What kind of camera do you reccommend?

[Photographiend]

Need to know so I can start planning for the day I have a better camera. Please share your experiences with different cameras. The pros and cons.

Also, for someone aspiring to be a photographer. What ratio should I be looking for "Good Shots" vs "Crap Shots"?

 

[table1349]

I recommend the system that fits your needs.

 

[KmH]

You'll need to be quite a bit more specific.

Do you want comparisons of 135 format cameras to medium and large format cameras?

Define what to you is a "good shot" and what is a "crap shot".

To me a 'crap shot' is OOF, an unrecoverable exposure error, or a composition mistake that can't be mitigated by cropping.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

If you're a hipster use these: Lomography

 

[JAC526]

My advice is to read a lot and then make your own decision.

Nobody knows what you want/need better than yourself. You just have to do the research to figure out what will suit your wants/needs.

 

[TCampbell]

You've got to learn to crawl before you walk & walk before you run. Therefore... don't expect to start shooting and nailing lots of great shots. Start by taking the time to actually read the manual and understand what the camera does, and reading books and understanding the basics of exposure and composition. You'll learn by reading, studying images that appeal to you to understand how they were composed and lit, etc. and shooting a LOT of images... most of which you'll throw away.

As you get better, it's not that your keeper ratio will increase... instead your standards will increase. While you'll be better at shooting, you'll be more discriminating about what passes for a good shot.

Years ago I met an art photographer who travels the world and takes stunning photos. I asked him about his keeper ratio. He told me that when he takes a trip, if he only gets ONE photo that he considers to be good -- the sort of image that would sell in a gallery, then that trip was worthwhile. If he gets TWO such images.. that's a bonus (most people would love to be able to take photos as good as the stuff he throws away. His standards are very high.)

When you start out, a "good shot" is one where you didn't botch the exposure or focus. As your skills increase just getting a correct exposure will no longer be good enough... your standards for composition and design will increase and a "good shot" will require artistic appeal before it passes.

There is no "best" camera and it's not just a matter of spending more money. Some cameras are better at image quality but don't shoot as fast. Other cameras shoot faster and are better for action shots. Sometimes you need a camera that doesn't stand out and can be pocketed. The point is, different types of photography has different needs and there are different cameras to fit all those needs but no one camera does it all and camera that try to do it all tend to do a mediocre job of everything but aren't particularly awesome at anything.

That's why you wont get a specific answer to your question. If you are more specific about what types of photos you find yourself taking most of the time AND a realistic budget of what you can afford to spend, then you'll get some recommendations on cameras.

 

[Derrel]

I have shot with crap cameras and fine, state of the art professional cameras, and everything in-between. I think the highest bang-for-the-buck comes (and ALWAYS HAS come from!) from the higher-end Nikon "enthusiast" cameras, like the Nikon FE-2, Nikon N8008s, Nikon N90s, Nikon D100, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Nikon D90, Nikon D7000. Color-aware light metering was invented by Nikon. Matrix metering (aka multi-segment, aka evaluative) light metering was invented by Nikon in the mid-1980's. COlor-aware TTL balanced fill-flash, and remote commander multi-flash commander system built-in...again, another Nikon advantage.

The beginner benefits a lot from "smart" automation, and "smart" ambient light and smart flash metering. The higher-end "enthusiast" bodies from Nikon have, going back to the Nikkormat days, been capable of most professional assignments that call for 35-mm style cameras and lenses. Two models right now: Nikon D90. Nikon D700. Buy a good Nikon flash unit. Buy the 18-55 kit zoom, and then the 35/1.8 DX for walkaround and weekend dinking around trips, and then buy a tele-zoom like the 70-300 VR-G.

D't buy the entry-level cameras if you want to stick with a camera for several years. Buy an "enthusiast's Nikon", and it'll last you eight years or more.

 

[Trever1t]

$2000

 

[charlie76]

I have shot with crap cameras and fine, state of the art professional cameras, and everything in-between. I think the highest bang-for-the-buck comes (and ALWAYS HAS come from!) from the higher-end Nikon "enthusiast" cameras, like the Nikon FE-2, Nikon N8008s, Nikon N90s, Nikon D100, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Nikon D90, Nikon D7000.

Hey alright! My first *real* camera...the N90s. Took it all over the world with me...took my first real photographs. Just got the D7000 and it is awesome...I love it like I love my own son! And when I have the money...upgrade to the D700 or D800...but I try not to think about that...I just pretend I have the sweetest camera in the world

I was discouraged the other day reading someones smack-talking about the D7000...but I'll take Derrel's opinion over his any day!

 

[enzodm]

What ratio should I be looking for "Good Shots" vs "Crap Shots"?

10%.

 

[DavidRachel]

Thank you for sharing !

 

[Solarflare]

Photokina is close, so better wait until its over before getting camera recommendations. Even if you get an older camera afterwards, very likely they will be much cheaper, if you buy them used.

Also, every camera is a compromise. Always.

Even if you get the best consumer camera right now (which proably right now is the Nikon D800), get the best glass for it, there will still be other cameras that can do things your camera cannot.

The market for high quality consumer cameras looks like this right now:

- Canon and Nikon are the current market leaders. If you want a large number of available lenses and a huge second hand market, these are the two candidates to choose from. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. See for example Nikon vs. Canon for a discussion about the two systems.

- Pentax is an old combattant on this field. A recent study about user satisfaction said Pentax users are the happiest. The lead before Canon and Nikon was only by a hair though.

- Sony is the new guy. Very flashy cameras that work well in magazine tests. Unfortunately photography is art, and what really matters in a camera is hard to display in numbers.

- Leica is the old german company. They produce very expensive manual focus cameras, exclusively with very high quality and very expensive prime lenses. Their current model is the M9 and it is expected that the M10 gets first shown at the Photokina.

- Fujitsu is another old camera company. After they had little success with DSLRs compatible to Nikons F lens mount, they recently started their X system, which is some kind of smaller Leica with combined optical and electronic viewfinder, a somewhat smaller fotosensor (socalled APS-C size), but an autofocus. Personally I think the X system is an absolutely awesome idea, but the system is too young and has too many problems in the details.

- There are also smaller players like Panasonic who cant really compete in terms of quality. Panasonic DSLRs reportedly do great video though.

- Sigma should also be mentioned. They do cameras with the Foveon X3 fotosensor. Sadly these sensors have poor low light performance and also some problems with colors. Additionally, the cameras are in general horribly expensive and their features are limited. However, thanks to the Foveon design, Sigma cameras produce "real" pixels, i.e. all three colors are measured in every pixel of the image. So while the newest generation of Sigma cameras "only" have 16 Megapixels, that is truely the resolution you will get from the camera. Very interesting for example is the new DP2 Merill which apparently is quite affordable.



Ratio "good shots" vs "bad shots": Especially with digital, really nobody cares how many bad shots you take. Just dont publish those.

The very famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams once stated that one good picture per month is a good ratio.

 

[EIngerson]

Get the camera that you will actually go out and use. Others above me have said it already. If you get a camera that's above you and you have no idea how to use it, you won't. research, research and research.

 

[bfleeson]

The quote that makes me smile on this subject is:
"The best Camera is the one you have with you"

No idea where this quote originated from, but it sounds like good advice.

 

[Tuffythepug]

The very famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams once stated that one good picture per month is a good ratio.

by Adam's standards I am a few years behind schedule.

To the OP here: I guess you've noticed that there really isn't going to be a definitive answer to your question. There's no way of knowing what camera would be best for you without knowing more about what your goals are; what you want to achieve. Brand names aren't quite so important at your level. Eventually you will become a brand loyalist like most of us. But for now you need to get a good quality digital camera with interchangeable lens capability and enough manual override ability to give you some degree of control over the photos you produce.

When you shop for your camera you should handle them, have the sales person show you all the controls and the features of each one you are interested in. Don't get one with features you will likely never have use for. And get the best you can afford. Plan on spending a few hundred or even several hundred dollars to get a good quality camera and lens setup. Of course you can spend much more than that but it's not necessary to get good photos.