Upgrading to SLR . . . What do you recommend????

[anne_marie_larrabure]

Hi!

 

I want to upgrade to an SLR from a "point & shoot," however I am not

knowledgeable about the equipment. I want to be able to take good

quality pictures with ease. Essentially be able to use the auto-

focus feature yet have the flexibility to use manual focus when I am

feeling adventurous.

 

I have used my friend's Nikon N80 with Sigma lenses and was pleased

with it. However, I am wondering if the Nikkor lenses would be

better.

 

Please let me know what brands/models you would recommend to a

novice who takes a lot of action & still shots of her daughter.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

Anne-Marie

[leslie_cheung]

need your budget.

[cliff_gallup]

Just did some research on this for a friend, and it looks like now is a good time to buy new Nikon film cameras because they seem to be offering rebates.

 

If you're on a budget, and assuming you want to buy new autofocus gear, I would consider getting a Nikon N75, which with rebates will cost under $100 from buydig.com, a 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G lens (for a little over $200 after rebates), and maybe the very sharp and inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 prime, which you might find yourself using more than the zoom. If you have more money to spend and you liked the heavier N80, get that -- it has a few features (like DX override) that you don't get with the N75 and is probably a bit more durable.

 

(NB: if you are interested in using old Nikon manual focus lenses, note that there are very few Nikon autofocus bodies that they will meter with. Your best inexpensive would be a used N90s from KEH.com.)

 

If you want Canon, people seem to like the new Rebel T2 body as an entry level SLR, and the Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Standard Zoom Lens seems like a quality zoom. I would avoid the kit lenses that often come with either the Nikon or Canon bodies.

 

There are fairly useful Nikon lens reviews at kenrockwell.com and bythom.com, but it looks like the 24-85 I mentioned is a consensus good pick in terms of versatility and image quality for the money.

[anupam]

<i>need your budget</i>

<p>

That is true. But I would say avoid anything below the N75 in the Nikon AF line - N55 et al seem like a bad joke. I highly recommend the N80 as a starting camera that you will need a LONG time to outgrow.

<p>

For lenses - only you can tell. I actually began with cheap Nikkor zooms. As I realized my needs better I gradually sold them off on the internet and switched to primes. I you have little experience and don't know what kind of lenses you will need, I don't think my route is a bad one to take. Of course, many people will recommend the 50/1.8 AF - it is my most used lens too, but only now that I realize that the 28-80 zoom is not a substitute for it.

<p>

-A

[ken_kuzenski]

Anne-Marie, it's like asking what hammer you should use to build a shed--there are LOTS of good ones, ranging from very cheap used ones to modern high-tech ones. And you are likely to be happy with any one that feels comfortable that you can get at a reasonable price.

 

I do think the idea of Nikon is always sound--the lens interchangability is excellent, and Nikons hold their value very well. You can get the "FE" model at a bargain price, and they're GREAT cameras.

 

That said, you might well think about trying digital. I've had a Nikon D70 all of 2 weeks now (after 20 years with various 35mm and 120 cameras), and one thing I genuinely LOVE about digital (at least in the 6mp/use my old lenses range) is the ability to shoot LOTS of frames without worrying about the cost.

 

QUick example: I saw what looked like a good photo out my office window the other week. I've been carrying my D70 to work since I got it, and yesterday morning I thought the shot might be recreated. It wasn't, as it happened, but I shot 40 frames watching the action, hoping for a good shot. Not a huge deal, but the ability to shoot 40 frames, or 400 (with 2 1-gig CF cards) without worrying about processing costs, is VERY nice! And you just delete anything you don't want--very handy. Just FWIW

--Ken in Raleigh

[RaymondC]

Why not digital. Yeah. You get to improve your skills and its cheap to run so you learn way faster. Most people do prefer digital too as with the trend and how there are benefits it has over film... The D70 is not really that much more pricey than some Sony's, the higher end Nikon, Canon, Olympus etc .. I would suggest thou wait for Feb 05 to see if any drop in price and further product development.

 

Or else a F80 or F75 is great. They are called N75/80 in the USA. A zoom like a 28-105 is great too. For a beginner its prob best to go with a versatile good quality zoom rather than head to the non zooms. This is a versatile lens so you could do things form landcapes nature to portraits to street photography or to a lesser extent some macros and action/sport photography. In terms of pictures of your daughter this lens is great, some pple use it for wedding while I am more inclined to go with a heavier zoom or one of the famous non zoom quality lenses. That said, while some pple do regard this 28-105 so highly you should be satisfied with it (quality wise). Its also perfect for portraits where its usually shot at 85-105mm abouts but if you want the wides like to capture the back wide scenic you can revert to the wider angle of the lens such as around 28mm or 35mm. Great travel lens too. One of the better multi purpose "swiss army" knife. The 24-120 with vibration reduction is also not bad, but I prefer the quality of the 28-105.

 

After a while, you have learn the aperture, shutter, ISO settings you can get your feet wet with the tripod and a external flash.

 

At the start I a polariser filter would not be bad ....

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

Some Nikon lenses are better than some Sigma lenses. Just be aware that both Canon and Nikon pitch some "consumer-grade" lenses, too. So you really need to do some research on lenses in particular focal lengths. Just don't put too much faith in lense tests that measure only resolution. There are other characterisics that matter, such as bokeh (just a fancy way of saying that how a lense renders out-of-focus areas matters). So look at photos that other folks have taken, particularly closeups, to see bokeh.

 

What type of shots do you want to take? Do you want to use existing light or a flash? If existing light, you might prefer prime, or single focal length lenses, to zooms, which tend to be more limited in low light.

 

I'd probably start with a normal 50mm lense and get to know the camera. Then add other focal lengths over time. You might buy a short telephoto, if you like portraits, or a macro lense for photographing small objects. Just take your time and buy based on your interests and needs.

 

Good luck! And have fun.

 

Robert

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

One other thought - you might also like a camera about the size of a p&s that has some manual controls and a nice lense. If so, take a look at the Japanese rangefinders from the 1970's. They are inexpensive (less than $100) and easy to use. Just factor in about $85 for service to put one back in prime working order. Perhaps an Olympus 35 RC or Canon G-III 17. See the following link for more info, about 2/3 down the page.

 

http://cameraquest.com/classics.htm

 

Robert

[john falkenstine]

I have an N80 and DO NOT recommend it for the following reasons:

1. Dirt gets trapped in the bottom of the film door. When the door is opened to change the film, the dirt constantly ends up inside the camera. 2. When opening the film door, it fouls the neckstrap clip on the R/H side of the backside of the body. There is a potential for breaking the door right off the camera. I also means that everytime you change the film you have to put the camera down on a surface to allow the neckstrap to clear the film door so you can open it. 3.The film guides are prone to scratching film, especially after episode "1" has occurred. Why Nikon didn't pick up on the major design boners of this camera is beyond me. After purchasing the N80 and finding these flaws the hard way, I went and had my N6006 repaired.

[ron c sunshine coast,qld,a]

Nikon lenses are generally much better than sigma BUT,as others have said it all depends on the lens model.They both make crap and they both make awsome lenses.

<BR>I'm not very knowledgeable on nikon lenses.If you don't get many lens recommendations,ask a specific question in the nikon forum-they'll help for sure

[kkjuhy]

Anne-Marie,

 

Nikon, Canon and Minolta all make good camera's and lenses. Olympus did too, but should you switch to digital later you are stuck with Olympus (they use another format in digital, you can't use your existing lenses).

 

Most important is wether you like the handling, the "feel" of the camera. If you like your friend's Nikon, that is a good indicator.

 

Since your goal is to take action and stills of children, you will want a zoom lens, probably around 28-75 mm (max range 24-105 mm) that focusses REALLY fast on a moving subject. Do test this before you buy. In Canon terminology that would be something with an USM lens, don't know about Nikon or Minolta.

 

You will likely also want one very high quality portrait lens with a fixed focal lenght in the range of 50-100mm, with a maximum aperture of around 1.4 - 2.0 for the still shots and low light situations.

 

Within each brand, more money will buy you more solid (water and dust proof, metal body) camera, at the price of size and weight. Also better metering, faster focussing, but the difference might nog be meaningfull to you. Compare e.g. a Canon Rebel Ti (there is a newer version, forgot the name) to a Canon EOS 3. Keep in mind that every Nikon/Canon/Minolta SLR has all the features you need!

 

And do think about a digital camera. It will speed up your learning process tremendously (fast feedback, no additional cost per image; just wait a while before buying complex image editing software and new computer :-) ), and because you can show the images you just took to your friend's daughter, she will be much more involved in the process.

If you go this route, do buy an additional battery and 2 memory cards (512 MByte or 1 GByte each) as well as a USB card reader. I would recommend the Nikon D70 or (more expensive) the Canon 20D. The cheaper Canon Digital Rebel might be too slow to shoot fast moving children (oops! maybe your friend's daughter is 25... :-) ).

 

Good luck and have fun!

Karel

[david_rivera2]

Consider an Nikon N80 or an Nikon F100, as for lenses get a 50mm f1.8 Nikkor and 85mm f1.8 Nikkor lens. If you like shooting with a wide angle lens get a 24mm lens. The 85mm lens would be your portrait lens. With these lenses you could get by without a flash until you absolutely needed it.