What camera is best for my needs?

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  • I'm currently taking a photography course at my university, and I would like to continue with it as a hobby. Thing is, we were required to use a manual camera with a reflex lens. I would like to go digital, but I still want the ability to play with things like shutter speed and depth of field. I'm still new at this and don't know the first thing about digital cameras beyond the point and shoot models that people use everyday. With a budget of about $300, what kind of camera should I get?


  • Hi Steve,

    It sounds like you want a Digital SLR and starter lens for $300 or less. You can have that if you're willing to buy used, and there are some excellent used DSLRs well within your budget.

    All Digital SLRs let you adjust the settings such as shutter speed and aperture manually if you wish, and all also let you shoot in fully automatic mode if you wish. You'll probably find it easy to transition from a film SLR to a DSLR.

    Looking at recent auctions under $300 with lens (and in working condition) on eBay, the DSLR models I'd look for are:

    Olympus E300 (or E-300)
    Olympus E330 (or E-330)
    Olympus E410 (or E-410)
    Olympus E500 (or E-500)
    Konica-Minolta Maxxum 5D
    Sony A350
    Canon Rebel (any Canon Rebel)
    Canon 10D
    Canon 20D
    Pentax *ist D
    Pentax *ist DL or DL2
    Pentax *ist DS or DS2
    Pentax K100D
    Pentax K110D
    Nikon D1
    Nikon D40
    Nikon D40X
    Nikon D50
    Nikon D70 or D70s

    You might find the Nikon D1 very interesting in that is was a professional model that started out selling for $5,000 in 1999, and now sells very cheaply. But it still takes great pictures and has serious pro features. On the other hand, it's the biggest and heaviest on this list, and only you can decide how much that matters to you.

    Here's a D1 in excellent condition with lens that sold for $164:
    (search eBay on 230308346964)

    As a pro model, the D1 is usually sold without a lens, so you might want to think about buying a D1 body and buying a lens separately. A good used starter Nikon lens that would fit along with a used D1 in your $300 budget would be the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6.

    That would mean having an entry-level zoom on a pro body, which might get you some funny looks, but it's your business. But if you want a pro-quality lens to match your pro body while staying in your budget, I'd look at getting a M42 Universal Screwmount adapter and a good M42 Universal Screwmount prime (non-zoom) lens from the 1960s or 1970s.

    If you don't trust eBay, I'd suggest looking at http://www.keh.com. I've had great experiences buying used from them, and I've never heard of anyone having a bad experience.

    KEH (http://www.keh.com) curently has a D1 body in working condition for only $133:

    http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductLi...

    Besides the Nikon D1, a few other models in this list are above entry-level in their specifications, and so might be more interesting to you as a hobbyist. They are:

    Canon 10D
    Canon 20D
    Olympus E500
    Pentax *ist D

    I've been using a Pentax *ist D since early 2004 and I'm very happy with it.


    Good luck and have fun!

    Greg


  • Look for an older cannon or olympus. You can get away with a 4MP camera that will give you all the controls you need and the ability to print up to 8x10 with minimal distortion. Check e-bay or b&h photo-used section


  • I have nine Japanese cameras from the 60's and 70's that I bought at Thrift stores. The purchase prices ranged from $1 to $23. Most of them function without a battery. Half of them have a self-timer. Most have monster lenses. Most of my Canons have FD lenses.
    My Minolta SRT 101 has a mirror flip up switch and a broken self-timer. It set me back $20. The shutter does not function at slow speeds. It has a 1.4 50 mm lens.

    My guess is that your professor doesn't want any Japanese Rangefinders because they don't have interchangeable lenses. My favorite is My Minolta Hi-Matic 9 because it is better in low light and the self-timer actually functions.


  • this one is pretty cheap
    http://cgi.ebay.com/Polaroid-i634-Lime-G...


  • the nikon DS40 is a really good camera and i know u can pay with shutter speed and all of that but I don't know how much it is


  • any DSLR have these function, search about the 50mm lens in the group's discussion at www.flickr.com


  • Insinga $60.00 at Best Buy

    It takes really good clear pictures.

    Modes: fireworks,night scene,buildings,snow,kids,smile capture,voice rec.,movie,sunset,backlight,landscape,po...

    It also has: stabalizer, face tracking, resoulution options, voice memo, slide show, photo frames (about 10 to chose from), resize,photo edit, rotate

    it comes in blue,pink,silver
    I highly recommend it!!!







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