Photography Student--Need a DSLR

[Septemberist_Mel]

Hello All,

I am currently a photography student, and I am graduating from analog photography to the commercially acceptable art of digital photography. I read some articles on here regarding what questions to ask yourself when looking to purchase a digital camera, but wanted to hear your opinions as to what I should buy. I figured Nikon was a good camera body to buy, as I hear most lenses, be it from an SLR or DSLR, will fit. I want something that will take relatively good photos in low-light, and I'm wanting to spend up to $1,200. Any comments or words of advice are appreciated!

-Mel

[RichardTaylor]

Almost any camera/lens can take correctly exposed pictures in low light, if long exposures suit your subject.

What were you wanting to shoot, and what are the lighting conditions?
Some difficult scenarios would be indoor sports or outdoor sports of a night.

[Septemberist_Mel]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

Almost any camera/lens can take correctly exposed pictures in low light, if long exposures suit your subject.

What were you wanting to shoot, and what are the lighting conditions?
Some difficult scenarios would be indoor sports or outdoor sports of a night.

I shoot tons of things, really. But I feel inspired by street photography, especially at night. I am exploring my artistic capabilities, so I don't necessarily have a "focus" at the moment (no pun intended).

[RichardTaylor]

Any camera with a "good" high ISO (1600 & upwards) performance and a fast lens (f2 will be fine and possibly f2.8 ok) for street stuff.

I am a Cannon shooter so I am not real familiar with Nikon products.
However I would be looking at something like a NIkon 5100 (Around $700 for the body) and a Nikon 35mm f2 lens (<$400)

You may even get by with a "standard zoom" with vibration reduction for a similar if not lower cost.However you will be shooting at slower shutter speeds.

Here are some examples where I was using a standard zoom (along with exif sata)

Night Photography:2 - In the street..

Also see post #6 in this thread where I was shooting hand held at night with a 35mm F2 (on a full frame camera)

Canon 7D - General Purpose Zoom Lens

[inkista]

Probably any dSLR will fit the bill for you, but given that you're going to be studying photography full time, my recommendation to you would be to try and go for a used mid-range body, one generation back. This is likely to be the value sweet spot in terms of features for the cash. Unless you care about video features, I'd say going for a used Canon 40D/50D or a Nikon D90/D200/D300 is likely to be the best bet for you, right now.

A used 40D or 50D body goes in the $500-$700 price range. That's the same or less than a brand new 600D, and the XXD will have better ergonomic controls (dual wheel) and a better feature set for shooting, as well as a tougher build quality.

A used D90 is also in that neighborhood, and unlike a D3100 or D5100, it will have a focus motor, so using a fast AF prime (e.g., the $100 AF 50mm f/1.8D) doesn't mean losing autofocus or having to spend more on AF-S (e.g., the $200 AF-S 50mm f/1.8G).

I'd go with one of the Big Two (Canon or Nikon), simply because those systems are the most popular, have the best used markets, availability, and 3rd party support. Since you don't know what you're going to be shooting, might as well go for the systems with the most expansion capability, and best choices among rental places. But Pentax, Sony, or Olympus gear is not likely to cause you a huge amount of heartache, either.

I would stress, however, NOT to blow your entire budget on a camera body/kit. You're still going to want some money for lenses, if not flashes, a tripod, a bag, etc. etc. I'd actually say try to spend half of your budget on a body, and leave half for an additional lens, if you can.

The bodies are digital electronics. They come and go about as rapidly as computers or cellphones these days. It's the glass that's going to be your permanent purchase.

[mbrobich]

For $1200 I would get these from BH: D200 body, 60mm F2.8 Macro and 28mm F2.8.

Used Nikon D200 SLR Digital Camera (Camera Body) 25235 B&H Photo

Used Nikon AF NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8D Autofocus Lens 1922 B&H Photo

Used Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D Lens 1987 B&H Photo Video

[sk66]

What Nikon lenses do you have already?
As for best bang/buck body I would suggest the D5100

[Septemberist_Mel]

Originally Posted by mbrobich

For $1200 I would get these from BH: D200 body, 60mm F2.8 Macro and 28mm F2.8.

Used Nikon D200 SLR Digital Camera (Camera Body) 25235 B&H Photo

Used Nikon AF NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8D Autofocus Lens 1922 B&H Photo

Used Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D Lens 1987 B&H Photo Video

Wow, you really broke it down for me. Please excuse me for sounding ignorant, but I am new to photography in general, and completely oblivious when it comes to digital. What is the difference between those two lenses?

[Septemberist_Mel]

Originally Posted by sk66

What Nikon lenses do you have already?
As for best bang/buck body I would suggest the D5100

I don't have any lenses...I only have analog cameras: a Pentax & a Minolta.

[Septemberist_Mel]

Originally Posted by inkista

...I'd say going for a used Canon 40D/50D or a Nikon D90/D200/D300 is likely to be the best bet for you, right now.

What do all of those numbers stand for?