Advice for digital camera - NEWBIE

Either the Nikon D70 or the Canon Rebel XT sounds good for you. I think you
might like the Canon XT better because it is smaller and lighter, you
mentioned portability. Also the Rebel XT is the newest to market so is your
best bet for longevity, unless you want the more advanced 20D. I own the
Nikon D70 and really like it, but your mileage may vary.

Like yourself I am a novice photographer but a bonafide Techie. Having a
digital SLR has been AWESOME with my kid because you can easily toss all the
bad pics and filter out the good ones, and you end up with alot of bad ones
with kids moving around so much ;-)

Either camera comes with a good kit lens. I really love the Nikon 18-70 kit
lens, it is excellent and very high quality. It is also a big reason the
nikon kit is more than the Canon kit. But I have also heard good things
about the canon 17-55 (??) lenses as well. You can also pick up an
inexpensive 50mm prime lens for either camera that will be very fast and
useful for portraits.

Make sure you go to a local shop and try these out and maybe try the Pentax
*IstD-S as well. For me the menu system and control layout of the Nikon was
a major reason I chose Nikon over Canon. But there are others who prefer
Canon's layout and controls, so just make sure you get one you like and
you're comfortable with the controls.

For online buying I've had good experience with Adorama. Dell Computers
also has some great deals on Canon cameras and lenses. Amazon is a safe bet
as well. There was a thread earlier this week about buydig.com whcih seems
to have the best non-scam prices.

Hope that helps,
Paul H.


"Thomas T. Veldhouse" wrote in message
. net...
Hello all!

My wife and I have been wanting to get more serious about photography
for quite some time. Recently, with my daughters Karate blackbelt test,
I found my Kodak DX4350(?) had many issues that are tipping me towards a
purchase sooner than later.

So, here is what I am looking for:

1. High quality images (read very high quality) @ 8x10
2. Ability to use interchangable filters and lenses
3. Low shutter lag, I need to get a quick response for action shots
4. Wildlife, scenery and stills are really my goal
5. Portable enough for action shots [like the karate test above]
6. Used or new is alright, but I may need advice on how to proceed with
used.
7. I am an engineer and a techy. I love gadgets, so I need a camera
that won't make me want another for awhile [I am a newbie in this area,
so if I can do what I want, I won't be looking for an upgrade anytime
soon].

8. I am sure there is a lot more I can't think of at this moment.

Can anybody recommend a camera to look at? How about a source for said
camera. Lenses that would be good to start with?

Thanks,

Tom Veldhouse (the newbie)

--
Thomas T. Veldhouse
Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1
Spammers please contact me at .

Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:

So, here is what I am looking for:

1. High quality images (read very high quality) @ 8x10

That part will be easy. All of the "good" cameras can do that.

2. Ability to use interchangable filters and lenses

So it's a dSLR then. Canon and Nikon are the market leaders.

3. Low shutter lag, I need to get a quick response for action shots

The dSLRs all have that.

4. Wildlife, scenery and stills are really my goal

You will need a long lens for Wildlife, like 300mm. A lot of wildlife is
most active at dusk and dawn, which indicates a fast lens.

5. Portable enough for action shots [like the karate test above]

"Portable" is relative. Ansel Adams carried his 8x10 cameras into the
mountains.

6. Used or new is alright, but I may need advice on how to proceed with
used.
7. I am an engineer and a techy. I love gadgets, so I need a camera
that won't make me want another for awhile [I am a newbie in this area,
so if I can do what I want, I won't be looking for an upgrade anytime
soon].

8. I am sure there is a lot more I can't think of at this moment.

Can anybody recommend a camera to look at? How about a source for said
camera. Lenses that would be good to start with?

A 100mm lens would probably be good with most of the (not full frame)
dSLRs. bhphotovideo.com is a good source. Best Buy carries some dSLRs too.

Bob

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 14:41:26 -0500, bob wrote:

Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:

4. Wildlife, scenery and stills are really my goal

You will need a long lens for Wildlife, like 300mm. A lot of wildlife is
most active at dusk and dawn, which indicates a fast lens.

Not only most active, but best lighting too. Add a high power external
zoom flash with, preferably with 3rd party fresnel attachment. This
can be used for fill even in full daylight:

http://www.pbase.com/owamanga/image/40644686

http://www.pbase.com/owamanga/image/40645287

To do this, the camera must be able to flash sync as fast as possible
because you don't want to have to compromise shutter speeds when
you've got a 300mm lens on the body. The Nikon D70 can sync at
1/500th.

--
Owamanga!
http://www.pbase.com/owamanga

Save some $$ and try to earn a free camera at this site:

http://www.FreeDigitalCameras.com/?r=16040862

Available options:

Canon PowerShot S70 7.1MP
Kodak Easyshare Z740 5MP
Nikon Coolpix 5400 5.1 MP
Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 5.1MP

Good luck!
Sony Cybershot DSCM1

This is just my take on it, but I would not buy used digital equipment. If
it breaks your hosed. I would go for a new camera with a warranty because
if you used one goes out chances are it will cost as much to fix it as to
buy another one!

I would HIGLY recommend getting used lenses whenever possible though. Could
save you alot of money, and there are tons of old 35mm lenses that all work
on the digital bodies, at least for Canon and Nikon there are. Not sure on
the Pentax.


"Thomas T. Veldhouse" wrote in message
. net...
Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:
Hello all!

My wife and I have been wanting to get more serious about photography
for quite some time. Recently, with my daughters Karate blackbelt test,
I found my Kodak DX4350(?) had many issues that are tipping me towards a
purchase sooner than later.

So, here is what I am looking for:

1. High quality images (read very high quality) @ 8x10
2. Ability to use interchangable filters and lenses
3. Low shutter lag, I need to get a quick response for action shots
4. Wildlife, scenery and stills are really my goal
5. Portable enough for action shots [like the karate test above]
6. Used or new is alright, but I may need advice on how to proceed with
used.
7. I am an engineer and a techy. I love gadgets, so I need a camera
that won't make me want another for awhile [I am a newbie in this area,
so if I can do what I want, I won't be looking for an upgrade anytime
soon].

8. I am sure there is a lot more I can't think of at this moment.

Can anybody recommend a camera to look at? How about a source for said
camera. Lenses that would be good to start with?


Thanks to all that replied [except the apparent spammer
]. I think all the suggestions were really good one.
It looks like I will have to spend about $1100 or so for new equipment
and the above recommendations with proper accessories. So, has anybody
purchased any of this equipment used? From where? What would I have to
look for? And lastly, should I bother looking at used?

--
Thomas T. Veldhouse
Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1
Spammers please contact me at .

hotchkisstrio wrote:
This is just my take on it, but I would not buy used digital equipment. If
it breaks your hosed. I would go for a new camera with a warranty because
if you used one goes out chances are it will cost as much to fix it as to
buy another one!

The exception would be if you buy it from a store that has their own
warranty. I've bought cameras from Charlote Camera
(www.charlottecamera.com) and they have their own in-store guarantee.
IIRC, it's part of the purchase price, and just something they do,
rather than those sham warranties from consumer electronics stores.

I would HIGLY recommend getting used lenses whenever possible though. Could
save you alot of money, and there are tons of old 35mm lenses that all work
on the digital bodies, at least for Canon and Nikon there are. Not sure on
the Pentax.

There can be issues though. Like with Nikon the old lenses won't meter,
which would really be a drag for a beginner.

Bob

On 11 Mar 2005 in rec.photo.digital, Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:

Can anybody recommend a camera to look at? How about a source for said
camera. Lenses that would be good to start with?

The others have given good advice. I recently bought a Nikon D70, and
I'm very happy with it. Get the kit lens if you don't already have
lenses. It's a solid lens, and it covers a good range of focal lengths.
The only complaint I have about the lens is that it's slow (fairly high
maximum f/stop).

--
Joe Makowiec
http://makowiec.org/
Email: http://makowiec.org/contact/?Joe

There can be issues though. Like with Nikon the old lenses won't meter,
which would really be a drag for a beginner.

I think the D70 manual has a list of lens types, kind of a decoder ring.
This lets you know which used or 35mm lenses will be "fully functional" with
the D70. I think pretty much anything made since 2000 with a nikon AF mount
should work, but you can check the manual if you end up getting the Nikon.


"bob" wrote in message
. ..
hotchkisstrio wrote:
This is just my take on it, but I would not buy used digital equipment.
If
it breaks your hosed. I would go for a new camera with a warranty
because
if you used one goes out chances are it will cost as much to fix it as
to
buy another one!

The exception would be if you buy it from a store that has their own
warranty. I've bought cameras from Charlote Camera
(www.charlottecamera.com) and they have their own in-store guarantee.
IIRC, it's part of the purchase price, and just something they do,
rather than those sham warranties from consumer electronics stores.

I would HIGLY recommend getting used lenses whenever possible though.
Could
save you alot of money, and there are tons of old 35mm lenses that all
work
on the digital bodies, at least for Canon and Nikon there are. Not sure
on
the Pentax.

There can be issues though. Like with Nikon the old lenses won't meter,
which would really be a drag for a beginner.

Bob

"Pete Fenelon" wrote in message
...

And you're a ****ing spamming dicktard.

Pete, I suggest that you send a quick e-mail to
" and also open the message in google groups,
click on "show options" and then click on "Report Abuse."

Unfortunately, I don't think Google has the time to deal with jerks
like , and they admit as much. I just use "block
sender" to not see this crap, and I only see it when I use Google
Groups. I've also filtered out messages with "free" or "earn" in the
subject, which helps a lot.

Joe Makowiec wrote:
On 11 Mar 2005 in rec.photo.digital, Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:


Can anybody recommend a camera to look at? How about a source for said
camera. Lenses that would be good to start with?


The others have given good advice. I recently bought a Nikon D70, and
I'm very happy with it. Get the kit lens if you don't already have
lenses. It's a solid lens, and it covers a good range of focal lengths.
The only complaint I have about the lens is that it's slow (fairly high
maximum f/stop).


The Canon kit lens is not very fancy at all, adequate maybe. The newest
Canon is nice, probably better than a D70 but plan to spend more on
lens(es) & skip the kit because it'll be a throw away once you want
better lenses & the Nikon kit is excellent optical quality. Also 1GB
memory, DVD burner for your computer, second hard drive, remote, UV
filter for protection if you want that, tax, software, etc. You are
probably looking at closer to $2,000 for a full setup, easily more.