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Getting into digital


rob_ristow

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I have been shooting with 35mm camera for the longest time and I have a nice collection of camera right now. I have

always been resistent to digital SLR's, but I have been finding myself increasingly interested in trying it out. I found a

used nikon d1 for under 200 bucks. I know absolutly nothing about digital camera what the difference in M/P would

be or anyting. I just want to know if this is a camera that would take fine pictures that I can enlarge and manipulate in

photoshop with lots of rich color. If i like this camera I will definitly get a nicer DSLR but this is just so i can get my

feet wet without breaking the bank. I already have Nikkor lenses so it would just be the body I am getting.

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"I just want to know if this is a camera that would take fine pictures that I can enlarge and manipulate in photoshop with lots of rich color."

 

That's the whole idea behind Digital, that you can manipulate the photos allot easier using Photoshop than you could ever do in a Traditional Darkroom. The size of the prints depends allot on the number of Megapixels the camera has. For example you can print a much bigger size print with 10 megapixel camera than with a 5 megapixel camera. The good thing about digital is that you can see the results right away, therefore the learning curve is alot quicker if not more enjoyable. Despite your reluctance to Digital which is normal(I was very reluctant at first) deep down, this is what most photographers have been hoping for years, if not decades.

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Yes, it's an excellent camera. You won't get huge enlargements, but it's very capable, and at that price, hard to beat. I would investigate its weight compared to what you are using - it's a pretty heavy camera. But it has the professional level access to controls that cameras like the D40s and D70s lack, and coming from the film world, I imagine you will want that level of control, as I did. The controls layout was the main factor that pushed me to a D300 over the more consumer oriented cameras.

 

You should also investigate the lenses you have and what can or can't be done on the D1 or anything else you might consider now or later. For reasons I am not completely clear on, some cameras won't meter with certain older lenses. I'm pretty sure the D1 doesn't have this issue, put it's part of the learning curve for difital.

 

Also, the D1 has a DX sensor, which is smaller than an FX sensor, which is the same size as a 35mm negative. The importance of this is that if you have a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera, it works like a 50mm lens on an FX camera, but like a 75mm lens on a DX camera. This make shooting long more accessible, at the expense of wide angle. It's referred to as a 1.5x crop factor, and applies linearly across focal lengths.

 

Finally, when you get to looking at software, leave Photoshop for last. Start off by looking at Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture (if you have a Mac). There are others as well but those are the two I'm familiar with. Even very advanced photogs seem to get 90%+ of their editing done in one of these packages.

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Rob, I've been a photographer for the past thirty two years. I have five different format cameras ranging from 35mm to 5X4. I

use to take at least three format on every shoot I undertook. Not good for the back, but it impressed the clients..they used to

call me donkeyman. Two years ago I bought a Canon D5. I promised myself I would only use it for backup. After my first job

using it, I haven't touched my film cameras and they are going to rust and back now.

Digital will liberate you. Digital will inspire you. Digital will save your back and relieve your weary muscles. Play with what you

have now but do get at least an Adobe Photoshop 7 program. The manipulation that you will be able to employ on your

photography will blow your mind. A word of warning though. Its addictive and will have you slaving away at your computer for

many an evening to come.

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Rob i am a beginner, when i take pictures i can't wait to get them home and play around with them, i dont have Photoshop, just Lightroom 2, does me fine, although i would like Photoshop, must have been a real conflict between old ways and new when digital came out, all before my interset in this 'totally' absorbing hobby.
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I like the idea of a DSLR's infinitely cheap film (insert giggle here) and the ability to try a gazillion new ideas without

breaking the bank on film, developing, lab work, etc., plus the results are available in minutes, not days.

That's why I got away from photography in the first place. The film was expensive, and the custom lab work was

prohibitively expensive. I got back in with the advent of affordable digital, and it's been a ball ever since. I'm able to try

tons of techniques that would have broken the bank with "fill-um" (traditional 'Brooklynese' pronunciation).

 

Bill P.

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