Buying A Camera

[ltrepeter2000]

One really nice thing about Ritz, at least when I was arranging to purchase my girlfriends Nikon is that the camera came with free professional classes to teach you how to use the camera. It is a series of classes to take you well out of the beginner stages.

 

[phishphorphun]

what comes out of the box,[/b]

Besides the body, you get the battery charger and one battery. It will have cables, camera strap, eyepiece cap, LCD monitor cover (always keep it on your camera), Camera Body lens cap, CD ROM, and manual.

You will have to buy a Compact Disc memory card. I recommend a 4 gig Extreme III. Pick up a spare battery also. You should always have a backup battery fully charged. And you will need a nice camera bag. Make sure it is big enough in the beginning for you to add extra lenses and flashes.

Lenses are extra and will be addons, even with kits. Most retailers put different packages together. I would go to B&H online and do all your pricing there. Then I would go to Buydig.com and buy it. I have bought a Nikon D70 and D200, both from buydig.com. Reliable and usually a little cheaper than B&H. Personally, I would stay away from Ritz. I got all my original 35mm SLR equipment from them years ago. Too high in price and never was satisfied with the knowledge of the personnel.

In Baltimore we have a couple really qualified retailers. The best one is located in the Hampden area on Falls Road. Service Photo. 410 235-6200 www.servicephoto.com. They stock everything. And all the good high end stuff too. And they are priced exactly the same as B&H. Recently I bought my Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 VR lens and a Gitzo tripod from them. I spent $1,700 there that day and felt good about it. Exactly the same price as the online folks. Also like to mention that many of the professionals shop there. So many times you will be able to get a "field" opinion from one of their customers and not be concerned about being sales pitched. And they sponsor classes and seminars at hotels given by factory reps and pro photographers. If you want to hold everything before you buy it. And you want someone to look in the eye when you have a question. I trust these folks a lot.

 

[marge618]

Kevin.

that is my christmas wishlist, a digital camera, been reading up on the d80 myself, what prices are they going for now ?

Rob

<div class='quotemain'>I'm leaning towards the D80 so much I'm about to fall and my wallet can't get up.[/b]

[/b][/quote]

Sooooo... Which camera did you buy? Let us know what the lessons entail. Sounds like we can learn along with you..and then know what to put on Santa's 2008 list!

 

[Artee]

haven't bought one yet, I am broke from shopping for christmas presents, definitely the d80, but if my mobas starts cranking up some more frys, might upgrade to d300.

<div class='quotemain'>Kevin.

that is my christmas wishlist, a digital camera, been reading up on the d80 myself, what prices are they going for now ?

Rob

<div class='quotemain'>I'm leaning towards the D80 so much I'm about to fall and my wallet can't get up.[/b]

[/b][/quote]

Sooooo... Which camera did you buy? Let us know what the lessons entail. Sounds like we can learn along with you..and then know what to put on Santa's 2008 list!
[/b][/quote]

 

[Artee]

I will be ordering my d80 next week, I borrowed one during my recent travel and was impressed with the results. any recommendation on camera bag and best place to buy? I was looking at the Tamrac expedition series 5587 Backpack, which can acomodate a 15 " laptop, and a generous compartment for the camera and extra lenses.

juts added:

buydig recommends that i get the digital concepts filter, not sure about the brand. any input on this ?

 

[Spine]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Artee @ Feb 21 2008, 02:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I will be ordering my d80 next week, I borrowed one during my recent travel and was impressed with the results. any recommendation on camera bag and best place to buy? I was looking at the Tamrac expedition series 5587 Backpack, which can acomodate a 15 " laptop, and a generous compartment for the camera and extra lenses.

juts added:

buydig recommends that i get the digital concepts filter, not sure about the brand. any input on this ?[/b]

Robert,
I ended up getting my camera at BestBuy around Christmas time. They don't match internet prices(local stores only)
Ritz Camera had the camera advertised for $999 so I got BestBuy to price match.
I did find some internet vender's that offered the camera for $20-24 dollars less but I decided it wasn't worth the wait especially since the store I went to is only ten minutes away.

Once I got home I was getting ready to throw away the Ritz Camera ad when I noticed the camera they had advertised came with the 18-55mm lens and mine came with the 18-135mm. When you compare camera prices make sure they are offering it with the same lens you want.

I don't know enough about camera bags or filters maybe Bobby or Mike can chime in on that one.

 

[phishphorphun]

When it comes to bags, I suggest you find a store that has a nice selection and check them out thoroughly. Allow yourself space to grow with the bag. I have the Lowepro Omni Tracker and as big as it is, I grew out of it in no time. You will need a bag that can hold at least one body, two to three lenses, spare batteries, a speedflash, filters, teleconverters, and manuals and other miscellaneous stuff.

As your equipment increases, you will have to pack the lenses you will need when you go to shoot. You'll never get a bag that can carry everything.

If you get bit by this bug, as many of us do, you will be buying several lenses. For all of you considering to get a new DSLR camera, this following list of my of equipment may give you a realistic idea of what to expect to acquire down the road:

Nikon D70 and D200 bodies
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens
Nikkor 60mm F/2.8D micro lens
Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G vr micro lens
Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF ED wide angle zoom lens
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 xr Di zoom lens
Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G vr zoom lens
Nikkor TCII 1.7 teleconverter
Nikon MB-D200 Battery pack
Two circular polarizer filters
Six Nikon Closeup Filters
Two Nikon SB800 Speed flashes
Gitzo Carbon Tripod w/Wimberley head
Manfrotto Monopod with head
Two camera battery chargers
Four rechargeable camera batteries
Two fifteen minute battery chargers
Sixteen rechargeable flash batteries
Four cf memory cards
Lowepro Omni Tracker bag
...and oodles of miscellaneous photography stuff.

Also remember that with digital photography, you need a pretty fast computer with lots of memory (I recommend at least one extra hard drive for storage). A good software package like Photo Shop (CS2 or CS3) for post processing. And if you want to print large images, a good quality wide capacity photo printer (I have the Epson R1800).

So while your initial investment seems like the BIG PLUNGE. If you get bit by the bug, it will only be a fairly small investment in the long run. My six lenses alone totals about $4,200. And the next lens I get for bird shots, will be at least a thousand dollars more than all the others combined.

And you all think tanks and filters are expensive.