Digital Camera Requirements

Recommended 35mm SLR Film Camera Options needed for 1st year

First-year students work mostly with 35mm film cameras. A pre-owned camera is perfectly fine, provided that it is fully functional. You will need a working light meter. There are many great deals to be found out there on used film gear.

A few affordable new film cameras are available. You might consider:

Nikon FM10, F75

Canon EOS Elan 7NE

Vivitar 3800N

Recommended Digital SLR Options needed by 2nd year

(Check for educational pricing.)

A digital SLR has become the industry standard for most shooting applications. The following list includes a variety of choices that would meet your student needs at Sage. For each brand listed, a price range is represented from least expensive to moderate. At this point, investing in a high-grade professional camera is neither necessary nor recommended; your needs may change by the time you have graduated.

Note: some cameras are available as body + lens kits. Usually, the lens included in the kit is adequate for student use. If you can afford a higher quality lens, then it might be better to purchase the body and lens separately. These lenses can then be used on higher quality bodies you might purchase in the future.

These recommendations are based on reviews than can be found on the very useful website: www.dpreview.com. This site provides in-depth reviews, discussions and comparisons between cameras of similar price-points.

Sony A230

Sony A330

Sony A380

Sony A500

Olympus Evolt E-520

Olympus Evolt E-620

Olympus E-30

Nikon D40

Nikon D3000

Nikon D5000

Nikon D90

Canon Rebel XS

Canon Rebel XSi

Canon Rebel T1i

Pentax K-x

Pentax K-7

Highly Recommended Accessories: Tripod, Card Reader, Extra memory card(s), external hot-shoe flash