Best alternative to digital slr?

Question

Im very interested in photography but i just cant afford a digital slr....what would be my best alternative to that? that could possibly keep me occupied while i save money for a better camera

Answer 1

Your options are (in that order of preference):

- Used older models of digital SLR

- Film SLR

- Used Film SLR

- Advanced point & shoot like Canon G9.

There's really no substitution for SLR, if you're serious about photography as an art. Even the cheapest SLR will over perform the best point & shoot hands down, and will have much better control over things like depth of field, focus, etc.

But if you MUST buy a point and shoot, get one of the advanced ones. It's really out of competition, but better than nothing. It will have the right controls and all, but it still has a tiny sensor and no real through the lens view....

LEM.

Answer 2

Advanced Point n Shoots will probabaly be too expensive as they typically cost as much as a low end dSLR.

You could try and find a used dSLR for a decent price.

Other than that, consider one of the SuperZoom Digital Point and Shoots like the Canon S5 or the Nikon P80.  Both, while they will not give you dSLR quality shots, will work and act like a dSLR, and give you a decent zoom to work with in the mean time.

Answer 3

If you're really serious about photography but can't afford a DSLR just yet, try film.

You have a lot of options there, and going for cheap.

For SLR all you need is a decent photo shop in your area and ask alot of questions to get the best deal on either new or used.

For laughs you can look on ebay and find a decent rangefinder, while you're saving your money for a SLR digi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangefinder...

The Russian Leica copies (like a few of the Feds and Kievs) are actually quite good, sport a sharp lens, and alot of fun to use. You can find one for about 50 bucks or so. (I bought my Fed 5C for 35 bucks).

Answer 4

Two options.  If you like film old used 35 mm SLR's are really cheap.  If you want to go digital the Kodak Z812 IS gives you 12X zoom and only costs $250.

Answer 5

Either save money, or get a Canon S5 IS, the high end digital camera.

Answer 6

The best way to learn photography is with a 100% manual 35mm film camera. The Pentax K1000 or a Minolta SRT-202 or a Canon FTb are all affordable on eBay or from on-line camera stores.

Buy the body and a 50mm f1.7 or f1.8 lens and you'll be good to go. Be sure to get the Owner's Manual with the camera.

There are also a couple of books worth having: "Object & Image: An Introduction To Photography, Third Edition" by George M. Craven* and "How To Select & Use (Minolta or Canon or Pentax) SLR Cameras" by Carl Shipman.

By using a 100% manual camera you'll learn about f-stops and light and composition and shutter speeds and ISO (formerly known as ASA). You will also learn to take your time and actually think about what you're doing. The old adage "Get it right in the camera" will have meaning.

IMO digital cameras tend to encourage what I call the "machine gunner mentality" - shoot hundreds of pictures and hope a few turn out. I encourage developing the "sniper mentality" - one exposure, one good picture. (A person in here once stated that if they took 1,000 pictures and got 1 good one they were happy. IMO you'd get better results if you gave the camera to a chimpanzee).

The only real downside to choosing a Minolta or Canon manual camera is their lenses are not compatible with any DSLR. Both companies changed their lens mount when they introduced auto focus cameras back in the mid 1980s. Pentax still uses the same mount on their modern DSLRs as they did on the K1000 so their older manual focus lenses can still be used.

You can start with black and white film like Ilford XP2 Super or Kodak BW400N which are both ISO 400 and C-41 compatible. Any 1 Hour Lab can process and print them. Just stress that the prints are supposed to be black and white.

For color work I like Fujifilm Superia Reala (ISO 100) or PRO400H (ISO 400). I also like Kodak Portra 160NC (ISO 160, Natural Color) for people pictures and Kodak Portra 160VC (Vivid Color) or 400VC for scenics and nature.

Trusted on-line sellers for buying a used camera and for buying film are:

http://www.keh.com

http://www.bhphotovideo.com

http://www.adorama.com

http://www.beachcamera

* I think Craven's book should be used by everyone starting in photography even if they are using digital.