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any camera guru's out there? i have a question... prolly an easy one too. come here and make me feel dumb!!!

spanky

spanky

Lifer
what's so special about an SLR camera? why are they generally so expensive? i mean... sure there are camera not labeled SLR that cost a lot too... but there are many who are relatively cheap... meaning sub $100. what so specail about SLR's?
 


<< its all in the lense?? >>

I'm new to this as well and so I'm guessing he means the fexibility to switch lenses. Also there are a lot of options for SLRs (ie flash, filters, tripod, manual settings) but I think this is not the reason why they are so generally so expensive 😕.

^bump because I'm interested as well!
 
Its the lenses, the ability to change ISO's, the ability to control exposure settings, blah blah blah. There are huge differences between SLR and point-and-shoots. SLR are much more involved to operate, but the images can be far better if you know what you're doing.
 


<< Its the lenses, the ability to change ISO's, the ability to control exposure settings, blah blah blah >>



That sums it up

SLRs come with all the fancy stuff you won't usually find in a $10 point and shoot. That includes higher zoom, autofocus, shutter speeds from 30 seconds to 1/10000 second, motor drives, higher focus sensing range...etc...

The usual difference between a cheap and expensive SLR is that the lense was more carefully made like something along the lines of Carl Zeiss

You really wont need an SLR unless you are an amateur photographer...

Buy a digicam =D
 
Advantages of SLR:

- switchable lenses
- adjustable f-stop / aperture
- adjustable shutter speeds
- better pictures

If you don't know why people spend over $100 on a camera, perhaps you should just stick with your Polaroid or cheapie auto-zoom.
 
hey this is really intersting stuff 🙂 i have a SLR from back like 7 years ago (hand me downs). any links so i leanr more? i hope to kne day be the photographer at the playboy mansion. if i get it... HOUSE PARTY!!!!
 
i know it's made by pentax... not sure about the model. maybe i'll fiddle with it once i unpile the mountain of stuff off my bed 😀
 
Another reason for the price the lenses are much faster normally then point and shoots, even cheap lense are f4.5-5.6, and point and shoots start in the f6 range and run upto f13.

I got a brand spankin new pentax zx-l sittinat the fedex depot, I was hoping to get yesterday🙁. Should be Monday, but that starts finals week😕
 

"its all in the lense??" is the correct respond. The full name for the type of camera you have mentioned is Interchangeable Single Lens Reflect (SLR). The ability to mount any lens that require for the situation on a single body is what cost money. The ability to fit over 50 EF lenses for the Canon EOS series, over FD 40 lenses for the Canon manual is the real cost for an SLR. Nikon cost the most is because it can fit over 100 lenses to a body in auto or manual.
 
I have been into photography for a few years on and off, but it has been awhile since I've actually been in the lab. So lately I've just been taking the photos, but SLR's are great for beginners (compared to mid- and large-format cameras) the first SLR I used was the Pentax K1000, probably one of the best selling all manual SLR's to date. But now I have a semi-manual Nikon and Pentax, but I think I want to go back to the all-manual design since you have so much more control.

How Cameras Work
What is an SLR?
 
metering capabilities of pro SLRs are a big deal for field photographers. Cameras like the Nikon F1 and Canon EOS3+ have incredibly good metering capabilites and autofocus adjusting (The latest EOS cameras being able to track your eye movements very well and focus on what you're looking at, for the most part, in the viewer). I couldn't possibly go into explaning the details of metering abilities, but check out Popular Photography for a decent resource.

Ability to connect to more extravagant flash setups is a must for studio photographers (of course most sutdio photographers would rather use medium or large format). As light tweaking can make or break a picture.

Lenses are also make an incredible difference. For example, the $24,000 1200mm pro lenses with f-stops as wide as 2.0 (that only companies like national geographic and time would ever buy (loan) their employess) are incredible, allowing enough light to take a pic fast enough to stop motion. (atleast 1/500 sec IMHO) Lenses also differ in resolution, and image quality. Moreover, the ability to add filters to those lenses can have dramatic effect on the pics. (polarizers, filters for halogen, flourescent, etc. lighting)

SLRs can take pics at very high rates as well (15fps i think), allowing you better promise of getting the best picture.

The benefits to having an SLR (if you're serious about photography) over a simple point-and-shoot are endless. Though, many if not most serious photographers also use simple point-and-shoot (even disposable) cameras for many cases.
 
As mentioned throughout, the adaptability of a Single Lens Reflex camera is endless. But neglected was the fact that what you see in the viewfinder is what the camera will take as the photo. You're seeing the image through the lens...this is from what its name derives.
 

If my memory serve me correctly.....
Canon use to make the scientific 1200mm f:2.8L extreme telephoto lens for the manual line for special order till 1996. I think it was list some where around $100 000.00 USD. The $24 000.00 USD that you quote is probably for the EF 600mm f:4.0L.

Canon Lens perfomance chart.
 
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