First DSLR

[stroker]

I was hoping to get some ideas on a first DSLR. Right now im using an old minolta SLR but film is annoying(no dark room). Im looking into a nikon D60 refurb. Im going to be doing mostly landscapes and alot of low light shooting. Comments Questions Ideas?

 

[rpm]

low-light?

dont go for the D60...

D3000/D5000 will be better options...tbh not sure about the D3000 im assuming it go the noise improvements associated with the new sensor found in the current gen of Nikon cameras.

 

[stroker]

ok so the D5000 is in the running, why not D60 for low light?

 

[KmH]

Because it (and the D3000) have a CCD type image sensor that doesn't offer good high ISO performance.

The D5000/D90 use a CMOS image sensor that offers somewhat better high ISO performance.

If your low light shooting will be night time landscapes, you don't need high ISO performance.

Low light, high ISO performance is needed when you also need enough shutter speed to stop motion, normally not a night landscape requirement.

 

[Vinny]

If you're using a Minolta film camera then you may want to consider a Sony DSLR. They may take the same lenses as Minolta. Not sure if they do and if all the camera's functions will work properly.

 

[sobolik]

You will find that film required restraint where as digital at 1 penny per shot (D90 costs divided by 100,000) will have you firing away. Therefore I say avoid old stuff It can be extra worn and is already old and outdated.

I say buy as most current vintage that you can afford. And don't buy expensive pro models useless you need the abuse resistance or features. Nothing worse than the newest camera costing 1/2 to 1/3 the price has twice the attractive features. Then when you sell it it will still have some value. Gone are the days when the Nikon FE-2 and the FM2 etc. were basically the same whether old or new. Now days the cameras are not the same. The technology changes and renders them old news. Very similar to the computer. You might sell a 2 year old lap top but the farther back you go the less likely the prospects are. From you the buyer stand point keep that in mind. Old had better be very cheap or it is not a good deal. The game has changed. A major consideration is the technological age.

 

[stroker]

Sobolik, im not sure i follow. I understand not wanting to buy an expensive pro model as a first SLR. As far as the abuse factor, how will the D5000 hold up? Im not going to beat the crap out of it but im not going to baby it either.

Im still a little leary about buying now. Cameras are changing so much so fast. Im afraid that if i drop 300-700 on a camera that in two years it will be so far behind that it will be of no use to me. hence me still using the SLR

Vinny, is there some kind of list that i could compare the lenses to? i have three or four lenses laying around for the minolta.

 

[rpm]

camera bodies will change, 2 years you might find a revision of the current model you buy (D300 vs D300s for example) but all in all, that is bound to happen. your only course of action to avoid that road and to have a camera that lasts you through this generation and maybe even the next (depending on your skill and mastering of your camera) is to invest well in your body (D90-range at the least for example).

its the lens that will last you through the bodies and its the lens that greatly improve what you can deliver, but remember, its you, the photographer that makes the good images not the camera. even today you can still see images taken on a D70/D80 that can compare in quality to current gen cameras - it all depends on who's holding the tools.

p.s. i use Nikon examples cause thats the system im most familiar with.

 

[KmH]

Im afraid that if i drop 300-700 on a camera that in two years it will be so far behind .

So far behind what?

Any dSLR made today will perform for years and years, just as your Mionolta has so far.

 

[Inst!nct]

Buy the best one you can.. Limit the waste of money because if you take photography seriously you will upgrade soon.

 

[stroker]

Im afraid that if i drop 300-700 on a camera that in two years it will be so far behind .

So far behind what?

Any dSLR made today will perform for years and years, just as your Mionolta has so far.

So far behind the next gen of cameras.
I thought the mionolta has preformed because it was film. digital technology is improving so much in such a short time. For example if i buy a 12.5mp camera, the next gen or two gens will be 20mp and my camera wont compare to the quality.

 

[rpm]

MP = only really matters when it comes to potential print sizes

doesn't dictate that pictures on a 12MP camera is worst than a 20MP camera..

 

[Vinny]

Here's a site I found. A-mount lens database (lenses for Minolta and Sony DSLR cameras) Unfortunately I didn't shoot Minolta and I don't shoot Sony so I'm not really up on them.

If it's not helpful I would search the internet or call one of the on-line retails like B&H or Adorama to see.

As for the changing conditions of technology I think you shouldn't worry. Whatever you buy will be great for a long time unless you personally need to have the latest technology. I have the Nikon D90 for less than a year and the D7000 is out - no big deal for me. Is the D7000 more technologically advanced - yep but the D90 is not a POS either. The quality comes from you the photographer and the lens that you have on the camera.

5 or 10 years from now even the newest technology today will be outdated - I just replaced a 6 YO computer and the difference is amazing but my old computer was OK for a long, long time.

 

[KmH]

Im afraid that if i drop 300-700 on a camera that in two years it will be so far behind .

So far behind what?

Any dSLR made today will perform for years and years, just as your Mionolta has so far.

So far behind the next gen of cameras.
I thought the mionolta has preformed because it was film. digital technology is improving so much in such a short time. For example if i buy a 12.5mp camera, the next gen or two gens will be 20mp and my camera wont compare to the quality.

So, as rpm pointed out, you don't yet seem to have a good grasp of what digital camera technology is all about, MP count being only a small part of digital camera technology.

All entry-level dSLR's get replaced in the market about every 2 years, to convince people to upgrade, even if they don't need to.

Camera makers sell many more entry-level cameras than they do prosumer or pro cameras. The prosumer and pro cameras don't get replaced nearly as often.

You might do some more research.

 

[12sndsgood]

The camera is only going to work as well as the person using it. The technology is improving but its small things here an there that are improving. your not going to buy a camera this year and then one comes out next year that will shoot the surface of the mars. buy a decent camear now. learn it. find out how passionate you are and how much you really want to get into it and then upgrade in the future there will always be a new upgrade coming out next year. if i let that bother me i'd still be watching a 20" tv and using a commodore 64.