The Right Camera

[AliciaPelzer]

I have a question.. and need some help!

In your opinion what would be the best camera for a ‘beginner’ (so to speak)? Someone upgrading from just a digital ‘point & shoot’.

What is your opinion on the Canon EOS Digital Rebel? (photo quality/ease of use, etc)

Also, what is a telephoto lens?

Your input would be appreciated.

Thanks
Alicia

[GaryK]

Hi Alicia

If you are going to move to a DSLR camera the Rebel is a good one as well as the Nikon D40 or D40x.
I have the old rebel and am still using it. I have no complaints but I think today the D40 is the best bang for the buck if you are talking inexpensive.

There are a host of things to look for, and price should not be the only consideration. You really have to try them in a camera store to get a feel for what you like. Try to learn the lingo a bit so you know what they are talking about when you have questions.

While I can't say a exect definition of a telephoto lens, I will say, typically the let you take pictures of things farther away.
There are many different sizes so to speak and the larger the mumber the more zoomed in you are. So a 100 mm is not as zoomed as a 200 mm.

There are also zoom lenses that have different ranges built in so you could have a 100-200 mm zoom that would give you the advantages of both a 100 and a 200 plus all the numbers in between..

Of course all this flexibility comes at a price (either dollar or quality or both) but that is for a different discussion.

You may want to PM one of the moderators and get this moved to the camera section of the forums. There is some excellent help there and they may not notice it in this area.

[AliciaPelzer]

Thank you so much Gary... I really appreciate it.
Thanks Again.
Alicia

[mrod]

All moved. Happened to be in the right place at the right time.

And, if I may...Gary had excellent advice. I recently completed the same decision, and one of the big factors for me (after cost) was how each camera felt in my hands. I went in thinking I would like the Rebel, and left liking the D80. It took the better part of a year, but I eventually ended up with a D80, and couldn't be happier. If I'd "settled" for something that didn't feel as good to me, I would have had a twinge of regret every time I picked up the camera (I probably would have gotten over it eventually, but still...you get the point).

Mike

[GaryK]

You are welcome Alicia.

There are quite a few far more knowledgeable people than myself kicking around here.
All this is just my opinion and based on what I have read or seen.
So hopefully others will jump in to clear up anything I said wrong or at least to offer another point of view.

[GaryK]

Whoa

that was weird.. thanks Mike.

I started replying in the begginers part and by the time I was done typing had moved to the camera section.

[mrod]

Originally Posted by GaryK

Whoa

that was weird.. thanks Mike.

I started replying in the begginers part and by the time I was done typing had moved to the camera section.

I was wondering if that was going to catch anyone...guess it works!

[jo]

I have a digital Rebel XT. I chose it because it was the lightweight among the less expensive dslr's, because it was a Canon, and because a photography club friend let me try his XT to get a feel for whether it was for me or not. DO get your hands on a camera before you spend the money!

Sometimes I wish I could buy an XTI for the bigger text on the display. My XT does me just fine otherwise.

Speaking of weight -- I tried a longer zoom lens and it was way too heavy for me so I bought a Panasonic FX18. I won't be giving up my XT for it, but it's a nice little lightweight for walks in the park.

[NickLewis]

Originally Posted by AliciaPelzer

Also, what is a telephoto lens?

Your input would be appreciated.

Thanks
Alicia

Alicia,

Strictly, a telephoto lens is one which has a particular optical construction that lets the lens be made physically shorter than its focal length. But, because almost all long focal length lenses are of telephoto construction, the term tends to be used synonymously for a "long" focal length lens. That is, one whose focal length is greater than the "standard" for the particular film or CCD in use.

The result of having a long focal length is that the angle of view of the lens is smaller than that of a standard lens. That means you can take shots of objects further away (as Gary said) or more tightly cropped/highly magnified views of nearby objects. There are also knock-on effects on depth of field.

But the most common use of a telephoto is undoubtedly to take shots of distant objects or animals etc.

I'd endorse what the others have said about cameras. Either the Rebel or its Nikon equivalents are excellent cameras. But, if you possibly can, try and handle one before buying it. However good a camera's specs are, if it's not comfortable in your hands or at your eye, find one that is. For example, I bought a Canon 20D not the Rebel simply because the Rebel was too small for my hands. Technically, it was fine for what I wanted, and it was cheaper, but I just wasn't happy holding it.

Nick

[Clayton]

I just bought the Nikon D40X last week. I did as others have suggested to go and "feel" the cameras first. Since I am just a hobbyist and am coming from a Nikon Coolpix 5700 this was a good feel. In fact it feels exactly like my wife's Monolta 35 mm camera. I also bought the field guide by David Busch and it is an excellent teacher rather than reading the manual. I am still exploring all the buttons and functions. So far I am well pleased. One thing I did learn (don't know if this is peculiar to this camera or all DSLR's), but the 2.5" LCD is only used for settings and picture review. All shots are focused thru the eyepiece. You can't see what you are focusing on thru the LCD. This is not a problem because I never used the LCD to see what I was shooting, but if you are coming from a point and shoot, many people use this feature.