Hey y'all
I'm an intermediate photographer looking for a camera of my very own- Ive been borrowing an old Nikkormat from a relative and I love it dearly, but I'd love to get something more modern. If anyone has any suggestions of what would be good to buy please let me know!

Thanks

Hi and welcome. There are a lot of good choices out there. To help narrow the list down, it would help if you could answer these questions:


Budget considerations, and what gear you need to get for that amount (as in camera body, lens or lenses, flash, etc).
Only considering new, or used equipment OK?
What kinds of things you want to photograph.
Do you mostly use slide film or negative film (with slide film, I prefer having a spot meter available - that's why I mention this).
Manual Focus or Auto Focus?

My parents are buying one for me for my birthday, and have set a $200 limit. I need a camera body, lense, and possibly a flash. Used is fine, as long as there are parts for it still out there. I've only been shooting negative film, and mostly take pictures of anything (people, animals, landscapes, architecture, you name it.) Lastly, I'd love to have AF with a manual over-ride, but would be content with something completely manual.

Here is a link to a reputable store in NYC (online also). The link is to a Rebel K2 camera which is an excellent camera that you can use auto or manual. It is $134 - and there is a note you can get it "used" for $99. I had the Rebel 2K - an older model - and I loved it. I got some incredible pictures with that camera.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=300535&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

I would suggest you get the Canon 50mm/f1.8 lens. It is a wonderful lens, sharp, good color. I had this lens and loved it. It gets great results - and it's a good lens to learn on. There is an on-camera flash for this camera which is decent. I never had a problem with mine. I would strongly suggest you consider it. The price is excellent for all the features (check all the specifications and features on the link above).

Lens

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=12142&is=GREY&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Liz

Thanks for the input. I'm still really torn, however, as I am fond of completely manual cameras-I'm not sure if I'm ready to become battery dependent. But I will definitely check out that site, because the K2 seems like a great option.

I am fond of completely manual cameras-I'm not sure if I'm ready to become battery dependent

I've only been into photography for 5 years, so excuse this question if it sounds stupid. :confused: What do you use in place of batteries? What camera would that be? Thanks......

Liz

a tiny little battery that lasts for like, eternity (it just powers the light meter)--seriously though, I've been using a 30 year old camera, and the battery has been changed about twice

That's incredible! I learned something here. Thanks for sharing it with me. Can you post any of your pictures?

Liz

a tiny little battery that lasts for like, eternity (it just powers the light meter)--seriously though, I've been using a 30 year old camera, and the battery has been changed about twice

A lot of used film cameras can be found at bargain prices. I'm a Nikon shooter so I can't help you with the other brands, but maybe an N8008s is a possibility. It's got a lot of manual over-ride features and a not-so-bad autofocus. You may be able to find a used one with a couple of options for lenses at that price.

I used to have an FE and the same deal about the battery. Lasted forever!

Sure thing- the b&w's are with a K1000, and the colors are with a Nikkormat

I never heard of either of these cameras. It's amazing you can still get some "work" out of them. This type of photography reminds me of some of the photos done by members here who use different types of Holgas and/or other "homemade" or older film cameras. I hope they see your posts.

Liz

Sure thing- the b&w's are with a K1000, and the colors are with a Nikkormat

They're classics! My first "real" camera was a Pentax K1000, and the Nikkormat series (Nikon) was kind of a predecessor of the Nikon FE/FM series. Interesting shots.

I think an N8008s might not be a bad choice - but it is a whole different world than a camera like this. I guess you could call it the equivalent of today's F100 10-12 years ago. That's the first autofocus camera I had, and although the AF is pretty slow compared, for example, to an F100 it still is very useable in a lot of situations.

Thanks! I've been scouring ebay for the last few days, and I've hit most of the camera stores in my area already, trying to find something that just screams perfect. I'll definitely keep an eye out for a N8008s-you've recommended it pretty highly, and I think it might just be what I'm looking for.

Here's some info (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/htmls/models/htmls/slr88.htm) on the N8008 series. I see I was a little off on the date... Look for the "s" version, it has a built in spot meter and is supposed to be a little faster to use. Also has matrix and center weighted (what you're used to) meters, good on battery life, 1/250 flash sync speed, will meter with non autofocus lenses (many newer cameras like the N80 won't do this). IOW, you may be able to use some of those Nikkormat lenses.

I never owned an N90s but that's what replaced the N8008s. You also might find a deal on one of these, but I don't think the difference between the two is anything really huge. Good luck with whatever you end up with!

I love older cameras, the shop i used to work in specialised in them and i learnt on a K1000 arguably the toughest camera around. even today these cameras have much to offer us. many photographers learn "bad habbits" from their reliance on zoom lenses and autofocus. the array of quality lenses that is available for these older cameras and the quality of them is truly amazing. my personal favourite is a zenith photosniper. this russian beast of a camera came with its own munitions case filters reusable film cannisters and toolkit to repair it. they came with 50mm and 300mm screw mount lenses. the camera was built onto a gunstock so that you could hand hold the 300mm lens more easily. the shutter could be fired by a trigger and the 300mm lens had a geared focus knob at the bottom of the lens so you could cradle the camera like a shotgun. this camera is so strong it is handy to have to keep muggers at bay.
a little off the topic i know.
do you have access to your old nikkormat lenses? as these will fit on many of the newer nikon bodies (although you will loose much of the manual function) but all other manufacturers do not support their old lens mounts on newer bodies.

does anyone know anything about a nikon fg? i found one at a local camera store, and I don't know if I should get it or not. They're asking $150 for it and a 50mm lens. I read the reviews on this site, and they were very positive, but I'm not sure if that's a good price or not. Help appreciated.

Here's some info (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/htmls/models/htmls/slr8283.htm#fg), about 1/3 down the page. I think I'd probably stick with an FE or an FM if this is the kind of camera you're looking at. Basically, the FE has an aperture priority automatic mode and the FM is totally manual (like the K1000). They can be found near the bottom of this page (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/htmls/models/htmls/slrmain5979.htm).

You might also try KEH.com (http://www.keh.com) they have a great selection of used equipment. I've purchased lens rated at "bargin" for my dad's Minolta SRT 202 and they've been in great shape.