Questions on two cameras..

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DennisM

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
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637
Location
Northern Illinois
I am in the process of picking a new camera to get next week..

I am down to these two.

Pentax k2000
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=pentax+k2000&cid=7561204213581629301&sa=title#p

and the

Fuji Finepix s1500
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/fuji-finepix-s1500_product-details.html

I know obviously the |Dslr is a better choice but it is also 400 more then the fuji, I would get it through QVC and use the easy pay option. But my question is how much better is it for up close pics then the fuji? Is it really worth the additional cash? Only other thing it would be used for is school pictures at assemblies for the kids..

Dennis
 
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Here is my bit on the Finepix cameras. First I own one and am very happy with it. I also do a ton of editing on photos I put on my web site etc. I also have an uncle that was buying a family vacation type camera that is a professional photographer that bought the same camera I did at that time. So obviously my choice was a good one for me and was verified by someone that knows far more about cameras than I ever will. But here is a bit more about the "Me" in all that.
I wanted a camera that I could get pictures without spending a fortune and be bale to post viewable photos on the net. in a nut shell take a picture that looks better than what ends up on the net. 10 meg does that and then some. I also want to be able to get good quality pictures for my web site and am able to do that also. But this is not a top of the line pro quality picture taker. I don't care I am not a top of the line pro photographer either and would not likely be able to take advantage of the abilities of the higher end cameras anyway. look at the home page of my web site. the photo on the home page was taken with my Finepix camera and edited in photoshop. it is actually a collage of several photos all laid over a background. this is an example of what the camera and photoshop can do
Statesman%20Header%20Photo.jpg
 
And yet you dismissed the Nikon D40x at 500.00 which is in the range of the pentax. Is there anyone near you that can support either of these cameras? In other words try out accessories, lenses, technical support on how to use the cameras? I belong to a photo club that have members that range from simple point and shoot to Hassleblad we only have 2 that own pentax digital cameras.
 
mredburn said:
And yet you dismissed the Nikon D40x at 500.00 which is in the range of the pentax. Is there anyone near you that can support either of these cameras? In other words try out accessories, lenses, technical support on how to use the cameras? I belong to a photo club that have members that range from simple point and shoot to Hassleblad we only have 2 that own pentax digital cameras.
Click to expand...


Didnt dismiss it, My budget for it is about 200.00 cash on hand, the finepix comes in just under that, and if I goto QVC and use the easy pay option the payments would be about 120 a month for four months.

I would much rather have the Nikon d40x! Jgrden has a great camera forsale and at a great price, But it is a little above my current threshold. Now if he wants to take cash and pens I would jump all over it! :)
 
I'd push you towards the D40 (I have a d90). You may not immediately notice a difference but the cheaper cameras have limitations which may or may not hurt you in the end. So what is the right camera depends very much on what you use the camera for.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you ever go to upgrade (because you ran into one of those limitations) you will quickly find out that a fixed lens digital camera is worth very little. With a DSLR you get a longer value life, and you can keep the lenses even when you sell the body to a budding amateur. Some of the lenses I use in the D90 are 10 yrs old and still fantastic. The important question isn't which one takes better pictures, but which one takes better pictures when...
 
If your budget doesn't fit a DSLR then don't go there. I know it will ruffle a few feathers to say so but DSLR's are overkill for the type of product photography we do. I would only recommend one if you want to get into other types of photography and have the budget for lenses, filters, etc. Otherwise, get a point-and-shoot or DSLR-like model. They'll be more than fine for pen photography.

The Fuji Finepix series is a very nice range of cameras. I don't think you can go too wrong with them. Be sure to do some research on your model at Digital Photo Review.
 
You can do very excellent macro (pens and smaller) photography with almost any camera.
Pick what suits you and your budget. But, do also get a tripod, that is the key to really sharp photographs. The built-in stabilizers in today's cameras are great but they do not replace a really steady camera. On the tripod, use the self-timer so the shot is made without human interference.
For detailed information on the cameras in questions, or almost any digi camera, check out DP Review. It is a HUGE and great digi photo discussion forum.
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/

BTW, Daniel: You really need to work on your photography. Not! ;-)
Great stuff there.
 
If your goal is photos for viewing on the computer, almost any digital camera
made in the last 10 years or so is likely more than you need. If you're printing, that's
a different matter. As a rule, monitors are low resolution devices. You need about
a 15-20 times larger digital image for printing than you do for display on a monitor.

So if web work is your goal, start looking at specific features that YOU will use, not
the ones the brochure tells you is most important.

I've had many Fuji digital cameras since they first came out.. starting with a 640x480
version with a 1 MB Smart Media card. Used correctly, it is still good enough for
most of what you see online. But at a good resolution, it won't make a good print
much larger than a thumbnail. I think the current one is 6 megapixels or so. I got that
mainly because it would shoot completely manual and save in RAW format. Most of
the bells and whistles are things I don't really want.. but I needed a camera that
would let me shut those things off. Too many cameras try to do it all for you (which
is probably good for the average point and shoot situation) and I wanted the option
of going off on my own.
I'll second and third the tripod and timed shutter. In fact, if it lets you attach a
cable release, that's a plus, too. Hot shoe and synch chord jack would be big
a big plus.. that will let you move a flash off camera or use additional lights.
 
I would not recomend you buy the Pentax just because you can make payments. Buy the cheaper camera that will do what you need now and save and research for a better camera later.
 
Looks like I may be able to work out a deal it Jrgden on the Nikon d40x camera with lens.

otherwise I will be going with the Fuji s1500 on weds..

Thanks guys..

dennis
 
OK, so now that you have that fancy-schmancy Nikon...

Want a great book for learning all that aperture, ISO, shutter speed stuff? Try this.

Also, I highly recommend the Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and/or the new Nikkor 35mm 1.8. Both are super sharp lenses and so cheap you can't afford not to own one. Note that these are primes so you'll have to zoom with your feet, but they're great for product photography.

Next let's talk tripods. You're gonna need a good platform for shooting.

How about a Gitzo with a Really Right Stuff ballhead? :wink:







OK, I'm (sorta) kidding about the Gitzo but, hey! You wanted to enter the DSLR world. :cool:


Enjoy that camera!

Neal
D80, 18-70, 70-300VR, 50/1.8, 35/1.8, Gitzo GT2540, RRS BH-40, SB-800
Smugmug Gallery
 
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marcruby said:
With a DSLR you get a longer value life, and you can keep the lenses even when you sell the body to a budding amateur.
Click to expand...

Also, you may want to look at the Sony Alpha series, or possibly a used Minolta DSLR. Sony bought out the Minolta digital line, and they still use the (formerly fairly common) Minolta AF mount lenses. While you're not likely to find a dusty old Nikon macro lens for $50 at the local pawn shop or on eBay, the Minolta stuff seems to turn up a lot.

Minolta and Sony both use a goofy flash shoe, but adapters are available for about $15 that will convert it to a standard ISO shoe if you want to use remote triggers for a lightbox or whatever.

My backup for the Alpha is an old Canon S2 IS, (bought used for $100) and I sometimes use it for macro shots even when I'm carrying the Sony, just because it is particularly easy to use for that.

The main thing to remember in terms of results is that light is cheap, compensating for it in cameras and lenses can get really expensive. When in doubt, throw more light out there. Even a relatively junky camera can do a fairly impressive job in full sunlight.

Also, invest in rechargeable batteries and a couple of chargers if anything you get takes AAs. Cameras eat batteries like crazy, so get one of the big 8-cell chargers and a small 4-cell portable, then every time you see NiMH rechargeables on sale, buy some. You won't regret it.
 
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