A Buyer's Market

The impact of digital cameras makes amateur photography affordable!

With the advent of digital cameras, it's now easier and cheaper than ever to step into the world of photography by purchasing a 35mm SLR.  Here I will go over the absolute basics if anybody wants to go beyond the realm of vacation photos and family pictures.

There's a world of pictures out there just waiting to be made, and there's no better way to capture the moment than with a 35mm.  Yes, digital photography is capable of alot of things, but there is still no digital camera on the market at any price that offers the flexibility of an old-fashioned 35mm SLR.  You can still get the high-quality digital computer files simply by having your film processed at a location which can create a CD for you, such as Wal-Mart.  As images go, these files are huge, of at least the quality to be able to print your own 8x10 portraits, or order a number of sizes of prints online.  In addition, the major problem of digital photography is that every single one on the market has a shutter delay; a slight delay in time between when you press the shutter release and when it actually takes the picture.  So, the action that was happening when you started taking the picture isn't always what's going on in the final product.  Plus, there's a whole world in film types which digital cameras have yet to be able to reproduce affordably.

So, what do I buy?

Search ebay for 35mm SLR Cameras .  There are four name brands which are extremely good, no matter how old they are.  Those are Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and Konica.  I personally have a Pentax ME Super which I bought from an eBay seller for less than $100, far less than the $499 - $999 retails these types of cameras can cost.   SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras offer a distinct advantage over their "point and shoot" counterparts, in that you have a wide variety of film types, lenses, and filters you can use.  There are excellent books which do a wonderful job of telling people how to use their cameras and even how to emulate such professionals as the staff of National Geographic. 

Camera Body

First, you need a camera body.  Any item sold as a "body" means that it does not come with a lens.  Often, when current photographers get new cameras, instead of selling a lens with their old camera, they will sell just the body and keep the lenses for use with their new camera.  Lenses are all interchangeable in this manner.  Watch out, though, because the Canon EOS Rebel has types of lenses which only work on the EOS system.  Most other lenses use a standard "K" or "Bayonet" mount which can be used on most 35mm cameras.  Make sure you know what type of mount your camera has when you buy it, so that you know what kind of lenses you can buy in the future.

That said, the Canon EOS Rebel has its advantages to start off with.  I personally don't like the grip of the camera or how the controls are arranged, and vastly prefer the Nikon or Pentax.  All Canon EOS Rebels are essentially the same, so you can shop for what kind of feel you like, and you will most likely prefer that brand.  Pick something you can easily see becoming an extension of your hand and eye.

You'll find more about this in the next section, but keep a close eye out for auctions with multiple lenses.  My Pentax came with both a 50mm and a 80mm-200mm zoom, both with Skylight 1-A filters.  The more lenses and filters you collect, the more versatility you will have in photography, so be sure to give these auctions an extremely close look.

Lenses

Each different lens has a unique way of viewing the world.  From wide-angle macro lenses which work wonders with landscapes to telephoto lenses which can bring you within feet of your subject, each one has a different character which add flexibility to your photos. 

To start with, you probably will want a light lens suitable for quick, candid shots and for portability.  A 50mm is great for this purpose.  If you go lower than 40mm, though, you start to get into the wide-angle range of lenses which make absolutely horrible portraits.

A wide-angle is a very nice lens to have, though.  The same effect which makes them bad for portraits makes them wondeful for landscape shots, or to make a building seem to loom over you.  In close shots, the wide-angle lens begins to have visible distortions, with the center of the image being far larger than the periphery, which can make for some interesting effects on some subjects.

Finally, another must-have for the amateur is a zoom lens.  These lenses are often heavier than the camera itself and require skill to shoot with them without the use of a tripod to stabilize the camera.  The reason is that the lens incorporates a slide, allowing you to change the zoom level along different focal lengths.  Some zooms are very short, only 150mm or so.  200mm is a nice mid-range, and they often will widen all the way out to 80mm.  400mm zooms are in the higher price range, but offer awesome potential to really "tighten in" on your subject.  200mm, though, is a portrait standard.  The distortion effect of a zoom is wonderful for portraits with the proper filters.  They allow the photographer to stand back from their subject, often with a tripod, and make the head-and-shoulder shots we're all familiar with thanks to the advent of the high school yearbook.

Filters

Filters can screw onto the end of a lens, to add an additional effect or help with the general image you're trying to produce.  They're also valuable because filters are the absoulutely cheapest thing you will ever buy for your camera, and you can leave the filter on in order to protect the lens itself from dust or scratches.  Filters come in a multitude of effects and colors, but most of the time they're used to eliminate the pests of the world of photography, such as glare.  I'll go over 4 lenses which are essential to the amateur photographer.

The Skylight 1-A eliminates reflections off of the lens itself.  It prevents problems which happen when the lens is pointed at an angle near a light source.  It's great for both outdoor and indoor photography alike, and is most often the filter which people leave on a lens to protect the focal lens itself from scratches and dust.

The Close-Up 2x and 4x changes how close you can be to your subject to be able to focus.  Generally, a person has to be at least 3 feet away in order to focus clearly on them, but with these filters you can get right up in their face.  They change the focal point of the lens itself.  They can even be screwed together and then to the lens in order to increase their focal effect.

The Linear Polarized (LP) is an interesting bit of optical technology.  All light from the same source vibrates in the same pattern.  When that light is scattered by reflecting off of glass or other shiny surfaces, it changes that pattern.   A polarized filter has a free-spinning collar on it so you can see the results of what you are doing, so that you can see the light from a source without seeing glare from reflections.  The effect is most clear when you think about photographing through glass windows.  Most of the time, you don't want to do it because the only thing which will develop is the glare from the window itself.  But, with the polarizing filter, you can eliminate the glare and see straight through the glass.  LP's are an essential for outdoor photography in the city or near lakes, or especially in the winter where snow and ice can cause unwanted glare in photos which cause overexposure.

You can often come across filter "packs" which offer all four of these filters.  Toshiba has a product out which includes all four of these filters described along with a convenient storage case, and you can easily find these kits in auctions all the time.  What you want to be careful about, though, is to be sure that you purchase the correct sized filter for the lens you intend to use it for.  Since each lens has a different focal length, the end of the lens can vary in width.  To determine the size of filter you need, you just need to check the inside of the lens cap, or check any existing filter you may already have.  The size is measured in mm, and is the diameter of the lense itself.  Luckily, as said, filters are cheap, so it won't break your wallet to have a filter set for every lens in your collection.

Cleaning Kit

Cleaning kits are cheap, and you can find these at every camera shop around.  These kits include a lens cloth with microfibers that won't scratch a lens but won't leave residue behind, either.  They also include brushes, dust removers, and lens cleaner, all of which are essential to the maintenance of your camera.  Even the interior mirror and viewfinder need cleaning, so this kit is a cheap, easy to find need for the beginner.

Camera Bag

For a bag, you must consider several things.  How often will you need to pull the camera out of the bag (zippers are faster than clasps, but velcro is faster than zippers), how much equipment will you be carrying (from a small bag just big enough to hold the camera, 1 lens, and a few extra rolls of film to the 3 lenses, 4 filters and a managerie of film bags), and how you want to carry it.  Backpack bags are often great for outdoors people because they're easy to find in a waterproof variety, and you'll want to set any sort of packs down anyways before setting up for a shot: outdoor camera work often calls for using a tripod.  The candid shooter will want a hip bag so that they can go from having both of their hands free to capturing a moment within a split second.  It's all a matter of taste and decision, but don't let style alone dictate what you need.  Use an alternative for a while and shoot a couple rolls of film before investing in a bag so that you'll know what you're going to need out of one.  My bag, for example, is great for quick outings, but it doesn't have the capacity for my normal haul of the camera with its 50mm lens, an 80-200mm lens, 10 filters, 8 rolls of film, and an emergency cleaning kit.

Another thing you may want to consider is zen and the art of fooling a thief.  Nice leather bags may feel great around your shoulder, but they announce to the world that they're holding something expensive.  You can find all sorts of used bags made from canvas which look old and sometimes ratty, but they hold a camera just as well as their stylish counterparts. In addition, they don't catch the eye of potential thieves and pickpockets, and cameras are very easy to fence at a pawn shop.

Flash

Remember, a flash is essential to indoor photography.  To start, you can get a cheap flash which will mount on the hot shoe of the camera body.  Having a swivel-head flash is an added bonus, because you can point the flash at the ceiling (called "bouncing") to avoid harsh shadows.  Otherwise, you can also look at deals which come with TTL or PC-sync cables which will allow you to hold the flash in one hand and the camera in another.

In Conclusion

These pretty much cover the wish-list of anyone who's just become addicted to photography.  There are other great items you can buy, and after a while, you'll find that you never have quite enough equipment.  There are over a hundred of different types of filters, and an equal number of lenses, not to mention that most professionals use between two and four camera bodies.  Wedding photographers even go to the length of hiring an assistant to change the film in one body as he shoots with the other.  It's a never-ending world of accessories, and as your sense of wonder calls for different things, then you'll be coming back for more.  This is definitely a beginner's list.  Don't muddle yourself down with 65-peice filter sets or buying somebody's 10-peice lens collection, unless you manage to get a really good deal!  You'll spend so much time trying to get used to all of the different lenses that you'll miss the point of photography, which is having an immense amount of fun. 

Happy bidding, and happy shooting!