Thanks! Sounds like great advice, and that was one of my concerns about getting a used body with an FX sensor in general, and a D3 in particular..

Thanks everyone for all the great info!

While I was considering the Canon 5d (mk I for less than $500.00 used) as an inexpensive way to see how I like the Canon system in a full frame format; however, based on some of the responses here I am having second thoughts.. I can afford to take some time because I now have a friend's old Sony a100 to play with (although I'm not very happy with it).
The full frame is imortant to me because I plan on taking a number of landscape photos, and I've always been drawn to using wider angle lenses when shooting those type of photos..

The mirrorless option has come up; which on first thought sounded great because of it being less complicated, simplicity, etc., but I am concerned about preview in low light, auto focus, and lens compatibility.

Does anyone have thoughts on getting a Nikon D3? It's can be had for under $700.00 but it's only 12.1MP, but even that should be good for printing up to 16x20, right? My only other concern would be that, since they were largely a professional camera, it might be hard to find one without a huge shutter count...

Thanks,

Dave

Hi there.. none. Due to financial difficulties in the late 80s.. I had a number of nikon f lenses, two nikon bodies: nikon f2a and nikkormat, as well as a bronica etrs with an 80 & telephoto (cant remember fl, but i think a 150mm).

Hi All,

I am a new member and new to dslr photography. I am getting back into the hobby after being away for many years. I have a lot of experience in emulsion photography, and owned Nikon cameras for years and always loved them; however, since I am not committed in any way, I figure why not start with an open mind and see what some folks with experience would suggest..

I definitely want to get a camera with full frame sensor, so I was considering a Nikon D610, or possibly D750 to get my feet wet, but then I noticed that folks are selling used Canon 5D (12.8 mp) used for about 300 (body only).

Thoughts/experience about this model?

I don't have much experience with digital, so especially those with experience printing their photos could help here: my thoughts on megapixels is that 12.8 (12.7 'effective' though I'm not exactly sure what that means) is plenty enough resolution to print up to 16x20" prints..

I appreciate any and all suggestions and advice.

Thanks,

Dave

Thanks everyone for the excellent suggestions! Good points also as far as fast lenses go! I can see where they are not as much a requirement for digital, because the noise gained in higher ISO settings isn't nearly as much as the grain we used to get for high speed film. However, I do have some interest in wide field astrophotography, and in that area fast lenses are a real benefit. As far as other photography, you can also get a shallower depth of field with some of the shorter focal lengths in the normal to short telephoto range..

Thanks!

Hi there,

I am a new retread, just getting back into photography and have a lot of experience with emulsion and a Nikon guy for years.

I am not an expert, but I notice that you can get a used Canon 5d (12.8MP) body for a few hundred dollars.. of course, it wont work well with EF-S lenses, you would definitely want to move up to EF, but my thoughts are that once you get past 12MP, sensor size becomes more important? I do want to be able to print my photos. It seems to be a great way to get into a full frame sensor at a bargain..

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Dave

Hi All,

After being away from photography for many years, the fire has been lit again! From the time I was a teenager, until the early 90s I had been into it at various levels and have a LOT of experience with emulsion photography, including darkroom work.

Digital photography is new to me, and from what I can see, it's apparently completely different! I was also into astrophotography for some time as well.. My understanding is we dont have things like reciprocity failure, but we have new things like dynamic range, noise, bias, etc..

I am currently borrowing a friends Sony a100, and it's great for starting out; however, the lenses he has are slow, and I was a Nikon guy for many, many years, as well as a Bronica medium format.. so I dont think it will last too long for me. I will probably get into a Canon or a Nikon because I've come to understand that they're both a great choice.. However, I'm leaning toward a Canon 5d 12.8 because it's a great way to get into a full frame camera for just a few hundred dollars, and I can find out if the Canon system is right fo me.
Of course, I will practice with the Sony for a while, and read around these forums and hopefully gain some insight into the digital world first.
Of course, if anyone has any suggestions for someone starting out, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks,

Dave