camera suggestions?
Hello all -
My wife has gone back to school to get degrees in Art and Art History. She has applied for a grant to do a three week study abroad program in Mongolia this summer focusing on digital photography of women in Mongolia. She hasn't taken any photography classes yet and will need a decent digital SLR for the class.
I know that Canon EOS line has a great reputation but seems like, from what I've read here, Nikon is well respected as well. I'm guessing she'll end up with a $2-3k budget for a camera body, a couple of lenses, case, tripod, etc. Any suggestions on what to look for?
I enjoyed reading the weekly challenges. I hope they return in '08. If there is ever a catagory for photos shot with dinky compact digitals, maybe I'll post a few. :-)
Thanks!
Think Peace,
Alan
Choices, choices
When you choose a camera, it really comes down to a combination of budget, fit and desired features. Frost it with 'feel' and availability of options (read that as lens selection) and you're more than likely going to come down on either the Canon or the Nikon side of the fence.
I landed on the Canon side, because of the availability of long glass from rental houses worldwide. And - because I really like how the camera fits in my hands. The Nikon felt 'different' and kind of clumsy to my big hands. Smaller hands might not have the same response.
One of the biggest issues she'll face is the weight of combined camera body, lenses and ancilliary gear. Choose glass carefully. It's the heaviest component. Choose the case carefully. I use a backpack and can carry camera(s), lenses, 'stuff' and laptop with mono-pod and tripod strapped to the outside. Total weight is right about 30lbs. Sclepping that much weight around can wear on a body fairly quickly.
There are some deals to be had online for EOS 30D 'kits', same can be said for Nikons previous generation. Your stated budget is very reasonable to get either Canon or Nikon DSLR gear.
Head to DPReview and any other digital photog site, also take the time to visit the local camera dealer near you to get these cameras into her hands.
I bought through B&H for the camera body and 3 out of 5 lenses and used several other online sites for the rest of the goods.
Michael
Thanks!
Hey Michael -
Thanks for the feedback. I bought our current compact digitals through B&H, so I suspect we'll buy the DSLR there as well. Thanks for the overview on the Canon vs. Nikon issue. Which model of Canon did you purchase? Are you happy with it? I'll make sure Jonna tries them both to see which fits her hands best.
I think Jonna will be okay with the weight...we've spent plenty of time backpacking and travelling...30lbs is definitely heavy when travelling abroad but I think she can manage it. We'll take a long look at cases, though, since that will be an important factor given all the travel she'll be doing. It would suck to travel to Mongolia, only to find the camera got damaged in transit.
Thanks again.
Think Peace,
- Alan (alanf@dorje.com) http://www.dorje.com/~alanf/
My choice
I opted for a Canon EOS 30D. The 40D was released about a week before I made my purchase.
Early reviews indicated that the differences in features from the 30D weren't great enough to make it worth the major pile of $$$ difference in price.
I think the reviewers were right. Some features on the the 40D are dumbed down from the 30. Some are just plain no longer available. My understanding is that the 30D shares much of the same software features as the 1D at about 1/3 or less of the cost. The 1D MkIII is simply out of my personal budget (for now).
I did find the battery grip a worthwhile purchase and I'm lovin' the 580EX II flash.
Michael
A search suggestion
Go here
http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=itemlist&cat1=Cameras%20%26%20Lenses&cat2=Digital%20Cameras%20%26%20Accessories&cat3=Digital%20Cameras
and then select Fixed Lense SLR's and Interchangeble Lens SLR's. Further refine by picking manufacturers. I would say Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, and Sony. Search and the sort by price. That will at least give you a price range you can look at. As Michael suggested dpreview has extensive reviews and forums. As for backpacks it sure is nice to feel them before buying. I went to Photo Pro Supply in Portland to check out the Tamracks and ended up with one of them.
--bjet
Nikon it will be
First off, thanks again to Michael and bjet for the replies.
My wife Jonna is taking a basic photography class and needed a manual 35mm SLR for the class. After looking at used cameras, it seemed that an older Nikon was the best bet. We ended up with a Nikon FM2. Our requirement for the 35mm SLR was that it be able to accepting the same lenses that would be available on a DSLR from the same company. Since the Nikon FM2 will use the same AI lenses that are used on their current DSLRs and since we couldn't find a decent price on a Canon EOS 35mm SLR, we went with the Nikon.
So this puts us on the path of Nikon for a DSLR. We're going to start looking at new Nikon DSLR bodies, lenses and accessories in the next month. In the meantime, Jonna will be up to arm pits in developer fluid while she learns 35mm photography.
I'm sure I'll have more DSLR questions once we start seriously looking at the Nikon cameras.
Think Peace.
- Alan (alanf@dorje.com) http://www.dorje.com/~alanf/
Interestingly enough
Nikon is supposed to have some announcements on the 30th. Maybe a body in your price range. I would have thought it would be the other D3 but Thom Hogan thinks it is an update for the D40X. Hadn't thought that had been out long enough. Everybody else is voting for a D80 replacement.
--bjet
Nikon D300 it is!
Since this forum has been pretty quiet, I thought I'd post a follow-up to this earlier thread.
My wife did get accepted into the digital photography study abroad program in Mongolia. She applied for a grant, which she didn't get but also applied for a scholarship which she did get. That money bumped her up a level in terms of what level of camera she was going to buy. After a month of research, she sprung for a Nikon D300 last weekend. She checked all the web sites (B&H, Adorama, etc) but ended up finding the best price at the Costco web site.
The camera should arrive early next week. Next up, she has to find a good deal on Photoshop. She'll be bringing a friends "travel" Sony Vaio laptop to Mongolia rather than her own Mac, so that adds some complication to the purchasing plan.
Then she just has one month to get comfortable with it all before she jets off to Asia for most of June and July.
I'll try to post a follow-up with her impressions of the D300 once she has had some time with it. (and hopefully after I've had a chance to play with it too! I can't wait to bring this puppy to a motorcycle race!)
Think Peace.
- Alan (alanf@dorje.com) http://www.dorje.com/~alanf/
A friend of mine just got one of these
I only found out a month ago but have been able to put hands on. It is really sweet. She will love that camera. The LCD alone is amazing. He has a new baby so there are endless shots of her. Really works well.
She should get a free copy of CaptureNX with it. See if that works for her first but if not does she have student status? Or if you know a student or teacher who can get an education discount. That is how I started with PS. Once you get the first copy then you can just ride the upgrade express.
--bjet
Oh yeah
And Thom Hogan is releasing a field book for the D300 any day now.
Guess it is released but already out of stock.
http://www.bythom.com/
--bjet
Photoshop discounts
Hey Bjet -
Jonna is both staff and student (sadly, you can't get twice the education discount :-) so she'll definitely be buying the student priced version of PS. The trick is that she'll be buying it for Windows so she can take the travel friendly VAIO to Mongolia but then having to buy it again for her Mac once she gets back. Oh well, having to buy PS twice is still cheaper than replacing her Mac should it get damaged traveling, so I think that is still the best path...
I'll check out the Tom Hogan link now. Thanks for posting it.
Think Peace.
- Alan (alanf@dorje.com) http://www.dorje.com/~alanf/