iam an architecure student , i do alot of photography , what is the best affordable camera to get???

Answer 1

In architectural photography the key is to have a camera which has perspective controls so as to correct for things like parallax. If you are really serious consider a 4x5 rail mount view camera(also called a studio view camera, not to be confused with a field camera) because of the wide variety of movements these cameras can make. http://www.klcphoto.com/images/ViewCamera_large.jpg
However if you want a camera that can be utilized in applications other than architecture consider a digital slr with a perspective control lens such as this http://shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/lenses/0801sb_tilt/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_control_lens
I have to warn you that perspective control lenses can be expensive, I would suggest you go KEH.com and consider a good used camera.

Answer 2

Simple answer - there is none.

The best camera depends on a lot of factors that YOU decide on.

- What is the minimum picture sharpness (how many MegaPixels)
- What type of (zoom) lens do you want.
(in digital camera`s - the more optical zoom, the better)
- What kind of battery do you want (Rechargeable AA or AAA batteries that fit in your MP3 player as well?)
- What type of memory do you need - is the memory expandable.

Determine what you want, and need - and set a budget.
Then, go to a good shop where they have these cameras, and ask - if they have recommendations, ask if you can hold the camera so you can get the feel - does it sit right in your hand, does it weigh too much, or not..

Then, you choose the best there is within those parameters.

Enjoy the shopping.

Answer 3

If you don't care about optical distortions, the recommendations for an SLR, DSLR or even a digital point and shoot are fine. However, if you wish to correct for optical distortions caused by perspective, or will be planning to publish your photography, you may need to consider other types of equipment that allow 'camera movements' to make the perspective corrections. From this point forward, I am presuming that you are interested in Architecture Photography. Without the corrections, many of your buildings and structures will appear to be either converging, 'falling over', or 'falling back'. If you can get farther back and shoot a building's exterior with a telephoto, you can get around the need for a camera movements and just use a regular SLR. You probably won't be able to avoid this problem if you are upclose or indoors.

LARGE FORMAT:
The most economical choice for camera movements today is the large format (LF) view camera (sometimes called a monorail camera) or a field camera (which is a more portable version of the view camera)...both offer full camera movements. You will mainly be using the rise movement to correct the optical distortions. There are a lot of good used view and field cameras on eBay. Adding lenses can be expensive, and learning how to use one is like learning photography all over again, but you will end up being a very skilled photographer. Setting up a single shot in LF photography takes a long time, and there are many places to make mistakes; however, the end result if successful is very satisfying. Digital backs are also an option, but those are very expensive. Before diving in, hook up with a Photo 3 or Commercial Photography student and ask to demo their setup, take the class, or try renting.

MEDIUM FORMAT:
There aren't as many options for camera movements in medium format (MF), and they can be more costly in this format. The main benefit is a much faster workflow than Large Format, but you won't get the wide range of movements as with a LF. I know you mentioned 'affordable' in your criteria, so this is given just for your reference. A MF setup can actually be heavier than a LF setup. Your choices for medium format cameras include:
- Mamiya RZ67 (with tilt-shift adapter and short barrel lenses - expensive!)
- Fuji GX680 (big and bulky...don't get the S version)
- Hasselblad Flexbody or Arcbody (limited and expensive!)
- Various Tilt and Shift lenses (also expensive and limited)

SLR/DSLR (35mm):
There are not a lot of common SLRs with movement capabilities (they exist but are rare.) Most people dedicated to SLR work will find themselves getting a Tilt or a Tilt/Shift lens. These can also be expensive and movements will be limited. Your choices include:
- Canon Tilt and Shift Lenses (very expensive...only works with Canon EOS)
- Hartblei Super Rotator lenses (less expensive - available in MF and SLR mounts.)

POST CAPTURE:
Say you can only afford a digital point and shoot camera. Certain optical distortions can be corrected in Photoshop. This correction is limited, and overusing it can result in an unnatural looking photo. But not a bad economical approach.

SELECTING LENSES:
I echo the other comment that you will probably want to avoid a zoom lens. A prime lens, though not as convenient, will offer better edge-to-edge sharpness; however, some of the more expensive zoom lenses now have edge sharpness that rival the primes. You would not care about edge-to-edge sharpness if you are into portrait photography, but it is very important in Architecture Photography.

After seeing how expensive and limited things can be for camera movements in the MF and SLR world, Large Format looks like a real bargain, but it represents a whole different world in photography.

Hope this helps

Answer 4

FAFFing is what photography is all about, why do you think photographers are so expensive, they do charge by the hour! Yeah your photo-phone is rather limited on its use as a 'decent' camera. Still you don't seem to have the time to learn how a (D)SLR works proficiently so I'll recommend a point and shoot. (I want to say a Glock 9mm) but the Canon SD 1000 is a good start up the ladder.

Answer 5

Hi:

For the last few digital cameras I've gotten for myself and for presents to others are the Canon Powershot digital cameras. I usually get the ones that are a little less than on the cutting edge, because they usually have enough resolution for me and features for me. The last one I got was a 6m version for about $159 off yahoo shopping about mid November last year, so I bet the price has gone down even more for that one by now. I've gone with Canon because they are really easy on battery life and they can use regular rechargeable AA batteries. You might try just going on yahoo shopping too and looking at the most popular current brands, and check out their reviews. That's what made me initially go with Canon. I also just set my a general price not to exceed, and chose the best sounding camera based on that, and it worked.

Hope this helps, and the best of luck in finding a good camera that you'll love. :)

Answer 6

I'm assuming you do allot of photos of buildings, whether digital or film, choose a goo SLR. Brand is up to your heart (considering film used or mega pixel for image size. If you do large images (digital or film) look for a medium format camera. The most important piece is "lens". Get a good quality prime (no zoom) lens, it should be the biggest part of your investment, my opinion would be Cannon or Nikon (35mm) carl zeiss lens for medium format. Lines in you photo will be an issue most cameras will curve lines (distortion) , you can either use photoshop to fix or use a lens with tilt/swing (or attachment)..

As for recommendation, I like Nikon D2Xs (more expensive) or D200 (affordable) specifically. The lens is your choice based on your requirement.

Answer 7

For 35mm film, I would say the classic Pentax k1000 or the canon rebel k2, both runing around 200 which is a good price for a good camera

I'm not to sure about digital

Answer 8

I really like my Casio Exilim EX-Z70. It's really slim, which means it's always with me. I keep it in my jacket pocket and never have to think about it-- It's always there in case I need it.

It's really handy and easy to interface with my computer. Everything is really intuitive.

I got mine at Shutterfly, an internet seller, and I've been happy with everything about it. They have it at Wal-Mart, I think.

Oh, it has a USB cable that comes with it, but it also uses a SD card (not included - darn!), which you can plug into lots of computers, palm pilots, whatever. It's a common card.

Best of luck!

Answer 9

film? digital? (d)slr? point and shoot? budget?

Assuming you are looking for a digital camera, I'd go to the Cnet site to filter a body or two with your price range and hit DPreview.com for an in-depth review/comparison.

Answer 10

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