with a Canon Rebel.

I've upgraded to a Canon 20D now, and can't imagine my life without it

But I would get it quick so you can practice with it a little before you go.

Good luck!!!
SandyP
Sold on Canon's

P.S. And that's not even mentioning the hundreds of dollars you save on film and developing charges for rolls and rolls of film that maybe you get 5 out of that you really like

[Gojhawks]

Let me add to those in favor of digital SLRs. I swore I wouldn't go digital until they pried the film from my cold dead hand. I bought a digital SLR in late April and I love it. The pictures I have posted recently were all shot with a digital SLR. It gives you so much more freedom than film. The instant feedback is priceless. In fact I just comented on another thread that a picture I posted might not have been made had it not been for being able to instantly see and make changes with my digital SLR. In terms of learning, I can honestly say I have learned a great deal in the short time I have had my digital SLR. I am taking chances I never did before in terms of shutter speed, aperature and settings. The instant feedback on the LCD is helping me a great deal. I also find myself wanting to learn more about photography since I bought my digital SLR. Malok mentioned the polarizing filter which I use extensively in Colorado. It really makes the sky deep blue!

You have heard from Malok and Sandy who use Canon and make incredible pictures. Let me throw out Minolta gear. I use the Minolta 7D digital SLR. I went with Minolta purely because I had used Minolta film cameras and had Minolta glass. I love my 7D. One of the coolest things about it is that is has "antishake" built into the body so can handhold shots never could before. The 7D is a bit pricey. The good news is Minolta has just released the 5D digital SLR which incorporates many of the features of the 7D into smaller camera at a lower price. Here is some info on it:Minolta 5D ALso here is a discussion forum of Minolta digital SLRs Minotla DSLR forum

If you are not ready to jump into a digital SLR then there are some really nice point and shoot digitals availible. My backup digital is a Kodak. That's right Kodak makes some nice digital point and shoots. Mine is the 6490 and only 4 megapixels but has a 10x optical zoom and works great. They have 5 megapixel version out as well. I have been extremely happy with the picture quality. There are many good point and shoot digital choices out there.

FIdn something you are comfprtable with and enjoy the hobby.

[reeves]

I also bought a digital this summer. I got the Kodak 7430 4 megapixel. It is a point and shoot camera. But it has some other features that you can play with. I can't afford to get the big fancy ones. Most of them have to much stuff for me to figure out and remember. This Kodak is simple. It took me about amonth to figure out which one I wanted. Everytime in the store I went past the display and checked them out and this is the one I could pick up and turn on without any problems. A couple of the cameras I couldn't even figure out to turn it on. I love the digital cameras. It saves so much money on film for pictures that aren't any good. You can check them out on the digital to see if you like them and if not delete them before you ever spend money to get them developed.

[Aaron]

I'm definitely no expert, but if ya ain't got the cha-ching for a DSLR ($600-$1300) then don't look past film SLR's. A lot of times you can find good deals on used film SLR's that have additional lenses thrown in. Start looking on Ebay for a decent Nikon or Canon. Then, later when you're rollin' in extra $$, you can use the lenses you've acquire with a new DSLR purchase. Sure you could save $$ on not printing out film. You won't take as many pics with a film camera as you would with digital so it's hard to say how much you'd really be saving. (I know I take a lot more unnecessary pics that I wouldn't have with a film...not always due to how it would have wasted film if it were a film camera). There are also tons of digital pics I've never printed and probably never will. I learned on a film SLR and am myself very tempted to get another film SLR due to the $$ savings. I have to admit though.....if money were not an issue I would buy a digital SLR. But $$ is an issue for me and the practical purchase for me right now would be a film SLR.

With a decent scanner I believe you could 'digitize' them with good quality results, and probably still be under the cost of a new DSLR. I don't think film is ready to go to the dinosaurs yet.

The quality issue is very debateable. My guess is that you won't be so much of a camera techie to get into the in-depth comparison between quality. I'm not educated enough on this but would have guessed that film has higher quality potential for enlargements, etc.

Sorry for being long winded. I would suggest keeping your options open for film SLR (going with the basis that you want a SLR).

I suspect this thread may turn into a very informative piece for us all.

--Aaron

[Plutarch]

WOW!

Thanks for all the great advice. I do like the different stuff one can do with a digital, but I also like the doing all the things point and shoot cameras do for you. I know that digital SLRs can produce photos of equal quality to traditional cameras, but I was under the impression that one had to shell out at least a grand for the body alone. I was hoping to spend around $200 I'm a grad student and my fiance is in law school--it just wouldn't be fair for me to spend too much dough on a hobby, you know? ^__^
Those of you who've advised much shopping around and trying out--that's exactly what I'll do. For this trip though [we leave Friday] I'll just borrow my dad's baby and his wide angle and telephoto lenses. It's a 30 year old Minolta. I just love the sound it makes!

Thanks again!

[Aaron]

It's a 30 year old Minolta.  I just love the sound it makes!

Thanks again!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Cool! My favorite camera was a 30+ year old....the Minolta XE-5. Then I went and broke it like a dummy.

--Aaron

[retlod]

I bought a digital P&S camera with manual capabilities about four years ago and used it to teach myself photography. Then I went out and got a DSLR about a year and a half ago and improved even more. Now I want to go get a 35mm SLR and start shooting slide film.

If I were you, I'd go digital and get a P&S camera with some manual features. The ability to check your work immediately and then adjust and shoot again is invaluable for learning. I still take mine on long backpacking trips and I can take photos that are nearly as good as those I take with my fancy DSLR.

[Plutarch]

I bought a digital P&S camera with manual capabilities about four years ago and used it to teach myself photography.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A 'point and shoot' with manual capabilities? I though P&S's were just, well, point 'em and shoot 'em.

What can it do?

Also, you're right, it would be very helpful to see mistakes right away, like one is able to do with a digital.

Thanks for the input!