Old dog and analog vs digital

[christo]

I have been a traditional 35mm photographer for more than 30 years. I have a large sum of money invested in cameras, lenses and other equipment, so I have not jumped on the digital bandwagon. I did get into converting my analog prints into digital and am very comfortable with PhotoShop. Most of the professional photography I do is real estate, architecture, product shots and nature destined for print. My personal photography is candid portraits.

I did purchase a point and shoot digital camera for those occasions when I needed a quick and dirty, but the times I use that are the exception. Lately I have been feeling more and more pressure for moving into digital.

Can any one recommend a digital camera that will not break the bank, allow me to move more into the digital realm, and still give me the latitude that my 35 mm does? Any tutorials, recommended reading, advice from those who have made the transition from analog to digital? Are the basics the same or do you need to compensate to accommodate the digital format. Any and all advice will be appreciated.

[Moments]

It could depend upon what system and lens you have now. What camera system do you have now? I'm assuming Canon since you are on this board. If you have any EF mount lens, the 20D is not a bad choice to start with for under $1500.00, even with the 1.6 lens factor. The 1D MarkII or 1Ds Mark II have more dynamic range but do cost a lot more. Even a used 1Ds could work out fine, but its TTL flash system I tought left a lot to be desired. The perspective lens Canon have are good for real estate also.

Making the change from film to digital does take getting used to, but it has gotten much closer to film over the years. I find shooting digital is much like shooting transparancy film. If you nail the exposure and you don't try to go too big and know how to handle the files, not many can tell the difference.

[tim]

For someone with a lot of 35mm experience i'd almost be tempted to say go with the 1Ds Mk II. Its sensor is the same size as 35mm film, so all your experience is directly transferrable. A cheaper option is the 1D, which has a smaller sensor, or the 20D, which has a smaller sensor again - but both take standard EF lenses. An EF lens on a 20D will have the same field of view as a lens 1.6x longer on a 35mm camera - so a 50mm lens will produce the same picture as an 80mm lens on your 35mm camera. The 1D Mk II is similar, but the factor is 1.3X instead. The only problem is the price - take a look at http://www.bhphotovideo.com for prices . The 20D's relatively cheap at about $1500, the 1Ds Mk 2 is $8000, the 1D Mk 2 is about $3500 with rebate.

If you want to take a step into digital with breaking the bank the 20D would be a good camera for you, if you want to upgrade you can always sell it and upgrade later.

Hope that helps.