NIKON FG VERSUS N65

I have recently decided to enter the world of SLR photography and

now face the difficult decision in choosing the camera that's

suitable for me. My father, who has taken a shine to digital

photography, gave me his FG, minus any lense. The FG functions

fully, although I have yet to shoot a roll of film with it. It is in

near mint condition, but neats to be cleaned and serviced.

My question: Should I purchase an N65 kit or have the FG cleaned,

and purchase a lense for it. I fear the difference in cost between

the two options is negligible. I'm leaning towards the brand new

N65...

Please advise. Cheers.

Well, the brief answer is, it depends on whether you care about autofocus. 1st off, if the FG is fully functional, there is no reason to get a professional CLA for it, as the camera is only worth around $100 without a lens. A CLA probably costs that much by itself. What you probably SHOULD do 1st, is get your hands on a 50mm f1.8 AF Nikkor lens - Figure around $100 for that. That lens is also suited to be used in manual focus on your FG. Then decide if the FG meets your needs. If it does, you are all set. If not, go get an N65 body, and you can use the 50mm AF Nikkor lens on it, and go to town. That will probably cost about $200 more.

Or you could just get the N65 kit now, but DON'T get a "G" lens. Be sure to get a lens that also allows manual F-stop and focusing. Then you can still use the FG as a 2nd or backup body. In any case, put some film through the FG and see if it works fine WITHOUT a CLA - It probably does, you can probably just blow the dust out of it with a can of compressed air, and it may well be good to go. If all it needs is light seals and a mirror bumper replacement, easy do-it yourself kits can be gotten on ebay for as little as $6

Or you can sell the FG body on ebay. In really good shape, fully working, they go for around $100

Jeremy,

Starting out is always difficult, my first slr was a praktica with fogged 50mm lens. My dad didnt have a camera :(

First thing to take into account is that the camera doesnt matter in the beginning, youll just need to get some film through it. Secondly, if your not absolutely sure you want to use anologue techniques, dont bother with it and go digital.

Alot of people who start nowadays buy an all automated slr which practically is doing it all by himself. However understandable it will not teach you anything about anologue technique if you photograph that way.

I would suggest something else then the N65.

1. clean the body yourself as good as you can(without taking it apart), if it aint broke dont fix it.

2. Get a good standard lens like the 50/1.8 Ai (older and larger version) or an Ai'ed 50mm/2.0, they are better then the present ones and are extremely cheap. Even in mint condition they wont cost more then $50.

3. Get lotsa film! Preverably some just over date film(kodak and fuji), usually they are $1/roll. If you dont like that idea get a Fuji PRESS pack of 20 color rolls(best value for money IMO) will cost about $45 for the 100 asa or $60 for the 400 asa.

4. Get a scanner(provided you have a computer offcourse), just a normal A4 scanner with film-adapter. I wish i had those when i started out, would have saved me alot of cash and time on printing batches. You can upload some pics too this way ;) Cost: not more then $100

You can let the film be developed only, and save on the cost for printing. This way you can start saving for a real camera ;)

Greetings,