I'm looking for any kind of digital or film camera. What kind do you personally prefer if you have one, brand wise. Like, Nikon, Sony, etc. Also, is a certain model good for breaking out into the world of photography?
Thanks :]
ted.rovingphotographer
Favorite Answer
The first question you should address is in your first line: digital or film. I am a digital convert after 35 years of film photography, and I'd suggest going digital. This is not because I think that digital is necessarily better than film - there are strong advocates on both sides of the film/digital divide, and correctly so. Instead, my recommendation is because I think digital, if used properly, can accelerate the learning process.
What works for you is the fast feedback obtained by being able to look at the pictures on the computer as soon as you get home (instead of waiting for photo processing, or processing them by yourself).
There are some things that work against you with digital that you should be aware of. It is easy to take hundreds of pictures without too much thought, as compared to film which is relatively expensive and therefore forces you to think carefully about each shot you take. You also miss out on the chance to process your own film, which provides a great learning exercise about light and exposure.
After your digital/film decision comes the decision about DSLR or non-DSLR. If you are going to invest in more serious camera gear, then you want to make sure that you will be committed to taking advantage of it.
There are a few questions that you should ask yourself in order to make the decision:
When you look at your photographs, do you look to see things you'd like to improve?
Then, do you see things in your pictures that you could improve upon if you were able to have more control over shutter speed, light, and focus?
Do you want to be able to shoot in lower light conditions without a flash?
Do you want the sharpest possible images, especially at long focal lengths?
Do you want to be able to use a variety of lenses?
Are you willing to spend the time to learn how to take advantage of the features?
If this sounds like what you would like to get out of a camera, then a DSLR may be right for you. If it sounds like a lot of unrewarding work, or if the questions don't make sense to you yet, then you may not get the most out of your investment in DSLR gear.
It doesn't hurt to start small. By making a small investment in a good point-and-shoot camera, you can learn what you like and don't like. If you really like taking pictures, I am sure that you will want to upgrade whatever equipment you own at some point, no matter what you start with - I haven't met a serious amateur photographer who hasn't upgraded.
As for brand, I started with Kodak Ektagraphic, moved to Pentax, then to Nikon. Those were all film. I moved to Minolta and Fuji when I went digital, and now own Nikon again. Every one of those cameras, and many other brands, took wonderful pictures. My gravitation to Nikon is just a matter of personal preference, maybe a bit of brand loyalty, but not dogma.
I can tell you that you are about to embark upon a fun journey in photography.
Cheers,
Ted
http://improve-your-digital-photography.com
Anonymous
1
Hf3Art&Photo
Nikon is an all time industry standard. You can't go wrong. One convenient feature that is exclusive to Nikon is that all Nikon manual lenses can be used with the digital bodies.
Over the past 8 to 10 years Canon has been embraced strongly by photo journalists and sports photographers. Only certain manual lenses will work on the digital bodies.
Both are quality systems but, in my opinion Nikon builds a sturdier camera.
If you want top shelf quality and you have the money, I would go with Leica.
As for which model, I would do some research, ask the folks at the camera stores and get something that you can grow into and expand on. You're better off spending a little more money on something that you won't have to replace just because you've out grown it's features.
Anonymous
First thing: There is no such thing as a specifically 'pro' camera, but pros do generally use top end DSLRs (from, say £3,000 plus extras) because they give excellent image quality and are rugged and reliable. There are no DSLRs on sale in Britain for £300, but they do start around £350. All brands on sale in Britain are good, the top three are generally considered to be Nikon, Canon, and Sony. Certainly any DSLR will give you a good start in serious (and fun) photography. Indeed any DSLR becomes more versatile when you buy further lenses for it. The other way to look at it is a 'bridge' camera - which have long zoom lenses and start around £180. The physically smaller sensors in bridge cameras mean that the ultimate quality of DSLRs is not quite there, but the quality may be plenty enough for you.
David M
Nikon and Canon are the leaders in the photography world. Nearly all professionals use one or the other. If you are looking for a DSLR I would take a look at the Canon Rebel XS or the Nikon D40. Both cameras are under $500 with an 18-55mm lens.