Dslr or slr... hmm

Peanuts · Apr 30, 2007

Personally, I would recommend an SLR - the initial cost is relatively low (think: ebay), and the processing and printing truly isn't that expensive. You can always go to your local labs or photography stores and ask if they have some film that has expired that they would be willing to sell to you in bulk.
It is true that with digital you receive that 'instant gratification/learning curve' per say, except, I know I personally learn much quicker when there is a consequence. When shooting film, you learn relatively quickly what is going to be a shot worth taking, after you receive a few rolls from the lab that are sorely disappointing. Also, helps rid of the 'I will shoot as many as I possibly can and hopefully one will come out okay' mentality.

That is just my viewpoint on this.

Mike_E · Apr 30, 2007

Well, let's see, the 6 mpxl [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 has a lens evidently made by Lieca which is an F2.8- f3.3 covering effective ranges 36mm-432mm. Manual focus with a joystick to fully automatic, 9 points to spot. Spot metering to matrix. ISO auto, 80 to 1600. Shutter speed 8-1/2000 (1/60-1/2000 manual). Has program mode, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual mode plus others. 5 white balance settings, plus a custom WB setting. +/- 2EV exposure comp. And shoots movies, jpgs and Tiffs.

Yes Lasershot you could do just fine with this camera and have a long, happy relationship just as long as you keep your ego in check. It's not as sexy as a DSLR nor is it as fast (don't try shooting sports, weddings, wildlife). But, it has everything you need to learn with, If you are just beginning and later decide that you are not as interested as you thought you might be, it will make a great P&S to make snapshots at your family pick nicks! And if you truly get the bug, then go and see your local Nikon dealer!

Best of Luck!

mike

P.S. I love film but figure $9 a roll (you can spend a LOT more) to buy it and have it processed. 100 rolls is $900. Figure 1 nice shot per roll and you have spent $900 on 100 good shots (if you are very lucky) Digital is just less expensive when you can view your shots on a monitor and just print the good ones!
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xfloggingkylex · Apr 30, 2007

IMO film is the more expensive way to learn the basics. It is hard to experiement because you dont get instant results, and so you have to write down the settings for each shot. Get back a roll of experiments gone bad, and all that work can feel like a waste and discourage you very quickly.

The problem with a PnS is that you dont really get to experience DOF, even though you control the aperture. The aperture effect on a point and shoot is no where near as severe as it is on an SLR. What a Point and shoot will teach you though is how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO effect exposure, it will teach you about exposure compensation, the effects of increasing or decreasing shutter speed, aperture and ISO (at least to some extent), it will teach you metering, and white balance, all with instant results.

Really though either will teach you, just depends which route you want to take.

lasershot · May 1, 2007

I'm waiting on my uncle, who's a photographer, to email me back with advice so I might end up starting with a DSLR, idk lol

Mike_E · May 1, 2007

Lasershot, you have mentioned several times that finances are important to you and that you have little experience with photography. This information is why I suggested a P&S. If you have very limited funds then you should be aware that with a DSLR you can't really just have one lens (it's like an addiction

). Lenses-the good ones- can cost more than the camera bodies.
Again, if your funds are limited (and there is nothing wrong with that) a P&S is a complete system (you can get a slaved flash).

If you are unsure whether you will at the end of the day learn everything you need to know about photography

(for instance Depth Of Field is a function of aperture and focal length and is the same for any lens. For instance the DOF @ 50mm f2.8 is the same on a 50mm prime lens as a 17-55mm zoom lens. see here...
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm )

to get everything out of a DSLR to justify it's price, then a P&S will -after the thrill is gone- be just what you need for ease of use should you decide that getting up at 3am to go and sit in the cold in hopes of a shot of the sunrise against that nice rock you found the last time you were on an all day hike to find just such a thing, isn't for you.

Be aware that I bought a P&S for my 12 year old son once (a Nikon) but have never owned or wanted one for myself. But that is me. Don't do what Anyone tells you to do, know yourself and do what You tell you to do!

mike

poshedesigns · May 1, 2007

I got a Nikon D50 for Christmas. Everyone in my family gave me money for Christmas just so I could get this setup. It was about $700 from Wolf Camera. If you purchase a camera from them, they will give you 16 classes for free. I have just finished my classes and am amazed that how much I learned. What I love about digital is being able to take a picture and adjust settings right then. With film you have to either really know what you are doing or pray that it comes out right. What if you are fortunate enough to go on a once in a lifetime vacation overseas and you take a ton of pictures, get them developed and discover that maybe you should have used your flash, or you really needed to use custom white balance. Once the moment is gone, you can't recreate that. I do a lot of test shots then adjusting settings. I am a newbie but hope to hang with the big dogs soon. You can check out some pictures I took of my girls here www.kyleandlisa.tripod.com

lasershot · May 1, 2007

My budget isn't limited, lol, its my dad who is limiting my budget just so I don't waste my money lol

I still have to look at some P&S's so ya... I will in time though get a nice DSLR...