35 mm Camera suggestions

Johnboy2978

No longer a newbie, moving up!
Joined
Oct 21, 2004
Messages
1,797
Reaction score
30
Location
Southwest Virginia
Website
www.johncountsphotography.com
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
Hello all, I am new to this forum and relatively new to photography. Last year I bought a new digital camera for a trip that my wife and I were taking to Rome. We did some research and settled on a Sony Mavica CD500 which is an awesome 5 megapixel camera that uses mini cds for storage instead of memory cards since we would not have access to my laptop abroad. Anyway, I mainly bought it with the intention of just bringing back snapshots, but wanted a hi-resolution camera because you get what you pay for. I took over 1000 pics while in Italy for 2 weeks, and my pics came out much better than just snap shots, and everyone has been amazed with the quality of the pics.

I've been taking more and more pictures and recently took a trip to New England to see fall foliage, light houses, etc. and took my wife's 35mm camera along. It's an old Pentax ME probably 20 years old or more. It was the first time that I had used a 35mm and found that I actually enjoy using it more than the digital, with the exception of paying to develop all pics instead of select ones. Anyway, I would like to look into getting a more up to date full featured 35mm to work with and was looking for recommendations. I am looking in the $400 or less range, and right now think that the Canon EOS Ti or T2 looks pretty good.

I have been primarily focused on outdoor scenery, waterfalls, sunrise, sunset, foliage, etc. but also like playing around with different shutter speed pics like elapsed photos or still action pics.

Any suggestions? Sorry for the long post, but it's my first, so might as well make it count.
Thanks!
 
If you have a lot of pentax lenses lying around you may want to buy a pentax camera so you can keep on using them. If not you need to spend some time checking out what kind of system you want to invest in. Personally I would either go for the Minolta Dynax 60 or the Canon EOS 300x.
 
As far as lenses, she has the standard lens that it came with, then also a fair wide angle and a decent telephoto lens. Not a huge amount of cash tied up in it.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Yes, if you already have Pentax lenses, why not get a compatible body?

If you are looking at getting a new system (with auto focus & auto every else) then I'd suggest Canon or Nikon. They have the best selection of lenses.

Any Canon EOS body will be great for you. There are different levels...

The Rebels (Ti, T2, etc.) are least expensive but have more plastic (rather than metal) and are lacking some of the advanced features of the higher end models. If you don't need the extra features...they are great.

Next level is the EOS ELAN. The body is build a little more sturdy and they have more options, are faster, and allow for more customization. They also have a thumb wheel on the back which can be handy for adjusting the camera on the fly.

There are also pro bodies which are very expensive. They have the single digit designation...EOS 3, EOS 1 etc. They are built like tanks and are very customizable.

What ever you choose...remember that the camera is just a box to hold the film. The lens is where your money will make a big difference. There are lots of lenses and quite a range of quality and expense. The kit zoom lens that usually comes with a Rebel camera is on the lower end of the quality scale...still a decent lens...but not the best. I suggest that you get the least expensive Canon EF lens...the 50mm 1.8. It's sharp and fast (large max. aperture).

Sorry for rambling on like that.... :)
 
I guess what I am looking for is a middle of the road 35mm that can grow with your ability. As Mike stated, the lenses are where much of you money is spent. I went with the Sony digital primarily for the cd storage which meet my needs abroad, but also b/c of the resolution, and also the fact that you can set it on auto and let the camera do everything for you, or change to program shift, aperture priority, shutter speed priority or completly manual giving you control over everything. I then found some additional add on lenses to accompany it.
Essentially, that is what I want, an all in one camera of decent quality with a broad range of features that I can grow into.

Thanks for the previous responses and future ones as well.
 
Okay, I have been looking around, and there are 3 models that I am interested in, and wonder if any of you have experience with or have an opinion of any of these. I am looking at Canon EOS Rebel Ti or T2 (between these 2 it looks like T2 is the winner) and also the Pentax *ist. The advantage with the Pentax is that I can use the wide and telephoto lenses that I already have with my older ME Super. The Pentax is about $100 more then the other 2, but it looks like the features are better.
Can anyone recommend or give opinions on any of these, especially if you have or have used any of them, or give me a recommendation on a similarly priced camera? I found the Canon's for under $200 and the Pentax for under $300.

Thanks for any/all replies
 
I haven't talked to anyone who's used one but the features on the Sigma SA-7 seem to be far superior to whatever you can get in the same price range in the big names. This includes things like a metal lens mount, mirror lock-up, DOF preview and more. This supplier seems to always have them on Ebay (new stock) for a great price. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15241&item=3847590535&rd=1
The reviews seem pretty good for the camera on epinions.
 
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Most reactions

Back
Top