I have alot of good (old) pentax lenses for a film slr camera. I am new to slr photography, these lenses were given to me. Is it worth trying to fit a new digital slr to old lenses? Will I see any difference in the pics if I had new lenses for a digital camera? Any help to get me started would be greatly appreciated!

I used to work in a camera shop and I remember the older Pentax lenses were called "Pentax K-Mount Lenses". These lenses worked on several house brand cameras as well as Pentax. The best camera that I know of that used to work with these lenses is the Ricoh brand. K-Mart also made a camera that used these called "Focal", I think. And possibly Vivitar used them. So, you could look into these brands of digital SLRs and see if they still use the Pentax mount. I think your pics will look fine with the older lenses.
You are wise to utilize those lenses if possible. Saves a ton of money and they don't make 'em like they used to.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

I have checked the manual but can't see any settings for this. I don't want to have to manipulate the photos afterwards. I would rather it is taken in B&W to begin with as though i had used b&W film.

This is not an option on this camera.
However, I have found it to be a quick procedure to open my pictures in Paint Shop Pro for example and change it to Grey Scale. I had good results too. Sometimes , I have had to add more light, but nothing to hard to do.
Nikon must have thought that Black and white are something of the past

I am looking for a good camera no more than USD700 (dont mind 2nd hand). Would this camera be a good invesetment to start learning photography?

Sure. Just put it on "AUTO" and use it like a point and shoot. If you want to move deeper into photography, you will not be limited by the camera. If you don't want more than snapshots, yours will be the best on the block.

The only drawback is the price and the size of the camera. You could use a much cheaper point and shoot camera, as Tomato X says, if you just want to "capture the moment," but the Rebel XT used to be many people's dream camera.

i have been into photography for quite awhile now
and my grandparents said if i wanted a camera they would buy one for me
so i was looking around and i found the canon digital rebel xti

i've heard great reviews on it and that its a very good starter SLR for someone who is just starting

for anyone who has this
would you recommend me to get it?

The XTi is an excellent entry level DSLR. I have one and have thoroughly enjoyed this camera, since the first shot. That being said…

Canon shooters will tell you to "buy Canon" and Nikon shooters will tell you to "buy Nikon". Before you buy anything, go to http://dpreview.com and compare the cameras you are interested in, side by side, and read the reviews.

Think about the availability and cost of additional lenses and other gear, when you buy a DSLR, you are buying into a system of lenses and other accessories.

Then, before you buy, go to a real camera store, (not Best Buy or Wal Mart) and handle the different cameras, try them with different lenses in the store, and buy the one which feels best to you.

(you also may want to consider waiting until mid April for the Canon XSi to come out, the kit lens has image stability)

I'm a beginner…, but originally bought the N35 body, but see so many benefits w/ digital … I'd like to find an interchangable camera v.s. lens combo that's inexpensive…I've looked briefly on-line ( like at the N50 ) , but I don't really know too much.

Nikon AF lenses for film are interchangeable with Nikon digital SLRs.

If you already have a significant number of Nikon lenses, then get the Nikon D80.

If you're just starting out, look at the Nikon D40 or Nikon D40x, paired with the kit 18-55mm lens. That's a good starter kit for a digital SLR without breaking the bank.

If I can buy just one flash, should I spend the extra dollar to get the 580? Is it worth the money? Why?
This will be mostly casual photography, but on occasions portraits and weddings for friends.

The 480 should be enough. The 580 is the one that you would buy if you were going to use multiple flash units.

We have a Canon EOS Rebel G film camera with a couple of Sigma lenses (normal and telephoto). We are looking at a digital SLR. I have seen good reviews for the Canon Digital Rebel xti and the Nikon D80. Will my old lenses work for these digital SLR’s or will I have to buy new ones? Any recommendations?

Canon mount Sigma lenses will not work on the Nikon. It is a different mount. It should work on other Rebel series canons. I have never owned an xti but I have read and heard good things about them. I have all Nikon cameras. I do not have the D80 but its been a good performer for Nikon. The only thing I would caution if you are going that way is that rumor is the D90 will be out soon. You may want to wait as after it comes out prices on the D80 will go down

I'm getting ready to buy a large compact flash card (8 GB). There are a lot of brands and some are a lot more inexpensive than others. Are some brands better than others? Is there a good place to find honest reviews of the different brands? What factors should I take into account? I want to use it for high-end digital photography (Canon Digital Rebel SLR) and also mobile digital audio recording for a podcast.

There are significant variations in quality, and price. Here is an excellent site for reviews, comparisons, and customer comments.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16820208050

This should tell you everything you want to know.

I have an older Nikon F SLR camera with several lenses and I was curious if these lenses will mount on the newer digital SLR's

Inquiring minds want to know….

So here's a article and chart for you.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

Bottomline: If you have the older Nikon lenses with the coupling prong, you can mount them and manually focus on most of the new DSLR Nikons. If you have AF lenses, you're good to go.

With AF lenses, you'll have virtually full compatibilty with D200, D300 and above. You'll have manual metering on D50, D70, D70s, D80, and D100. And the D40 and D40x won't autofocus with some of them, but can work with manual
focus.

With AI, AI converted, and AI-s lenses, you'll have full metering only on D200, D300, D1, D2, & D3.

I hope you find this helpful. Fortunately, Nikon has provided some degree of compatibility with its heritage lenses, unlike the other major camera makers.

Canon dropped the FD mount for the EF. Minolta/Sony, Olympus, and other also left their older lenses as orphans.

I am upgrading my Canon 350D (any offers email me!) as I would like to take my hobby to the next level.

Should I opt for the 400D (and then get a better lens) or the 30D (with standard lens)?

As I have small hands the smaller 350/400D models don't prove a problem. I also prefer the lighter model but am willing to carry extra weight for better results! (Any other Canon Digital SLR's considered within that budget)

Also, where can I offload my 350D either through sell or swap other than ebay? Thanks!!

I personally upgraded to the 30D from a 300D.

I really all depends on how they feel to you. The 400 has a couple of neat features, like the sensor-cleaner and a couple extra mega-pixels. The 30D though has a more solid build, more auto-focus points, and spot-metering.

A 400D with a better lens will take a better picture than a 30D with the Kit lens. The 30D is also a good bit heavier than the Rebels, and offers a better feel when attached to the heavier L lenses.

I don't think you could go wrong with either.

Your best bet to sell the 350 would probably be ebay. A lot of the sites like fredmiranda.com have a swap area, but they are mostly filled with pros that buy/sell there stuff on the low side. Check it out under their forums if you like, but that has always been my experience. You could also try Craigslist, but ebay would probably be the safer bet.