Which Nikon body?

All-

 

Hi! I'm actually a medical student at UVA who has just gotten into

photography over the last year or so. I am looking to buy a nice

film camera to take pictures with and also try some more advanced

techniques. I have read several books on photography so have learned

a lot and done a lot of playing around and practicing with my

parent's EOS Rebel. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with

recommendations on camera bodies or where I could go to find more

information. I like my parent's camera but hear Nikon is the way to

go and also would like some other features that it doesn't have,

namely: spot metering, depth of field preview, cable release (or

remote), and multiple exposure capability. Any information, advice,

opinions, etc. are welcomed and appreciated! Feel free to email me

directly if you would like at wind@virginia.edu

I would like to spend under $500 if possible on the body (I do have

some connections though for good used cameras but I just don't even

know where to start looking). I would really like to see a

comparison of features on the different cameras that may fit my

needs. As for what I use it for, just about everything. I love

taking nature shots with a tripod and good dof but also have several

siblings that play sports (and play myself) and also love wildlife so

would like a good fast shutter speed when needed. Again, any type of

advice or anything you guys could offer would be greatly

appreciated! Thanks a lot for your help!

You may have started a debate here, but not from me. I would suggest the N65, its a nice camera that I beleive has everything your looking for. I think they are about 349 with lens combo, but I could be wrong. Whatever you do, shop at a reputable dealer and NOT one of those places that the price looks way to good to be true, it is.

I personally own the N55 and love it. It does not have DOF preview or anything like that, but its a nice camera.

Steve

Tyler, considering your budget and feature requirements, I strongly recommend the N80. It's a great camera that you won't quickly outgrow, and even if you find the need to upgrade in the distant future, the N80 can serve nicely as a second/backup body.

 

You can pick up a brand new N80 for about $350. That'll leave you enough change to get the 50mm f/1.8 and loads of film.

 

Lance

I'm not going to recommend a body, or a brand. But I'm going to tell you that Nikon isn't "the way to go." It is however an option. I know this is the Nikon forum, so I'm sure this could get ugly, but consider this.

 

You've got numerous options these days in what types of cameras you can buy that will serve you well. Nikon and Canon are the biggest (in no particular order) of the bunch and produce some of the best gear, but not necessarily any better than anybody else on the whole.

 

You're buying in to a system, and you need to consider all your options. Which system supports you the best? Which system feels best to you and which camera feels the best in your hands? You can't necessarily go wrong with Nikon unless it just isn't right for you. Make sense? It's like trying clothes for example. Lots of good brands, but one may just have the right feel to you. Or a car, you have to test drive them before you splurge and buy one. Go to a store and try on the camera, give it a test drive and then decide.

 

I won't tell you that Nikon is the way to go, I won't tell you that it isn't, even though I shoot Canon EOS primarily, the Nikon AF system is excellent and has its own fair share of drawbacks. Go give them all a try.

The N80 has all the features you speak of. It and the 28-105 lens make a great starter camera. Don't let people talk you into getting a 50mm lens to start, unless you are a masochist and want to learn the hard way. To see a list of features, go to sites like B&H where you can compare them side by side.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com

Carl, I don't think your answer is inflammatory at all - quite the opposite. I agree with it.<P>

 

<I>Don't let people talk you into getting a 50mm lens to start, unless you are a masochist and want to learn the hard way.</I><P>

 

We all learn the hard way . . . sooner or later.

Carl has some good points. IF you decide on trying Nikon, and with your budget in mind, I recommend the N90s. Full-featured, rugged, reliable. If you shop carefully, you should be able to find a used body in good shape for around $500 (you do NOT need the MB10 battery pack). An alternate would be a good used FM2n - cheaper yet, but you won't have autofocus, builtin motor, or choice of metering patterns. You'll learn a lot with it though. Good hunting!

Go with the N80. It comes with a warranty. Some people may flame me for this, but one of my best friends is a resident here in town. Your time is limited in med school and in residency. Messing around with sending a used camera out to repair for a month is probably not gonna be fun for you. Plus there is the cost of repair. Now a used Nikon could be a good buy. Sturdy, well made, reliable, but used is used. Any piece of equipment that has been around the block will in theory be closer to needing a repair than a new one. Getting a new one puts the odds more in your favor.

 

Plus, I use an N80 for nature photography all the time. I have hauled it up mountains in 110 degree heat. It has been in sand dunes. Exposed to hig humidity. And it is still running well.

I might well get jumped on for this but having tried a N65 I found it did not work with my older manual lenses except by using stop down metering. So if you are thinking of getting into the outer limits of the Nikon system you might want to look for a body with a wider compatibility range.

The N80 has all the features you mention (the N65 doesn't). Carl is right that no one system has any particular advantages over the others (unless you have some very specialised demands, but they require a different budget anyway), but seeing how the N80 fits your requirements I would rather spend my time using film than holding bodies in the shop (unless they're good looking ;) ). You can reconsider if it really just does not feel right when you try it.

 

And get the 50mm, it's cheap, very good and will give you fast shutter speeds (for an extra 2/3 stop you should get the 50/1.4, but it's more expensive). And there's nothing hard in learning with it (it's also just about the lightest lens you can put on your camera).

 

Nor is there anything to stop you getting a zoom too, the 50mm is within the budget limits you set on the body alone. The 28-105 is a fine zoom lens and I hardly ever put it on my camera. For serious wildlife and sports, neither of the two lenses will be much good, you need a long fast tele, but I'll leave that for another question, and more knowledgable respondents.

 

There is however one thing you should consider about your choice. Do you know anyone you might be able to borrow lenses from? Do your parents have any interesting lenses for their Canon? If they only have a standard zoom, it's nothing to think about, but if for instance they have a 300mm/2.8 and a 20-35 zoom that you can borrow when needed, compatibility with that system would be very interesting.

Oh btw, I like your name :)

 

About compatibility, the N80 will not meter with lenses without a CPU, but it will take pictures. I've got an old (borrowed indefinitely) 400mm, with which I need to meter separately, but I can use it. For greater compatibility you need a higher end body or a new manual.

I will say that in Nikon, the N80 certainly fits the bill for what you list. However, I have a hankering for an N90s myself and if you pick one of them up for four or five hundred dollars, it's a solid camera. However AF is a generation behind and some may not find the interface as pleasant as the N80.

 

The 50mm 1.8 (or 1.4 being my preference) is just that, a preference. I would start with a 50mm, but that's because i did and I don't feel it to be a mistake. I still have my 50s and I use them extensively on both my Nikons and Canons. What you will do is beyond me, but based on the Rebel you've used, what do you think you'd use the most?

 

Sure the 50mm 1.8 (or 1.4) will be better than the cheaper zooms, and will take you in to lighting situations the cheap zooms can't, but you may find that for your own work the zoom is better/easier/more convenient.

 

Back to my first comment... go play with them in a store.

There's a good comparison chart of the various Nikon SLR bodies at <br>

 

<a href="http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/body/chart/nikon_body_comparison_chart.html">http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/body/chart/nikon_body_comparison_chart.html</a><p>

 

Also, try Ken Rockwell's reviews at<br>

<a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/index.htm">http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/index.htm</a><p>

 

Around C'ville, you might also try talking with the folks at Camera Center. I've found them to be pretty helpful. They do a good job with development as well, as does Stubblefield.

<p>

 

Regarding the 28-105mm lens, I'd say it's one of the best general purpose lenses you can buy for a Nikon. I use it <b>a lot</b>. It may not serve your needs with landscape or wildlife photography, but it's a good start. In the other camp, there's a lot to be said for starting out with a nice prime to learn composition and approaching your subjects. The 50mm 1.8 can be had for a C-note and may be worth it for you.<p>

 

If you're itching to go for a hike around Shenandoah, drop me a line! <p>

 

Kind regards,<br>

I'm not going to tell you what brand or body to go with either. I will however tell

you my experiences with the F65 as it relates to your question. It does have

most of the features that you are looking for. The exception being the spot

metering. Also, if you plan on getting into flash photgraphy, the F65 only has a

sync speed of 1/90th.

 

I would suggest going to a reputable camera store, and asking lots of

questions, and also trying different brands to see how each feels in your

hands. Finally remeber what has been stated over, and over whenever

someone asks this sort of question: You are not only buying a camera, but are

buying into a whole system. So take a look at what else each company offers

in terms of lenses, lens features, and accessories such as flashes.

Your criteria would be met by the N80, which is fully compatible with D, G, and VR lens designs. The 90s is a fine camera but it about a decade old, heavy, and not compatible with the newer lens (G and VR) series. You can buy a starter kit with the 50mm 1.8 (reported by many to be one Nikon�s best lens) or the standard kit zoom for less than $500.

I have the N65 and it is nice, but does lack spot-metering and AE lock which you might find useful. The N80 has everything you want. Sounds like you might want a wide angle prime and a telephoto prime. A fast zoom for sports photography won't be cheap.

I shoot with an F5, F100, N90s, and two N80s, and a N50. (I have an addiction I think).

 

The N80 camera body would be perfect for you. It will do everything you mentioned wanting in a camera without a lot of stuff you don't.

 

Jason

In the Nikon line, it sounds like the N80 or F80 is perfect for you. Anything less (such as N65) will drive you crazy because of random omitted features.

 

Somebody mentioned the N90. I would stay away from it. It has a few features that the N80 lacks, but it's several years older, has disorganized controls that no other current Nikon has, and is missing some of the N80's features. It's also more expensive. If you're willing to spend more money than the N80/F80, the F100 would be the next step up, not the N90.

 

Of course, nothing is really perfect, and the N80 lacks some features which might be important to you. Such as

 

--it can't use manual focus lenses

 

--it doesn't have mirror lock up (no current, automatic Nikon has this feature except for the F5)

 

--for me, I thought the size was too small

 

--it's not as well-built as the larger Nikons (but for the price who cares? You can buy 2 F80s and a few rolls of film for the price of an F100)

 

--it has a rather slow flash sync speed (1/125)

 

On the plus side, I think it's the only modern automatic Nikon that takes an old fashioned remote shutter release. The others force you to buy a ridiculously-priced cable for close to $100. I mention this because a remote cable was one of your criteria.

 

Btw, in case nobody mentioned, the F80 is the "grey market" imported version of N80. The F80 doesn't have a Nikon warranty, but only a store warranty. The F80s has a cool feature (not available on the N80): it prints exposure information between frames.

There's a strong consensus building that the F80 or N80 is the Nikon body for you.

 

Before you buy that or any camera, spend a little time (even med students get a LITTLE free time) in your local camera emporium, comparison shopping against the lines from Canon, Minolta, Pentax.

 

Lots of folks wind up with brand C, M or P instead of Nikon because something in those manufacturers' systems fits the hand better, or accomplishes a specific task better, or just gets the requisite job done for fewer dollars.

 

The first time you jump into the pool, you have luxury of picking your brand without consideration of sunk costs in some manufacturer's line.

 

But if you wind up putting most of your pawprints on the glass in front of the Nikon goodies, you'll find it very hard to beat the bang-for-the-buck of the N80.

 

-Jim

I use a Nikon MF (FM3A) and a Canon digital (D30) bodies, so I guess I'm a fence-straddler. The Canon system has a lot to commend it (as do Minolta, Contax and the like, but unlike Canon and Nikon, they have less market traction and their successful future transition to digital is in doubt). You should definitely get a second opinion.

 

Many people recommended getting a 50mm f/1.8 or a 50mm f/1.4 lens. I broadly agree with the "primes are better" school, but you should consider as a zoom the new AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G IF ED. AF-S is the equivalent of Canon's USM and will give you much faster (and quieter) autofocus.

 

As for normal primes, I would recommend the 60mm Micro-Nikkor (macro) lens. It is built like a tank, has macro functionality you may find useful for your work, and while it is not quite as fast as the 50mm lenses, is as sharp.