Looking at new/old equipment

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Fabian
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Hi,

trying to get back into the game, I do realise, that my old Minolta x-300 is probably a bit too outdated (can't remember when I've seen an analog film last!) bit of a shame since the 28-70mm kit lens and the Auto Revuenon 50mm/F1.8 lens are lovely. Anyhow, I'm looking to get some new kit to dive into photography again: I'm looking at the Nikon D5k and D7k at the moment but I'm really thinking of getting a good older camera body second hand (I don't care much for wifi connection and that sort of stuff) for a lower price to be able to fork out on lenses instead. I would be grateful for some suggestions for dated cameras of good quality which would also allow a maximum of manual operation. Lens-wise I think I'm quite settled wanting to start out with an 18-55mm kit lens and an 85mm F/1.8 doing some city shots in Liverpool and some close up stills and maybe dipping my toe into portrait.

I would really appreciate your thoughts!

Fabian
 
Your lovely old Minolta-fit lenses will work with more modern Sony cameras. Lots of people (including me) use the MC/MD Minolta lenses on the full-frame A7-series using a low-cost adaptor. I presume they may also work on a NEX/6000-series APS-C camera?
 
If you want to use those lenses in the way they were intended then I'd recommend something like a used Sony A7 for around £350 and a £20 manual adapter from Amazon. You can also get a used native mount 28-70 'kit lens' for the A7 for about £140. The A7 is 'full frame' meaning that the image sensor is the same size as a 35mm film frame, and you will therefore get similar fields of view with your older lenses. @woof woof is a keen manual Minolta lens user on an A7.
 
I'm looking at the Nikon D5k and D7k at the moment but I'm really thinking of getting a good older camera body second hand (I don't care much for wifi connection and that sort of stuff) for a lower price to be able to fork out on lenses instead. I would be grateful for some suggestions for dated cameras of good quality which would also allow a maximum of manual operation. Lens-wise I think I'm quite settled wanting to start out with an 18-55mm kit lens and an 85mm F/1.8 doing some city shots in Liverpool and some close up stills and maybe dipping my toe into portrait.
If you're interested in Nikon, a D800 can be found for less than the price of a new D7k series body. It's FX (full frame), so you'd need a different zoom like the 28-105. As well as modern AF lenses, manual focus lenses will work without adapters or conversion as far back as the AI series first made in the late 70s.

Apart from earlier cameras in the same series, if you want something substantially cheaper than a D5k or D7k body you could look at a D300/D300s (DX) or D700 (FX). They are limited to 12MP and won't be great at high ISO, but are otherwise very capable cameras.

As mentioned above, if you want to keep your Minolta-fit lenses, mirrorless is your best option, though lenses that were fine on film may seem less impressive on high resolution digital sensors - I wouldn't let your existing lenses dictate your choice of system.
 
Before spending some money on a digital camera, perhaps have a look at the Film and Conventional section of this forum. Plenty of us still use our old film cameras and have a lot of fun doing so (the banter and camaraderie on there can be just as enjoyable as the photography!). We also know where to buy film and have it developed at reasonable prices. https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/talk-film-conventional.56/

Once you've done that, and perhaps put a couple of films through your old Minolta again, you might find your old lenses look and work best on your old camera? In which case, your choice of digital camera might be different, if you find you enjoy both worlds and want to use each to their best advantage? :)
 
Thank you for all your input! I have a few more options now I didn't think to look at before. There is a shop in Liverpool with a good stock of second-hand gear but eventually, I'd rather nurture that budget a little more and get something decent straight away before cutting corners and regretting it.

@Mr Badger - I really like the idea of using my good old faithful again! Once I gained a bit more confidence again I will certainly be looking into that :)
 
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