DSLR Cameras (is this a good deal?)

M

Mafo

Veteran X
alright so the background is my gf wants a digital slr camera for her photo classes at university. basically she doesn't have a ton of money but would be interested in spending a good hunk on something as long as it's a good deal (because she'll use the camera very extensively)

so here's the question, is this:

Amazon.com: Olympus Evolt E330 7.5MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-45mm f3.5/5.6 & 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lenses + 2GB Deluxe Accessory Kit: Camera & Photo

a worthwhile deal? she likes it, and it seems like a nice kit, but i know there are probably more experienced people here with this sort of stuff (or even someone with this camera?) so i thought i'd ask

porn will be provided for 24 hours:
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tell her to get a refurbed one man, they're generally 30% cheaper than brand new, and factory tested to be as good as they were when they were first sold (and generally come with a warranty, too)

apart from that, the old adage that comes with any sort of camera applies: if you want 'good' kit, its gonna be expensive, but if you want 'decent' kit that will get you through class, you can pick up some very good deals for cheap if you look in the right places

(I dont live in the US so I wouldnt be able to tell you where to go, though)

gl man
 
well i think she'd prefer a canon but this looked like a really good deal considering it's supposed to be 52% off

she doesn't need a new model or anything, and she found some reviews that said it was a good camera

Al'Muktar - thanks for the input, this one doesn't come refurbed and when the refurbed ones are the same price this one looked more tempting :/
 
college photo classes almost exclusively use film slr cameras. I dont know why she'd need digital.
well i think she'd prefer a canon but this looked like a really good deal considering it's supposed to be 52% off
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probably because olympus no longer exists as a company. its probably the worst buy you could make.
 
triple she says youre an idiot (like most other people on this board)
because even though a lot of universities still teach film, its pretty much obsolete in the real world and a lot of programs are getting rid of film and changing to digi, including hers.
 
I dont disagree that film is obsolete. That doesn't change the realities of what college photo courses usually do.

And ill have to doublecheck my concerns about oly, I thought they got bought out by sony but maybe that was someone else.

edit: yea, it was minolta, not oly. still.. stick with the big 2

And if you want a verifiable reason they still use film, the rationale is there are no do-overs like in digital, so you learn to get the shot the first time.

You spend $4 on a roll of film and overexpose the majority, you learn to expose for the shot quick. With digital.. oh, i fucked up, do-over.
 
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you could buy a used film SLR for like $30 on craigslist and actually learn something about photography and development.

Dont get an olympus, if she wants a canon get a canon. If you cant afford a canon, get a film slr or a point and shoot.
 
TonyElTigre said:
you could buy a used film SLR for like $30 on craigslist and actually learn something about photography and development.
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she would call you an idiot for that reguardless of whether you care what she thinks

you forgot to read the part about her knowing more about photography than you and realizing that film SLR are obsolete (whereas you couldn't put that together could you)
 
Mafo said:
she would call you an idiot for that reguardless of whether you care what she thinks

you forgot to read the part about her knowing more about photography than you and realizing that film SLR are obsolete (whereas you couldn't put that together could you)
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she must know a lot if she wants to buy the cheapest possible kit from an offbrand company with plastic lenses.

Honestly, you and your wife seem like genuine idiots. Buy the Olympus kit, i think its a good fit
 
triple said:
I dont disagree that film is obsolete. That doesn't change the realities of what college photo courses usually do.

And ill have to doublecheck my concerns about oly, I thought they got bought out by sony but maybe that was someone else.

edit: yea, it was minolta, not oly. still.. stick with the big 2

And if you want a verifiable reason they still use film, the rationale is there are no do-overs like in digital, so you learn to get the shot the first time.

You spend $4 on a roll of film and overexpose the majority, you learn to expose for the shot quick. With digital.. oh, i fucked up, do-over.
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all the courses ive taken in the last 2 years have offered a diffrent format for students with digital slrs.
 
My advice is either buy a Canon or Nikon DSLR. They have the best support of all the cameras, have a huge range of lenses and if she decides to shoot professionally these are the two that she will choose from later.
 
ahhhh stop. dont buy olympus they are crappily made abd have bad quality.

you can pickup a nikon d40 kit with 18 to 55 and 55 to 200 lenses for 730 dollars at best buy and several other online sources. its a fantastic starter slr that she would love. great build good quality and fantastic image quality. also its the smallest and lightest slr out. look it up. id find a link for u but im posting from a smartphone.

the nikon blows olympus out of the water.
 
triple said:
And if you want a verifiable reason they still use film, the rationale is there are no do-overs like in digital, so you learn to get the shot the first time.

You spend $4 on a roll of film and overexpose the majority, you learn to expose for the shot quick. With digital.. oh, i fucked up, do-over.
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Exactly. When I go out shooting, I actually take time with each and every shot. Over the course of a day, I might shoot 3-4 rolls (108-144) at the very, very most. It's usually maybe 2-3 rolls 72-108). The friends I go shooting with that are shooting digital? Usually about 4 times as many shots, most of which are just thrown away because they're just bracketing like or trying to figure out the composition just by shooting and seeing if it looks good enough. Not to say that every digital photographer does that at all, but it's a convenience inherent to digital that most new photographers will likely fall for.

Film teaches a very definite level of self discipline in regards to the art of photography. Even moreso if you are doing your own developing. Developing film is one of the most tedious, boring things possible. Knowing that you were a spaz and shot off 4 extra rolls of film because you can't figure out the shot before looking through the lens just makes that extra time developing that much more painful. The cost of the film is almost nothing (unless you're shooting infrared or high end color film), but that cost is still in the back of your mind too. "Hitting the button costs me X amount of money each and every time. I should probably make it count."
 
Killer Angel said:
My advice is either buy a Canon or Nikon DSLR. They have the best support of all the cameras, have a huge range of lenses and if she decides to shoot professionally these are the two that she will choose from later.
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you're an idiot!!!!!

actually you arent, i just wanted to give you a little warning of the response coming for your input.
 
Mafo said:
she would call you an idiot for that reguardless of whether you care what she thinks

you forgot to read the part about her knowing more about photography than you and realizing that film SLR are obsolete (whereas you couldn't put that together could you)
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She obviously doesn't know too terribly much because film isn't exactly obsolete. Yes, it may very well be for the average shooter, for snapping pics of the vacation, new baby, or for many commercial applications like newspapers, magazines, etc, but for fine art photography though? Film is still quite in force. Traditional printing processes are becoming more and more popular all the time as well.
 
What is she going for, photography in UWO? god damn thats kinda useless...
If she isnt going 100% for photography and its kinda a "hobby" thing for her, you might want to look at the next thing down from DSLRs from cannon/soy/nikon, like the S3/5,H5/7

They have extra lenses and such if ur wanting such. but they cost 1/2 as much as DSLRs yet have alot of the same parts of the higher end DLRs
 
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