investing on DSLRs

Hi

I am planing to invest on dslrs. I am very new to digital photography. I am familiar with film

I am on a budget but would like the power of nikon fm2 on my dsl. shutter speed B untill 1000 is good enough for me. if it has multi exposures, it's even better.

a small LCD screen would not be a problem for me. if they don't have a LCd screen is ok.

there are no needs for built in functions like sepia toning, and resizing within the camera. neither do I need grain effect capture. it's ok if there are no built in flash also.

It would be a great pleasure to have a vast choice of exchangeable lenses.

I would also like a medium to high resulution exposure. I am not sure what megapixels reall means but I don't really need an 11 mp camera. an 8 will do

my main purpose of hving a DSLR is just to replace washing film. as it is getting more and more expensive.

any suggestions? which brand should I go to?
I have been a fan of nikon but I am open to other brands

 

you can find a lot of answers here
http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html

 

If you have Nikon lenses, then go with a Nikon body. The key to good SLR photography is the glass---the body is secondary. (That's not to say that some bodies are better then others. I am a Canon guy---have collected a set of L lenses for the last five years and I haven't shot in film since.

 

I agreee with you. yet newer bodies may and may not support older lenses. and probably you may not get most out of the lenses. some new lenses I beleive have inserted chips in them. and with my manual lenses I don't think I have the ability for auto apertures, yet that does not bother me much. If I were to go for niko what will you recomend how is canon in comparison?

I own a nikon FM2n with two lenses. would new cameeras support them?

 

As I said, I am not a Nikon guy----Canon all the way. If your lenses are very old, then there might be an issue. How are you budgeted for your DSLR?

 

about $500 not more than 600

if I were to change brands to cannon, what would be your recommendations

there will be a lot of shots for traveling. as I am helping out as a photographer for a website about traveling. I won't necessary be printing the pictures and most pictures will be just display on screen as webimages.

 

I believe your choices will be very limited for a DSLR for less than $600. If you look at used you might find something

A used Fuji S2 would be worth looking at. They are plenty on Ebay.
It is very slow focusing, lots of shutter lag, but the image quality is tough to beat even at todays standards... I have one that I use as a backup and for landscapes/stills

buck

 

good picture quality is not a must for me as I have said that they will be on the web in most cases. but I will take a look at your recommendations. thank you

 

Why a DSLR?

In that price range you are at the bottom of the dslr market but could have a very nice point and shoot with manual controls and plenty of zoom

buck

 

Yes, I agree with buck---you can get a very nice point and shoot if you are doing web stuff. There are some very good ones out there that fall well within your budget.

 

the ability to control aperture and shutter speeds is what I want. I don't think you can do any DOF with the average point and shoot.

 

You are correct... Most, not all, point and shoot cameras have great depth of field due to the smaller sensor... That also gives them an advantage in the macro image department.

There are however some that give a good deal of control of the DOF that are in your budget...

Do a little research here... http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/should-you-buy-a-dslr-or-point-and-shoot-digital-camera/ or here http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs.asp

If you are determined to go for a DSLR I suggest you up your budget...By the time you buy everything it won't come with, you'll be looking at close to $1000 dollars

If you look at used... look to see that it does not already have a million click...

buck

 

thank you for the link.

as I am doing my research, I have a difficulty understanding about ISO. are the ISO measurement still the same as films? what I mean is that films have iso rating of 50 100 200 400 800 and so on but could there be a 150 in ISO rating for DSLRs?

I would also like to know more about CCD sensors and the "other one" what's the difference?

I have also come across the concern of cleaning the image sensor. but isn't the shutter suppose to be covering and protecting the image sensor if shutter release is not pressed?
technically speaking, what happens if the shutter release is press in Digital cams? will the shutter open or the sensor be activated and takes the picture?

I hope you all don't mind my novice questions. I'm trying to apply what I know from film to digital cameras. i was and have always been a fan of manual cameras. for me they are the ones that really test the true skill of a photographer. especially when using positives films.

thank you again?

 

oh by the way, I don't mind raising my budget to not more than 700usd.

 

Hi again

I can't talk very technical to you but at the basic level, Digital ISO equates to ASA in film. It refers to the speed at which the film/sensor absorbs light. Some digital camears don't go lower than 200ISO others do. My Nikon starts at 100 then has 125/160/200/250/320/ and on up

here's a link on sensors... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=digital+sensors

Dust evetually gets on the the sensor during lens changes or I read it can enter thru battery compartments that are poorly sealed.

Here's another link that might be a help to you
How to Pick a Digital SLR Camera

During your research what DSLRs' have you found that are in your price range? I'd be interested in what they are or see a link to them...

buck