I have always found that a camera body is just a light box, so long as a body has shutter speeds ranging from 1 to 1/1000sec, where possible a DOF preview, tripod socket and a motorwind it will do the job. Between the late 1970s and mid 1980s I used one Praktica MTL3 and one TL1000 for wedding photography, not what you would call a great pro outfit, when coupled to my Carl Zeiss 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 135mm and 200mm lens these cameras produced pin sharp results, I later moved on to a pair of Minolta X700s, coupled with a set of Rokkor Prime lens they produced great shots, I have a soft spot for the Rokkor lens, Minolta like Nikon with their Nikkor lens made their own Glass, therefor optical quality was paramount. When I retired from Weddings 2 years ago I was using a pair of Canon EOS 1000FN Autofocus cameras complete with zoom head flash and the most expensive Canon USM glass I could afford. What is the point of all this, well I believe a camera is only as good as its optics, a great camera with an average lens will take average pictures, an average body fitted with top quality lens will take top quality pictures. I dont own a DSLR at the moment, I still think prices will drop, when they do I will do as I always have done, purchase a body one or two up from the entry level and purchase the best lens I can afford, in the meantime I am planning a six week interstate Rail Photography Expedition so I can push my Fuji S5600s to the max.
Completely agree! I've put cheap lenses on expensive bodies and been totally disappointed. I've put expensive lenses on cheap bodies and been totally delighted. My last film camera was a basic Nikon N70 that I bought for my wife. I bought a Quantaray 28-200mm lens with it. She was happier with a little point-and-shoot digital, so I took it over. I was disappointed until I put some of my Nikon lenses on it. My results with the old 35-105 Nikon macro zoom were astounding, even though everything was manual. My favorite lens right now is the Nikon 12-24mm zoom. It costs more than a D80 body, but it delivers great results. And it's not even considered part of their pro line.
