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DSLR Cameras and Me
shugarae
Phoenix, AZRegistered User regular
Phoenix, AZRegistered User regular
So, I'm becoming increasingly annoyed with the costs of 35mm film processing and reprinting, and have decided to bite the bullet and splurge on a DSLR for xmas. Looking to spend ~$1500 for a body plus a lens.
What I currently have:
P&S Nikon Coolpix that I've been mostly unhappy with
1973 Nikon F, very similar to this one, with lenses of the following lengths: 28mm, 50mm, 105mm, 200mm
I would be looking for something to replace the functions of both of those (though I'll still probably use the P&S for the throw-it-in-my-purse factor).
I was previously looking at a Nikon D70 or D90, but it looks like things have changed in Nikon land (new models, some of which may not be compatible with my old lenses, etc.), so now I have no idea. As for features, as long as it has a fully manual mode, everything else is gravy. I'm not looking to take movies or anything, so
Despite an obvious bias toward Nikon, I'm not opposed to considering a Canon. A good friend of mine has a Canon EOS 50D that she loves, and I've been impressed with its photo quality. From my understanding, Canons are typically less expensive for similar image quality and features.
So, I guess I could use some help narrowing down my options. Any recommendations would be appreciated :-)
What I currently have:
P&S Nikon Coolpix that I've been mostly unhappy with
1973 Nikon F, very similar to this one, with lenses of the following lengths: 28mm, 50mm, 105mm, 200mm
I would be looking for something to replace the functions of both of those (though I'll still probably use the P&S for the throw-it-in-my-purse factor).
I was previously looking at a Nikon D70 or D90, but it looks like things have changed in Nikon land (new models, some of which may not be compatible with my old lenses, etc.), so now I have no idea. As for features, as long as it has a fully manual mode, everything else is gravy. I'm not looking to take movies or anything, so
Despite an obvious bias toward Nikon, I'm not opposed to considering a Canon. A good friend of mine has a Canon EOS 50D that she loves, and I've been impressed with its photo quality. From my understanding, Canons are typically less expensive for similar image quality and features.
So, I guess I could use some help narrowing down my options. Any recommendations would be appreciated :-)
Omeganaut class of '08. Fuck Peggle. Omeganaut class of '17 West. Fuck Rainbow Road.
The Best in Terms of Pants on JCCC3
The Best in Terms of Pants on JCCC3
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I do not have any experience with it, but from what I understand the Canon EOS 60D is pretty decent camera, and I believe it comes in around $1200 or so with a 28-135mm lens. I have its more consumer orientated little brother, the Rebel T3i, and I love the thing, shoots great photos, though the file size can hit like 15 megs a pop. I believe I got it, 2 lenses, a carry bag, and a memory card for around $1200.
For your budget you will not be in full frame range. This will take a bit of adjusting - smaller viewfinder, heavier crop on similar focal length lenses - but won't be that huge an adjustment. If you want to keep your glass you can toss most of your cash into the body. In that case I'd suggest a used D300. This will run you in and around $900, leaving you $600 to toss at a Nikon 35mm f/1.8 and a 50mm f/1.4 or perhaps even a used Sigma 24-70 f/2.8. You seem to have been using solely primes with the Nikon F, and whether or not you want to continue to do this will determine which option you go for.
If you want to go purely new, AF-capable lenses, this changes things. I advise you spend most of your cash on lenses and buy a cheaper DSLR. I'd go with a used D70 for ~$400 on the expensive end and grab a Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and Sigma 70-200 f/2.8. This will give you a very capable kit from 30mm to 200mm until you can afford wider or better in your current range (Nikon wide angles are orgasmically good but appropriately priced). Your upgrade path might be to a D5100 or similar middle of the road but modern APS-C Nikon DSLR, then eventually to a D700 or similar full frame camera (requiring you replace your Sigma glass, but you'll be doing that at some point anyway).
That said, I do have some general "buying used camera equipment" advice I might as well accompany this advice with (written a while ago for a different post):
To check the lens, first do a visual inspection. Dents in the lens barrel indicate the lens was dropped at some point, which can jar elements out of position and are all around a bad time. Look through the lens and make sure the elements are clean and there is no fungus (looks like a spider web in the lens - run, don't walk from that lens).
If it passes visual inspection, mount it on your camera. Stop the lens down to min aperture and employ your DOF preview. Look at the aperture blades and ensure they're clean and snappy. They should stop down as soon as you turn on the DOF preview and there should be no oil visible on the blades. Take a picture with the camera and ensure that the autofocus works and isn't too noisy and that the lens stops down correctly when a picture is taken. If the lens fails any of these tests, clean the contacts on the back of the lens and remount. If this fixes the issue, the contacts were mildly corroded and you can still buy the lens. If this doesn't fix the issue, walk away.
At this point it can be worthwhile to check if the lens back focuses or front focuses. Take a photo of the person selling the lens at min aperture and zoom in to your focus point - if it's sufficiently sharp, you're good. I, personally, don't bother with focus test charts but if you want to be truly anal it's possible to check in situ. If you can bring a laptop along, it might be a good idea to check for element alignment issues as well. Take a photo at max aperture with something running horizontally in your DOF for the entire length of the frame. A countertop or the side of a table works well. Ensure the left side of the image is as in focus as the right side of the image is.
For those whose warranties that aren't strictly transferable, if you get the original receipt the manufacturer will usually repair it on warranty anyways. Even then, if the item is still in the warranty period simply saying you lost the receipt is almost always enough to get the problem repaired on warranty.
Lastly, some general "advice on buying stuff from the classifieds":
-People will want cash. If you start buying lenses worth multiple thousands, some will take a part cash, part bank draft combo. Below $1000 and you will be expected to bring cash.
-Always meet in a public setting. You will be expected with hundreds of dollars on you in cash. Meeting at someone's house in the seedy end of town is not a good idea. I like coffee shops, as you can have a coffee and read a book while you wait for the other party who will invariably be late.
-Everything is always sold as is. If the AF motor dies on your lens the day after you buy it, don't bother going back to the seller and complaining. At best, they'll offer their sympathy and keep your money. At worst, they will insult you for a while and then keep your money.
-Be suspicious of amazingly good prices. For every old man who sells something valuable for pennies because he doesn't know better there are five hundred thieves selling their loot cheap to get rid of it fast. If the person is selling a high end lens for cheap but knows suspiciously little about photography and doesn't have a receipt, be suspicious yourself. Nothing worse than having your just-bought lens taken away as evidence (if you're not charged with possession of a stolen good).
I don't shoot sports (or at least very, very rarely). I do a lot of landscape, but I would not qualify as "dedicated." General is a good assumption, as there is a good variety of people, places, and things that I regularly shoot.
I was planning on keeping and using my current lenses, but wouldn't mind at least one AF-capable lens. After some research on your suggestion(s), I'm liking the D300, which is a model I hadn't considered in the past. So again, many thanks!
The Best in Terms of Pants on JCCC3
I realized that the biggest difference between the D70 and newer bodies, both the D3100 and the D7000, is that the low light performance is drastically improved. If I want a noise-free picture, I essentially MUST shoot at ISO200. Sometimes I'm forced to jump up to ISO1600 in order to get non-blurry pictures, like indoors, but the images are so grainy/noisy that I consider them rather unusable. The D90 is significantly better and the D7000 is awesome at high ISO settings.
However, for you, the D7000 may also be good because it can meter on fully-manual lenses. I think the modern equivalents to your glass will probably provide a better picture, simply due to improvements in lens technology, but one of the most important rules of photography is to take pictures with what you have, rather than moan about what you can't afford or don't have yet and avoid taking pictures at all. You can get a D7000 with a mid-range zoom and have a nice stable of prime lenses ready to go.
To be fair, you can use all of those primes on any Nikon body, since they're prime and I assume are manual focus, but shooting without a light meter is pretty annoying -- especially considering that ISO, something you would essentially set for film and leave for an entire roll, is so easily variable on digital.
Anyway, if you're budget-minded, I'd suggest nothing lower than the D90, which is an awesome camera body. You won't be able to meter on your lenses but with the savings between the D90 and the D7000, you can buy a couple really nice lenses to make up the difference. If you're not so budget minded, then D7000.
I have a handheld light meter that I used with my first camera that had no light meter, but having been spoiled by a built-in light meter, I don't know if I could go back to doing that.
It looks like there are a few New D7000 bodies on Amazon for <$1200. That would leave me with enough to pick up one new/modern lens, and then keep using my old lenses. On the other hand, the D90 or D300 would leave me with enough to pick up 1-3 new/modern lenses (depending on which one(s)), wherein I wouldn't necessarily need the old ones as much.
More stuff to ponder... many thanks!
The Best in Terms of Pants on JCCC3
It's also worth comparing price for used on amazon vs. price for used on a site like KEH.com, to ensure you're not potentially buying substandard equipment.
Thanks, everyone!
The Best in Terms of Pants on JCCC3
The brand mostly, I was looking at consumer reports and both are mentioned as good models, but being a newbie at cameras I was curious about whether or not the recommendations in this thread were because the OP had used Nikon cameras previously, or if there's something definitively better about the Nikon than the Canon.
But back to Nikon & Canon, each has their pros and cons. I think the most important thing to do is to pick up one of each and see which design philosophy makes more sense to you, like how the menus and controls are laid out.
Canon and Nikon make different lenses at different price points from each other. Their menus are different and their "setup" is different. The basics are fundamentally the same, though, since photography is about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
I've read that a lot of Nikon people prefer Nikon's flash system, but if you look around you'll see plenty of Canon people with complex strobe setups. I chose Nikon because I preferred the menu and the "feel" of the midrange cameras, and I liked that I could pick up any old Nikon lens and it would be compatible with my camera. After having a Nikon camera, I've become one of those guys who thinks that silver bodies and white lenses look really lame