Digital Camera

[Nick Hartley]

After a fiasco out in the field last week where most of my pictures looked like *****, I have turned my attention to buying a new camera. I need some advice of what to look for with a limited budget of around $450. I want something that has high versatility and is of good quality. I was recommended a Canon Rebel by a fellow member of storm track, but I would like more feed back on camera types. Especially since I don't want to deal with more blury, fuzzy pictures. The camera I have now is a Kodak EasyShare C310 and is over 2 years old.

Thanks for any advice on this topic.

 

[Chris Lott]

Nick, I don't know if this is any help, but here is one that I'm looking at getting. It's well worth the money. $500.00


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51o9djvJIKL._AA262_.jpg

 

[D. Hayes]

The thing with SLR cameras is you'll pay a couple hundred for the body but the lenses will cost 4x as much or more. Now if your not a serious photographic nut a good point and shoot can do fantastic photos. For example I use a Canon A640 and I bought a waterproof case for like $130. All together around $450 and it's solid as a rock. Very easy to use and no regret photos.

 

[Tom Mitchell]

First, get this book if you want to learn the basics of photography:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003

And then look for a camera that will give you control over the image.

If you really want to get serious about photography, getting a DSLR can be a life changing event. It will also begin a life changing event for your bank account. I would recommend starting the DSLR addiction only if you are not married...

But many point and shoots will give you ease of control and won't cost too much. Personally, for the price range you mention, I would take a look at the Canon G9, or the S5. I am not so familiar with other brands, but almost every product line is similar these days.

Personally, as a photographer, I really want everybody to enjoy the DSLR. But realistically, I think the addedd benefits of DSLR ownership over point and shoot cameras will equal the added cost only if you are willing to study and practice. Regardless, even when you own a DSLR with bunches of lenses and whatnot, there are many times that I would rather carry a small P&S...

 

[Mike Umscheid]

If you really want to get serious about photography, getting a DSLR can be a life changing event. It will also begin a life changing event for your bank account. I would recommend starting the DSLR addiction only if you are not married...

LOL, so true. The storm chasing & serious photography hobby of mine is an addiction. My bank account knows this all too well, even if I do have a decent job and no wifey+kids. I just forked out some serious change for Nikon's first digital FX sensor (D3) + their best/fastest ultra-ultra (per Ken Rockwell) wide zoom lens, the 14-24mm f/2.8. That's 14mm on an FX lens, which provides the angle of view on full frame dSLR that cannot be matched on a DX dSLR unless you have a ~9mm wide angle lens (given the 1.5 or 1.6x crop factor with all non-full frame dSLRs). At any rate, I believe I am armed now with the fastest (or at least one of the) camera+lens you could get on the market right now for land/stormscapes (ultra-wide zoom). You can do your research on how much I just spent on this nonsense -- and I'm relatively new to dSLR having started in early 2005! What I mean by the camera being fast is it's far less sensitive than a traditional dSLR in that 12mp are packed across a 35mm equivalent sensor, which mean more surface area per pixel for light, hence less noise...thus you can obtain very manageable images up to perhaps 1600-2000 ISO before having to do serious noise reduction work. Obviously, you should be on the professional level (or a serious amateur with a lot of disposable income!) for this level of performance/optics. This is perfect for storm photography, especially storms on the move in low light (which many storms are!) and little/no time to setup a tripod. There are other shooting situations this kind of speed comes in handy as well.

As technology continues to get better, you'll be seeing more options out there for full frame (35mm equivalent, Nikon calls them FX) digital SLRs, and these will always be Nikon/Canon's professional line product, starting no less than $2000-2500 or so. Of course, Canon has been producing full frame dSLRs for awhile now, but Nikon has now hit a full-frame home run with the introduction of their new D3 late last year. I'm sure Nikon's next full frame will be something approaching 20mp, which may be introduced this fall?

 

[Martin Kucera]

DSLR is the way to go these days for numerous reasons.

Some quite interesting reading on the subject here :

www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

DSLR is the way to go these days for numerous reasons.

If you're serious about photography. For the casual photographer, even a rebel is probably overkill in many cases and you may actually get less "keeper" shots because it's too complex.

 

[Jason A.C. Brock]

I bought the first digital rebel when it came out and still use the thing. I keep trying to find an excuse to upgrade but there isnt one lol. The rebel is perfect for the borderline amateur / pro photographer. Yes you will spend some money on the camera and lenses.....however once your set up you wont have to upgrade for at least 10 years.....if that. You can also always jsut upgrade the body and use the same lenses. I would recommend getting and learning at leas the very basics of photoshop. I know some dont like to touch up their photos or think its cheating but it can really bring out what you thought were semi crap photos into something worth keeping.
If Mike has the time and doesnt mind me sayin so....IF YOU HAVE A PHOTOGRPAHY QUESTION....ASK HOLLINGSHEAD. There was a camera expert on high instabilty as a guest once and even he was having a hard time keepin up with Mikes photo skills lol.
Hollingshead is the best storm photographer in the world IMO.

 

[Wes Carter]

Here is something to consider: I try to do things on the cheap because I have a wife and a mortgage plus a limited income. I buy most of my camera gear used. You can score some really nice DSLR's for much less than what they originally sold for but in great condition at some of the reputable used dealers like KEH Camera Brokers, B&H Photo, Adorama, Roberts Distributing, Calumet, and Midwest Photo Exchange. I know it is a dinosaur, but I recently scored a nice Nikon D70 for a little over $300. You can also get some nice used glass for a good price. I normally prefer to buy glass made by the body manufacturer, but there are some nice pieces that can be had for cheap that will do a good job. One I can reccomend for storm chasing is the 19-35 f/3.5-4.5 Tokina which can be had for about $125 in good condition.

Here is a good resource for determining which Nikon lens is compatible with which bodies: http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html and for Canon this FAQ is an ecellent resource: http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html

In the 1990's I worked as a photojournalist and got to try a lot of the latest and greatest gear by both manufacturers. I'm sure it is still true today: Both make excellent gear that will serve you well. But once you buy into one, it is expensive to jump ship and go with the other. I chose Nikon in the 1980's because it is what a friend had and we swapped lenses regularly. I have no regrets whatsoever, but I might have just as easily picked Canon otherwise and had no regrets.

Good luck and have fun with it!

 

[Aaron Blaharski]

Building on what Wes said above....if you don't mind going the used route, you can find some good really good deals on some of the photography forums as well. Two that I normally check are http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/10 and http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ (the second is mostly Canon gear). Of course you are dealing with individuals now, so you'll probably want to find some feedback on the seller's history if you can...most sellers will provide a link if requested. They are both pretty active, so if you don't see what you are looking for, check back the next day.

They are predominantly for DSLR gear since most on those forums are enthusiasts, so if that is what you are looking at, I'd check them out. Good luck.

 

[Greg Blumberg]

Ebay offers some pretty decent deals on dSLRs as well. One of my friends bought his Nikon D40 from Ebay for chasing. He says it works great and is probably just as good any other stores. I believe it was refurbished.

Anyways, make sure you spend time looking at the different brands before you make your decision. I went with the Rebel XT mostly because I already had a 70-210mm f/4 Canon lens. Might I also stress that if you're gonna be viewing your pictures on the camera a good sized LCD screen might be nice. (I think the other owners of the XT will agree with me here.)

Usually the best advice that can be given is this for those starting out with a dSLR:

Buy a cheap body and a nice lens.

 

[Nick Hartley]

Thanks for all the replies you guys. I am in the process of doing research on some of the cameras talked about and hope to have one by my Birthday in a month.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Just to be contrary!

IMO, there's no way you can buy a meaningful DSLR kit with your budget. A used Drebel XT/ Nikon D40 or similar and one inexpensive lens will wipe you out, and leave you shooting with 'entry-level' glass. (If you do go with this option, I understand that Nikon's 'kit' lens is quite a bit sharper than the oft maligned EF18-55 lump.)

For the $, I'd suggest a quality ZLR (zoom-lens reflex). Something like a Nikon 8800 (or any of a dozen similar cameras) will give you RAW data, adjustable ISO, auto exposure bracketing, and most of the features associated with a 'real' DSLR. The only thing missing will be a superwide lens option, but you weren't going to get that anyway w/o selling your firstborn.

 

[Brett Roberts]

Just to be contrary!

IMO, there's no way you can buy a meaningful DSLR kit with your budget. A used Drebel XT/ Nikon D40 or similar and one inexpensive lens will wipe you out, and leave you shooting with 'entry-level' glass. (If you do go with this option, I understand that Nikon's 'kit' lens is quite a bit sharper than the oft maligned EF18-55 lump.)

For the $, I'd suggest a quality ZLR (zoom-lens reflex). Something like a Nikon 8800 (or any of a dozen similar cameras) will give you RAW data, adjustable ISO, auto exposure bracketing, and most of the features associated with a 'real' DSLR. The only thing missing will be a superwide lens option, but you weren't going to get that anyway w/o selling your firstborn.

I strongly agree. The only exception would be if you plan to save up for better glass in the future, in which case it won't hurt to shoot with the mediocre kit lens in the interim, since it will still offer quality equal to or slightly better than non-SLR. But if multiple lens purchases on the order of $400-800 each within the next few years doesn't sound feasible, "ZLR" may be the way to go for now.

 

[Darren Addy]

He's going to have to make his own call, but I would not say he's being completely unrealistic at the $450 price. You can get a Canon XT body for around $390. Yes you are only going to be able to afford the kit lens (from eBay) but you can shop around and get the original 17-55 (not the II) which people say was not AS cheap. While I understand the appeal of "good glass" I don't understand recommending going to a far inferior camera (smaller CCD and non-interchangeable lenses) just because he can't immediately afford the really good glass. That's kind of an all or nothing way of looking at things. Besides, once he's got the Canon camera he has the [/i]option[/i] of getting the superwide on credit (like at Dell.com) for a lot less per month than some guys spend to golf a round of 18.
: )

If he wanted to go Nikon, the D40 kit can be had from legitimate places for $469.

While used is always an option, I wouldn't buy it from eBay. Digital cameras and laptops can be fragile beasts and you never really know what you are getting. Buying from somewhere with a closer-knit user base (and preferably a feedback rating system) might be preferable if you are buying something without a factory 1 year warranty.