a $3 Preppy Fine point ?
http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/cPath/214_371/produc...
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"I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." (Calvin and Hobbes/Bill Waterson)

Well, if you go with either a Parker 51 or a Hero 330, you'll definitely need bottled ink as neither uses a cartridge.

The Hero 330 has an extra-fine nib. The Parker 51 can be found with anything from an extra-fine to broad nib, but fine is the most commonly found. If you're doing the Bay, make sure you read the descriptions very carefully and buy from a reputable seller of pens who offers some sort of guarantee. You'd probably want an aerometric (for simple reliability). The common ones, like one with a black barrel, stainless steel (lustraloy) cap, and fine nib, should be available for around $40 - 60. Less common/more collectible ones will go for more, sometimes much more.

Ygor's recommended $3 Platinum Preppy fountain pen is a great one to start with if you're not sure. www.jetpens.com is a good place to get them. The Preppy is available in fine/extra-fine .3 mm nib or a medium .5 mm nib. I have the medium nibbed Preppy and love it. The Preppy can also use a Platinum converter for bottled ink, although the converter costs more than the Preppy! But, you can refill the excellent Platinum cartridge with bottled ink using a syringe.

Oh yeah, ink. Well, I've used Private Reserve Velvet Black, Noodler's waterproof black, and Pelikan black (same as Cross). All pretty good. The Preppy comes with a cartridge and the Platinum Blue-Black ink is pretty good. I'm usually a blue ink person, so I'm picky about blue inks.

You don't have to buy ink from the manufacturer of the pen, although one would assume that their inks will work well with their pens. The hard part is that sometimes a pen will work better with one ink than another. And, ink tends to be a really personal taste. The color, intensity, flow, drying time, and compatibility with your favorite pens can all factor into your choice. Paper also makes a big difference. You'll find that there's a lot of variation in even what you'd think would be a basic black ink. :-)

Sorry if that doesn't help, but the wide variety of inks is what makes it fun and a bit challenging. Here's a website that might offer some insight: http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/ink/index.htm

Walter
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"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything." - Mark Twain