a great problem to have - help me blow this $$$!!

[Steve M.]

Well, there's the NFL championship games coming up. Always a good opportunity to make a profit on your money🙂.

I'm older and if not wiser, at least more experienced than I used to be. What I"D do w/ the money is forget the DSLR and get a good film camera. No, I'd get a great film camera. Buy a Leicaflex w/ a 90 2.0 Summicron. Maybe $700 for the two. You would be very hard pressed to find a better lens for portraits, and the Leicaflex viewfinder is a joy to look through. When I let people take a shot w/ it, the usual reaction when they look through the focus screen is "Wow". Always nice to see what you're doing when taking a portrait.

If you're heart's set on shooting digital, get a DSLR w/ a big, bright focus screen and put the Leica 90 Summicron on it. Then put the rest of the money in savings. You'll be better off if you take a while to decide what to do w/ the remainder.

 

[tbarker13]

But it doesn't sound like the OP is in a position to save any of this money. He buys what he wants/needs and then gets reimbursed.
I assume that means he also has a set time frame in which to use or lose the grant money.

 

[meezy]

steve, well, i appreciate where you're coming from - my preference has always been for film. i own a maxxum 7000, canonet 17, zenits E & 19, and a k1000 - and a host of excellent lenses to go with them. i myself just wrote a flippant yet vitriolic rant against dslr's no more than a few days ago - but this is a digital photography class i'm taking - and so, a digital camera is the prerequisite - and that's what the money is earmarked for.

 

[filmfan]

This is easy: Canon 5D mark II.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Pentax and LOTS of weird old glass?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Biggles]

I know bugger all about the digital market. But, in general terms, I'd go with $3800 worth of top-flight portrait glass and a $25, 1-megapixel Altoids tin for a rear cap. That's my philosophy, anyway, for portrait; above all else, the glass.

Why? Because I want to be able to count the flecks in the iris from low orbit. On a 4X6. Might not always use it, might not always need, it, but I'm always happy knowing it's there.

Confidence in one's kit helps make good pictures.

 

[kkdanamatt]

Two Choices

Two Choices

If your are a rangefinder kind of guy, then I'd recommend a factory refurbished and fully warranteed Leica M8 body and some good used glass; a 35mm and a 75mm combo from the C/V stable would be easily within your total budget.

If your are more comfortable with an SLR, I'd recommend a Nikon D700 or a Canon 5D (MK I or II). Add either two fast equivalent focal length primes as mentioned above or one of the fast 28-70 f/2.8 zooms. Also, check out the less expensive Sony and Pentax DSLR bodies, although your lens choices would be less varied, especially with large apertures.

Either way, I am envious of your "problem." Good luck.

 

[gavinlg]

Travel and do portraits. Get a used Nikon D300 for $900 and a $200 35/1.8 DX prime, a $100 18-55 DX zoom... a bunch of cards and batteries, a decent laptop maxed out w RAM and full version of Photoshop... a backup hard drive and go shoot your ass off. You should have enough change left over for a nice adventure or two. Try to leave enough cash around so that if your gear fails, you can run to Best Buy and get a $500 Nikon D5000 and a replacement laptop.

THIS.


Only I'd get a canon 5d cheap new or second hand, a 28mm f1.8 and a 50mm f1.4.

From there, spend the rest to GET OUT AND TAKE PHOTOS

 

[BTMarcais]

Since you say you like film... I might look into a system where you can use some of your lenses on a film body as well. And the lenses are definitely where you want to put the money (and maybe some lighting if you're doing portraits)... the camera is going to be the most transitory thing you acquire for digital.
I like Roger's idea about the ZF lenses btw, I've been lusting after some of the ZK's myself for my pentax's (pentaxi? eh. whatever... 🙂), and do have a couple ZM's which I love. The ZF's (or ZK's)will work fine on a manual film body, cheap to pick up. And on a crop sensor, the 50mm f/1.5 makes a nice short portrait lens...

-Brian

 

[snausages]

how would you blow $3825... what "kit" would you assemble, considering my interests and plans?

~m

What are your interests and plans? 'Travel photography' and 'portraits' could describe almost every photo ever made, in a thousand varying styles.

 

[antiquark]

Maybe start with a basic kit, then spend the rest on lenses later, after you have a better idea of what your goals are

Nikon D90 + 18-105 lens $1250
Nikkor 35/2.0 $400
Nikkor 50/1.8 $160
--------------------
Total $1810

The D90 has equal image quality to the D300, but isn't as ruggedized and weatherproofed.

You could also throw in an N80 or N90 film camera for ~ $100. That will let you experiment with film and give you a full frame format, and will be compatible with the 35 and 50 mm lenses above.

(Prices are Canadian approximations)

 

[kshapero]

Get a Nikon FM and learn the basics. Or a CV Bessa R3M.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Right now in your situation I'd get a digital RF and the CV 35 1.2, one of the best lenses in the world...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[kshapero]

Right now in your situation I'd get a digital RF and the CV 35 1.2, one of the best lenses in the world...

Cheers,

Juan

Leica M8 and that CV 35/1.2 would be sweet.

 

[meezy]

Since you say you like film... I might look into a system where you can use some of your lenses on a film body as well.

now THAT'S a good idea...

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

That's it! M8, 35 1.2 and M2, so you shoot film, scan, and tell your digital teacher it was the M8!

 

[meezy]

lots of votes for the canon 5d, eh? let's see what the boys at b&h and adorama say...

thank you everyone for your ideas. i know that i want to concentrate on getting good glass - especially glass that i can retrofit to film cameras that i already own!

 

[andredossantos]

I was at a holiday party a few weeks back and got the chance to play around with a 5DmkII with the 50mm f1.2 L in a very dimly lit room with all kinds of mixed lighting. I have to say that it was pretty impressive (and I am not generally a SLR Or a digital guy in terms of personal preference).

That combo would probably run more than what you have but if it were me I would try to cover the difference. Or, get a 5DmkI to save a bit on the body.

 

[Frank Petronio]

You don't have to spend a lot to get great lenses, and the cheaper ones are smaller and lighter too.

But for a totally different POV you could get a used Leica M8 and a couple of VC lenses....

 

[kuzano]

Correct me if I misunderstood what you said....

Correct me if I misunderstood what you said....

I was a little confused by your second paragraph. Your interests are travel photography..... and because you feel the need to make money... also Portrait work. Gosh, it seems as if you are really saying you would have chosen Travel Photography, except there's no money in it.

A huge number of National Geographic photographers and Travel Photojournalists would take issue with the implications of that statement.

Of course the direction you choose to ultimately go is very personal, but it seems to me that you are shooting down your first possible passion and considering that portrait work is much more likely to keep you in gear and paychecks.

I seriously doubt that, since as you stated that's what everybody is doing to make money. Do you hear the contradiction in that.

Before spending the money on gear, nail down the direction a bit more.

However, when it comes to gear, I do have an opinion. Get the best low count canon 5D MkI you can find for $1000 to $1200, a fast canon prime, and a 24-105 L series IS lens. You should be in about $2500 to $3000, and have a versatile kit to get started with.

Just my thoughts, but you really caught me off guard with that second paragraph.