Responses
Paul Beique, 6/27/2005, 10:36:45 PM
Hi, Brianna,
We recently purchased a Canon Digital Rebel and three lenses. The whole package was a bit pricy, but it's brought a quantum leap in photo quality. I researched Canons and Nikons and spoke with the photographers at the local paper (who are strict Nikon users), and my results and their recommendation led me to go with Canon. The Rebel was less expensive but uses Canon lenses, which have a good reputation.
You can't go wrong with Nikon, either, and if you're more comfortable with them, that might be the better route. If you want to know more about the lenses we purchased and our experience with the camera, drop me a line.
Good luck,
Paul Beique
Adjunct/faculty adviser
The Defender
St. Michael's College
Colchester, Vt.
redpen909@yahoo.com
Eric Ebert, Student Voice Editor, UW-River Falls, eric.m.ebert@uwrf.edu, 7/28/2005, 3:41:42 PM
Last year I put together a proposal for a new digital camera for our student paper. We are small school with a weekly paper so our budget is far from huge. After researching a lot of cameras I decided to go with the Nikon D70. It's a great SLR camera and we were able to get it with two lenses, a card, two batteries and a mountable flash for around $1,700.
I don't know what type of budget you are dealing with but Ritz Camera's online site offers a lot of specials. We were able to purchase our camera body, with two lenses and a bag in one package which helped keep the price low.
Hope this helps, if you have any other questions feel free to contact me.
Brian Voerding, 8/1/2005, 8:25:12 PM
Boy, those D70s are phenomenal. We bought one for our newspaper last year, and the quality difference is stunning (plus, the photographers look more professional!). The D70s come in a nice package (lens, memory card, etc.) that'll save you some money. For point-and-shoots, we bought a few Canon A510s, great cameras for the $200 tag, easy to use but with fully adjustable manual settings.
Can't speak to the Canons, but our yearbook uses an SLR camera and they're pretty pleased with it.
You probably aren't looking to wait until winter, but I hear SLR prices are supposed to drop dramatically before Christmas.
Anyway, my best advice is to track down a smaller camera store in your area, if possible. They almost always know their stuff, and if you describe your needs, they'll point you in the right direction. Good luck.
Cheers,
Brian Voerding
former editor, Hamline University Oracle, St. Paul, Minn.
www.hamline.edu/oracle
Nate Silva, 8/8/2005, 9:57:57 PM
Hey Brianna,
I was in your exact shoes a year ago, so I know how you feel.
I also was placed in charge of both coordinating a paper redesign, and improving photography quality. Their photo quality had been so poor, just color-wise that they were considering dropping the expense of color pages since the color never seemed to make a difference for them in the past.
I did the redesign over the summer, (although I'm still working on improvements to this day) and then I still had the problem with photo. Funding was a large problem, as we just didn't have the money for anything decent.
After alot of asking around and suggestions, I was considering that either the Rebel, d70, or d100 would be our best bet as far as something that would meet our needs in both the short and long term.
Although the d70 and d100 are better cameras overall, the Rebel will in just about all cases serve the needs of any student newspaper, with very few exceptions. Lenses pretty much make or break everything.... so the less you end up having to blow on just the camera the better. Later you can purchase lenses as you need them... and so on.
So in short, I would recommend the Rebel... and the original Rebel... not the new Xt or whatever it's called. A 4 megapixel image is too big for a newsprint broadsheet page... let alone the 9 megapixels or so that the Rebel Xt has available.
Also I should mention that you should try to utilize small local photo shops. Privately owned stores could have an owner willing to help you out based on your needs. For example, the shop we got our set from, after we bought a rebel, the standard lens with the rebel, a 75-300mm, a 50mm, and flash unit, he ended up giving us a free camera bag that hold everything, a free 512 flash card, free extra batteries, as well as a free battery grip. Big photo store managers aren't allowed to have such discretion.
Also don't overlook the possiblity of giving local camera stores ad space in your paper in exchange for discounts.
Hope this helps. Cheers and the best of luck to you!
~Nate Silva
UMass Dartmouth Torch
Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Colette Armstrong, 8/10/2005, 3:29:44 PM
The Nikons are good, but some have a delay after you take the picture. Normally, this isn't a huge problem, but for action shots it can get annoying. I have heard Cannons are better and don't have that delay.
As far as insurance for the camera, check with your college or university. If you're purchasing it with student fee money, or if you're paper is supported in any way by student fees, the camera should count as school equiptment. If the school has an insurance policy on other equipment, it should cover the camera as well. We had our camera stolen at the end of this year and the insurance from the school gave us a $1,000 deductible. The camera and lenses were $5,000.
Good luck,
Colette Armstrong
Editor
CU-Denver Advocate
