Help with Digitital SLR Selctions for specific needs

[nomad21]

So, I'm an 18 year old who will most likeley be studying Photojournalism in college next year. I've always been interested in photography but spending this year in Germany as an exchange student, and having the opportunity to travel and live here, documenting my experiences with Photos and essays has convinced me to pursue photography as a major hobby and ulitmately as a part of my job. I suppose I want a durable and light/smallish camera/lens package that I can travel with, and the best options for flexibility and features I can afford. I like to shoot almost everything but with a focus on Architecture, Landscapes and Portraits. I do very little in the way of action shots (so far) and I rarely need big zooms. As far as money I will probably have around 600-700 dollars although the realm of possibility could stretch to 1000 if it was just something AMAZING. I've tried looking myself and the options are just too vast. I need a good reference point to start with and explanations of some of the features that make these cameras special wouldn't hurt. Thanks for your help.

 

[Alex_B]

Welcome to the forum

So where in Germany are you?


As for the camera, a Canon 400D might be a good choice (which some say is too small and light for their hands), not sure about the price though.


Then I would get the best zoom lens you can afford with it (probably best to avoid the kit lens).

Or go for two prime lenses, a wide angle and a 50mm, could be well affordable and is very versatile for your sort of photography.

Of course also Nikon has some smaller lightweight dSLRs, and other manufacturers as well. I'm not an expert with theirs though. the d50 might be an option.

 

[Don Simon]

I assume the budget you gave is your total budget, not just for the camera body? In which case your options are a bit limited. You could get a good dSLR for the money but then there wouldn't be much left for lenses. For that reason I'd take a look at the "entry-level" dSLRs, and not necessarily the latest models - maybe something like a Canon 350D (aka XT), Nikon D50, Pentax DS etc. I would also consider "refurbished" models if you can get one with a good warranty. For example you should be able to get an XT for around $500 and a 17-50mm f/2.8 for just under $500. Or as Alex said you could get some primes; a 50mm f/1.8 is great value, but it would be difficult to get a telephoto more suited to portraiture (like an 85mm) and a really wide lens for under $500. If there is a chance that you'll be earning money during your year in Germany, maybe you don't need to buy all the lenses now and a standard 'kit' zoom would do for a while, but do be prepared to be paying at least as much for lenses as for the camera before too long.

Sorry I can't be more helpful choosing a specific camera, I do think any of the "entry-level" models from Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus etc would suit your purposes and fit comfortably within your price range... the problem, whatever system you choose, is going to be getting lenses within that budget too.

 

[Mike_E]

If you simply want to study photography and do something else for a living please ignore what comes next.

If you are going to do real, honest to goodness, international PJ work then get something that doesn't reflect too much light or make a good target. No, that isn't a reference to Nikon although it is one of the reasons they are black. I'm trying to point out is that what you are planning is a dangerous endeavor.

As the world goes along and radical extremism gets more blatant, PJs are gong to become even more popular targets than they are now. For a job that can get you killed in a very public manner it doesn't pay very well from what I hear. It is also insanely hard to break into. If this discourages you then you probably need to rethink your future.

If it doesn't then good luck and hats off to you!

mike

 

[Alex_B]

As the world goes along and radical extremism gets more blatant, PJs are gong to become even more popular targets than they are now.

Well, not all kind of PJ involves travelling to critical regions

For a job that can get you killed in a very public manner it doesn't pay very well from what I hear.

well, common soldiers are not paid well for that risk either.
One of my relatives is in Basrah from time to time, his paycheck does not reflect the risks which come with it at all.

this is the way this world works. often you can earn more money by being lazy and risking nothing than by risking a lot and being idealistic/identifying with your job.

 

[nomad21]

Interesting. I'm in Bielefeld, Nordrhein Westfalen. Yeah, I figured that it is a rather tight budget to be trying to get some nice gear. I mean I will have more money since I've got a full ride to college but I don't know if I'm ready to spend so much just yet. Both the Nikon and Cannon look wonderful. It seems that my budget would limit me to one or the other and I see that Lenses make the camera so I guess any more info on lenses would be nice. And the whole name of the lenses would be better than just XT because I don't know what that is. As far as the warnings go, I'm down for it. I'm really into writing and I'm probably a better writer than photographer so this is really more of an additional skill to get work easier because as you said "its insanely tough to break into." I love the idea of doing current events work and travel photography/writing, definitely from a foriegn base.

 

[Don Simon]

XT is the name of the camera (the other name for the Canon 350D) - not the lens. We could tell you the whole name of any number of lenses but it wouldn't really achieve much. Looking at specific lenses isn't much use until you know what kind of lenses you want, and consider what focal lengths you need, whether you need a large maximum aperture etc... for example for both landscape and architecture, and potentially for general photojournalism, I would want a good wide angle lens - something like a 10-20 or 12-24mm on one of these digital cameras - but that would not be cheap. However for photojournalistic work there may be times when you won't be able to get that close to the subject and you may end up needing a fast 300mm with a teleconverter... and then we're well outside of a $700 budget. In other words you might need a super-wide, a super-telephoto, and everything in between. Sadly you can't have that and a dSLR body for $700. If you want to get good lenses within your budget, then for the moment at least I recommend narrowing down your priorities, for example which is more important to you? The portraiture? The architecture? Etc.

 

[DSLR noob]

Since you want to get into photojournalism I'll assume you know what the focal lengths mean, max aperture, etc. So tell us what rang eoyu are looking for in terms of length and aperture, then we'll mold camera and lens names around that.

 

[xfloggingkylex]

if you do architecture, stay away from Olympus simply because of the 2x crop. I'd lean a little toward canon because you can eventually upgrade to full frame, and then you'll know the meaning of wide angle.

But really, any camera you buy will be able to take the shots you want, and the kit lens can do most of that (though with some trouble doing portraits with such a small aperture).

 

[Don Simon]

Re architecture... full frame maybe, but I'm thinking perspective control is pretty important too. If you have the money for either of course.

 

[xfloggingkylex]

Re architecture... full frame maybe, but I'm thinking perspective control is pretty important too. If you have the money for either of course.

ah yes, another reason to go with canon (nikon will work too). Tilt Shift Lenses.

 

[forzaF1]

If you could stretch just a little bit, definitely go with the Nikon D80. Wonderful camera.

 

[nomad21]

Well I do understand what focal lengths and maximum apetures are but I can't really give a good range for what I'm looking for because I've never owned a real camera like these and haven't really tried the settings out themselves. I guess what I'd probably want most is a flexible lens that has a light zoom and can shoot at a relatively wide angle, with great optical quality. It's hard to say exactly what it is, that's most important to me because I'm just 18 and really trying to find out right now what really floats my boat. With that in mind I'd probably like to stay away from extreme lenses only suited to one sort of photography.

 

[Don Simon]

Are there any camera stores near you? If so I recommend going in, and ask to play with any of the Canon, Nikon, Pentax or Sony dSLRs under $1000... any of these will have similar sized sensors so lenses will behave similarly in terms of focal length and field of view. Take one of those cameras with the standard "kit lens" which will probably be around 18-55mm. Now take a look through the viewfinder and see the practical difference in focal lengths. Consider whether 18mm is wide enough for your purposes, and 55mm long enough... then see if you can try it with another lens like a 70-200mm and again consider how useful you think a lens of that range might be. Obviously you won't be buying a camera in order to take photos of a camera shop, but at least it will give you a better idea.

Personally I think 18mm would be a relatively wide angle. By light zoom I assume maybe you mean a short telephoto? As in the sort of lens you might use for portraits? That could be something around 85mm. Unfortunately something that covers that range and has what could be defined as great optical quality... well it wouldn't be cheap. Unless it really wouldn't be practical, I would consider looking for at least two lenses rather than trying to find one that does it all.

Oh yes, one last piece of advice: Have a backup. You can never totally guarantee that nothing will go wrong with the camera, lenses, memory cards etc. If you already have another camera that would fit the bill, good, otherwise I would consider maybe a film SLR that takes the same lenses as the dSLR (should easily be able to get one for $50), or otherwise a point-&-shoot.