Selecting Your First SLR

The Camera is only a box that holds film.

     Yes, and your car is only a box to hold human bodies. The camera has to have a highly accurate shutter mechanism, precise linkage to the lens to stop down the aperture at the proper moment by the correct amount. It must advance the film the same amount each time, cleanly and without ripping the sprocket holes. It must read one or more light meters, either presenting the information to you, so you can make informed decisions, or feeding it to the shutter and aperture so the camera can get a good exposure while you are working on other matters. This little film box has more going on inside it than most automobiles. In expert hands it will react faster than the speed of events, always there, always leading. Organizing history one chip of film at a time.

      It’s a box to hold film. Get one that not only allows you to hold film but lets you do what you want to do. Your hands will eventually play that body the way Eric Clapton plays a guitar or Yo Yo Ma plays the cello.

Manual or Automatic?

     Should you start with a manual focus camera? Many people advise this course, claiming it will "force" you to learn the basics of photography, allow you to buy a less expensive "used" camera, and be easier to focus most of the time anyway. It’s an interesting argument, but one without basis in reality. Lets look at these three points.

     Is force necessary? I presume you are taking up photography voluntarily. At least I haven’t heard of anyone being compelled to learn photography on pain of imprisonment, or loss of life. Why does one need to be "forced" into doing what one already wants to do? You will either learn the principles of photography, which can be done as easily with an auto-matic as a manual camera, or you will not learn the principles of photography. If you choose not to learn, the auto-camera will still be usable as a fine point and shoot.

     Used cameras save money. I have been into photography for 34 years now. I could not tell you for sure which used cameras are in perfect running condition and which have fatal problems. No matter how they look from the outside, or even the inside, there is no way to be sure. It would take a few rolls of film to know much anything, and even if it performed flawlessly, I still wouldn’t know what might go wrong tomorrow.

    Even with a guarantee to work there is the problem of sorting out which is at fault for failed pictures. Did the shutter stay open too long, or did the beginner set it for the wrong speed? Is the meter off, or is the photographer not yet able to figure out where to point it? A sophisticated camera is a complicated piece of machinery. It can be off in some settings and work perfectly in others. Only a full and expensive bench test will tell you everything - except of course, the future.

     Even if there is no problem with the camera, it is hard for a beginner to know the good deals. Should you have an expert friend to help you pick out a camera you might very well do just fine. Remember though, your friend knows nothing about the history of that used camera either, and is not to be blamed should it fail. You must be willing to accept the help without passing on any responsibility. The last person you should trust on judging the condition of a used camera is the seller.

     Manual cameras are easier to focus manually. This idea is based on the split image rangefinder or microprism found centered in the viewing screen of most manual cameras. It is fairly easy to use these focus aids if you have enough light and a short focal length lens. Once you move to a telephoto lens, or a relatively dark zoom, or into low light, that central rangefinder turns into a black spot dead center, smack dab in the middle of your screen. To focus you have to rely on the ground glass surrounding it. This is exactly the same as manually focusing an auto-focus camera, only you get to use the entire screen - there is no black spot in the middle of an AF screen.

     So the advantages of manual focus become pretty marginal, if not actually dis-advantages. There are other arguments against auto-focus but most are downright silly "You’re at the mercy of the batteries", is one. Oddly enough I was told that in 1966 about my Spotmatic. It used a battery for the meter. The old timers who hung out at camera stores would shake their heads and tsk tsk. "That ‘ere auto-everything whizz bang, electro geegaw thingy of yours is gonna let you down. You’ll be out there in the middle of an important… nay, THE MOST IMPORTANT shoot of your life and that battery will up and croak, and depart this vale of tears, kicking the bucket, giving up the ghost, and leaving you, Sonny, with a dead useless camera, and no way to know what exposure to use" The spare battery was a concept not fully understood before the invention of the Walkman.

What features are Essential in an SLR?

     Even though you don’t need a manual camera, you do need full manual control of your camera. Any SLR that does not allow manual setting of each and every variable, is not going to work out as either a way to learn or a hobbyist’s trusted tool. You must have ALL of these features if you really want to learn photography.

     1) Manual shutter speed setting

     2) Manual aperture setting

     3) Manual film speed setting

     4) A sturdy body, built for constant use.

     5) Interchangeable Lenses

     6) Provision for Off Camera shutter release

     7) Depth of field Preview

     The first three are the trinity of proper exposure. They are so important, that every camera should be built with this capability. Unfortunately most Point and Shoots and even some SLRs will not allow the user to over-ride the automation. You cannot learn without full control.

     There are those who will tell you manual film speed setting is no longer important, as modern films are designed to work well at the factory ISO, and besides you have an exposure compensation control, and the film’s latitude will take care of any inaccuracies for you. Bull!

     The same people would have told you twenty years ago that this is something you could NEVER leave to a machine. However, twenty years ago no major manufacturer of SLRs was producing cameras without provision for user film speed setting. This is a case where brand loyalty tends to interfere with consideration of the user. They will make any and every argument for ignoring this "minor flaw" but few if any actually own a camera that is crippled in this manner, and if they do, it is not their only body.

     The forth is almost universal, as long as you stick to the major brands. Canon, Minolta, Nikon and Pentax make solid cameras that will last for many years. There are other good brands, but they tend to be more expensive. Avoid truly off-brand equipment, like Vivitar, Cosina, Soligar etc, and make sure, by asking someone who will not profit from the sale, you are getting solid goods. The usenet forum "rec.photo.equipment.35mm is a good place to ask. You’ll get a lot of answers, and many will be quite insane, but the resulting flame war will give you a lot of real information to use in making your decision.

     The fifth is universally accepted. There is little reason to buy an SLR that cannot accept interchangeable lenses . Oddly enough there are still a few on the market. Avoid them unless you have no choice.

     Few modern cameras have no provision for taking a picture remotely, however, a true cable release, or remote release in going to be a boon to your photography. Firing the shutter with the self timer is a pain, and you will tend to not use it. For one thing the delay is ten seconds and it will feel like hours, to you and your subjects. This essential feature might not actually be an essential to you. If your plans are for handheld vacation shots, then you would not use a remote, but by having it, you are not going to find yourself buying a new body for one seemingly minor detail. Needless to say, you will need to buy whatever remote the camera uses to take advantage of the feature.

     The last is now controversial. It should not be. Depth of Field Preview, is an essential. Again, twenty years ago it was universally agreed upon as an integral part of the use of an SLR. But just about then the camera makers were looking for a way to produce cheaper SLRs, designed to stay within price "points". Bodies were produced stripped of everything, including some of the standard shutter speeds. Depth of field preview was one of the casualties of the price crunch. An entire generation of photographers did without the tool until and unless they moved up to a semi-pro body. They have had to learn depth of field the hard way, through charts, and barrel scales and bitter experience. They would like you to do so too.

     Depth of field preview is what makes an SLR an SLR. Without it you might as well have a rangefinder camera, which will actually have better (uncompromised) lenses, be smaller, lighter, and operate silently. DOF preview shows you the picture as the camera will present it to the film. No chart or scale can accurately give you this information, not completely and certainly not with your eye to the viewfinder.

     Some argue that it is too hard to see through the darkened viewer. It is hard. If photography were easy - everyone would be a photographer. This is the most complicated aspect of photography, this is how you make your subject stand out from the background, this is how you discover the phone pole that appears to be growing out of your sweetheart’s head BEFORE you get the prints back from the lab and find out what "frosted" really means. Controlling depth of field is the real difference between photography and snapshots. Don’t leave home without it.

Other Features

     There are other features that the salesman will be raving about, as he attempts to steer you to the camera with the best kickback for him. Most of them are nice - and many are truly amazing, but none are really necessary for learning photography. You should worry about these only if you are satisfied on the essentials,

     Eye Control Focus

     In Camera Spot Meter(s)

     Auto-Exposure Bracketing

     High Speed Shooting (frames per second)

     Image Stabilized Lenses

     All these and many other features are good things, and if you have specific plans that will benefit from some such feature, you should take it into serious consideration, and perhaps be willing to spend extra for it now. None are however, essential to learning photography. If, like most of us, your goal is not entirely clear, and your photographic desires only semi-formed, don’t worry too much about these and many other features.

Non-Features

     Every once in a while I read the packaging that surrounds some particularly simple daily item, like a pen, and discover it has a "Carbon Hardened Osmotic Fiber Point" or some other such nonsense. Don’t buy a camera just because the salesman has raved about the "Osmodite Fiber Hardened Carbon body" or the "Point Hardened Carbon-Osmographic lenses" Find out what he is talking about before you plonk down your cash. Again, the usenet is a good place to determine the BS level.

     Some salesmen will go into the "this is the one the pros use" rap. Which pros? And for what? It’s straight bull. Professional photographers come in many types, and styles, and they use cameras of many types too. Spend your time checking out the camera and tell the salesman to give it a rest.

     Another canard is "Brand X does not have the full selection of lenses available for Brand Z". Every company makes more lenses than you could possibly need. Don’t worry about it unless you really want to spend a hundred grand on glass.

Look and Feel

     You will find several cameras within your budget that will perform all the essential tasks. How does one decide? This is where it gets personal. Some cameras will not particularly appeal to you, others, like puppies at the pound will cry out to be taken home. You can learn to use and love almost any camera that is fully functional. Try them out. Don’t just take a quick squint through the viewer and set it back down to better listen to the sales pitch, take the time to try the controls, do some "shooting" through the store window. Figure out what is visible in the viewfinder, and how well you can see it - especially with your glasses on. Play with the focus and the zooming. Hold the camera vertical, by dropping your right arm until it’s below the left. Is it comfortable? Try it the other way around, with your right hand on your forehead. Do you find this camera works better for you one particular way? Does a different body work better the other way? Does one way feel better to you?.

     If you know someone who owns an SLR, ask to handle it, have them show you how it works. Spend some time on this. A camera is as personal as a musical instrument. Feel is as important as function.

     At the same time, if you stick with the popular brands you will not be buying a dog. They are all good cameras, so you CAN choose by favourite colour, and get away with it.

The Myth of "Bound for Life"

     Finally: Don’t worry about how this camera will suit your shooting style twenty years down the road. Many people will tell you that you have to choose your brand with that in mind RIGHT NOW because it’s for LIFE. You can never - nevernevernevernever - change brands. You are trapped forever by the decision you make today. They are basing this upon your purchasing a body or two or three and several lenses and many filters, and a few grand worth of brand specific accessories, getting it all home, and deciding the other brand has some minor feature you can’t live without. You’ve got to get a different camera!

     Are you planning to run out and spend several thousand dollars today, on something you neither know, nor understand? I hope not, but if you intend to do so, then you will probably not make a very good decision on any of the equipment you buy, and no matter what brand you swear your allegiance to today, you will not be satisfied tomorrow.

     If you buy a camera body and a lens of brand A you can eventually trade it in on brand B when you know more about photography. If you take the time to really learn photography, you might discover that 35mm isn’t even the format for you. Or that you are a rangefinder person. You might find some brand that is never mentioned has exactly the features and style you want. You most certainly will be in a better position to determine what you need once you have some experience.

     In 34 years I’ve been through 4 brands. I’m now settled comfortably into the brand I will probably use for the rest of my life. Only once did I trade in equipment for what I consider to be a loss - and that had more to do with a slimy dealer than the equipment. I learned a valuable lesson, even while getting ripped off.

     On the other hand when I sold my first camera I got about a quarter of it’s original value. A big loss? How about the 12 or so years of use I got from it? I was not unhappy with the sale. I know my current camera sells used for about half the price I paid in buying it new. If I gave it away would I be losing money? I’ve had 8 years of good pictures. What is a camera worth per year of use, or per roll of film shot, or per month of satisfaction? It’s hard to say goodbye, but it can be done. There are no chains.

     Is there anything I haven’t covered? - You bet.

     Would you like a lens with that camera?