What camera

[craig_walker]

I am fairly new to the "serious" photography world. I am looking to

purchase a good SLR. I would like to get a camera that will allow me

to possibly get into freelance photography (always a dream of mine).

I have never owned an SLR, but want something that I can learn on,

yet not have to buy a new camera when I get to the point that the

pics are of a sellable(?) quality (I know, WAYYYY down the road. I

am leaning to the Nikon F5 or the F100. Any help will be appreciated.

[joey]

What's your budget?

[craig_walker]

I have a budget of around $5000. I am going to buy lenses as i go

[tim_youngs]

<p>Another thing: you've not mentioned what particular type(s) of photography you're interested in. This might have an impact on what's recommended - i.e. an F5 may be considered heavy and cumbersome for freelance travel photography yet its fast motor drive could be desirable, if not essential, in other situations.

 

<p>That said, I'd recommend a look at Nikon's manual focus FM3A (the latest in a long line of quality manual focus Nikon bodies) as a dependable camera to learn and work with. If you'd prefer greater automation, the F80/N80 may be the right camera instead. My thought is that money that can be saved by getting a less-expensive camera body could be better spent on attending suitable courses and buying plenty of film (practice, practice) as you work towards your goal.

[craig_walker]

My primary focus will be outdoors and people, though not posed, I guess you would call it documentary type photography. People and nature doing thier own thing.

[cham_saranasuriya]

Hi Craig,

 

As far as I am aware this is going to be your first SLR and you've got a budget of ~5000. The options depends on what exactly you want to photograph and also being freelance involves travelling, so need a reasonably light setup as well. My suggestions would be to spend much as money on the glass rather than the body. Possible options include:-

 

A) Light - F80/F100 both are great, F100 more rugged and similar to F5 in some ways. For lenses I would consider 18-35 lens, 80-400 VR zoom and 24-120 VR when available. This set up is reasonbly light and covers from 18mm to 400mm.

 

B) Heavy - F5/F100, F5 is quite heavier than F100 but it has the best metering system and very rugged. 17-35mm 2.8D lens, 80-200mm 2.8D zoom or 70-200mm VR, 60mm Micro, Teleconverter x1.4, and you can add 300mm F4 lens if required. This is a professional collection of gear with some of the best Nikon glasses.

 

The other options include considering a digital set up. But I have no idea about this area apart from there's a magnification factor of about 1.5 for these.

 

Also consider getting a very sturdy tripod eg G1228/1227 (for compactness) and Kirk BH-3 ball head. Have a look at http://www.naturfotograf.com/ for various lens reviews.

 

Good luck

[blueisland]

Craig you've got a fair bit of money to spend but even so you should use it wisely.

 

You don't mention what cameras you've used in the past or what sort of photography experience you have.

 

You mention the F5. It is of course a great camera but do you really need it? Are you just getting this because its top of the range?

 

Are you going to do your own prints? If not then spending so much on an F5 is a waste of money.

 

You mention getting into freelance photography. This doesn't require a fantastic camera it requires a good eye, a good immagination and hard work.

 

You mention you have never used an SLR - to be honest I think getting even any of the the pro F range is too much for you. Why not get something very basic and spend a couple of hundred dollars and learn how to use it, then when you feel you have a good grounding then spend the rest of your money.

 

Buying an all manual camera will force you to learn the fundamentals of photography and in the long run teach you how to take far better photos.

 

I spent 7 years (as a teenager) shooting with a Praktica and a 35mm lens. (this would cost you about $30) I'd recommend it to any beginners.

 

You want to get to the point when you are shooting good photos - you will do this faster with something that forces you to learn the basics than with something that offers endless different modes and possibilities.

 

And finally I have to mention that I've seen too many people wandering round with top of the range cameras trying to look like pros and getting results that I could get with a point and shoot.

 

One step at a time.

[sarah_robertson_glasgow]

Hi Craig

 

I suggest you get a manual SLR first and progress to automation later. I did it the other way round and that was a BIG mistake.

 

If you want a brand-new SLR, the FM3A is a top camera designed to last many many years, and will still serve you well when you're freelancing.

 

However, it would also be feasible to get a used manual SLR in good condition, and spend the extra cash on some really good lenses.

[jemini_joseph]

Since you would like to get shots on the fly, and would have no time for

adjusting the camera exposure and focus, F100 or n80 would be my chiice.

F5 will be best for that. But it's heavy. n80 and F100 allmost same in every

respect except the fact that F100 has a data download (it stores exposure details

of each frame you shoot upto 36 rolls, data like F stop, shutter speed, EV Diff

you are dialing in, flash compensation lens focal length etc) which is very usefull

especially in the beginning. I used to write down these details to study the pictures.

n90s has the same data except the EV difference. EV Difference is a must. For example

if you are taking a pic with white dominated subject you may have to dial in +1/2 or +2/3

compensation to what camera is showing. F100 and F5 store this information too. So you can

try different shots with different settings and choose the best. You need the photo secretary

software and mc-33 cable to do this though. You can get third party software and cable

like softtalk (cocoon-creations.com)

 

Another important thing is that F100 and F5 (n90s too) allows you to use old manual focus

lenses. You can use 20-30 year old greate lenses on these camera. n80 doesn't allow this.

 

My first choice of lens would be 17-35mm f/2.8 AF-S. This is the sharpest zoom lens.

 

This will be my choice if I have 5000 dollars to spent

 

Camera F100 = $1000 (used 800)

AF-S 17-35/2.8 = $1400 (used 1200)

AF 50/1.8D = $100 (used 80)

AF-S 80-200/2.8 = $1400 (used 1100)

sb-80x = $300 (used 280)

Tripod = $300 (

Other = $500 (accessories like mc-30, Photo secretary and bag and some filters)

=======================

$5000

 

See how easily you can spent money :)

 

Remember you have other choices too. Canon or Minolta will do the same job for you.

Look into that option too. Minolta is slightly cheaper if you buy these stuff new

and a lot cheaper if you buy used. Optical quality of their G lenses are equal to Nikon or canon

if not better. But they don't have the fast autofocusing like Nikon AF-S and Canon USM

[ShunCheung]

Do you already own a "lower end" SLR and some lenses? If you are not already familiar with something like an N8008, N90 or N80 type and already have a few lenses, I suggest you not spend more than $1000 to $2000 to get started, unless you need to buy a DSLR, which costs $2000 on its own.

 

I don't quite agree with starting with a manual SLR. I did some 30 years ago but there was no other option then. One way to do it in 2003 is go straight into digital. In that case you can start with either a D100 or Fuji S2 (or some Canon equivalent). I would think long and hard before I would invest heavily into a film body at this point. If you go the film route, get either an N80 or F100 body and 2 to 3 medium-price lenses, such as the 24-85 AF-S G. However, unless you are already familiar with the basics, try to learn them in the M mode even on cameras that are capable of auto everything. IMO, compatibility with old manual equipment is a complete non-issue. I wouldn't buy any of those any more, both body and lens, or you are just setting yourself up for a lot of compatibility and usability issues in the future with DSLRs. But clearly that opinion is not shared by most people here in this forum.

 

In any case, the most import point is that unless you are already familiar with SLRs and some lenses, I wouldn't spend your entire $5000 budget at once. $2000 can get you a very decent film body and a few good (but not top-of-the-line) lenses to get started. If you work in it, in a year or two you should be answering other people's questions about which lenses to get instead of asking those questions. By then you'll be ready to upgrade, perhaps to a DSLR. Whatever body you buy this year can be your backup camera or you can always sell it in the used market.

[wind.dk]

I think it's already been said by others, but my immediate reaction was, if you have to ask here what camera to buy, you should reduce your budget considerably, and save the bulk till later when you know enough to make the decision yourself.

 

As you haven't had a SLR before, a FM3a or a F80 with a couple of good AF lenses would be a fine starting point, and they can both be used as backups later. And they can both be used to make sellable pictures, as can most SLR bodies. Matching the lenses to the use is of much greater importance. That doesn't have to be expensive either, but is a different question.

 

Then of course there are other brands (several of them, not just Canon) but it's even harder to make an informed decision between brands than between models from one brand, so you may as well get Nikon. After all, this is the Nikon forum :)

[richard_cochran]

I'd suggest not spending all $5000.00 at once. I don't

know many professional photographers who work with only

a single camera body. Most have multiple bodies to get

different features and to provide backups. You can learn

nearly all there is to learn with something as simple

and inexpensive as an FM, and it will take professional

quality photos indistinguishable from those of an F5.

<p>

I'd consider buying a "trial" camera, getting experience,

and if I found the need for more expensive features, buying

a second (and/or third) body once I understood what I

wanted. You'll need a backup or two anyway.

[douglas_green1]

That basically limits you to Nikon and Pentax, but there is nothing wrong with being limited to these two brands, as they are among the best, and can deliver results as good as any.

 

I think you should start with a Basic manual camera like a Pentax MX or a Nikon FM or FM2. Learn how to use an SLR, and what all of the elements of exposure are, and how you use them. Start with 3 basic prime lenses, a normal (50mm) Wide Angle (24 or 28mm) and a short telephoto (85-135mm - possibly this could be a Macro lens). And learn what they do for the changes in perspective. Buy the lenses second hand. You should then have spent well under $1000, and have a basic kit that is capable of world class results, and which will teach you everything you need to know about your photographic interests. Then, once you know what THAT equipment is capable of in your hands, you will be able to figure out for yourself what to buy that offers additional capabilities or convenience.

[klix]

Do you plan on shooting sports/fast action?? If yes, then get an F5 and an 80-200 AF (4th ver)/AFS. If sports is not in the mix, then an N80 or F100 would do you justice.

 

Lenses: for street/low light, 28mm f1.4; for portrature 85mm f1.4; for general/all-around - any of the good mid-range zooms:24-85 G, 24-120, etc...

[hugh_t]

I agree with starting out slowly and not spending 5k all at once. My recommendation would be the FM3A and AFD 35-70mm 2.8 zoom. Probably totals around $1200 new. You will probably find this focal length covers most of your shooting and this camera body will serve you well down the road as you back up when you get more equipment. IMO you want to start with things you won't easily outgrow, replacing and upgrading is expensive, buy what you want, select the best and buy it once. Much cheaper in the long run.