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I've used the Nikon
Coolpix 950 and I love it.
It is incredibly versatile, and it would be truly impossible for me
to get many great shots without it because it is so small, quiet, and
portable.
This is my first excursion into digital photography. See the separate page for a more complete review. |
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Medium format
-- this site |
Manual and semi-automatic 35mm
cameras |
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Nikkormat
FTN -- about 30 years old. A heavy, rugged, all manual camera with a
built in basic light-meter. Takes Nikon AI lenses, which are excellent. I use this for
most of my black and white photos. It is ideal on the copy stand for old photo
reproduction and close-up work. Displayed with a 135 mm f 2.8 lens, which is good
for portraits. I also have 28mm, 50mm, and 80 - 200 zoom lenses. I sometimes use macro
lenses, and a 2x extension tube. This camera can be purchased on the used market for $125
to $150 without a lens. I have seen it as low as $50, with a lens, at a thrift shop.
Look around. It has a self-timer and pc flash cable outlets, one for X and one for
M. Shutter speed from B to 1000. Mirror lock-up feature. |
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Pentax MG -- -
an all-purpose aperture - priority
camera. No manual override. Not by any means expensive, it is easy to use, quite
small, and reliable. Many good lenses are available for it. Shown is a
versatile 28 - 205mm zoom with a 1.4 macro feature. I use this camera for many
prints that end up on the website. Does not have flash cord jacks, but does have a flash
mount. I also have a straight 50mm lens and a 135mm 2.8f. It is almost worn
out by now, and I will replace it soon. The Pentax ME is very similar, but has more
controls, including manual override. |
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Konica TC -- One of the first Auto exposure cameras that was a top
seller. Shutter priority or manual. Flash synch at 1/250, with both PC outlet
and hot shoe. Cloth shutter. Very easy to use and durable. Many good
lenses are available. This one has a 1.8 40mm. A great student or travel
camera that delivers fine results. |
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Yashica TL-Electro, Pentax Spotmatic. Pentax K
-1000 Great student cameras. All manual, speeds to 1000, plus B. The
Yashica and Pentax cameras use 49mm screw lenses, which can often be found very cheap on
the used market. The better ones, such as those by Takumar, are excellent.
Yashica flash synchs at 1/60, plus hot-shoe and PC jack. If you're travelling to an
undeveloped country and don't want to take an expensive camera, get one like these, then
sell or trade it before returning. There are many similar cameras made from 1950's
to 1970's that are good, too. |
Also
recommended: |
Canon A-1 and AE-1
Program. Nikon F-series. Nikon FE -- etc. |
Electronic 35mm
Very common today, and most are built very well. Many
lenses are available. Some have fairly complicated controls and others requires
dedicated flash for best results. Best to get one with manual over-ride to
electronics. Main problem with this type of camera is dependence on
batteries. No battery, no picture. Not good. The better ones have
cast aluminum or titanium frames under the plastic. If the electronics fail,
you are
out of luck, and it will be sudden, without warning. I always have a manual
camera available. |
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Nikon N70
-- very versatile and
durable. Same type of electronics as some of Nikon's top cameras, yet it
doesn't cost a fortune. Very light in weight, compared to the F series. Can
take older Nikon lenses as well as the new auto-focus ones. I have a 28 - 80 general
purpose auto-focus lens on it and a 70 - 210. Autofocus is quite fast, and can take
around 3 fps. Useful camera for fast action, slides, and portraits. Its
complex automatic matrix metering system is very effective. All manual adjustments
are available, too. Manual, shutter or aperture priority, programmable, up to 3
frames per second. Very versatile and accurate on-board flash. No flash
cord or standard shutter release jack, unfortunately. |
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Nikon F801/8008 -- This is my primary film
camera. It's not the latest or fanciest Nikon model, but it does the job well
and I use it often. It's built very well and I've never had a problem with
it. Many features include shutter speed of 1/8000, program, shutter, aperture,
and manual modes. Respectively fast auto-focus and excellent exposure meter.
Shown is the Nikon SB-25 speedlight.
The Nikon Speedlights are excellent flash units that read TTL ( through the
lens) light settings. With the proper cable/adaptor, you can hold the speedlight off
camera and still get TTL light readings. The SB 25 is for wide to medium angle
lenses ( 24mm to about 135mm ) |
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Olympus IS-1 Self-contained autofocus(no manual
focus over-ride) with excellent 35-135mm lens. Can be set to Program, Aperture
priority, or manual. This is a very useful camera, and delivers good results, but it
has a few negatives: No PC outlet, and the hot-shoe requires a dedicated flash
unit. Awkward film loading, and goes through batteries faster than I would
like. Size is also cumbersome. Autofocus is quite slow, too. However,
its lens and other features, such as adjustable built-in flash, manual exposure over-ride,
and so on make it one I use often for web photos. Newer versions of this camera have
improvements, but I have not tried them. |
Also
good: |
Pentax
models, Canon Rebel and EOS series. Top of the line is the Leica R-8 and similar
models from Nikon, Minolta, Canon, etc. |
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Rangefinder 35mm |
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Leica M series or quality range-finders of classic
vintage. All old rangefinders from Leica, Nikon, and Canon, and some others,
are highly collectible. Lenses may be hard to find and very expensive.
Rangefinders are quiet and usually smaller than SLR's, making them unobtrusive. That
is good for press photographers.
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Ricoh 401
-- this is a very unusual camera, because it has a dual view-finder, both
waist-level and regular. It is old, and uses screw-in lens that was once a
standard. It's a very hardy camera, and I use it often. Built-in averaging
meter, aperture and shutter priority, self-timer, both X and M flash outlets.
Seen here with a Mamiya/Sekor F 2.8 28 mm lens and a Vivitar flash unit.
This old camera can produce excellent results. The waist-level viewfinder is very
handy on the copy stand and also for discrete photos, such as street
photography. |
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Canon TX
--
a basic but well-built camera for which you can buy many lenses on the used
market. Great student camera. Has an averaging meter with a
match-needle. |
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More camera review sites. |
