Which SLR ??

P

Pepe

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First off : I'm cheap. But I need a few things.

I have Minolta MD slrs, An oly Pen FT and XA2.

But None of these offers rear curtain sync. And in two weeks I'll be taking pictures of a stag night in a bar/disco where it's, frankly, pitch black. Like I-couldn't-read-the-menu-black. So I guess not even TriX at 6400 will help me...

I'll need to flash.


I could of course use my Canon G3, which I plan to do if all else fails, but there's also ANtwerp's trimestrial camera fair next week (Schijnpoort, nabij het sportpalijs, zondag 16e) and I was thinking : "how about you get a new slr?"

I use to have a Minolta 600SI, but it started acting weird, and Sony had just taken over the Minolta line, and I sold all of my AF gear.

So I'm free from brands....

So here the 10-asa question : Do I get me an older Canon, NIKON or Pentax ?

I dare say pentax offers the nicest (for me, I like IS and I'm cheap remember) digital to upgrade to if needed, but the NIKON N80 looks nice and not to expensive, too....

Reading specs is one thing... experience is another. Tell me, do I look for an Elan II or an N80s or whatever Pentax has of a decent type ?
 
The F80 (USA name for the N80) is actually a pretty good choice for your specific application - it has a built-in flash and works with Nikon VR lenses (Nikon's term for IS). I used one for a while and enjoyed the camera. Unfortunately it will not meter with Nikon's pre-CPU lenses. The F100 will meter with the old lenses and is a more rugged camera, has a few more features, but lacks a built-in flash.

Advantage to Nikon over Canon for you might be the ability to use older, less expensive, but high-quality manual focus lenses as well as the newest VR ones, since Nikon never changed mounts as Canon did (FD to EOS). The pre-AI to AI mount change hardly counts as you can easily have the oldest lenses converted for ~$35 US.
 
Why do you want rear curtain sync? I've used flash with my RFs for years with great results. I used a off camera flash (vivitar 283, 192) for lots of crazy stuff. That and a 35mm lens ('Cron) was all I needed.

Help me understand new stuff!

B2 (;->
 
Rear curtain sync is nice in some situations. For instance, if you're taking a shot of a ballet dancer and want a 'ghost' leading up to the sharp flash image, it's great. Without rear sync you end up getting the beginning of the 'scene' flashed and sharp, so the trail ends up backwards. :)
 
You can pick up the Nikon f 801s (or whatever the USA designation is) very cheaply these days. It has rear curtain sync with the SB 24, 25 etc (also cheap as they do not work in TTL mode with the latest digital cameras) and was the top amateur Nikon camera of the era. (ie Mid 1990's) It does not have its own builf in flash however - but I do not know of any that do which offer built in rear curtain sync.
 
I've got a whole closet full of old Pentaxes. The all still work and have wonderful glass. However, I don't think any of them offer rear curtain sync, unless there's a technique that I'm not aware of. If BillBingham2 can explain how he does it, I'd love to learn and start using it. I've got a Sunpak 383Super. Ok, back to the Pentaxes. The great thing about them is the lens compatibility. You can use an old KA lens on a K10D with no restrictions other than the loss of auto focus. I'm not the only person who knows this. Try looking on KEH's website for KA glass. Almost non existant and what they have is expensive. You can also use K and M lenses, but you lose Program and Shutter Priority. If you don't need them, they have loads of the K's and M's. Don't shy away from them either, as they are just as good optically. The build quality of the older lenses was also very rugged, most outshining the best of todays. Also you get speed with the primes. Older Pentax zooms were hit or miss. I had a Takumar 28-80 F3.5-4.5 that was fantastic. I dropped it, bent the barrel, had it repaired and dropped it again on the first day I had it back and decided to retire it. Got a Tamron 28-75F2.8 Auto focus to replace it with. You can also use the new lenses on the old cameras, assuming that they're not intended for a small digital sensor. Also they must have an f-stop ring on them. The bodies are cake. They cost $100 for an ME Super or a Super Program, and they last forever. Also, very sturdy. If you want to go crazy, an LX in great condition is $500 or so. I think some of them had shutter problems, though. Pentax has a loyal following and there are good reasons for it.

BH
 
The F80/N80 has rear curtain sync, as did the N8008s that I think was an earlier camera.

People say that sophisticated flash control has been one of the real strong points of the Nikon system in contrast to Canon, but I don't know enough about Canon or Pentax to judge whether this is true. Built in flash does work well on the F80 though.
 
The only Pentax's with trailing shutter synch are a couple of the DSLR's when used with the latest 2 flashs. The shutters in the LX are no problem. However, they do need to be serviced every 20 years or so. The mirror dampers go soft which causes the mirror to stick if the camera has not been used for a while. There is therefore a slight pause before the shutter fires. Once this has happened, it will work well until left for a while. If you want low light performance, the 50/1.2 is a cracking lens.

Kim
 
Make sure the flash supports rear-curtian sync. Sounds like a lot of gear for one photoshoot, but then again, the old stuff is so cheap now.

Good excuse to buy a T90, 35/2 and a 300 flash?

I'm a Canon shooter, but if were to start from scratch, I'd go Nikon. Their higher end dSLRs let you use old glass, and FM2, FM3a are so cool.

Mark
 
Like Kim Coxon, I am biased, but the Pentax P3n is my favorite. I just bought another on Ebay for $9.95. Is that cheap enough? It said 'excellent condition' with the codicil that the bezel over the film advance was missing. Eric Henderson was able to provide another with the one screw to attach. This very small SLR is Complete Auto, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, or full manual with meter. The only thing I don't like about it is there is not DX Code over ride.

Edit: I forgot that every screw mount M42 lens, and K mount works on it. I have about twenty lenses that will fit it.
 
If you like the P3, try and find a P5. More modes including 2 program ones with better manual overide. Still no DX overide but you can use the exposure compensation to overcome this.

Kim

charjohncarter said:
Like Kim Coxon, I am biased, but the Pentax P3n is my favorite. I just bought another on Ebay for $9.95. Is that cheap enough? It said 'excellent condition' with the codicil that the bezel over the film advance was missing. Eric Henderson was able to provide another with the one screw to attach. This very small SLR is Complete Auto, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, or full manual with meter. The only thing I don't like about it is there is not DX Code over ride.

Edit: I forgot that every screw mount M42 lens, and K mount works on it. I have about twenty lenses that will fit it.
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The best bang for the slr buck these days, I think, is the Nikon F4s. Pro camera, traditional controls.
 
FrankS said:
The best bang for the slr buck these days, I think, is the Nikon F4s. Pro camera, traditional controls.
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I think it all depends on what you're looking for. :) The SRT101 I got recently I thought was amazing bang for the buck ($28 w/ 50mm lens) and then a cow-orker ended up so fond of it when he checked it out that we found him one with a 55/1.8 and 135/2.8 for $50 in excellent working condition. Glass-wise, I think the Minoltas and Konicas are the best deals out there; the lenses are dirt cheap and very nice!
 
I think a lot of what you are trying to do could also be handled by using a more powerful flash. If you are using a small aperture you trails should be not visible before or after. There was a photographer that did a lot of pre and post trail stuff that was quite stunning 20 years ago. The issue is the delta between the existing light and your flash output. Use a smaller fStop and life will be better. Faster film would help too. This also limits the need you have to focus if you are shooting say a 35mm lens (great DOF).

I bet you can outsmart DX with a bit of electrical tape and tin foil

B2
 
Bill, no amount of delta between existing light and flash output is going to make regular flash look like rear curtain sync. The only substitute would be a significantly small aperture / slow film and a hand-fired flash right before the shutter closes.
 
I've got to put in a plug for the N80 (aka F80) as well. I have one, and use the rear curtain sync with the built-in and an external (SB50DX) flash. It always seems to work at the default settings just fine. The N80 will take any AF lens and a few MF lenses that have the electronic contacts on the lens-mount. It has full manual control with the two control wheels.

And you can find them for under a hundred bucks on the internet.
 
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