Grinding System Kit
Looking for a good compromise between cost and artistic control?
I'd like to end up with a digital photography system that gives me control over the usual parameters -- exposure, white balance, and especially DEPTH OF FIELD! SLRs seem like the only digital cameras with sensors big enough to allow for the apertures and focal lenghts necessary for shallow DOF for portraits and such. But I just don't have the budget to invest in a whole kit of glass, and I'd rather not have to carry the stuff around either.
Is there a good middle ground somewhere that allows control over DOF/etc without costing me a mortgage?
Hi,
the problem with DOF is: the smaller the sensor size, the more DOF you have. so with most compact digital cameras, you have a very high DOF, everything is in focus.
You really need a camera with an APS-sized imaging sensor if you want to work with a very shallow DOF, as you said for example in portrait photography.
The only cameras that have a APS-sized sensor are currently DSLR cameras, with one notable exception: the Sony DSC-R1. it gives you also full manual control over all camera settings, including of course the aperture settings. you can get it for about 900$ it has also a zoom with a high wide open aperture.
But, it is new and therefore costs quite much. You can get even better control of DOF with, for example a Nikon D50. You can get it for less than 600$, lens included! Altough the kit lens is not really suitable for beautiful portrait shots with shallow DOF, you can buy an additional 50mm f/1.8 lens for just 100$ (price is from adorama.com, but you can get it even cheaper elsewhere!).
so, this kit together will cost you 700$, even less than the sony variant (and by the way, the sony is nearly as big as the d50. the sony does have a bigger zoom, but the d50 is better for low-light shooting, _especially_ with the 50mm f/1.8)
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