Looking to buy a camera

[ctjoyce]

Okay so heres the scoop. My little sister has been getting into photography (digital) recently, doing it on her own, and taking a class through school. Currently she is borrowing my Cannon SD630 which is quite a little camera, but the 3x optical Zoom is limiting what she can shoot quite a bit. So she has hinted that she wants a DSLR for X-Mas, and me and my rents are going to split the cost and get it for her.

ANYWAY... I've been looking at the Cannon EOS Digital Rebel XT and the Nikon D50 at work. Both seem to be very impressive cameras with a lot of support for lenses, however I seem to like the Cannon a bit better, mostly because of how it feels in my hands.

I had also heard rumor that there is a camera capable of shooting 35mm and digital, is this just myth or does such a camera exist?

So the question is....if you had $700ish to spend on a camera, what would you buy?

Cheers
Cameron

[expat]

I digital/wet film combo, I have had a quick web search and I cannot find anything. I doubt it for two reasons, firstly the cost and secondly, wet film is very, very dirty. Combine that with how clean a digital camera had to be and you would be forever struggling to get a good digital picture. HOWEVER, there may be one out their, but I would imagine that it is a little more than the $700 or so you want to spend. But here is another idea; for that money you could by a proper camera (35mm film) and a whole bunch of lenses if you had a good look at the second hand market. You sister could learn the real art of taking a good picture that way and probably have more fun. After all everything today is push a button and let the computer do the rest.

Matt (Nikon F2 Driver)

[BAW0343]

I digital/wet film combo, I have had a quick web search and I cannot find anything. I doubt it for two reasons, firstly the cost and secondly, wet film is very, very dirty. Combine that with how clean a digital camera had to be and you would be forever struggling to get a good digital picture. HOWEVER, there may be one out their, but I would imagine that it is a little more than the $700 or so you want to spend. But here is another idea; for that money you could by a proper camera (35mm film) and a whole bunch of lenses if you had a good look at the second hand market. You sister could learn the real art of taking a good picture that way and probably have more fun. After all everything today is push a button and let the computer do the rest.

Matt (Nikon F2 Driver)

I'd have to agree, get the real thing before the digital, this way there are a few benifits,
1. You will learn all the setting and what you need to do to get them
2. Youll learn shutter controll, scince you only have 24(ish) pictures you wont go around takeing random photos
3.theres more i just cant think of it.  :P

Also tell her about www.thephotoforum.com amazing photo forum with people willing to help with anything.

But definatly go with 35mm film with a good lense, maby she wont be as happy but if takeing pictures is really what she wants to do, this is the best way to start.

Also mind posting some of her pictures? Im interested to see what she got with your camera.

[Tweek]

However, film is expensive, and is probably getting harder to develop, as so many people are moving to digital. I took 444 photos (excluding deleted photos) at the Waddington airshow this year, and I know for a fact, that a lot of aviation photographers go well into the thousands at airshows. Try doing that on film, and you'd be broke.

I can tell you, anyone with experience in film and digital (including myself), will tell you that they'd never go to back to film.

1. You will learn all the setting and what you need to do to get them
2. Youll learn shutter controll, scince you only have 24(ish) pictures you wont go around takeing random photos

You can do all that on digital, and you'll feel more free to experiment, as you won't be 'wasting' pictures, as you would on film. Though the challenge is still there, especially when there's something to miss (e.g. aircraft). If you don't get it right first time, you're still not gonna get the shots you want.

Although you may consider film photography 'true' photography, the advantages of digital outweigh that.

[Gunny04]

I'd go with the Cannon Rebel, its what I am planning to get in the future. And for the Quality and price, lens Capability and such, it seems to be the best camera for the price that I've found! I plan to get a camera like this because of Aircraft spotting and watching ships.... but thats a long ways away yet.... Cheers, Gunny

EDIT: if you can, get the UV filters and extra lenses for it, I dont know if sites like newegg sell the extras but ebay sellers do.... I've seen this camera with 300+ in extras for about $800 (Case, Tripod, Lenses, UV Filters, Fluouresent filters, extra batteries and such)

[expat]

However, film is expensive, and is probably getting harder to develop

I can tell you, anyone with experience in film and digital (including myself), will tell you that they'd never go to back to film.

Firstly, developing film is no harder than going to the local supermarket and very cheap. It is more expensive to buy photo paper and ink for my printer.

Secondly, I have Nikon F2, Minolta 400si and two digital cameras with quite advanced point and shoot features. I have to say, that I will be in the queue to to buy the last roll of wet film to be sold before the world goes digital. The quality of digital at this time is beaten hands down by "real" film.

Matt

[Gunny04]

I know for a fact, because my grandfather did the math, it was about 10 cents a photo with a digital camera..... thats with ink and paper, so, Where can you find a photo place where you can find an equal price? Cheers, Gunny

[Tweek]

Firstly, developing film is no harder than going to the local supermarket and very cheap. It is more expensive to buy photo paper and ink for my printer.

Well that's fair enough, if you do want actual prints of your pictures. I, myself, am not too bothered about printing off my photos, as I find it just as satisfying looking at them on a computer screen, and sharing them with others, after I've processed them.

Which, evidently, is what I also enjoy. The processing.

[ctjoyce]

Thanks for the info guys. I have told her about the forum, and she is pokeing around there. And when I can I'll steal the SD card back from her and get up a few really nice shots she got of a butterfly she got this weekend.

I also did look into it, and the wet film and digital is all a myth, and since she is still learning, we feel it would be cheaper to get her a digital with a 2GB card, and let her shoot as she pleases. We also have a Cannon Pixma MP830, so if she should want prints we have the resources to do that. For the package itself we are getting her the Camera, memory etc from Staples, then are getting her a gift card for Ritz Camera so she can go get herself a nice Lense.

Cheers
Cameron

[gryshnak]

I've used both and I'll never touch wet film again.  My Olympus SLR is sitting in a shelf gathering dust, I'd sell it on eBay except the price is so low because everybody else is selling their 35mm SLRs as well.

My recommendation - go digital every time.  The Canon Rebel XT (aka EOS 350D) is a damn good camera and I'm having a real blast with mine.

Advantages of digital:
- Play with all the settings, learn what they do, get the results right there in the field instantly, instead of finding out the next day (when it's too late to go back) that it didn't work.
- If a photo wasn't set up right you know about it at once so you can delete it and take it again.  And again, and again, and again.
- Almost 300 shots per gigabyte card, instead of 24 or 36 per roll of wet film.
- Switch between colour and black/white at the press of a button.
- Change film speeds from ASA100 to 200 to 400 to 800 to 1600 at the press of a button.
- Never pay to have photos developed again, ever.  Download the photos to a CD or DVD and the card is clear to take hundreds more photos.
- Quality is already good enough for 98% of users.  What application do you have where 8mp isn't sufficient?  And it's getting better all the time, there are now 10mp and even 12mp SLRs in the same range.

Advantages of 35mm wet film:
- It's traditional.

Gryshnak

[airsoftman687]

ya id go with the rebel xt, i just got one, and ... words cant even describe how good it is for the price

[F3Hadlow]

You should consider the Canon 10d, marvellous camera, good second hand ones should fit your budget (I couldn't say for sure though) I've had various lenses over the last few years but the body has always been the same, bit more sophisticated than the 350/300d though so maybe not ideal for your needs. For a rookie the 350 or 300d are perfect and you can still buy them new so more convienient. Remember though, these don't have built in zoom so for extra reach you'll need different lenses.

[ctjoyce]

Thanks Steve.

But wow, I really didn't know half of what goes on in this world. Only today did I find out what half the functions on my camera did, and now I know how to manually focous.

When I go to work tomorow I'm going to see if I can play with the Rebel XT during my break, I'm also going to jet over to a real camera store some time to get a feel for what else there is, but I'm 99.99% sure we are going to get her the Canon.

Cheers
Cameron

[Hagar]

I'm 99.99% sure we are going to get her the Cannon.

It's a Canon.

[Woodlouse2002]

It's a Canon.

Not necessarily. Difficult to take pictures with a cannon though.