SkeletonBoy: What camera should I get for my Photography I class?
For my Photography I class I am going to need a 35mm SLR camera with a built in light meter and manually adjustable f-stops and shutter speeds with a normal lens.
I’m brand new to photography and have no idea what this stuff means, so i was wondering what would be a good camera to get. I’m not looking for anything fancy, seeing as I am a beginner. I just want something pretty basic and affordable. I need some suggestions on specific models.
Answers and Views:
Answer by greg
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Do you see yourself eventually switching to a digital SLR? If so, then you should get a 35mm SLR based on the DSLR choice you would make. If you get a 35mm SLR with a current mount, you can use the same lenses on a DSLR from the same manufacturer. This can save a lot of money over having to replace an entire system.
Of course, the manual cameras and lenses can be had for a steal. There aren’t as many manual 35mm SLRs that have built-in light meters. Minolta was the first to put a light meter into the cameras starting with their XG series. I honestly don’t know much about the other brands of manual cameras.
But if you want to get an autofocus camera, then you can get one that will work with the current mount. For Canon, you would be looking for an EOS camera. They use the EF lenses. For Sony/Minolta, Sony never made a 35mm SLR. They took over when Minolta left so they use the Minolta Maxxum mount, now called the a-mount. So if you get into a Minolta, you would be looking at getting a Sony alpha DSLR later. Nikon has had the same mount for a very long time.
You need to choose the brand first and then pick a model.
The light meter is just a built-in mechanism that reads, or meters, the light in the scene. You read the meter and use it to set the aperture and shutter speed to attain the correct exposure. When using an autofocus camera, the camera can actually set these for you, but that doesn’t help you to learn.
The f-stops are the settings for the aperture. Aperture is the size of the opening of the lens. The aperture you use changes the depth of field, which is the amount of the scene which is in sharp focus. A larger aperture gives less depth of field and more blur outside of the point of focus. A smaller aperture gives more depth of field-more of the scene is in focus. And you can adjust the aperture on a camera with aperture priority or manual modes.
Generally a ‘normal’ lens is a prime (has only one focal length-no zoom) lens in the 45mm range on a 35mm camera. So a common normal lens would be a 50mm f/1.7 f/1.8 or f/1.4 The f/number is the maximum aperture of the lens. The smaller the number, the larger the aperture. So a f/1.4 aperture is actually quite large. You rarely see larger apertures and those lenses are quite expensive.
Probably the reason you should have the normal lens is for that large aperture. You are probably going to have plenty of assignments where you are to show your ability to use depth of field. And you need large apertures to do that.
Send me a message if you need more info or clarification.
Answer by scotinthemist50Ask your class tutor or students who are currently on or have completed the class, they should know which type and probably model of camera is best suited for the class and your level of ability.
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