OK, so maybe I AM interested in a digital SLR ...

[fish4570]

... or rangefinder/viewfinder camera. I have no idea what to look for used. Can I get a good used body for less than $200? I HAVE to be able to put my eye to a viewfinder to provide stability, and to see what I am shooting. If interchangeable lens mount, it MUST take M42 lenses with little complication. KISS for me.
OK, have at me ...

[F16SUNSHINE]

Pentax *istDS

Perfect M42 entry level body.
used $150-$200

[rbelyell]

+111 for pentax! take a look in the forum because there are some amazing pictures taken with this camera! it is easily adaptable to many mf lenses, easy to learn, lightweight and i think only 1.5 crop factor, which is about best you will do going digital.

also, i had a sony a100, which i think can also be had for what you would like to spend, and this camera has in body image stabilization (not sure about the pentax, but i know someone will correct me!). that IS feature saves you 3-4 stops, which is a big deal if you do indoor shooting.

i dont think you can go wrong with either. im sorry i recently sold my a100...

[ludoo]

Pentax *istDS as the others have said: large bright pentaprism viewfinder, instead of the smaller darker pentamirror viewfinder found on most consumer DSLRs. And of course great compatibility with M42 lenses, with a PK-M42 adapter (best get the original one as the Chinese ones often don't lock properly in the bayonet).

A bit harder to find, but a great buy if you manage to get one, is the Pentax *istD: their first DSLR and a pro body. Compared to the DS, you get a smaller LCD display with less resolution, and CF cards instead of SD, but but this camera has pro controls (double wheel, dial to set shooting parameters without using the LCD), great mirror damping (quieter and with less vibrations), and a superb shutter button.

Then for manual lenses, you'd probably want to get a split focusing screen. Focusingscreen.com sells cut-to-size Canon screens for about 40$. And if you are not using glasses, you can also add a Pentax O-ME53 (about 20$) which will magnify the viewfinder by a factor of 1.2x, so as to further reduce the difference with your manual SLRs.

The D and DS have a 6Mp sensor, but it's more than enough to print at decent enlargements, and it gives superb colours.

Edit: the *istDL is similar to the DS, but with a smaller, darker pentamirror viewfinder. Oh, and your best bet if you are looking for a D or DS, is to monitor the pentaxforums.com marketplace, of course.

[Nesster]

...possibly the K100D is also getting into the $200 territory....

[ludoo]

[fish4570]

Thanks so far, guys. I think ...

[fish4570]

On ebay there are many used Nikon dslrs, followed by Canon in number. Very, very few Pentaxes ...

[ludoo]

[rbelyell]

here are about a dozen on ebay:

http://photography.shop.ebay.com/Digital-Cameras-/31388/i.html?_nkw=pentax+ist&_catref=1&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

some k100d's:

http://photography.shop.ebay.com:80/Digital-Cameras-/31388/i.html?_nkw=pentax+k100d+&_cqr=true&_dmpt=Digital_Cameras&_nkwusc=pentax+k100&_rdc=1

and quite a few cheap sony a100's (take a look at some of the camera review sites, this camera got great reviews when it came out, it's 10mp w image stabilization, and it really served me well for several years):

http://photography.shop.ebay.com:80/i.html?_nkw=sony+a100&_sacat=31388&_dmpt=Digital_Cameras&_odkw=pentax+k100d&_osacat=31388&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313

need to be patient to find the best deal.

[fish4570]

That is the kind of info I can grasp. Thanks.

[ManualFocus-G]

I'd get a used Canon EOS 10D. Why? Because it offers compatability with more lenses than any other non-4/3 camera and is well built. This will allow you to start collecting Yashica / Zeiss lenses before you step up to full frame, which WILL happen

[lulalake]

[visualopsins]

From film to 1.5x crop-factor dSLR? All lenses will suddenly have angle of view of lenses 1.5 x focal length. That will likely take some getting used to... It will help with Hawk nest photos (), but hurt with wide angles. Might be worth purchasing a M42-EOS adapter & taking along a few lenses to try on a Canon dslr at a store in town to see what you'll be in for...

Not intending to squash enthusiasm, but rather to prevent disappointment.

I don't know how many film develops & scans not necessary it'll take to recoup enough a used Full-frame $1K Canon 5D1...might be worth it.

[Orio]

I agree about the crop-factor warning.
Full frame DSLR are expensive even when used, and before you committ to a crop factor DSLR, you need to be sure that it will fit your photographic style and needs.
For instance, a 50mm lens on a APS-C camera gives a picture with the same angle of field of an 80mm lens.
A 28mm lens on an APS-C camera gives a picture with the same angle of field of a 45mm lens.
This means that to shoot wide angle pictures, you will need a super wide angle lens (at least 20mm), which are not inexpensive and can easily exceed the cost of the used camera you plan to buy.
So I would say, if you are the telephoto type, the APS-C DSLR can be good for you. If you are the wide angle guy, you will probably not be completely happy with it.

[fish4570]

I am not a telephoto guy, despite a bird interest. I am a normal-to-mildly-wide lens guy, with interest in macro. Maybe a fixed lens digital with mild variable would be best as a starter ...

[fish4570]

Please, I have no interest in starting another system with different mounts.


Remember, KISS.

[lulalake]

[F16SUNSHINE]

I have a Nikon 8400 I would sell.
8MP EVF camera that records Raw and has a 24-80 FL equiv lens.
Could be cheap but not too cheap in the end.
The fact is paul you will likely jump to a DSLR.
Any stop gap or so called "starter Camera" will just be extra money spent in the end.

Buy wrong and buy twice.
Buy right and buy last.

(well last-ish.... It's a camera for F's sake )

[fish4570]

Aieeeeeeeee! I had the use of a Fuji Finepix S800 (?) for a while. I really enjoyed that little rascal viewfinder ...

[mo]

[Scheimpflug]

[ludoo]

I know it's heresy here, but for shooting moderate wide angle, the Pentax kit zoom lens is pretty good, and usually comes with a body or you can get it for 30$. Check the pictures in the kit lens gallery on pentaxforums. That is, until you have 100-150$ for a Tamron SP 17mm or other lens in that focal range. I would not get a fixed-lens digital camera, if I were you.

[alex]

I also went the Canon route, with a 10D, for the reasons already mentioned. It's well built, rugged and solid enough to make you realise how plasticky the consumer models feel, and it easily takes most of the Zeiss CY lens range (and their Yashica cousins) via a readily available adapter. In fact, mounting my Planars and Distagons was the reason I went for it. It takes about two or three seconds to wake up from the ON switch, but I can live with that. Pixel count is 6.3Mp, and I've never felt the need to go for more. It also takes M42 lenses via a similar adapter. Currently going for half what I paid on the second-hand market.

[Excalibur]

***OK, so maybe I AM interested in a digital SLR ***

...but film is so easy to use...just focus, get the exposure right and press the shutter button, and like Kodak said "You press the button, we do the rest”. And what's more you can get near/close to results from a DSLR with a £5 to £20 35mm film camera body and easy to use MF lenses from a £1 to £25.
Anyone that knows about film should only consider a DSLR if film cannot cope easily e.g. experimenting, quick results, yanno what I mean.