|GG| Good semi-pro camera?

wrote:
Hi all,

I did a lot of freelance journalism in the 90s and was pretty
successful. In those days I carried a Canon AE-1 35mm, "the AK 47 of
the freelance photographer," and various accessories.

Now I'd like to get back into it, but sadly, I find that cameras just
like my trusty AE-1 (which still works perfectly) are now going for
50$ on E-bay. Sigh.

So, what's the new AK 47? Bearing in mind that I'm still learning
about digitial photography, and will be buying used because I can't
afford new. (I bought my AE-1 used, too. Sigh.)

I realise this is a huge question, but any advice on models or
desirable features would be very much appreciated.

Well I like my 2-year old Nikon D200: it's built for abuse, works with
all sorts of cheap old manual lenses, great viewfinder, lots of manual
controls and should be rather affordable now. But the newer crop are
pretty amazing and surpass it's image quality & features. If you are
inclined to get some fast manual glass the D200 makes sense, if you want
something smaller all the entry level models are fantastic & cheap with
a kit lens. For low light, the Canon 5D makes sense though if you want
fast glass it won't meter with old Nikkors and fast primes are rare new
these days. The entry level Nikons also won't meter or autofocus with
old lenses so a D80 is a good compromise with the D200's big viewfinder
& sensor, it will autofocus used lenses but not meter with really old
manual lenses.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

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