Beginner :)

[AlmightyWa]

Having been a film beginner, I decided to become a digital beginner and for me, it has already taught me a lot about photography.

I took about 50 shots of my sink (exciting!) the other night, varying lots of settings to get the exact photo's that I wanted. I was able to check exactly what each setting did and how it affected my photos, and I also didn't have to wait three days for the results (by the time I'd forgot what each change I had made was!)

I agree that film slows you down and forces you to think more about what you're doing, but for beginners (like me), being able to review your shots quickly and observe what changes immediately is a big bonus.

You don't have to buy a digital SLR you know, that's a whole lot of money for a hobby you're only experimenting with at the moment. You can get some good quality Pro-sumer digital cameras that have most of the features people are talking about here (except for changeable lenses, of course). Although the quality will be lower on these, for the most time, beginners like me won't notice!

Hope that helps

 

[Rob]

I took about 50 shots of my sink

Now that's dedication

My photographic mentor had to take 2,000 shots of a wooden chair lit by two lights (arranged in 2000 positions) and then write down all the effects of light/shadow when he started as a fleet street pap. Thankfully he never managed to pin me down to doing it! He's still goes a bit funny around that type of chair.

R

 

[damian5000]

Jeff...If your budget is $500...Take a look at some reviews of the Panasonic FZ20. It can be bought online for just over $400..add a 256 or 512 memory card and a camera bag from wal-mart and you'll be at about $500. It has 5mp,a 12x zoom, a manual focus ring, a hot-shoe so you can add a bigger flash if you want, and image stabilization. Also take a serious look at the Panasonic FZ5... Much more compact and lighter... with the same features minus the hot-shoe and manual focus (but has lots of auto-focus options)...cool little camera for around $70 less than the fz20. Go to your local camera shop and try them out to see how you like the feel of them. The biggest thing I would say is read the reviews of cameras in your price range.

- Damian

 

[j3ffff]

^Thanks a lot man, I will definitely be checking that camera out.

 

[j3ffff]

What do you guys think about this camera?

http://cgi.ebay.com/MINOLTA-MAXXUM-...553453025QQcategoryZ43493QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[AlmightyWa]

I'm not a big fan of the colour!

 

[j3ffff]

^Lol, but what about the specs?

 

[DocFrankenstein]

^Lol, but what about the specs?

It's an ok camera

Do you have a particular reason for choosing minolta?
Are you ever planning to get a digital SLR?
Would you settle for a manual focus?

 

[mrmacedonian]

bump.

 

[dyyylan]

bump.

Why'd you bump a 5 year old post?

 

[anthonydamario]

Nevermind, just noticed this was reallllly old.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Digital is the future. Film is getting harder and harder to get processed. Because the average shooter doesn't want to mess around with it.

I would go digital, but just don't go out there and blast away. Pretend you only have 50 shots and concentrate on each one as if it were film.

Get a used Digital SLR. There are great deals on ebay right now on Canon Rebel XT.

Another thing to remember is that if you have a once-in-a-lifetime shot and you screw it up, it will be much easier to salvage it if it is digital, especially so if you shoot in raw.

I have my romantic film side too, but only because there is so much fun & charm in developing and printing B&W. When you are done, you have something that you have MADE, from start to finish. Film, especially B&W has a much larger dynamic range than jpg digital photography. There are more mid-tones; just like we see the world with our naked eye.