OT: Help on buying a digital camera.

[Johniboi]

Im starting to get into the whole photography thing and im looking into buy a nice digital camera.

Anybody got any suggestions on a camera i should buy?

[matttail]

depends, how into photography are you? and how much are you thinking about spending? You can get point and shoot cameras between $130 and $300 and more professional cameras in the $600-$1000 range. True pro cameras are even more.

[Johniboi]

well i started playing with my friends nikon d40 about a year ago and thats when i started to fall in love with photography. I even borrowed it for a week and got used to it, but i didnt have money then to buy one,but now that i have money im pretty interested in buying a nice camera. The thing is if there are many options iuno whats good, what i should buy with the camera, etc..

[the djay]

Personally I have an Olympus E-300 slr with 2 lenses. I bought it new a few years ago and I really enjoy using it. Once I get to the point where I feel I'm really good with it, I plan on getting their E3 model which is a professional camera. I guess it's a personal choice among Canon, Olympus, Nikkon or Pentax. among the SLR models, as for the point and shoot models, they are pretty well adequate no matter what the brand. No matter what you choose I would suggest you get image stabilization which really enhances your pictures. As for software for editing your pictures I'll suggest Picassa, free from Google. A great image editor. Hope this helps....

[seephil]

I work as a free lance photographer and full time in a camera store here in Melbourne, Australia.Really depends how much you want to spend and what to expect. Unfortunately i don't know exactly how much camera go for in the US.If you can afford it and you want to be creative, get and SLR (single lens reflex). These are the *USUALLY BLACK BIG CAMERAS* that have interchangeable lens. The quality of your pictures will be worth it. Suggest Canon and Nikon. These 2 big boys have the most accessories, better lens and more models to chose from. Also great in the service department. IMO stay away from Olympus(no offence guys) but their sensors are smaller. I use a Nikon D700 (just upgraded from a D300) which has a full frame sensor(same size as a 35mm film). RRP in Australia is AUD$4100 body only.If you want a compact camera, i seriously suggest a Canon G10 or any Panasonic.If you need other reccomendations or suggestions, email [email protected]

Good luck

[CopyChief]

Obviously it depends on your budget, and, to some extent, your tolerance for carrying around a big camera.

If you've got the budget, go for an SLR, which looks just like the old-style 35MM film cameras and can take pictures that are just as good.

If you're looking more at a learner's camera, one that you might trade in in a year or so for something bigger or better, and you'd like to save a few bucks, go for one of the "ProSumer" models. I like the Canons in this realm, either from the G series (I think they're up to G10 now) or the S2 series, which has an incredible zoom lens. I've got the S2IS, and it's a great camera and takes pro-style photos on a consumer budget. I have pretty much total control over all of the settings -- shutter speed, aperture, etc -- but the lenses are not interchangeable, so you'll lose some flexibility.

One thing to note: Don't buy a camera based solely on pixel count. Some of the small pocket cameras (which you're probably not looking at, but it's worth a mention) have really high counts, but their optics aren't of great quality -- so the result can often be lousy photos, because the high resolution sensor shows all the flaws in the lens.

All this said, if you've got the money the D40 you've been playing with is a fantastic camera. You won't go wrong there. Nikon has just come out with a few new models, so you could probably find some used ones around for a decent price, comparatively speaking. Start with a good body and a couple of decent lenses, and you're good to go.

Good luck.

[marlin29311]

It definalty depends on what you want to do.

You can do some D-SLR "like" cameras that come pre-equipped with un-mountable lenses that offer many SLR features that you can use to learn.

If you have the money, go ahead and buy a somewhat less expensive SLR, but one that you can trade the lenses between with a more expensive camera. Lenses work on anything and you should never cheap out on them.

[CodeRed]

I just bought a Sony DSLR A300 and I absolutely love it!

[Versa350Z]

I use a Nikon D50 with a Nikon Speedlite SB-600 flash.. It's a great camera but more of a entry level camera but inexpensive these days. Most people I know who are serious with photography use the D200 or D3 cameras..

[Johniboi]

thanks alot guys for the help guys!

I looked around and im interested in either the nikon d80,d40,d60.

If i do happen to buy one of these, is here anything else i should buy? like a package or something?

[matttail]

The Nikons you mention are great cameras. Several stores sell these in "Camera Kits" that came with the camera, two lenses, and a carry bag. It's cheaper to buy the kit than to try and buy the additional lens down the road. Find a kit that has a nice Zoom lens and I think you'll be set.

If you have a Costco membership, or a friend with one, they sell a kit like I have mentioned with semi-frequent sales on them. Ask around. Sams club may have similar deals, but I'm not familiar with them.

[Johniboi]

Thanks! Im gonna look around..and see what deals there are around..

[Johniboi]

Well im officialy a proud Nikon D40 owner

[manvan]

nice, i got the d40x, there badass cameras, i got an slr and a 35mm one to, they both rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!