What is the best camera?

[kellymccusker]

im a student just getting ready for college and i want to know would be the best

camera for me to purchase if i am looking to get into professional photography

[robert_john_asuncion]

Hi Kelly..

 

I'm currently using Rebel Xti (400d) and it is a very wonderful camera, plus it also has wide number of lenses to choose from specially for those budget conscious users like me.. the only thing that lacks in this cam is the spot metering mode, but the partial metering mode, in some way, compensates for it.. I also considered buying the A100 because of its built IS function, but thinking about its noise generation and lens options I decided to go for the canon instead.

[craig_gillette]

There's no simple answer to this. If you have a particular area of interest, then some suggestions might be possible. If you are going to be taking photo classes, it may be worthwhile contacting the school/faculty to determine if there are specified course requirements.

[brucecyr]

Are you sure you don't mean: "What's the best camera I can afford to purchase for $X?", where "$X" is the amount you have available?

 

In any case, it doesn't matter much what camera you purchase because (1) the entry DSLR's are all roughly equal in capability, and (2) you will outgrow whatever you buy in short order -- at least the camera companies will tell you that :-) The best tool you have lies between your ears (God I don't believe I actually say that stuff now!) because that determines how quickly and well you learn.

[phule]

Kelly,

 

I'll tell you but you have to tell me what the best car is, the best food, the best place to live...

[roger_smith4]

A camera you can afford, that you are dedicated to spending the time to really learn how to use, and one that has the basic capabilities for the type of photography you want to do. Think about those three points a bit more, read the learn section of this site, and come back soon.

[dead_metaphor]

www.zeroimage.com

[bruce_margolis]

Kelly, I have tried a lot of leaps in my life but never 'getting ready for college' all the way to professional photography. At a minimum, you are looking at years of learning. Cost? Most professionals spend $5-15,000 for equipment, depending on what area you specialize in. If you are ready to spend that kind of money, let us know and you will receive some great suggestions.

 

If your budget is more down to earth, let us know that, too, and you can still get some great ideas on how to begin your journey to professional photography.

[Jochen_S]

Maybe a EOS 5D? - It's currently sold out and offers a lot of MP at few FPS. The crop DSLRS targeted at serious amateurs like 10, 20, 30D or Nikon D70 and replacements up to D200 should be fine too.

I wouldn't invest too much in a camera. Until you're fit it'll be outdated. - Lenses last longer. OTOH if you can afford decent lenses (L, IS/VR...) More MP might be sometimes a sales argument.

[sam_thompson2]

If you want to do photojournalism or sports. The best bang for the buck is the Canon EOS 30D.

[Rich B NYC]

Kelly,

 

Will your college curriculum include photography courses? If so, your instructor will provide you with information as to what equipment is required. Depending on his/her methods, it might not even be digital.

 

Can you give us a little more information?

 

Rich

[Uhooru]

You will probably be able to check out camera's from your school photo dept.But its generally handier if you have your own. You need to check. Most photo schools still start beginning students w/black and white film with manual metered cameras or at least cameras that you can work all manually. Generally, you won't use the meter at all on your first assignment as you will be taught the Sunny 16 rule. Several cameras fill the bill. Canon AE1 is very popular, Nikon F, F2, FE2, FMN, Pentax K100, there's loads. Check out your department. Often teachers and students will have stuff for sale.

It will be fun. Be prepared to spend a lot of time doing your assignments.

[jcuknz]

Which just goes to show how far behind the dodos of the photographic teaching world are. What a bunch of measurebators they are and love to turn out.

Just remember young fellow that the best camera in the world will turn out crap when in the hands of a moron, and a good photographer will turn out good work with whatever camera he happens to use. A good camera can make life easier for one, once it becomes an instinctive part of you.

 

There is nothing a film camera can teach you, except near-obselete film techniques, that a digicam with full manual over-rides cannot and probably better becuase it has instant feed-back to show you when you have stuffed up, to a degree anyway.

[andrew robertson]

Forget about specific cameras for right now. Look at all the available CAMERA SYSTEMS

(which include cameras, lenses, flash, macro, etc etc) and then select one. THen, choosing

the camera is really easy! Just select one from the manufacturer that you chose.

 

Anybody here will tell you that you should look into what the systems offer before you

decide on a specific camera body.

[tom_jenner1]

Well, for the money, the best camera I've ever had was a pinhole camera made out of a cardboard box I had laying around that used 8x10 photo paper as a negative with a piece of pin pricked aluminum foil for a lens. A piece of electrical tape was used as the shutter.

 

Seriously, it took good pictures!

[athinkle]

As was stated earlier, you may not even need a DSLR during your first year (at least for class purposes.) I'm actually in school now myself, a 25 year old dog learning some new tricks, and they made us start on Cambo 4x5s so they could be sure we weren't letting the camera do all the work. Anyway, the point of that story is that you might be able to just get a "social point and shoot" for now and save your money to get the best body/glass combo for when you do switch to a DSLR in class.

[brucecyr]

"A piece of electrical tape was used as the shutter."

 

Ah, a pinhole camera with an electrical shutter! At least that's how it would come out in resume-speak :-)

[simon_hickie1]

Sound words from JC! My own photography has progressed faster than I would ever have imagined over the last 16 months since I made the switch from film to digital (& yes JC, I did start with a Panasonic FZ20!). And the reason? I actually take more photographs, try out more things and learn much more quickly what works and what doesn't. Not only do I have the images, but also the camera setting information I used to get them.

 

So here's a plan:

 

1. Set a budget.

2. Decide whether you actually need a DSLR

3. If 2 = yes, then think about the system you want to buy into - find out whether you will can borrow lenses / flash guns etc & seriously think about buying into that one

4. If 3 = no, then will a P&S do - not least for casual use?

5. If 4 = no, a good film SLR can be got for very little on *bay.

 

Hope this helps!

[harvey_edelstein1]

My daughter is going to take some PJ classes in high school next year and surprise they want manual film cameras and list black and white photos. If you are going to be learning photography in college I would ask the chair of the department what the school thinks the student should have. Likely they want you to have complete control of the camera to learn the basics and I would ask if you need zoom lenses or not. If no zooms are needed then maybe a rangefinder camera might make sense. But the school should help you make this decision. A lot of great used film gear is out there for a fraction of what they used to sell for and a student can learn on a pro level camera for a lot less cash than you think.

[KenPapai]

A Canon EOS 1D Mark III is the best out there right now for pros. It has no competition. Close behind is the EOS 5D and the 1Ds Mk II. Failing those look at the Nikon D200 or the Canon 30D.

 

I assume you're going to an Ivy League college and can afford a super nice camera so invest in pro glass too.

[KenPapai]

Someone wrote, "Canon AE1 is very popular, Nikon F, F2, FE2, FMN, Pentax K100..." [YIKES! Run!]

 

Only go that route if you like being instantly 5-10 years behind the curve. A poor choice to start with film for someone 18 yrs old.

[andrew robertson]

I don't really like the miniature format of the 1D III. To me a 5D or 1Ds (II) is far more

appealing.

[harvey_edelstein1]

Kelly I see Richard, Barry and I are on the same page that your school will tell you what type of equipment they want for class. If it is film gear if they don't care about auto exposure and zooms then a camera without a mirror a rangefinder may be a good match. An camera with a built in meter is convenient but getting and a separate meter may be better to learn pro incident and reflective metering and even flash metering. Some of the recent Bessa R cameras have built in meters and have interchangeable coupled lenses. These cameras are small and light and compared to slr way less obtrusive. The lenses available are some of the best glass made can be had used for them at reasonable prices.

[andrew robertson]

Les, not only does slide film have less latitude than a digital RAW file, but many people have

decided through their own comparisons that digital files are every bit as good as medium

format.

 

Some cameras such as the Fuji DSLRs have greater dynamic range than print film.

[t_n1]

My prints from slides (digitally scanned and/or optically via cibachromes) always showed less dynamic range than prints from linear RAW files from my digital SLRs. Move away from iso 100 and the digital files will ALWAYS win. Regardless, Les always manages to stray the thread off topic.

 

Kelly, you need to provide more information before any of us can offer any practical suggestions. As you can tell, many of us are eager to provide advice.