 Megan |
Looking for a camera. Ok, first, I just wanted to say that I'm new, and have no clue what i'm doing. I hope this is in the right category. [By the way, there isn't an age limit for these forums, is there?] Well, I've been looking for a camera. I really like the Nikon D80 but I'm not sure if I should even consider getting it. I love taking any kind of pictures like, nature, macros, action, etc and I want the perfect camera for it. lol.
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Mike Rubin |
Based on your question about age, I assume you are young. I suggest that you try the Nikon in your hands and also try the Canon XT or XTi. The Canon has a smaller body and you might find it eaiser to handle. There is also a learning curve with DSLRs. You seem to want to move beyond Point&Shoot cameras. You may also want to read these 2 books: "Understanding Exposure" and "Learning to See Creativley" both are by Bryan Peterson and published by Amphoto. They are under $20 each at Anazon.com Enjoy the journey!
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Megan |
[I'm 15, there aren't any age limits on this forum, are there?] I never thought of that^ Thanks!
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Sharon Day |
Megan, the D80 is a nice camera as are the Canons Mike mentioned. The Nikon or Canon will do fine for nature, but for macro you will need a special lens as well. Closeup filters will work ok until you can afford a macro lens. Don't let getting a DSLR scare you. It is best to learn them inside out but you can put them on P right out of the box and start getting nice photos. Good luck!
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Brevard A. Cardines |
megan, its nice that your starting at a very young age into digital photography. Nikon d80 is one of the best but a bit expensive. anyway once you get the hang of it youll love it. also you have to consider what lens your going to buy.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Megan, this is a family oriented forum so there are no age limits. (If there were, I would probably be over the limit. LOL) If you do a search in the Q&A about teen photographers, you will find that there are quite a few here.
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Megan |
Haha^^ Thanks!
Are there alot of lenses you can get for the Nikons? Do each Nikon lense fit all of the Nikon cameras?
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Kerry L. Walker |
Megan, there are so many lenses available for Nikon that Bill Gates would go broke trying to buy them all. OK, maybe that's stretching it a bit but there are more than enough lenses avaiable to satisfy almost any photographer. With a few exceptions, all Mikon lenses will fit all Nikon SLRs. The old (older than you, not me) non-Ai lenses won't work on modern DSLRs (and modern SLRs) without modifications and the lenses designed for digital won't work properly on film cameras. Nikon has been one of the best at maintaining compatibility with their older lenses.
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Oliver Anderson |
Come on Kerry...Bill Gates is really rich I don't think he'd go broke buying lenses...oh you were probably joking.JK I hear Canon is coming out with a new colored line to match up with the users IPods and Cell phones. I'm opting for the new PINK 70-200 lens...gonna be the talk of the race track with that baby.
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Megan |
Haha^^^ Thats alot of lenses! lol. I think i'm leaning toward the Nikon now. But, how hard is the D80 to use? I've heard its pretty simple, but the Nikons seem like they'd be hard. Thanks for all of the help!
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robert G. Fately |
Megan, welcome to this list of photo nuts. Let me offer you a few thoughts - I just made these comments to another poster "Megan" on her question "Purchasing a digital camera used for portraits". Basically, you should check out a number of brands before deciding on a particular one. Other people who tell you this or that camera is better, well meaning though they may be, do not understand that the feel and handling of the camera (what's called "ergonomics") are important aspects that cannot be determined from reviews or specification sheets. You say you have a budget of about $1000, which should be fine to start with, but as others have pointed out here remember that you might want to consider additional lenses or a flash as well - so this stuff adds up. And with digital photos, there's another whole conversation about computer storage and power - will you need to get a DVD burner for backups or more RAM to be able to use an image-procesing program like Photoshop and so on. But first things first: find a camera you like. As for image quality, any of the current crop of DSLRs will be more than fine for you. DOn't be thrown by the marketing hoopla of 10MP versus 6MP - it's just not that huge a difference. Go to a store and handle models from Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony (which used to be Minolta until Sony bought 'em). Every one of these companies makes lenses and accessories that you would use, and the fact that Nikon and Canon have uber-fancy lenses that sell for $10,000+ should in no way affect your decision (unless you plan on winning the lottery and really REALLY need that 200MM f2 lens). When you 'play' with the cameras, pay attention to how they feel in your hands. Are the controls in natural-feeling places? Does the viewfinder seem too dark to focus, or is it nice and sharp to your eyes? Are the readouts in the viewfinder visible to you? Does the whole camera balance naturally in your hands? These are the kinds of things that you simply cannot know based on what other people say. And if you decide on the Nikon, say ("'cause that's the one the pros use!") but find it less comfortable to work with then you won't be as interested in actually going out and taking pictures, which is, after all, the point of the exercise in the first place. I say this with 35+ years experience, including having run a camera store many many moonds ago. I had access to everything, but found myself liking some brands and models over others purely because of this ergonomic stuff. It makes a surprisingly large difference. I hope that helps...
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