I've always found cameras fascinating mechanically, never mind the magic of 'capturing the moment' and when a neighbour showed me how to make contact prints in the kitchen sink when I was about 14, with the family's old 120 B&W negs. I was hooked for life. I quickly acquired a permanent dark room (of sorts) in the cellar and on leaving school scrimped and saved till I was proudly clutching my first 35mm SLR! When I was about 17 years old I did my first paid wedding assignment when I was so $hit scared I could hardly hold the camera still!

Many years, and I guess hundreds of weddings later, having owned a variety of cameras including various medium format ones.I currently use a Nikon F4, Nikon F90 Pro, 2 dedicated Nikon flash guns (SB24 and SB26) and several Nikon lenses and other equipment which give me the ability to undertake work feeling that I'm belted and bracered should any item fail. The wedding photography has frankly become a tedious grind that I am thinking of packing up.

Now... I've been in love with the idea of digital photography since the early days. The first two digital cameras I bought did not produce results that began to equal conventional film stock, but I think my current digital camera a Nikon 990 (3.34 mega pixels), does. There are now very expensive digital SLR cameras on the market and I am seriously thinking of getting back to the more creative photography I enjoyed as a lad just roaming around with a camera with no-one to please but myself. The temptation is to part ex or sell the F4 and the F90 bodies to finance a Nikon digital SLR body with which I would have the advantage of being able to use my Nikon flashguns and lenses, and of course, be able to focus on a ground glass screen without parallax problems etc. Parting with the F4 would be a particular wrench!

For my own personal photography I use the 990 exclusively these days and love just being able to download the results onto the P.C. and turn my crap shots into masterpieces via Photoshop etc. My conventional wedding work is processed and printed by a professional lab.

So there's my dilemma. What should I do? Has anyone any experience of using digital SLR's? Is there any downside I may not have considered. The thoughts of you camera buffs on the subject will be much appreciated.

 

I've found this web site to be an excellent source of digicam information. Look for the forums and/or reviews sections.

http://www.dpreview.com

I too followed a life (not a career) in photography including a degree from UT. I always hated weddings, but they are an excellent source of income.
I went through this same agonizing expereience after almost 20 years of film experience. I sold most of my film equipment, including my beloved Mamiya RB67 Pro SD, and bought a Fuji S1. I've discovered the fun in photography once again and now I can watch TV, drink beer and talk to my wife while I'm processing images. And the best part is not worring about extra film. I can shoot over 700 hi res jpegs on the 1 gig hard drive.
If money is no object, I would opt for the Nikon D1X. If there is a budget constraint, then my choice would be the Fuji S1 or S2 if they ever release it.
The Fuji S1 will not auto focus the new series Nikon lenses, but the D series work fine. The color saturation is incredible. Exposures are very acurate. Controls are very user friendly. I've heard some issues with flash compatability, but I have yet to use an external unit. I personally find the pop up flash very handy.
The Nikon needs no recommendation. It's the ultimate pro digital slr. It's also very expensive.

 

Wirejock:

Thanks. No regrets then?

I was always fascinated by double exposure shots in the camera and 'Trick' photographic effects by darkroom manipulation. For that reason I would never consider a camera without a double exposure device and mirror lock-up. I never managed to achieve the staggering results that can be achieved now via Photoshop!

Exciting times we live in don't you think?

 

I'd get one of these: http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/EOS1D/1D-e.html

You'd lose your Nikon bits, though.

 

Sunchild:

Awesome! It would be really easy if I didn't have so much Nikon kit.

 

Also, the Canon EOS 1D retails for about $7,000!

 

Canon is a sweet camera.
Yea, it's really a great time to be a photographer.
The Fuji is much cheaper. They can be found for about $2,500. No idea what the new S2 price will be. There are some trade offs but image quality is not one of them.
If I were a pro and my career depended on my camera, it would be the Nikon D1X.

 

Yes.. I think the Canon and the Nikon are (ish) around the same price. My approach to most purchases is to buy the one I can't quite afford..... ask my bank manager..

No.. I've never earned my living wholly from photography but it has been a welcome source of income over the years. With weddings, the photography is pretty much incidental to managing a group of up to 150-200 people, most of whom aren't the least interested in having their photo taken. Introvert types need not apply!

I still intend to carry on with photo restoration work. Often photos are so badly damaged that it's easiest (and cheapest for the customer) to just replace the background, and I find the digital camera ideal for grabbing quick, suitable ones to use.

Thanks for the input chaps.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Cedric Tomkinson
[B]

 

PFB:

Sheesh... so with the change in focal length, the effective aperture will become smaller too! I'd heard there was a problem with wide angle lenses shorter than a certain focal length but I didn't realise that all lenses were affected. That IS a consideration..... Thanks!