For still camera newbies...

[freefallin14 0]

My buddy in the skydiving club here at Purdue is also in the camera club here. So needless to say, I picked his brain for photography information. He sent me a great email which could be useful to any people with still camera questions. Here it is..

Bret

If this camera is to be used for jumping, I'd look for something cheap
and durable.
most of the features on the Ti will not be used as you won't change any
settings in free fall.
the only thing i like about the Ti and the Nikon N 65 is the metal lens
mount. (this is where the
lens mounts on the camera body). The plastic lens mounts on the Rebel
2000 and G is very strong too..

In a lens catalog, the number after f/, such as 50mm f/1.4, is called an
f-number (maximum aperture). This value indicates the brightness of the
lens expressed as the focal length of the lens divided by the effective
aperture. The smaller the f-number, the brighter the lens.

A single lens usually has a small f-number, whereas a zoom lens usually
has a large f-number, so the view through the viewfinder appears dark
and MANUAL( which you wont use often)focusing becomes difficult using a
zoom. In an AF camera ( like the Rebel 2000, G and Ti), however,
focusing is automatic, so even if the f-number is large (i.e. the lens
is dark), the camera easily takes a sharply focused picture.

The advantages of a bright lens: ( helps only if you intend to use the
camera for manual focussing. which you won't)
Ample light entering through the lens brightens the viewfinder view to
facilitate MANUAL focusing. Since faster shutter speeds could be used under such conditions, a bright lens effectively reduces the likelihood
of camera shake that blurs images (especially of moving subjects).

Depth of field: This is the photographic zone of focus.For example, when
focusing on someone facing the camera 1m ahead, the camera also focuses
on everything within a specific zone extending from an imaginary line in
front of that person to one behind the person. This zone circumscribes
the camera's depth of field. If the camera-to-subject zone of focus is
wide, depth of field is "deep". If the camera-to-subject zone of focus
is narrow, depth of field is "shallow".

Depth of field depends on aperture, focal length, and shooting distance.
Also, the depth of field is shallow to the line closest to the camera,
and deep to the line farthest from it (the ratio of 1:2).

a 50 mm lens is called a standard as this is how the we see things.. so
if you read 2X magnification on a lens, its 100 zoom..

fixed focal length lens are expensive as they are hard to manufacture..
and you'll need to buy many of them for a wide range.the advantage of
having a zoom lens is that you can adjust to any zoom you want..

yeah , skydiver's prefer a fixed 24 or 28mm, but you might have also
seen some skydivers with a zoom (28-80mm) lens
with some tape on it(this is to prevent it from moving or changing focal
length).

I'd go for a Rebel G if its REALLY cheap.I'd prefer the 2000 if its only
a little more expensive. the
2000 has a great resale value and good features you can use when not
skydiving too.
i'd go for a 28 fixed lens(price depends on the f-number).
watch out when you buy, sometimes the camera kits( camera with lens)
work out cheaper than buying the body and lens
separately.

[bmcd308 0]

One thing that I would add to that is that any cheap SLR that offers autofocus will be difficult to focus manually. That is because the viewscreen inside is just a clear piece of glass, so your eye is actually focusing through the lens. More expensive AF cameras and all the manual focus cameras I have seen have a ground glass viewing screen, so that you are actually lokking at an image on a surface. Your eye will focus on the surface, and if what your eye is focused on is in focus, then the picture will be in focus. It is hard to focus manually using a Rebel because your eye will always be focusing for you.

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