16 year old seeking advice on good & long lasting DSLR Camera

The way i think is different. If you're 40 yrs old, spending $2000 might not be reasonable coz you have more important expenses to take care of .But because you're only 16 i really think its worth the $2000 if it makes you happy and im sure your parents wouldnt mind if you spend that much... I wish i had a digicam when i was younger.

Phiber Optik said:

Thank you for your advices and suggestions once again. I have heard
about Foveon X3 sensor technology from PC magazine a few issues
ago. It is definitely a groundbreaking technology for cameras if
executed and engineered well. the only player right now favoring
the foveon may only be sigma, but i think canon, nikon and other
major players may wait-and-see approach to see whether the new tech
will indeed be evolutionary. i can;t wait to see review on this
particular camera from Phil Askey when the prototype or beta
becomes available.

Click to expand...

Others will give different opinions of course, but my perspective
is that the digicam market will be nothing but foveon chips in the
future. Phil Askey was able to do some prototype work with a
foveon-based camera and his impressions are recorded here:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0202/02021103foveonx3preview.asp

Phiber Optik said:

I noticed that you have had the canon G2 for sometime. I have been
using coolpix 995 for 2 years now. during the period you use your
G2, has the thouht of limited lens bother you?

Click to expand...

That is a problem with the G2 and other cameras limited to
3x or so optical zoom. It obviously would be nicer to have
better zoom, but for me it was not the most critical thing.

Phiber Optik said:

. that's the primary reason why i am
thinking of switching to DSRL which allows me to change lenses at
different circumstances.

Click to expand...

If that's the PRIMARY reason to go with a D-SLR camera, my feeling
is that it's not the best reason to do so. First, there are a number of
"prosumer" cameras that will give you a nice big zoom, for example
the minotla d7i, the sony f707, and the nikon 5700. Second, the
investment that one must make in the SLR lenses is nothing to
sneeze at. Getting good glass, especially for telephoto, can
quickly double the amout of money you'll be spending.

Stanley

Good point.. Look at the big musical performers today.. Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys.. It ain't the 40 year olds making these people rich.. the 16 year olds have the cash to blow.

graph110 said:

The way i think is different. If you're 40 yrs old, spending $2000
might not be reasonable coz you have more important expenses to
take care of .But because you're only 16 i really think its worth
the $2000 if it makes you happy and im sure your parents wouldnt
mind if you spend that much... I wish i had a digicam when i was
younger.

Click to expand...

Phiber Optik:

I can only hope that my 12 yr old daughter follows in your footsteps. I have been taking photographs as long as I can remember. I took many, many 35mm photos before digital was introduced. As a child and young adult what did I learn from 35mm photography? Not much due to the cost of film and developing just to experiment in the realms of aperture and shutter speed.

I'm on my 3rd digital camera . . . #1 Sony Mavica FD-88, #2 G2, #3 D60. I can say that I learned 100 times more taking photos with my G2 than I did the rest of my life. Digital photography is a great learning tool. You've accomplished that with your current camera.

The capabilities of the D60 far outweigh the consumer level cameras - I don't think anyone disagrees with that. I love mine so much that I convinced my sister to switch from film to D60! My other sister is buying my G2 from me.

In two years, you'll finish high school and decide which road to travel. If you really love photography, go with the best camera you can possibly afford. You may decide to attend one of the finest photograph schools in the country after high school is over. Don't do what most people do -- have a job because they need one -- have a career doing something you love doing and it won't be a chore to go to work everyday!

Best of luck to you.

--
Lisa

D60, 28-70/2.8L, 420EX, BreezeBrowser, PS 7, and a wish list bigger than a 5 yr olds Christmas list

Dear Mrs. Lisa Neal,

Thank you for sharing with me with your kind words and suggestions as well as advices. I truly believe too that Digital Cameara is a great tool to learn taking photographs than their manual counterpart. A lot of people in this forum recommended the latter route. I don't really see a reason why i should. the beauty of digital, as everyone knows, allows you to delete exposures at will and give you instant feedbacks. film-based, you gotta to wait for a few days for them to be developed and cost you much(5X) more money in the long run.

from your messages, i noticed that you are a G2 user once, an exceptional camera(my mom uses a powershot s330, and boy how i like the user interface much much better than Nikon). is there a reason why you choose a D60 over D100? is it because you are accustomed to the Canon brand?

anyway, i really thank you for your advices and suggestions and i wish you many happy snapshots.

sincerely,
yohannes

Lisa Neal said:

Phiber Optik:

I can only hope that my 12 yr old daughter follows in your
footsteps. I have been taking photographs as long as I can
remember. I took many, many 35mm photos before digital was
introduced. As a child and young adult what did I learn from 35mm
photography? Not much due to the cost of film and developing just
to experiment in the realms of aperture and shutter speed.

I'm on my 3rd digital camera . . . #1 Sony Mavica FD-88, #2 G2, #3
D60. I can say that I learned 100 times more taking photos with my
G2 than I did the rest of my life. Digital photography is a
great learning tool. You've accomplished that with your current
camera.

The capabilities of the D60 far outweigh the consumer level cameras

• I don't think anyone disagrees with that. I love mine so much

that I convinced my sister to switch from film to D60! My other
sister is buying my G2 from me.

In two years, you'll finish high school and decide which road to
travel. If you really love photography, go with the best camera
you can possibly afford. You may decide to attend one of the
finest photograph schools in the country after high school is over.
Don't do what most people do -- have a job because they need one --
have a career doing something you love doing and it won't be a
chore to go to work everyday!

Best of luck to you.

--
Lisa
D60, 28-70/2.8L, 420EX, BreezeBrowser, PS 7, and a wish list bigger
than a 5 yr olds Christmas list

Click to expand...

graph110 said:

The way i think is different. If you're 40 yrs old, spending $2000
might not be reasonable coz you have more important expenses to
take care of .But because you're only 16 i really think its worth
the $2000 if it makes you happy and im sure your parents wouldnt
mind if you spend that much... I wish i had a digicam when i was
younger.

Click to expand...

Yohannes,

It seems your parents are well-off, and can pay for your education, but I would think saving for college tuition should be a much higher priority than spending $2000 on a piece of equipment that will be obsolete within one to two years at the most. Don't let yourself be swept by consumerist hype. Also, a second-hand D30, D1 or D1H would certainly be much more cost-effective. Let others finance Canon or Nikon R&D by their compulsive upgrade habits...

By the way, Brown University in Providence, R.I. has a world-class computer graphics department. You might want to hang around there in one of their high-school outreach programs.

On the other hand, making a DSLR the basis for a business (prom photos anyone?) would certainly beat the other teen-ager job options and would demonstrate financial responsibility, something valuable to learn at this young age.

Finally, as far as equipment recommendations go, I would suggest you get a Nikon FM3A rather than a DSLR at this point. It will force you to stop and think about what you are shooting rather than a blunderbuss approach. And unlike the DSLR, it will certainly last you 10-20 years. I still have great memories of the all-mechanical Zeiss camera I had at your age.

Best wishes,

-- Fazal Majid

I checked out the D100 after talking to the guys at Wolf in Atlanta. I preferred the photos from the D60. It was more financially sound for me to go the Canon route since I already had my 420EX purchased. I know the 420 isn't that expensive but it saved me from having to expend that amount again on a Nikon external flash.

Things I'm loving about my D60 . . .
Lack of shutter delay - no more missed shots. Quick focus
3:2 ratio instead of 4:3 - no more cropping to make 4 x 6 prints

Ability to zoom more than the G2 -- limited to 2x with tiffen or 1.5 with Olympus A200 Sharper images
Wider range of apertures allows for more effective blur of background Less post-processing of images

Things that I miss from the G2 . . .
Lightweight

My 12 yr old's camera is an A40. In the two months she has been using it, her composition skills have increased tremendously. She's beginning to see the world through a photographer's eye; now she pays attention to stunning sunsets and diversity in color and contrast. When she is ready, you bet I'll move her up to a better camera. She is the one that insisted on an A40 -- I wanted to go with something with more MP but she wanted something compact.

Good luck on your choice.

Oh -- btw -- if new lens prices are holding you back from DSLR -- check out keh.com. They have a selection of new and used lenses. From what I've read, most people are thrilled with the condition of their lesser rated lenses -- better than they expected.

Another lens site to visit is http://www.photodo.com . He has the MTF ratings of most lenses there. It is helpful in determining which lens is the best for your money.

--
Lisa

D60, 28-70/2.8L, 420EX, BreezeBrowser, PS 7, and a wish list bigger than a 5 yr olds Christmas list

Hi Phiber,

Not commenting on age or anything of that sort (you appear to be quite mature and I'm all for your endeavors) - call me a prick, but could you please call it "advice" and not "advices" (minor grammatical error)? I know it's a photography forum so you can completely ignore me and that is OK.

Peace,
Navid

Pornchai said:

Phiber Optik,

I think PB choice of word for "Loser" does not aim at you, but at
the comment from Ed, about getting Canon EOS - Film - as a kit,
which come with pretty low grade stock lens. Well may be I am a
looking at the world trough a rose color glasses.....

Click to expand...

I didn't suggest the EOS. I believe it was Eric. But, I do agree with him that an EOS (35MM) would be a better investment, right now, than a DSLR.
As for the "loser" comment---well, I believe it's spelled "looser".

Im sure his parents will pay for his college tuition. lots of teenagers have been maxing out credit cards and this guys is using money that he really have, cold cash. bottom line is if money can buy you happiness then buy one, heck buy two more.

There is always ebay for your DSLR when feveon comes out. btw, I dont like how people suggests SLRs here when infact he came here looking for a digicam.

Fazal Majid said:

graph110 said:

The way i think is different. If you're 40 yrs old, spending $2000
might not be reasonable coz you have more important expenses to
take care of .But because you're only 16 i really think its worth
the $2000 if it makes you happy and im sure your parents wouldnt
mind if you spend that much... I wish i had a digicam when i was
younger.

Click to expand...

Yohannes,

It seems your parents are well-off, and can pay for your education,
but I would think saving for college tuition should be a much
higher priority than spending $2000 on a piece of equipment that
will be obsolete within one to two years at the most. Don't let
yourself be swept by consumerist hype. Also, a second-hand D30, D1
or D1H would certainly be much more cost-effective. Let others
finance Canon or Nikon R&D by their compulsive upgrade habits...
By the way, Brown University in Providence, R.I. has a world-class
computer graphics department. You might want to hang around there
in one of their high-school outreach programs.
On the other hand, making a DSLR the basis for a business (prom
photos anyone?) would certainly beat the other teen-ager job
options and would demonstrate financial responsibility, something
valuable to learn at this young age.
Finally, as far as equipment recommendations go, I would suggest
you get a Nikon FM3A rather than a DSLR at this point. It will
force you to stop and think about what you are shooting rather than
a blunderbuss approach. And unlike the DSLR, it will certainly last
you 10-20 years. I still have great memories of the all-mechanical
Zeiss camera I had at your age.

Best wishes,

-- Fazal Majid

Click to expand...

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon s330, Canon s110, Olympus 340R owner
http://kaizenbiz.com/jush/pub/s330tests

graph110 said:

Im sure his parents will pay for his college tuition. lots of
teenagers have been maxing out credit cards and this guys is using
money that he really have, cold cash. bottom line is if money can
buy you happiness then buy one, heck buy two more.

Click to expand...

What can I say, I'm speechless... At least he knows the basics of photography. I know one girl whose rich parents bought her a Nikon F100 at her insistence. When I asked her what focal length lens she had on, she was incapable of telling me...

graph (g3) said:

There is always ebay for your DSLR when feveon comes out. btw, I
dont like how people suggests SLRs here when infact he came here
looking for a digicam.

Click to expand...

The FM3A was more of a recommendation for the second of his requirements (long-lasting). You can certainly buy good digital cameras at somewhat less than a king's ransom nowadays, but long-lasting? Factoring technical obsolescence, I think not.