posted on March 11, 2001 11:22:40 AM new
I am in the market for a digital camera and know very little about these kinds of cameras. I am really into photography.
What is the difference in picture quality with a digital camera and a 35 MM? Also, what should I look for in selecting an affordable camera. Can I get something good for around 400.00? thanks
I would mainly be using it for picures of things like boats and animals.
posted on March 11, 2001 11:38:48 AM new
Hi oldsaltydog!
The big difference between 35mm and digital cameras would be that the image quality with 35mm is consistently higher quality than with all but the most expensive digital cameras. With digital's them more you pay, them better the quality (in general).
For the types of pictures you refer to, you should be able to get something decent for that price.
posted on March 11, 2001 02:48:44 PM new
For auctions and the Net, anything of 1 megapixel will work. One of the most popular is the Sony Mavica because it uses a floppy which folks find convenient to use to transfer from the camera to the computer. For family shots, vacation shots and so on, you need at least 2 megapixels. The Mavica is not a good choice because a high res photo takes about a meg and a floppy only holds a bit more than a meg, so the Sony uses compression to squeeze several photos on to one floppy. Compression reduces image quality.
There are a lot of nice cameras you can get in the $400 range. My advice is to look for one that gives you everything you need which includes: a rechargeable battery and recharger, zoom lens and USB connectivity. My pick is the Toshiba PDR M5 which has all of these. You can find it for well under $400 which even leaves room to buy extra smartmedia for more storage.
posted on March 11, 2001 03:40:12 PM new
oldsaltydog -
If you are going to print ads, your best bet is a 35MM with ASA 64 film (slide if the publication will take it). Print-quality digitals are still in the thousands!
You can get a good used 35MM with lenses for under $200. Features to look for are a "bracketing" dial, and "aperture priority" (Minoltas use this). YOu can control the depth of field (how much is in focus) in the background by the aperture, and the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to compensate.
the trick with telephoto lenses is to get the HEAVY ones ... real glass lenses.
I sugest you go to a local camera shop and look at the used refurbished stuff. I've been using two Minoltas for 15+ years with ZERO problems. bought used ones.
posted on March 11, 2001 05:10:46 PM new
Oldsaltydog,
If you are really into photography, you may already know that print ads are largely shot using medium format.
Digi-wise, the higher end items are the only ones I am seeing used for corporate and commercial shoots. I've used the big Nikon D1 (as a freelancer, not my gear) and it's Mighteee Expensive (5K?)
Anyhow, don't dis your own gear.
What do you have? Like abacaxi (sounds like my cat hacking up a hairball, great name) says, you can score older gear for a good price.
OTOH, maybe you already have the gear you need!
edited to add...abacaxi, I have old minolta gear, too, it's great.
[ edited by Capriole on Mar 11, 2001 05:11 PM ]
posted on March 11, 2001 07:46:14 PM new
Check out these sites....
http://www.imaging-resource.com/DIGCAM01.HTM
http://www.shortcourses.com/
http://www.orchidlink.com/digitalphotography/digicam.htm
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