Buying first SLR... lense quality and compatability?

[PSA]

bump...

not sure if I should break this down into different threads or what. I'm mostly just looking for pther people's experiences and recommendations on lenses and bodies...

 

[Rainman]

I think you will find it difficult to find a basic manual SLR with spot meter. Almost all are or were center weighted or averaging. Some high end cameras may have spot or at least zone metering, but others will have to advise.

Here is what I would do if I wanted a manual 35 now (excellent idea) with the capability to use the same lenses on a digital SLR later. The two systems I am attracted to are Canon and Nikon. If I were buying right now I would probably go with the basic Nikon FM10 which is very inexpensive but has the Nikon pedigree behind it. It's hard to go wrong with Nikon. When you are ready to go digital you have several option in Nikon, depending on how much you want to spend.

As to lenses you are generally better off staying with the same brand as your camera. However, you have to be realistic. As I needed lenses I would try to decide how much I am actually going to use the lens. If I planned to do a lot of portraits or portrait type work I would probably get a Nikon 100 mm portrait lens. But if I wanted a good basic lens for vacation photos and other "casual" use, I would probably get something like a Vivitar 28-200 zoom to have a lot of options in one lens at a very reasonable price.

Learning on a strictly manual camera with one normal lens is a good way to get started. You are forced to learn all the basics so later you will know when to trust the auto exposure and focus and when you may need to override.