Doc Johnson wrote:
Newly here but amateur enthusiast have a Nikon FG which is a wonderful camera but film is getting harder to find. Love to shoot B/W again film supply is dwindling. Interested in switching to digital and would like something comparable with the FG as far as capabilities but know very little about digital cameras. What are comparable digital cameras that don’t suck the wallet dry. I’m disabled but can still get out and enjoy the hobby. Advice is appreciated on selecting a digital array of equipment, something comparable to an F1.8, 70-210 zoom and 28 or so wide angle are what I currently have. Have two flash units Vivitar 283 and a Sunpack. Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance
Newly here but amateur enthusiast have a Nikon FG ... (
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1) Film is NOT hard to find. There are more choices available now than ever before. You just have to order it online from places that deal in volume and variety... Try B&H (
https://www.bhphotovideo.com ), or Adorama (
https://www.adorama.com ) or Freestyle Photo Imaging (
https://www.freestylephoto.biz ).
There is a current cult resurgence in film photography, sparked by hundreds of "how to..." videos on YouTube, and school art departments that still teach it for a variety of arcane reasons.
Most people either scan or macro photograph their film to digital files, so they can share them. Although I haven't loaded a roll of film since 2004, I have all the negatives I ever exposed, and slowly have been digitizing them with my camera.
2) Digital camera choices abound. There are FOUR major interchangeable lens camera formats now... Medium Format sensor cameras (Fujifilm sensors are around 33x44mm) are excellent but pricey. Full Frame (24x36mm) are also excellent and expensive, but less so. APS-C cameras (with about 16x24mm sensors) can be very affordable ($500 for a body and two lenses at the low end), but still yield excellent images. Micro 4/3 cameras (with 17.3x13mm sensors) are often more expensive than APS-C, but tend to be better built and much more compact. They, too, offer excellent image quality.
3) dSLR or MILC? That is the choice today. A dSLR retains the same mechanics that have been in SLRs since the 1950s. An MILC (mirrorless interchangeable lens camera) is equipped with an LCD/OLED display on the back, and probably an electronic viewfinder to replace the reflex viewing system on an SLR. There are still great reasons to use dSLRs, but the market is moving rapidly towards MILC technology. It is available in all four format sizes.
4) CROP FACTOR is an issue. It is a multiplier that helps you understand how focal length on other formats compares to focal length on FULL FRAME (24x36mm) cameras. For instance, a Micro 4/3 camera sensor has roughly 1/4 the area of a full frame sensor, so the crop factor is 2X — a 25mm lens on Micro 4/3 is comparable to a 50mm lens on full frame. A 35mm lens on an APS-C camera is the rough equivalent of a 50mm lens on full frame. Medium format sensors have fractional crop factors that vary with the size.
Each format choice has specific advantages and drawbacks. The larger sensors are like larger film. They provide better images in low light. But there are just as many reasons besides absolute image quality to buy the smaller formats!
If I were you, I'd probably go over to
https://www.dpreview.com and do some reading. They have many comparison guides for every class of camera available. Both Nikon and Canon offer dSLR kits in the $500 range. Olympus and Panasonic have a few low end Micro 4/3 offerings, but they are likely to be a bit pricier.
Consider USED gear. UHH members generally mention KEH, MPB, Adorama, B&H, and UsedPhotoPro.com (Roberts Camera) as reliable, ethical, and trustworthy used camera and lens sources. If you are leery of used gear, read this article:
https://www.weibull.com/hotwire/issue21/hottopics21.htm The Bathtub Curve concept is very real! It explains why many of us let someone else take the depreciation hit on the value of equipment, as well as the initial failure risk. Better used camera dealers include a six month warranty on most of their gear.
Also consider FACTORY REFURBISHED gear. Refurbs are units that were opened, then returned. They may have been demo units in a showroom. They may have failed during the initial few uses, and returned for replacement and a thorough overhaul. Usually, they have the same warranties as new gear, but cost substantially less. And for various reasons, they tend to be as reliable or MORE reliable than new gear.
Good luck, and welcome to UHH!