Camera question?

I have not purchased a 35MM camera in age so not too sure what advances have been made in areas of automatic exposure and focus.  A couple of basics to consider if you are going to be using this specifically for model pics.  Consider a lens in the 80 to 135 mm range.  A zoom with macro capabilities may be a good choice.  I had an 80 to 210 zoom that almost never got taken off the camera.  A wide angle lens will allow focusing from a short distance but will distort the photo badly.  The closet part of the image will be enlarged.  Even the standard 50mm lens can do this in a tight shot.  Too long of a telephoto tend to compress things.  A short telephoto in the range mentioned above is good at minimizing both.  Ask a portrait photographer what their favorite lens is when shooting in 35mm format and it will more times than not be the one they use.  Keeps the nose from being bulbous and the ears from being pulled up front.  If you be using natural indoor light a faster lens may be needed.  This is a one with a smaller f-stop, meaning the lens will open wider to let in more light.  f2.8 letting in more light than an f5.6.  Greater depth of field, the distance between the closet and farthest thing in focus is greater with a smaller f-stop like f11 or f16 but more light will be need due to the smaller lens opening.

I'm a big fan of analog cameras, but I don't think I will ever buy one again. I bought what was a fairly expensive analog camera 8 years ago, Pentax something or other (too lazy to go and look) which is auto everything. Piece of crap compared to my 1972 Pentax Spotmatix F manual everything. Wish I never had bought the darn thing, now.

The digital age is upon us now and if you're willing to spend a considerable amount of money on an analog camera, then spend that money on a high end digital camera. Canon comes highly rated. Any of the EOS Digital line would be a welcome addition.

The technique used by the photographers of FSM really have more to do with lighting, than the cameras. An excellent camera used in bad light will turn out a bad picture. An inexpensive camera in good light can turn out wonderful pictures. Of course I'm speaking in broad generalizations!

I have a Canon Sureshot A510 digital that I use for almost everything now. It's only a 3.1 megapixal, but that's good enough for snaps of the kids and what not. I used to be like Dennis Hopper's character in Apocalypse Now!, festooned with many camera bodies (B&W, color print, color slide) and had quite a collection of lenses and neat old cameras. They were all stolen, except for one Spotmatic F and 1 50mm lens, and that new junk one. My photographic spark died that same day...

Bgrigg and Wing-nut,

Id like to thank you for your comments.  Obviously photography is a hobby all to itself like modeling.  I'll shop around but your insight is very helpful.

 

V/r, BW

i have many cameras incl 2 digi's i always go back to my good ol 35's

there right now in the camera area is a gray area

what it is is this

digi's are great don't get me wrong, but pictures in the extremes

superclose or superfar away 35mm is they way to go unless you go for an expensive digi cam 

yes you want detail so you want to photograph at an f8 to f22 so you NEED to get a tripod so the camera is Always steady

i used to shoot weddings years ago but now i won't take pics of people only nature ,models,

i still work in the area i develope film