advice for a beginner

eyecon

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i am extremely new to photography and need some advice on what "type" of camera to buy.
iv been looking but around and narrowed it down to either nikon or canon.
my first choice was canon but i talked to this guy who owns a camera store and he told me canon technology is better, but nikon lenses are better. i need something that i will be able to learn on. i like the idea of fully manual but dont know if its the best idea. but i dont really like the idea of buying an af camera like the n80 because i dont like the feel of af cameras, and i cant really explain why because i havent been around cameras long enough to be exact on why. i have an old manual minolta that works ok but its getting old and rickety. my birthday is coming up soon and im at a loss at whats the best thing to get. also i plan on going to school for photography and feel i should get something i will be able to use for a while. any help would be appreciated to the fullest.
p.s. im new to this place and just wanted to say hello. once i find a place to host my images ill post my shoty attempts.
 
eyecon said:
but i talked to this guy who owns a camera store and he told me canon technology is better, but nikon lenses are better.


if this were 1990, then these statements may be true. as it is today, neither are true.

we've gone through this quite a few times here, so this is the drill:

tell us what you want, otherwise; someone will, and rightly so, suggest any old darned camera with a working shutter. you need to be more specific. what features do you want?
 
the problem is i dont really know what i want. i dont mean to sound stupid or ignorant about this subject i just dont really know enough yet to help myself. the cameras i had in mind where the canon elan 7 and the nikon n80. iv been looking into this for some time now and cant really make a decision. iv basically narrowed it down to these two, so i guess a decision between these two?
 
ok...

...allow me to confuse the issue :)

some things about which to think (i'm sure others will chime in):

- auto? manual? both?
- depth of field preview?
- frames per second?
- max shutter speed?
- multiple exposure calcs?
- auto bracket?
- if yes to auto bracket - 1/3, 1/2, or full stop minimum bracketing?
- metering system?

i was going to keep typing, but then caught myself....if you are just beginning, either one of the cameras that you listed will serve you well for a very long time. heck, i still shoot a fully manual konica that is almost older than i am (and that's old).

that said and as already stated; either of the two bodies will make you happy. there aren't that many crucial differences between the two. given the two, i'm hesitant to recommend one over the either b/c you'll be fine w/either. personally, i'm a nikon shooter, but that means little to nothing here.

do yourself a favor, read these:

http://ic.dealtime.com/xPR-Canon_EOS_Elan_7
http://ic.dealtime.com/xPR-Nikon_N80

by the way, you happened to come up with two nice cameras. and no, you aren't stupid nor are you ignorant. this is why this board exists.
 
ok, the auto bracketing and multiple exposure arent really on the top of my necesseties. im really intersted in making sure the camera has a depth of field preview. the pictures i have taken lack good depth of field and i really feel that it would help to have that. im really interseted in making sure the camera has fully manual controls. i want to be able to control everything. the only other thing i gave anythought to was the light meter, im guessing most cameras have that but i dont want to get stuck without one. so basically i am looking for something i could learn on but also grow and advance with for a while.
 
Don't look too much into it, read a couple reviews where the people have used both camera's, I was also choosing between the Elan 7e and the n80. I chose the Elan, almost everyone i read about liked the general feel and performance better on the Elan, the only drawback was Nikon's better AF in low light situations, They all said the Elan has a faster AF response, it has a faster fps for shorts or action photography. Anyways i chose the Elan 7e, at yours and my point either would be more then we need, even if we are "growing" with it.
 
ok i'll chip in

- i've learned on a 30 year old Minolta manual (which i love and trust - it's just too damn heavy!)
- i begin to get a little more serious with the Canon Rebel Ti
- now i'm breaking into "serious amateur" status with the Canon Elan 7e

first of all, one little thing i'm noticing on these post is the use of Canon Elan 7 vs the 7e. someone said the only difference is the 7e has ECF (eye control focus). so with my 7e i get:

- Evaluative metering, Partial metering, and Center weighted average metering.
- depth of field preview button
- eye control focus (camera focuses where you LOOK!)
- 3.5 or 4 frames/sec depending on AF mode vs Nikon 2 frames
- 7 focusing points vs Nikon's 5
- film rewind (36exp) 8 secs vs Nikon's 15 secs
- bp300 battery pack plus hand grip = damn it feels good in my hand!

ok i could go on but someone can say that the 7e isn't the same class - whatever - i'm not trying to confuse you or knock on Nikon, just proving a point that you should do some research. so i'm not sure if you meant the 7 or the 7e plus i don't know the price difference and which one would be in the "same" category as the N80. do a little more research if you're really set on these two - either way, you won't make the "wrong" choice.

i loved learning with an all-manual hunk of metal cuz it forces me to quickly learn the basic relationships of shutter speeds, aperture, film speeds effects, etc. ; which i strongly believe is more essential than the camera you have. good luck!
 
I say spend $100 to $125 on a clean, used Pentax K-1000 w/50mm. No bells, no whistles, no distractions; you can spend your time learning about shutter and aperture, and learning to focus. You will also learn what features you would like, so that when you do buy a fancy shmancy space-age AF model, you'll pick the right one for you.

Nikon vs. Canon is as silly as Ford vs. Chevy or Republicans vs. Democrats; they're all pretty much the same. Get the model that is marketed with the features YOU need. More experience can only help you make those decisions.

What goes on in your head is much more important to taking great photographs than whether you're using an Exacta VX 500 (one of the first models to use the modern 35mm SLR design) or a Nikon F5.
 
well since i made this post i got a couple of really good responses from all of you. i decided i might as well tell you all what i eventually did just get. after i made this post i realized that i love digital, and after a few months of saving for my canon 10d i didnt get it. i went to portfolio day at parsons in nyc. the guy i talked to made me fall in love with film again and decide digital will come just not yet. anyways i decided to go with the n80. i just made the purchase although i dont have it yet it will be in my hands in 48 hours or less and i cant wait. although i still drool over the 10d i feel that this was a better choice in the long run. i just wanted to say thank you to all who helped guide me to my choice.thanks.
 

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