Any suggestions on entry level dSLR ?

Heseri

I'm think about buying a digital SLR camera for a long time. There are a lot of choices out in the market and I still can't make a decision.
Nikon D40 and Sony A200 are the two in my mind. Sony has a 10.2 mega pixels over Nikon's 6.0 mega, but I probably won't print out any photos bigger then A4. Nikon D60 and Canon 450D are also under consideration. Does it worth paying more for a entry level? Any another suggestion about other products?

Many thanks

Answer
Any of the entry level cameras are good, but you need to consider a little more into the future.

Remember that buying an SLR/dSLR is buying into a camera system. The lenses, speedlights, accessories are not universal.

Whichever entry level system you buy, look at what you can do upgrade wise. Nikon has a wide range of lenses that span back to the 70s that still work on all Nikon SLR/DSLRs made(some with some limitations). Canon is similar as well as Sony/Pentax(Pentax sold their SLR/DSLR business to Sony, so they use the Pentax camera mount.

Generally sticking with the Nikon/Canon brands are safest.

The biggest expense, and what should be given the most time is picking lenses. The DSLR market has become a "disposable electronic" like Walkmans, headphones and such. Every year or two, the camera makers come up with better camera bodies, better sensors, faster FPS. The one constant is the lenses. A good lens made back in 1980 is still a good lens today. Just make sure that you get the best lenses you can afford. Then when you are ready to upgrade, your lenses will go with you.

Also, do not be fooled by the "megapixel myth". More mp does not make better images. All it gives you is the ability to print larger or crop deeper into an image.

I've had plenty of great 8x10 images from my Nikon D50(6.1mp) as well as a 2mp point and shoot camera I started out with.
Image noise(or lack thereof), quality lenses, proper exposure and proper focus have more to do with getting good quality images than do megapixels.
Unless you regularly need to print bigger than 11x14, then a 6mp camera will do just fine. Even then, there are ways of doing some upsampling with software that can expand the usable size of a lower mp camera(Photoshop bicubic smoother, Aline Skin Blow Up, Genuine Fractals).

Are camera speedlights universal?

colorblind

I understand that lenses for dSLRs are very proprietary when it comes to companies (ie get a Canon camera and you can't use Nikkon lenses), but what about speedlights and other flashes? I'd like to start experimenting with off-camera lighting and i'd like to get a strobe that i can use for whatever dSLR i might buy in the coming years.

Answer
In today's world flash units are as proprietary as lenses. This is due to what's called TTL and is really a misnomer for "Off Film/Sensor Flash Metering". Minolta patented TTL back in 1980 and its first application was in the Minolta CLE which was the result of a partnership with Leica. Its next appearance was in the Minolta X-700 which had a line of TTL dedicated flash units such as the 360PX and Auto Macro 80PX.

With an X-700 in Auto Mode (Aperture Preferred) and a 360PX in TTL Mode the flash set the flash sync shutter speed and the camera controlled the flash duration based on the f-stop chosen. So I could confidently use an ISO 160 film and either f5.6 or f11 and bounce off a 12' white ceiling with perfect results.

The same is true of today's DSLR's with TTL and a TTL-dedicated flash.

However, if you are willing to give up TTL, there are flash units that can be used with various DSLR cameras. An excellent choice would be the Vivitar 285HV*. This flash features a Bounce Head as well as a Zoom Head (but no swivel head), has a Guide Number of 120, has 4 Auto f-stops (f2, f4, f8 & f11), has Variable Power (1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/16) and most importantly a Trigger Voltage of ~6V which makes it safe to use on your DSLR. Its fairly simple to use: just set the correct flash sync shutter speed on your camera and then 1) Set the ISO you're using on the flash and 2) Choose an f-stop based on the distance you're shooting from by looking at the dial on the side of the flash and set that f-stop on your lens. No TTL compatibility but an excellent flash for less than $100.00 brand new. Add the Wide-Angle panel and your coverage is from 28mm to 105mm. Since the unit doesn't have a swivel head you'll probably want to buy a flash bracket that allows the flash to swivel so you can use bounce flash in portrait orientation. Vivitar offered one and still may. Its a left hand grip but quite comfortable to use. You can occasionally find them on eBay.

* If the flash doesn't say "285HV" DO NOT USE it on your DSLR. The older versions have a very high trigger voltage and may fry the electronics of your DSLR.

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what kind of camera can use old SLR camera lenses?

universal dslr camera lens image

Bridget

I need to find a digital camera that can use older SLR camera lenses. What kind of mounting system would it need to have?

Answer
Just get the same brand (or mount) of camera the lens is made for. So if the lens is for Pentax, get a Pentax dSLR. If the lens has a Nikon mount, get a Nikon dSLR. The same is true for Canon. For Konica-Minolta lenses, you can get a new Sony dSLR. Most other manufacturers have dropped their old mounts in favor of the 4/3 mount but you may still use them with an appropriate adapter.

Going back to Pentax lenses, as long as it is a K-mount, you can use it on the new dSLR immediately in aperture priority and manual modes. Pentax has changed its mount only once and the older screw (M42) mount will only need a cheap adapter to work on the new dSLRs (also at aperture priority and manual modes). If you happen to have medium format Pentax lenses, you can still use them on your new dSLR, again with the correct adapter.

As for Nikon and Canon, you have to be very careful on what you mount where. Although some will mount without problems, they may not function properly. Some Nikon AF lenses won't autofocus on the newer dSLRs. With some lenses, metering won't work so your only choice would be full manual. Search the internet for lens compatibility charts to be clear on this further.

At any rate, there are many adapters that enable cross-brand mounting. Finally, there are very cheap adapters to mount universal screw mount (M42) lenses on almost any brand of dSLR on the market today. Of course you will lose most if not all automatic functions.

I have a Vivitar 450/SLD film and I was wondering if I could use my Vivitar lenses if I got a new DSLR camera?

Courtney

One of the lenses is a 55 mm auto and the other is the zoom lens which are both vivitar. I was just wondering if I could use my Vivitar lenses if I got a new DSLR camera like the Nikon D300.

Answer
Yes. The Vivitar 450/SLD was an M42 Universal screw mount camera, so lenses that fit it can be easily used on most modern DSLRs with the use of an adapter. However, Nikon DSLRs are not well-suited to using vintage lenses because they will require an optical mount adapter which will degrade the quality of the image. A Canon DSLR, on the other hand, is designed be easily adaptable and you can get simple mechanical-only adapters for M42, Nikon, Pentax K, Exakta, Yashica, and many other mounts. Most types of vintage lenses, including your M42 lenses, will be usable on a Canon DSLR with their full original image quality. If your primary interest is using vintage lenses, I'd highly recommend Canon over Nikon. (for other uses, obviously, Nikon may be better suited.) Vintage lenses often have a much higher build quality than modern lenses and can produce very nice results. Keep in mind that vintage lenses are manual focus.

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