dlk@ssc-vax.UUCP (Donald Kaiser) (09/22/83)
There has been enough interest to post the replies that i got from my
request of what is your favorite camera, etc.
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I admit to being a fan of the Ricoh comany. They make a fine camera,
and it can be had cheaper than a Pentax, Canon, or Nikon of equivalent
features. Ricoh does not make a professional-quality camera, but they
make a top amateur camera, the XR-7 (or XR-S if want the additional solar
toy). There are features available in, say, the Canon A-1 that Ricoh
does not provide, like programmed automation and shutter priority, but
the Ricoh has most everything. You will have to decide whether those
features are important.
One nice thing about the Ricoh is that it takes lenses with the
Pentax K-mount. This is the only mount that is used by more than
one major manufacturer. You can buy Ricoh, Pentax, and independent brand
lenses; and if you ever want a Pentax body, you can get it without giving
up your old lenses.
Zoom lenses are very handy. I find changing lenses to be a bother,
especially since my gadget bag is poorly organized (have you seen the
prices of good bags?). Given my druthers, I would carry a 28-80 and a
80-200 (or any pair covering roughly the same range). Notice that I shoot
for fun, and not for art or for sale; convenience tends to be more
important to me than pinpoint sharpness of the lens. I would still
want a reasonably fast normal lens for low light and flash -- focusing
an f/4 lens in bad light is very difficult. Be careful with the zooms,
many of them, especially the wide-angles, are not very good (or so I hear,
I don't actually own one, but I've been wanting one a long time. I have
a 70-150).
Exposure: I recommend auto-exposure with manual override. Most of
the good cameras have this. I find aperture-priority automation quite
usuable, but I've never had a chance to try shutter-priority or programmed
for comparison.
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>From the questions you are asking it sounds like you should read
a book. Seriously, except for questions like "which brand is best?"
a beginners book is what you need.
I don't know whick camera is best for your needs. I own two Nikons
an FE and an FM2. They are both great cameras, but if I had only one
I would pick the FE. You can get an FE for about $250.00 out of New
York City. Good luck.
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What is best for you depends a lot on how you intend to use it.
A 110 camera lacks the flexibility and quality of a 35mm SLR,
but you can stick it in your shirtpocket. As a result, you may
be willing to take it places where you don't want to be lugging
several cumbersome pieces of equipment (like to a social funtion
or on a long hike) and you may end up using your camera a lot more.
(No use having superb equipment that never leaves the closet.)
The same sort of thing applies to lenses. I have a Nikon FE,
and a ton of different lenses. About the only one I use any more
is a 35-70 zoom. I used to try to carry a 50mm fast lens,
a 55mm macro lens, a 28mm wide angle and a 135mm telephoto.
I hauled them all over Yosemite, and got some nice shots, but
it was a lotta work. When I went back to Yosemite the last time,
I just carried the zoom, and not only was it lighter than the
collection I had before, the zoom allowed me to frame my pictures
better than the fixed-focal-length lenses. I just got a 80-200
zoom (MUCH heavier) to go with the shorter zoom, and they will
be all I take with me for vacation use.
The zooms are nice, but they aren't as fast as normal lenses
(or else will cost you zillions). If you want to take a lot
of indoor shots, they may not be your cup of tea. On the other
hand, with ASA 1000 films popping up all over, lens speed isn't
as important as it used to be.
I've always bought Nikon lenses. They cost a lot, but they are
very high quality lenses, something that is quite important with
zoom lenses, since they are subject to a lot of distortion and
self-destruction if poorly made.
If you get a SLR and do a lot of outdoor photography, GET A
POLARIZING FILTER. It will cost an f-stop or two, but the
effect of cutting out glare on foliage and behind clouds can
be astonishing.
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Get a 50mm lens, because its has lower f-stops, so it's better in low light.
Then after that, get either your 28-80 or an 80-200, depending on what you
think will be more useful to you.
I think you should get a camera that at least allows fully manual operation,
and you should use it that way exclusively for a while, so that you know
what you camera is doing in automatic. I know several 35mm novices who
use automatic settings all the time, and don't get optimal pictures, not
necessarily because they should have overridden the auto setting, but
because they didn't understand how exposure works.
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I own a Canon A-1 cmaera, and I can heartily recommend it. It is flexible
enough to be able to grow into it.
What I like about it:
So much flexibility in exposure modes...There are six exposure modes
Aperature (sp?) preferred, Shutter preferred, Fully automatic, Flash,
stopped down (lets you see the depth of field that you will get. also
allows auto exposure through telescopes & other non-automatic lenses)
and finally manual.
This is the most important and best feature. Different situations
require different methods of taking pictures. The A-1 can handle
everything I have tried.
The camera does a good job of metering the scene so that exposures
come out perfect just about all of the time. There is also the ability
to over or under expose the picture without a hassle.
Ease of making multiple exposures. There is a multiple exposure
lever that will allow the shutter to be reset without winding the film.
What I don't like:
Inability to take pictures without a good battery. I have the bad
habit of putting off replacing the battery, and end up missing pictures
due to this. (There is an easy way to test the battery, so I know it
is near its end...) It did take pictures on bulb with a dead battery
though.
As for flash, I reccommend getting one. I have the Vivitar 3500, which
does an excellent job for $50-$70. It always produces perfectly
exposed pictures, and is powerful enough to handle most of what I
want. It is also automatic, and talks to the camera (Cooperation is
best I guess). The only problem is that it is a battery hog. It eats
Duracells & Energizers for lunch (I get about one 36 exposure roll of
pictures per pair of batteries).
Lenses. I recommend against getting one of the wide range lenses as
your only lens because of speed. The average 50mm lens is several
times faster than a zoom of any type. This means that you can take
pictures with this lens where the zoom doesn't let enough light in.
I also have a canon 70-210mm zoom, which is my favorite lens. When I
do not need the extra speed of the 50, I am using this lens. There is
so much flexibility in a lens like this.
I have never had any real complaint about my camera (battery problems are
my fault), and take several rolls of film per month with it (when my finances
let me).
I hope this has been of some help
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First, let me caution you that I may be biased, but here are my
recommendations.
In the $200-300 range I suggest the Minolta X-700 with the XG-M as
second choice. The X-700 offers the best of automatic and manual exposure
with metered manual, aperture priority (for great depth of field control),
and programmed with emphasis on picking a fast shutter speed when possible
(for control of clarity). Minolta has what I believe to be the best selection
of lenses on the market when price is also considered (Nikon would win if
this was not considered). The major winning point, in my opinion, for the
X-700 is Off the Film Plane metering for flash exposure using a Minolta
PX series flash. This means that you don't have to perform all kinds of
calculations to make a flash exposure when using a filter on your camera
lense for a flash photo. For me this is a major plus. By the way, my camera
does not have this. My only real objection to the X-700 is that it doesn't
have a handy-dandy multiple exposure button, so multiple exposures are at
best tricky and, for the inexperienced photographer, maybe even impossible.
If you're willing to put up with the fault I've cited in the beginning,
I heartily recommend the X-700. If not, and you don't mind losing the Off
the Film Plane metering for flash exposure, I recommend the Minolta XD-11;
but take note, it is more expensive (about $390). It is highly worth it,
though, with some advantages over the X-700. Instead of the programmed
mode it has a shutter priority mode which allows even better clarity control.
It also has one totally manual shutter speed (1/100 second) in case the
batteries fail. You will not outgrow this camera. You may, however, find
that you want a second at a future date if you grow enough. In that case,
I would recommend the X-700 as the second as the two fill each others voids.
I will not argue for or against automatic exposure because they both
have their value. That is why I recommend getting a camera which has both
metered manual and aperture priority exposure control. Shutter priority
is only useful when photographing fast action where it is crucial to have
completely clear photos.
As for flash, my recommendation depends upon the camera you purchase.
If you get the X-700 (or any other camera with OFP metering), by all means
get the flash which accomodates this feature. If not, try the Sunpak 422D.
This is an exceptional flash at about a $100 cost with a large number of
available accessories. It is dedicated for almost any name-brand camera.
The basic necessary equipment varies with the type of photography.
If you like landscapes only, I suggest a normal lense (about 55mm), a wide
angle zoom (about 28-70mm), a skylight filter, a polarizing filter, and
a tripod. A camera bag of good quality is always necessary. If you also
have other interests (the above are necessary no matter what your interests),
I suggest a telephoto zoom (about 80-200mm). Telephoto shots often make
the difference (in the beginning) between a photograph and a snapshot.
A good flash is also necessary for outdoor portraiture and some indoor
work. A cable release is also nice to have. Once you have learned to
use the basic equipment, I recommend starting to learn how to use filters
to overcome nature's photographic deficiencies. The Cokin system is
great because of the wide variety of filters and the ability to use one
filter for all your lenses. A good macro lense is also a good investment
for closeup work, especially nature photography.
As for the zoom vs. fixed length debate, it's much easier to
carry around two lenses spanning the 28-200mm range than a whole
assortment of fixed mount lenses to cover selected points on that range.
Also lense changing is kept to a minimum by careful selection of zoom
ranges. This means there is less chance of missing that once in a lifetime
photo.
I hope this has helped. I'd be interested to know what you end
up choosing and your impressions of the equipment both initially and
after learning its use.
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My preference is Nikon it has the needed assortment of accessories and
is a quality camera. My father was a professional photographer with
several different cameras like hasselblad, minolta, nikon, linholf, and
several more over the years. He also did repair work. Nikon was seldom
seen on his repair bench. The nikon along with the hasselblad were the
ones he used and liked the most.
There is another choice besides the make of camera and that is the option
of automatic or manual shutter setting etc. I prefer the manual. It gives
on the option of being creative without being limited by the camera.
But do not buy more than you know how or are willing to learn to use.
If you buy a camera which needs the f-stop set and you don't understand
what the f-stop does the camera will be useless to you and you will not
want to use it. This applies to other features and options on cameras.
Be sure you know how to use it even if the most you need or care to
understand about cameras is summed up in an instant camera like one
of the new disc cameras.
As far as flash goes most brands are good. If you plan to shoot a lot of
flash pictures say of people indoors at a party or something direct light
from the flash, which you may have seen, a washed out result in the photo
will sometimes occur if there is to much light put out by the flash unit.
Consider a unit that will meter the light and shut off when enough light
for the subject, distance, filmspeed, and f-stop are met for that particular
picture. And if possible give you the option of bounce lighting say off
a wall or celing but use cation in this due to the color of the surface
may be reflected too. But this means of lighting gives a softer light
and in my opinion a more pleasing result.
Hope I haven't said too much. And some helps your decision. Happy shooting.
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I have always felt that NIKON makes the finest cameras around. The
price is a little above that for another camera with the same options.
(I use the term options for such things as auto-exposure, auto-focus,
power winders, and various do-dads that are nice but not absolutely
necessary. I feel that as a beginner (more or less) the NIKON FG
is a good camera that you won't outgrow. It runs around $220 with the
cheaper NIKON lens and has a lot of options. It can be had with very
nice NIKKOR lens for < $300 (an f1.4 lens). The FG has manual and
auto-exposure, as well as program mode, where both the shutter speed
and lens opening is set automatically.
For a few (~20) dollars less, you can get the CANON AE-1 Program,
which is a similar camera.
There is a Minolta in the same class and cost range as the other two,
but I know nothing about it.
If you think you will be into serious photography someday, I think
you should stick with the NIKON, CANON, or Minolta lines (maybe Yashica,
I'm kind of wishy-washy on this manufacturer as I have seen what garbage
their mid-to-low end models are.)
As for the ongoing debate over manual/auto cameras, I say pay the money,
get the auto, and if you want auto you have it; otherwise, you ALWAYS
have the manual (except on cheapies like the NIKON EM, Olympus OM-10,
etc., which I wouldn't recommend for anyone over 12 years old.).
I must say that although I don't have a mid-range zoom (25-85 or the like),
I have used my cousin's Minolta and gotten good results. The only problems
are size (about 3 times the weight of a regular lens) and the speed of the
lens, which is several times slower and noticable in low-light situations.
This is really something you need to decide based on what kind of pictures
you intend to take, under what conditions, etc. From a cost standpoint,
I say get the normal lens, and if you feel too restricted, then get the
zoom. You will always be able to use the normal lens.
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I personally like the pentax ME super. It is small, very wellmade,
and has an extensive selection of accessories. One of the nicest
features I think is that it doesn't have a shutter speed dial. Instead
It has two buttons, one of which increases the shutter speed, the other
of which decreases it. This enables you to completely compose
the picture through the viewfinder without having to constsntly
refer to the top of the camera. Of course this is not an issue
if you are using the camera in its automatic mode.
This is my second Pentax. I have an old Spotmatic F. I have never
been disappointed by either camera and if I am looking for another camera in
the future, It will definitely be another pentax. Their newest camera,
the ME Super Program looks lika an excellent camera, although I have not
yet tried one.
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After all the responses from Netland, camera stores, and friends my
choice is the NIKON FE2. The most common response was buy a NIKON if
you can afford it because they make quality cameras and lenses. I
would rather spend extra money at first because it pays off in the long
run.
Thanks again for all those who responded.
Don Kaiser
...uw-beaver!ssc-vax!dlk