Camera equipment at great prices

[TXCraig1]

If you are looking for a camera, lens or other photography equipment, consider buying used from a place that knows their stuff. You can save a ton of money without any compremise in quality.

I can reccomend KEH.com. I've had nothing but great experiences with them as have other members of my family.

CL

[pizzaneer]

What type of lens do you use to take your pizza pics again?  Really great results!
Seems to be a wide angle with a macro tube- do you use a tripod and shutter release, flash diffuser, etc?

[TXCraig1]

What type of lens do you use to take your pizza pics again?  Really great results!
Seems to be a wide angle with a macro tube- do you use a tripod and shutter release, flash diffuser, etc?

I use a Nikon Nikon 18-200mm VR (vibration reduction), flash w/ diffuser only if I can't get a pic with only sunlight. No tripod, but just because I'm too lazy to mess with it.

This lens will do 99% of all the photography you will ever do. It has an 11X zoom range, and the VR makes it effectively 2 f-stops faster.

[Jet_deck]

.... do you use a tripod and shutter release, flash diffuser, etc?

His camera lens was so dirty at the Summit, I had to suggest that he clean it.  Most of the pictures he took was standing on one leg, with both hands on the oven for bracing.

[rcbaughn]

Does the body really make that big of a difference? I found a Fuji film body on Craigslist for $140 but didn't know if that would be a crap shoot. Putting a expensive lens on a shoddy body may not work well, but saving the money if it will would be nice.

[norma427]

Craig,

I wanted to ask you or anyone else that knows more about cameras than I do.  I have a decent Canon EOS Rebel that can do many things and can take good pictures.  It also has an adjustable lens that also can do many things.  It isn’t digital though.  Only the place where you do settings it shows digitally what is done.  What the heck is it good for anymore?  If I can’ see what pictures I had just taken and have to take the roll of film somewhere to get the pictures developed, I guess they really aren’t that good.  What is your opinion on my camera.

Norma

[TXCraig1]

Does the body really make that big of a difference? I found a Fuji film body on Craigslist for $140 but didn't know if that would be a crap shoot. Putting a expensive lens on a shoddy body may not work well, but saving the money if it will would be nice.

It does make a difference. First and foremost, the body and the lens have to work together. For example, both Nikon and Fuji (S2 or S3) bodies use Nikon F-mount lenses. Canon EF lenses won't work or vice versa. Nikon has the widest array of lenses available.

Beyond that there are considerations such as:

Battery - the Fuji S2 uses 2 types of batteries (AA and CR123) this is a pain, but both are fairly common meaning you can still shoot even if you don't have a charger. The S3 did away with the CR123 and uses AA only - much better. I think most Canon models use some sort of rechargeable battery but not AA form factor, so you are not going to get one at the supermarket if you can’t recharge (buy a spare).

Shots per charge – my S2 may only give a few hundred shots per charge with rechargeable AA batteries. Many of the Nikons with their rechargeable batteries may get a thousand shots or more.

Sensor - most CCDs are smaller than a piece of 35mm film. This is called DX format. It's OK to use film lenses on DX format cameras but not vice versa. A film lens on a DX camera has an effective focal length of 1.5X whatever the lens is. i.e. a 50mm film lens on a DX camera is 75mm. If you have a camera with a full frame sensor, you must use lenses for film cameras. Full frame CCD cameras such as a Nikon D700 or a Canon 5D will be more expensive.

Size – a Fuji S2 or S3 is a BIG camera – one of the reasons they can use AA batteries. Nikon makes many cameras that use the same lenses but are much smaller.

LCD display – while it doesn’t directly impact the picture quality, it is really nice to have a large display on the camera to see your pictures. It’s pretty small on a Fuji S2 for example and this makes it hard to tell if you got a good shot or if it is a little blurry.

There are many others: megapixels, image size, sensitivity (ISO range), shutter speed range, flash compatibility, shooting speed, etc.

I’d check out some reviews of whatever cameras you are considering. A good place to start is http://www.kenrockwell.com/

[pizzaneer]

What year / model is your EOS?

"As of 2007, Canon has released no fewer than 40 EOS SLR camera models, starting with the introduction of the EOS 650 in 1987. In the 1990s, Canon worked with Kodak to produce digital camera bodies, starting with the EOS DCS 3 in 1995. The first digital EOS SLR camera wholly designed and manufactured by Canon is the EOS D30, released in 2000."

If you had anything but the 35mm film models, you'd be in pretty good shape.  Like you said though, who does film anymore?  You could  try to sell it on Ebay, I saw some ads for 35mm models there.

[TXCraig1]

Craig,

I wanted to ask you or anyone else that knows more about cameras than I do.  I have a decent Canon EOS Rebel that can do many things and can take good pictures.  It also has an adjustable lens that also can do many things.  It isn’t digital though.  Only the place where you do settings it shows digitally what is done.  What the heck is it good for anymore?  If I can’ see what pictures I had just taken and have to take the roll of film somewhere to get the pictures developed, I guess they really aren’t that good.  What is your opinion on my camera.

Norma

There just isn't much use for film cameras anymore. The lens might work on a digital EOS.

CL

[norma427]

Craig and Brian,

Thanks for your posts.  I can get a new battery at Battery world, but I see now what is the use.  The battery is in an enclosed case and lasted for many years.  I don’t know what year/model my Canon EOS is, but think it is over 15 years old.  I would have to find my camera bag and look at really what features it has.  I have taken great pictures with it, even in low light, but guess I won’t use it anymore. 

Craig, Thanks for telling me that the lens might work for a digital EOS.

Norma

[rcbaughn]

Wow, that is one awesome summary of what I need to look for in a camera. I definitely will probably go with a Nikon or Fuji, but that smaller body with the Nikon seems pretty nice since I'll be hauling it to football games and tailgates a lot as well. I'ma do my research before I purchase though, you made me realize just how much there is to consider when buying a camera. Pretty much before this thread I thought high megapixels and I was golden. LOL.

I usually do put a lot of research into something before I purchase it though and definitely love getting opinions from knowledgable people. Just goes to show you how damn versatile this forum is. From camera's to pizza to burgers, anything and everything gets hashed out for the better here. 

[Bill/SFNM]

For food photography, especially if you are limited to natural lighting, low-light sensitivity is paramount. Most cameras can take great photos in good lighting conditions. There are many factors that go into this characteristic.

One thing you can do is to go to flickr.com and so a search of photos using the camera you are considering. You'll get a very good idea of what the camera's capabilities are for all kinds of photos.

[parallei]

everything gets hashed out for the better here. 

Don't think I've seen hash discussed yet.  I've a favorite recipe for leftovers.  An old Julie Child recipe.....

[rcbaughn]

Don't think I've seen hash discussed yet.  I've a favorite recipe for leftovers.  An old Julie Child recipe.....

If you don't respect the Julia you can get out of here!! She is awesome.