 BetterPhoto Member |
Is the Canon EOS-3 for me? Ok, here it is. I currently live on an isolated island in Indonesia... for my husband's job. I need a creative outlet here and have always been drawn to photography. I wish someday to make money at this rather than having to return to my accounting background. Money isn't too much of an option... I want a professional quality setup that I can grow into. I have the time on my hands to learn and practice, now I need the right equipment. I will be going to the good old USA for vacation next month and I would like to purchase my dream setup. PLEASE help me to figure out what that may be. I see these "pro packages" advertised that include a body and a few lenses, etc. Are these a good place to start? I was looking at the Canon EOS 3, how would that be? I don't know anyone who knows anything about photographic equipment. I look forward to attending seminars and diving into this when I can. Until then, please point me in the right direction... as I don't want to start this next phase of my life off on the wrong foot. Thank you thank you thank you
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Ken Pang |
Hi Michelle, You say money isn't much of an option. I suppose you mean it isn't much of a problem? There are two things that you need to remember when choosing a camera: 1) The Camera does not take the photo - the photographer does. 2) The Body does not record the image - the lens does. Keeping that in mind, buy the cheapest body you can find that will have all the features you want, then spend the rest on the best lenses you can afford. (Keeping in mind that the company has to make good lenses. No point buying a Pentax body because it's well featured and cheap, when you realize you can't get Nikkor's reputation for quality lenses) What to look for when buying a body: 1) Metering options. This is probably the biggest decider of the quality of photos, the lens aside. A Pro will without a doubt want a built-in spot meter. The smaller the "spot" generally, the better it is. If you are going to do a more journalistic style of photography, the best Evaluative metering is required. Generally, the more segments you have for evaluative metering, the better the meter. This isn't always true though, as some meters have less segments, but a "smarter" computer. Hmm, think I am running out of room, so I'll be brief. Feel free to ask me for more details on anything listed here: 2) Frames Per Second - do you intend to do fast action (sport & photojournalism) 3) Speed of auto-focusing and number of off centre focusing spots. (Also, effective EV Range of Autofocusing - Once again, for trying to track something in fast action and/or low light) 4) Min and Max shutter speed - You may find yourself with high speed film in bright situations but you still want very low DOF. The faster the fastest shutter speed the better 5) Ability to Over/Under expose and Bracket. Good for creative shots or overriding the meter. There are many other "niceties" like TTL Flash metering, Eye select autofocusing, IR Remotes, etc, that are not essential, but nice to have. Let me know how you go.
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Dave |
Great info Kenneth, in a very simple just the facts format. I disagree on only one point... "Keeping that in mind, buy the cheapest body you can find that will have all the features you want, then spend the rest on the best lenses you can afford." I recently bought the Elan 7.... wow I am in awe of this camera!!! I was on a budget and got the same line you gave about lens v. body and where to put your money. Going against what I have found is conventional wisdom I opted for the most body I could afford and went with a "make do" lens. My motivation was... that I didn't want to end up 5 years down the road and have developed my skills and be frustrated with the limitations of the lesser body. I just got my first roll back and while the results are great I can't wait to add to my lens arsenal and exploit all the features of my Elan 7. Don't be afraid to bargain with the sales people.... Good luck Michelle Great advice Kenneth
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