Camer(a/on) - NFGworld!

Nith Azra

2009-08-07, 22:06 #1

Member since Apr 2009 · 51 posts · Location: Bendigo
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Subject: Camer(a/on)

Ok, so I'm looking to buy a DSLR in te near future, but I've no idea where to start.
If anyone can suggest some important things to look for while I search, that'd be a real help.

Cheers,
Cameron.

NFG (Administrator) 2009-08-07, 23:15 #2

User title: Top Chaos Wrangler
Member since Sep 2007 · 1656 posts · Location: Brisbane, AU
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The question gets asked a lot. I think you can boil it down to two criteria:

The budget

The system

1. You should consider the cost, and get the very best you can justify purchasing. Keep in mind that a DSLR will never, ever stop costing you money, as you will never run out of lenses, triggers, tripods, filters, bags and other accessories to keep on expanding your photographic horizons.

2. The system: if you get a Nikon, you're locked into Nikon glass. Ditto for Canon, Pentax and all the rest. Consider what you want to accomplish with your photography, and check the availability of suitable lenses. With the big names (canon, nikon) you can get the world, but the smaller manufacturers may be limited with the lens choice.

I don't like Canon 'cause they seem to cripple their cheap cameras, removing useful features and hoping you'll buy a better camera. Nikon seems to pack all the cool shit into the price point, then add some even cooler shit to the next model. You always want a faster better Nikon, but you NEED a faster, better Canon. Obviously Canon users don't see it this way, but I went Nikon and never regretted it.

Also, Canon made some changes to their cameras years ago, and their old (ie: cheap) lenses won't work on newer, digital bodies. All of Nikon's lenses since about 1960 work on most of their modern bodies, except for a couple of their entry-level cameras (D40, D60, D50?). You may not get all the features, but it still works.

That said:

Nikon: treats you like an adult: Lots of powerful tools, lots of buttons. (D90 is great, D300 is expensive but greater)
Canon: makes it easy, less thinking coupled with (IMO) less control, more menus.
Pentax: Good, cheap, slow. Poor low light focus, but nice results (K20D is their best ATM)

You can also consider the new micro-four-thirds (4:3) format, which gets rid of the mirror from a DSLR, making a very small camera... Panasonic and Olympus make models that allow interchangable lenses in what is basically a point-and-shoot camera. Clever idea, and if you get the right model, it works quite well. There are compromises: they're new and popular and more expensive because of it, they have smaller sensors (making it harder to get a nice blurry background, but better for macro). If you want to consider these, try the Panasonic G1 (my dad has one, it's great) or the newer HD-video GH1.

Basically, I'd choose a Nikon D40 if money's tight, get a couple of fixed lenses (non-zoom) which can be cheaper and work better in low light, and on a budget. If you've got a little more cash, spring for a D90, and as much good glass as you can afford. For any DSLR, I highly recommend the Tamron 18-250, the perfect all-rounder, though not good for indoor parkour.

Important thing to know: The 'faster' a lens is, the better it is in low light, and the more expensive it'll be. The F-rating of a lens indicates its speed: a lower F-number means it's faster, which means it gathers more light through a larger hole, allowing shorter exposures (less motion blur) in low-light conditions. So an F1.8 is faster than F2.8, and if you're gonna get a cheap zoom lens (ie: the Tamron) it'll be like F3.5-5.6 or so, getting slower as you zoom in on things.

Well.

There's your crash course. Fast glass is expensive, but if you get a good lens now, when you upgrade your camera body you take the lens with you. I'm still using the same lenses with my D700 as my D70s.

Lots to consider. =)

[Image: http://nfggames.com/system/arcade/special.php/b-d/bp-5/y-kof97/z-10/x-What?/.png]

Nith Azra

2009-08-08, 00:43 #3

Member since Apr 2009 · 51 posts · Location: Bendigo
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Thanks for that NFG, I was probably thinking of a Nikon for the exact reasons you stated; but I just have to figure out how much I want to spend, and what I can get for the money...