Is it alright to buy a second hand NikonF65 ?

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Hi all,

I am a newbie in photography and I was wondering is it ok for me to invest in a second hand Nikon F65 and then upgrade later.

would be grateful if anyone could let me know which store has any specials on Nikon F65 or F80.

+ any good recommenations on self-help books on photography.

Thanks! :)

-- zccz (zeepzip@yahoo.com), September 26, 2002

Answers

Hi,

I'm also a relative newbie to photography and my suggestion for learning is READ lots!! There's tons of content on the internet.

To get you started you might want to check out: www.photo.net www.usefilm.com www.photograpgyreview.com

As for the camera, I myself recently bought a new f65, but as far as I can tell a camera is only a box that holds light, I wouldn't think there's much that can be wrong with a second hand f65.

Things you might want to consider when getting a camera are it's minimum shutter speed. There's very little difference between 1/2000 or 1/4000. Date functions (if wanted), mounts (if it has a metal or plastic mount), and if they have manual overide functions, so for instance ISO film speed settings..

But what really makes your pictures isn't the camera. It's the LENS! The lens(es) you choose will be more important then the camera. They come in different costs for different purposes. You really have to decide what you will be using it for.

However when looking for a lens, the following are a few things to look at: - Price - f-number (how much light it lets in). Zoom lenses (ie tamron 28- 200) usually have a higher f-value which means that they allow less light to pass through, while prime lenses (ie nikkor 50mm f/1.8) let more light in and can be used in conditions with lower light or slower film. - Zoom range - Sharpness - Size and Weight - Etc Also you might want to consider the cost of different filters for the lens, ie polarizing filters which cut polarized light and make skies bluer and things slightly more saturated. The size of the lens diameter effects the cost of filters.

Before anything, I'd proabably advise you to do a bit of reading, just to get a feel for photography and by then your choice will be clear.

But the (extreme) basics to photography are the following 3 items: 1. Lens Aperture (how big the opening is) 2. Shutter Speed (how long will the shutter be open for) 3. Film Speed

Basically to get a photo to expose correctly, u need a correct ratio of aperture, shutter speed, and film speed. [check http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm for a table, or even better read the whole thing {it will go a long way}]

Anyhow, i got a little side tracked, but to answer your question, a second hand camera [unless faulty] should be just as good as the new one.

-- BORED® (too@much.spam.there), October 06, 2002.


Thanks pal !!

Will definitely READ alot.you have given me so many links/tips and i think i will have a whole lot to read ! @__@

-- zccz (zeepzip@yahoo.com), October 09, 2002.


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