standard new camera thread

i've got fed up with my flippin' nikon fm. it's broken twice in a month and a half after working perfectly for 3 years. it's time to buy a back up camera.

well, ok, a nice camera that will be my main camera.

i have a really good vivitar lens for my nikon i'd like to be able to use on a more modern camera, but that's not going to happen, is it?

anyway. so what i'm after is a modern camera that has the option to go fully automatic or fully manual. widely available lenses, gsoh, blue eyes, etc. preferably not over £500 including a lovely 300mm lens.

any words of advice?

You could do far worse than the package I just bought myself... Pentax MZ-7 with 28-80 and 80-320 - and I brought it on recommendation too... splendid :)

ahh, the gadget. may i be rude and ask how much it set you back?

Somewhere around the figure you quoted... :)

ah-ha! time to go down to campkins and start being nice to them, methinks.... :)

A nikon F80 is what I'm aiming for. No idea how much it will cost down your way, but it is about AU$1200 including a 28-80 here, so most likely within your range and you can continue to use your old lens.

Though if you want to buy a nice Pentax Program A (not fully auto as manual focus) but I can throw in a 85-210.

I bought a new Minolta 505si Super with 28-80mm and 75-300mm lens yesterday. I am currently battling through the instruction manual as all my previous kits have been manual focus. I paid under £360, probably a bit basic for you.

I currently use a Canon EOS rebel with 35-80mm and 70-210mm lens and throw on a 2x telelconverter to shoot the race cars. I have had no problems. And mine has seen pouring rain, dust, and extreme heat as well.

With any of today's mainstream AF cameras from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Minolta, etc. you simply cannot go wrong.

All the mainstream makes seem to be good, so it all comes down to personal preference in the end. The advice generally given is to try out several, it might be possible to get some models loaned from friends/retailers through which you can shoot a roll of film. With the price these things cost it's not a decision to rush into! I chose a Canon EOS 300 (or 'Rebel' if you're outside the UK) mainly because it's simple to use and a good range accessories are easy to come across. Not too sure about the silvery casing or the fact that so much of it is plastic, but otherwise it's excelled my expectations.

Although I had some very nice shots from the MOlson Indy with my cheap camera (almost as sharp as the pros!), I'm also looking for a new camera...

I am looking for a low level SLR camera, and will probably pick up a 200mm lense too. I am taking a close loook at Pentax's MZ7, but there are many others that might do to...lol It's a tough choice, but for nearly a month's wages, I don't want to go wrong....

jay, ignoring the fact mine's playing up, i'd recommend a nikon fm. over here, a good condition second hand one retails for about £250. i picked up a 100-300mm lens for £90, which according to the bloke in the camera shop who used to do matt neal's photography, is about the most you'll need for decent race photography. i beg to differ. i'd say another 100mm on top of that would get nicely close at silverstone.