<p>i tried calling today because what i asked about is what they said…so since we are all kind of unclear…I will bug them again tomorrow</p>
<p>wowl some pretty smart people here to help the clueless!!! thanks so much and when I get clarification, I will come back here tomorrow</p>
<p>:0</p>
<p>“Actually, I believe they do want a dSLR, and the term 35mm was unfortunate. Digital developing is far cheaper than film, and the principals are the same. Most publishing is now going, or has gone, digital as well. I can’t imagine requiring film when most of the major manufacturers are dropping film cameras and film itself.”</p>
<p>Digital developing uses zero of the techniques used in print developing. Being able to make a perfect print in the darkroom is an artistic skill. Being able to make one in photoshop is the ability to read the manual. Regardless of how expensive it is, film developing is where almost all photographers start and it’s an excellent lesson to learn.</p>
<p>Film is still impossibly easy to get. Check out the thousands of varieties at B&H including rare productions. </p>
<p>Even the photographing techniques are not the same. The image sensor on a DSLR makes taking pictures completely different, and setting things in the menu is not the same as adjusting the optics themselves for an ideal image. </p>
<p>There is no way an intelligent professor of photography would include 35 mm as an “unfortunate” word choice if he meant digital. Since digital developing is as tough as fussing with the image in photoshop (how nice if the darkroom had an “undo” button) and clicking the print button, there is much less to be learned there. Darkroom developing is not that expensive in a full time darkroom where the chemicals are purchased and mixed in bulk and the silver is recovered from the developer. Maintaining the equipment is the costly part.</p>
<p>No college would require an $800+ camera for a class. It’s not reasonable.</p>
<p>Well, if you don’t need an SLR (digital or film) your only other choice is a point-and-shoot camera, and I can’t believe anyone could build a course around a camera with such limited manual control.</p>
<p>Is it possible that this course is for people who already have an SLR camera and want to hone their photography skills?</p>
<p>If it turns out that what is needed is a digital SLR camera, I would highly recommend the Nikon D50 or D70s, depending on how much you are willing to spend. You can find reviews of these cameras at photo.net (a very popular professional photography website), and I would also recommend calling B&H Photo (bhphotovideo.com) in NYC to get their opinions. B&H is one of the best known and most reliable sources for camera equipment in the U.S. They really do know their stuff and can be very helpful in a situation like yours. </p>
<p>Make sure that you get good glass/lenses for your camera and that you get a UV filter for the lenses you buy. The UV filter costs between $40-$100, a fraction of the replacement cost of the lenses, and will protect your lenses from scratches, dust, etc. in daily use. There are many other filters for use as well (polarizers, etc.), but a UV filter is a must from day one.</p>
<p>Here’s the course description for Photography I in the University of Pennsylvania’s Dept of Fine Arts:</p>
<p>FNAR 271/571. Photography I
Fall/Spring/Summer I/Begleiter/Rodewald/Martinez/Copeland/Rockhill/Jacobsohn
Beginning students learn how to use their cameras and light meters. They are taught the basics of black and white film developing and printing in the darkroom. Assignments are given dealing with basic technical and aesthetic photographic problems such as composition, light and form. Note: Lab fee of $50. 00 required </p>
<p>It is clearly a film based class. All this speculation about what the course the OP was asking about is just that – speculation. Why not ask the Professor / Department to clarify, rather than have a bunch of CCers give their opinion?</p>
<p>Then the term digital was unfortunate…</p>
<p>Reed has two separate courses: black and white photography and “digital media” which deals with manipulation and printing of images acquired/created digitally (not just with digital cameras).</p>
<p>I must take issue with the idea that using Photoshop to manipulate digital images is just about reading the manual. Just as in the darkroom–I’ve used both–the art lies in deciding what techniques to use. There are Photoshop techniques that mimic darkroom techniques, but there are also many techniques that are unique to digital processing.</p>
<p>Among my husband’s many skills is professional wildlife and underwater photography. He moved to a digital SLR seven years ago–after security requirements (high-power x-ray machines) made it difficult to carry hundreds of rolls of film on planes–and has never looked back. While I think it’s great that there are still college courses in B&W photography and darkroom skills, I think digital media skills are far more important in this day and age.</p>
<p>I have a Nikon D70 I’m delighted with. The D50 is in some ways superior and is certainly cheaper. On the other hand, Nikon’s just announced the D80, so I suspect you can get D70’s pretty cheap right now. Canon’s are equally good, though there’s a religious war between the two brands and it’s usually pretty difficult to get straight, unbiased comparisons that are relevant (e.g., Nikons are rumored to be more “noisy” at high ISOs, but that’s debatable in practice and irrelevant for many applications).</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, particularly one that’s unfairly underpriced, you might consider the Minolta 5D. Great, innovative camera by any standard, but since Sony bought Minolta so it could get into the dSLR business, it’s dirt cheap. An related alternative might be the new Sony A100, which shares some internals with Nikon but uses the Minolta lens mount.</p>
<p>In the long run you’re really buying the lenses if you stick with photography - digital cameras are sort of like PCs in the '80s, you’ll always be faced with newer and better models, so they’re sort of disposables. It’s the family of lenses you buy into that matter because you can use them for decades.</p>
<p>I had a longer post based on certain theories I’ve read, but that would probably be more confusing than it’s worth. Most any decision involving a major camera brand will probably turn out well since there’s a strong aftermarket for these things. Buy a good one used and be prepared to eBay it away if your daughter decides she needs something different, or better or whatever, later.</p>
<p>I have a new D80 and I like it. Just got it yesterday, not had a ton of time to play with it, but it’s very reminicient of the D200 for a lot less $$.</p>
<p>Still, it’s all moot, because the chances of this school requiring a camera like that ($1400 with lenses) are really very slim.</p>
<p>Still, the D80 is a huge improvement over the D70 and many collegues who purchased the D70 for about $1200 a year or so ago are bumming out that this one is available for $1000 in a kit.</p>
<p>Just got a Rebel XT. The price is coming down (got it at BH Photo on the web) and it is a GREAT camera. The lens needs to be upgraded, but this one is fine for now.</p>
<p>like i said, they most likely want a 35 mm SLR with the digital lcd display where you can see how many pictures are remaining, adjust the f stops with a click of a button, etc. that’s on my minolta that i recently purchased, however when i took photo 1 i had a very old nikon which everything had to be manually changed by turning a dial.</p>
<p>^ the best way, IMHO. Everything should be mechanical. It lasts a whole lot longer (take as reference my 1974 Canon TX, which was issued to my dad by his high school for yearbook photos and has made its way ever since…had its mercury batteries changed once in the 80s and has been cranking ever since with no problems.)</p>
<p>I have a Hudson Hubmobile I’d like to sell you…</p>
<p>UVMLauren, where did you get a D80? They’re not supposed to be in the shops for another month at best. I was just reading a post on another forum by a camera store own who was not only lucky enough to get one in his hands for a few minutes, he was actually able to take photos with it – the Nikon rep didn’t notice.</p>
<p>Ordered it from europe and it popped up yesterday…the store name is escaping me but they can be had.</p>
<p>CGM: If she does not need a digital camera, and they really do require a 35mm manual film camera, the best one around is the Pentax K1000. It is an old camera, and I <em>think</em> they been discontinued, but plenty of photography stores still sell them. They are like little tanks (no plastic), and they are wonderful and all manual. No auto anything. There is a match-stick metering system that requires a battery, but that’s it. Lots of schools actually buy these up and give them to their students, so they can learn how light works (and, more importantly, learn that the photographer controls the camera, not the other way around). They’re wonderful cameras, and Pentax lenses are excellent. I think you can still find them the K1000 bodies for about $150 or less and the lens would vary depending on what you want, but you shouldn’t have to spend more than $250 total. And if you like using film and 35mm cameras, you can use this camera forever. I think they now make a digital camera, called the Pentax K1000D, but I know nothing about it. I would be very surprised if a beginning photography class would require a student buy a digital camera.</p>
<p>UVMLauren, that’s amazing given the D80 was only announced 10 days ago and isn’t yet in production.</p>
<p>The folks over at the Nikon forums at dpreview.com would love to hear what you think about it.</p>
<p>^ I’ll contribute when my inbox won’t be filled with emails after people hear about it!</p>
<p>I’ll also have to pry it away from my dad.</p>
<p>I suspect, after a phone call with Nikon confirming my serial number, that I have actually purchased a preproduction demo model that was intended for the store and was accidentally sent to me instead of being put on display. Nikon isn’t thrilled about it, but there are a few models floating around.</p>
<p>While the temptation to put it up on eBay and make four times the purchase price is strong, I think I like my new toy more!</p>