New at photography, Help me choose my camera!

The other side of the coin is canon... The two companies are always competing and have stuff in all price ranges.

Pick up a canon thats in your price range and the nikon your thinking of and just get a feel for it, and mess around and see how each is.


That being said, you may want to opt to save a little more and get a used better camera with 2 lenses or maybe a hotshoe mounted strobe.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/675618-REG/Canon_4462B003_EOS_Rebel_T2i_Digital.html


that nikon is only 6.1MP? Im not sure if im just really high but that camera seems really expensive for what you get.

 

I'd recommend just looking around all of bhphotovideo.com actaully.

All of the cameras on there have reviews from buyers and there are other brands than just Canon and Nikon available (Olympus and Pentax make some amazing entry-level dSLRs).

 

Check out craigslist... I got a canon rebel eos xt with zoom lens, carrying case, cleaner, usb, and two 2 gig memory cards for $400... Pretty legit.

 

Do you think there is potential for growth in your lens collection? What about how you feel about photography; would you ever be more than just a random hobbyist and get a little more in depth with it?

The reason I ask is that you are going to want something to build off of, you don't want to have to start all over with Canon/Nikon/Pentax, etc. If you want to get into DSLR photography go with one of the leading brands. I happen to believe Canon has a great price point. Why not look into something like the Canon Rebel T1i?

 

canon and nikon have huge aftermarket stuff. 3rd party manufactured stuff like tamron that are a cheaper alternative to the expensive lenses

 

I just ordered a Canon T1i from Walmart. They sell a kit for 649$. I was interested in the T1i because it also has HD video capabilities.

 

Just a thought, but there's also a wide range of film SLRs. Sure, there's the cost of film and development that you should take into consideration, but it seems to be a dying practice. A good old Canon AE-1 can take you a long way if you draw your own artistic map.

 

My wife and I have a few film cameras. It's a sad thing to see such a beautiful piece of equipment being phased out. The digital age has really killed the art of photography in many ways. Sure, it's improved it in some ways as well, but we take it for granted and photography (or sad attempts at photography) has become something that far more people do. And since we aren't wasting film, people look less into the artistic aspects of photography because we no longer have to waste money of film. We no longer feel the need to wait for the "perfect picture".

That being said, there is no way to stop this speeding train. So, I would still encourage people to venture into the digital realm as opposed to film. Other than the obvious reasons (money), the fact is it just makes more sense. Every photographer I know (a lot) has moved from film to digital.

I say, get into digital and if you find that photography becomes a passion, do yourself a favor and purchase a film camera. There is still something wonderful about a film camera.

 

i think you should give traditional film photography a try a nice canon A-1 is pretty cheap on ebay and uses 35mm film.
processing the film and prints yourself is so fun being in the darkroom

 

Yes!


I have a Canon AT-1 (the AE but fully manual) which I love. These old cameras are extremely rugged and perform perfectly without all of the electronics that can allow things to go wrong in the field. The lenses are even made from metal (the lens barrels of course, and not the actual elements). These cameras are cheap and will last a life time and teach you the fundamentals of photography.

Film photography is still very relevant and still has some advantages over digital. Film photography is applicable to today's world - my boss shoots medium format black and white and makes a living at it, producing fine-art portraiture from his Hassleblad. If you want to simply learn photography, buy a digital camera to get a quick sense of what photography is about. This could even be a simple point and shoot with manual controls. Then, once you become more serious about photography (and actually know that you want to go somewhere with it) buy a nice film camera and start making big, beautiful prints.

 

Don't listen to those people telling you to go with film.....I've been there, done that. Color and black and while darkrooms, developing etc. etc. At one time I said I'd never go digital however I now have a lowley Nikon D40. But my lenses are top of the line. Don't let people tell you that you need the newest best camera either and mega pixels are not as important as the manufactures want you to think. 6mpix will get you a good 16x20 inch print.

You can probably find a good used nikon or canon digital cheap. Look on ebay


A great photo site with lots of helpful info is photocamel

 

ahh a film lover i see i got the conon A-1 but its succumb to the canon squeak
been squeaking for a while but not its starting to stick gota get it to the shop to lube it up the good as new

 

yes digital is more convenient it can never surpass image quality of film.
u need bout 80+ mega pixels to match a film camera

 

You are over generalizing like crazy.

And 80 megapixel?

 

no man im serious u just cant match film maybe in the future but the quality of film is best.

i think i read bout this in an article bout the now discontinued kodak Kodachrome film.

like when i first developed my own film and made my own prints in a dark room i was amazed at how sharp and clear it was. love working in the darkroom.
processing color is bit more complicated than black and white tho

 

You've been very misguided, there are pros and cons with both digital and film. But to just straight up say that one is better than the other is a very bold generalization. It depends on the needs of the photographer and it depends on the application.

 

yea there are pros and cons to both but in terms of image quality film beats digital.
and if u bring in a large format film into it then film definitely better than digital