Photography - Best Camera - Page 2

footfootfoot · 10-13-2004, 07:36 PM

CAtwoman,
This is a can of worms you've opened up. All I'll add to the mix is that I've owned dozens of cameras in my life, from the minox subminiature "spy camera" to a few different 8x10 view cameras.

As for manual 35 mm cameras, you'll probably want to go used for the best built cameras. Pentax K1000 early pre-china are indestrucible and parts are easy to come by, Nikon FM, FM2, Nikkormat, Ricoh, are all good inexpensive cameras.(relative to Canon F1 or Leica M series)

A big mistake that a lot of people fall for is dropping a lot of coin on a body and cheaping out on the lens. I'd rather have a Leica Noctilux mounted to an oatmeal box (well, a really flat, dimensionally stable, oatmeal box) than the latest EOS with some aftermarket lens.

It really is all about the lens. And after that, it's about a flat film plane.
I own an EOS 1N, a Nikon FM, and a Nikkormat FTN. I sold both my Leica M3s. The EOS I got for a photo job I needed to do, and it had all the bells and whistles that I needed at that time. I rarely use it for personal work. I can shoot so much faster with the Nikon FM, mainly because the shutter speeds and f:stops are in very handy places. i.e. on top of the body near the winder and on the lens, where they belong, for the f:stops.

I won't even go into the digital thing except to say they are perfect for "This is me in front of the Taj Mahal etc etc.

Good luck.

Skunks · 10-13-2004, 09:08 PM

I'm extremely fond of my <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Konica_Minolta/minolta_dimagea1.asp">DiMAGE A1</a>, but bear in mind that this is my ~first camera.

To address the issues brought up here: There are dedicated adjustment wheels for aperture/shutter settings, a manual-focus ring, manual-operated zoom, and digital overrides for all of the above (except for the zoom; there's no motorized zoom option.) 5mp is enough to print 8.5x11, I hear.

I love the image stabilization, too. My <a href="http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~gvidas/photos/guitarist.jpg">dark/poorly-lit photos</a> are typically blurry due to subject movement more than camera shake.

I do wish I had a true SLR, for the variety of lenses. And there is a slight pause between pressing the shutter button and taking the photo, but it's minor enough that I can ignore it most of the time.

10-13-2004, 07:36 PM	#1
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	CAtwoman, This is a can of worms you've opened up. All I'll add to the mix is that I've owned dozens of cameras in my life, from the minox subminiature "spy camera" to a few different 8x10 view cameras. As for manual 35 mm cameras, you'll probably want to go used for the best built cameras. Pentax K1000 early pre-china are indestrucible and parts are easy to come by, Nikon FM, FM2, Nikkormat, Ricoh, are all good inexpensive cameras.(relative to Canon F1 or Leica M series) A big mistake that a lot of people fall for is dropping a lot of coin on a body and cheaping out on the lens. I'd rather have a Leica Noctilux mounted to an oatmeal box (well, a really flat, dimensionally stable, oatmeal box) than the latest EOS with some aftermarket lens. It really is all about the lens. And after that, it's about a flat film plane. I own an EOS 1N, a Nikon FM, and a Nikkormat FTN. I sold both my Leica M3s. The EOS I got for a photo job I needed to do, and it had all the bells and whistles that I needed at that time. I rarely use it for personal work. I can shoot so much faster with the Nikon FM, mainly because the shutter speeds and f:stops are in very handy places. i.e. on top of the body near the winder and on the lens, where they belong, for the f:stops. I won't even go into the digital thing except to say they are perfect for "This is me in front of the Taj Mahal etc etc. Good luck. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

10-13-2004, 09:08 PM	#2
Skunks I thought I changed this. Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: western nowhere, ny Posts: 412	I'm extremely fond of my <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Konica_Minolta/minolta_dimagea1.asp">DiMAGE A1</a>, but bear in mind that this is my ~first camera. To address the issues brought up here: There are dedicated adjustment wheels for aperture/shutter settings, a manual-focus ring, manual-operated zoom, and digital overrides for all of the above (except for the zoom; there's no motorized zoom option.) 5mp is enough to print 8.5x11, I hear. I love the image stabilization, too. My <a href="http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~gvidas/photos/guitarist.jpg">dark/poorly-lit photos</a> are typically blurry due to subject movement more than camera shake. I do wish I had a true SLR, for the variety of lenses. And there is a slight pause between pressing the shutter button and taking the photo, but it's minor enough that I can ignore it most of the time.

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