Help with buying camera.

[Intrepid99]

Hello,
I am novice in camera and never took any concern in exploring them. I am ready to spend something around 400$. The pictures that you guys take are inspiring. Therefore just wanted to get some suggestion.
I would love to take pictures like you guys but it needs practise, experience. I am sure that they are not available at walmart.
But, First I need a camera. Which digital camera should I own.

 

[Deamiter]

I did a quick search of http://www.dpreview.com and my first recommendation would be the Nikon Coolpix 4300. You can probably get it for $250 which would leave you with enough money to get a good memory card, a tripod, Photoshop Elements etc...

The slightly more expensive cameras really don't add much to the package, so I don't think it would make much sense to spend your money on the little extras. For example, it only has 3 ISO settings, no audio on the video, and does not support type 2 compact flash. You could spend an extra hundred dollars to bump up all the little features, but the truth is you won't miss them.

What I looked for (when I did the features search on the site) was the manual settings. To really learn photography well (as you seem to want to) you need to be able to play with aperture and shutter priority, white balance, and manual focus. To be VERY honest, you do not need these features to take good pictures, and it's likely that you won't often use them. However, for the price range you're looking at, it's not hard to find a good camera with those features, and it gives you more flexability to compose your shots as you become more proficient at photography.

Anyway, what really sells me for this camera is it's low price along with 4 megapixels, 3x zoom, a Lithium-Ion battery (rather than the AAs), and compact flash cards. You really won't need more megapixels than that, you won't be able to get more zoom unless you pay a lot more or sacrifice overall quality, the AAs are just annoying in my opinion (and LI batteries have few downsides), and compact flash cards are generally the best right now, though when you upgrade to another model in a few years, you'll likely to get an entirely different format.

Check out the reviews and articles online about what is important and what's not. I especially like http://www.dpreview.com because it gives such an easy comparison of each camera's features. You should notice that the prices are often a bit dated, and many of the cameras don't have in depth reviews, so it's important to go to other sites to look for any glaring design flaws in a particular model, or to get different views on what's important in a camera.

 

[jnsuffolk]

Hello:

The one thing you need to know is that digital cameras have this nasty little thing called shutter lag. That is to say when you push the button down. they stop to focus in and then take the pic. It will be real hard to catch those kodak moments with the average camera out there You might want to check out the sony line. I don't know which one it is but I was looking at them awhile ago and one of them (the cost is about $200) had no shutter lag. Other than that you'll need to spend at least 600 bucks on a dslr and then buy a lens. That what I did because I hated shutter lag. I just wasn't happy with my little nikon. It took great pics but it was really slow.

Good luck

Joe

 

[Right_Wing]

I would not go Digital i love my camera regular cameras are much much better than digital!! I have a cannon rebel 2000 i upgraded and stuff but i love it works for everything i have used it for sports, landscapes, etc. I mean ive taken it to Russia, Australia, and doing everday stuff like taking pics for yearbook and others...

 

[Faith001]

I 'm with you. I have a Cannon EOS Rebel G11 and a Sony camcorder. It takes photos to the memory stik or micro tape. I have only had the Sony for a couple of months. But so far some of my best pics have been with the Cannon. I would like to find another AE1,by Cannon its a older camera but a great one. I used it the whole time I lived in the Florida Keys. It took fabulous pics. I think some of the professional "storm chasers" still use the AE1. God Bless Faith.

 

[Miss Mayberry]

I would like to find another AE1,by Cannon its a older camera but a great one.

That's what I have. I'm tired of it. I'm ready for a Digital Rebel. But, for an older 35mm, it's not too shabby.

 

[The_White]

The only problem I have with film camera is... well film, to expensive. I enjoy being able to take 50 shots an possibly only get 1 or 2 really good ones but have it not matter because I can dele the rest.

The answer to the shutter lag problem is simple. Most camers when you press the button down half way will focus, from then (as long as you don't change the distance to much) if you keep it half pressed it will stay in focus. When you press it the rest of the way there is virtually no shutter lag. Makes it easy for taking photos of kids playing sport or other shots like that.

 

[little chris]

the Canon S1 IS is pretty nice...
10x opt. zoom + 3.2 digital zoom...
image stabilizer... and more!
you can find it for 400 in some places... maybe amazon.com

 

[~Mrs. A2J~]

I have a Canon Powershot G2 which I highly recommend if you can get a hold of one. It produces high quality photos and can work for both a beginner (has many auto functions) and for a more advanced photographer (has many manuals controls). I paid $450 for mine which came with the camera, 128MB CF card, 3 year warranty, camera case, cleaning kit and included shipping.

Sarah