Ow my head

roscowgo

Is there a good beginners list of "first" dslrs on here anywhere?

Should a n00b go for the latest and greatest and hope it lives for 10 years?

Look for a really good P&S? (currently have an olympus fe-280, which is by far the best camera I've had so far)


In other words. Ow. my haid.

I'm sure this is a multiple repeat... but I'ma clueless idiot.

Tango

if you have a choice then go for the best.....

if your looking for something that will help you learn and you have a budget...
then you should figure out which brand name you like...i.e. goto the camera shop and put a nikon and a canon, and whatever else in your hands and see what you like....then go from there...

Tee Why

I think it depends on your budget and how serious you are.
If you are somewhat serious about photogrpahy, dslr is probably the way to go. A used body like a Rebel XTi or a Nikon d40/40x/60 will probably give you a lot of bang for the bucks and let you use the rest for lenses.

If that's too much of a budget, a slr looking digicam with a big zoom and full manual controls like a Panasonic FZ18 may be a better option.

Good luck.

roscowgo

I'm sure whatever I (eventually, this is all long term planning/learning stuff i'm doing here) get, I'll want something as automagic as possible.
I understand that there is light... and that light goes into some kinda widget, and through a long painfull process involving goblin testicles and angel feathers, an image magically appears on a lil screen.

I'd love to understand this stuff, but at the moment I've got no background. I really like pictures of things... but I doubt I'd ever do anything professional.

Art Scott

roscowgo wrote:

I'm sure whatever I (eventually, this is all long term planning/learning stuff i'm doing here) get, I'll want something as automagic as possible.
I understand that there is light... and that light goes into some kinda widget, and through a long painfull process involving goblin testicles and angel feathers, an image magically appears on a lil screen.

I'd love to understand this stuff, but at the moment I've got no background. I really like pictures of things... but I doubt I'd ever do anything professional.

There are also some good used digicams that can give you the ability to play around with the controls if you want.......I own a Konica Minolta A2 and love it.....it has one feature that NO other camera has ever had.....a floating focus point.......that is a focus point you can actually move to any spot your want on the focus screen or lcd.....so cool for Artsy stuff.....there are a lot of them usually on ebay stating at a little over $100 upto $500.......this is a serious camera it can teach you alot....I like it for landscapes as when I change my aperature or shutter speed I see the results in my viewfinder......and I have sold several really large images off this camera (30 x 40 inch prints)......it is small, I have carried it in a jacket pocket and at times I also shoot it off my tripod (for landscapes and such....)

Good Luck

Scott_Quier

Welcome to DGrin. Hope you enjoy it here as much as I do:D

roscowgo wrote:

Is there a good beginners list of "first" dslrs on here anywhere?

Not that I'm aware of. That would be a maintenance nightmare as the offerings from the various manufacturers seems to change on a daily basis - and that's just looking at the big two. When you add in the very fine and functional offerings from all the others, well ... you get the point.

roscowgo wrote:

Should a n00b go for the latest and greatest and hope it lives for 10 years?

I would think not. Going for the latest an and greatest is a sure way to pour money into a dark hole. If you want a DSLR, acquiring a good and servicable used item is probably the way to go. I would probably recommend one of the "older" DSLRs - one that's been out there for something more than a couple of years. I only really know the Canon line (but the others have similar offerings) and so would/could recommend one of XTi, XTs, 20D, or 30D. These are all find cameras and will do you well for quite a while. The hope for 10 years is not realistic though. All these will provide you LOTS and LOTS of room to learn about the "goblin testicles and angel feathers" (I really cracked up when I read that:D) and will provide you the flexibility to do it all automagically or to go full manual (where you control EVERYTHING) or anything in between. I would then couple any of these bodies with either a used Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 or a used 17-50 from either Tamron or Sigma.

Shopping used equipment can be a hair pulling experience if you don't trust the people with whom you are dealing. May I suggest you look into the Flea Market here? Doing so, and looking into the feedback thread there, will help you overcome that issue by knowing that the sellers have been vetted by someone.

roscowgo wrote:

Look for a really good P&S? (currently have an olympus fe-280, which is by far the best camera I've had so far)


In other words. Ow. my haid.

I'm sure this is a multiple repeat... but I'ma clueless idiot.

However, since you seem to be looking for a good P&S, I have a soft spot for the Canon G9 - but that's just me.

swintonphoto

Here is my list of great beginner DLSRs. All will do a great job. Prices vary, as do features. I am an avid Olympus user, and love the cameras. I know people who use cameras from all of these manufacturers and swear by them - so, it just depends what you want:

Olympus:
E-420
E-510 (Can get for bargain right now)
E-520

Pentax:
K2000
K200

Nikon:
D40
D60
D90

Canon:
XS
XSi

Sony:
A200
A300
A350

Panasonic:
G1
L10

roscowgo

Thanks all for the great replies and advice.



I think what grabbed me up was wanting to go out and take pics of the leaves changing. My lil PnS will do it, but some things are just...fluffy. For lack of a better word.


Thanks again.

Joves

Remember once in the dslr world you will be trapped. It will become a vicious cycle of getting better glass, bodys and, accessories.

MikeInRochester

roscowgo wrote:

Thanks all for the great replies and advice.



I think what grabbed me up was wanting to go out and take pics of the leaves changing. My lil PnS will do it, but some things are just...fluffy. For lack of a better word.


Thanks again.

I understand completely!

I bought a point and shoot before a trip I took about 4 years ago. Great little thing. Could shove it in a pocket and take decent pictures. But I started to hit the limits of the camera - couldn't shoot in low light; couldn't control the depth of field; couldn't get any more zoom out of it.

I started looking at what was available. I initially picked up a high end point and shoot but quickly realized I'd have the same limitations as what I already had.

I did some research and picked up a dslr. I'm loving it. Having a blast with it. Taking (quite literally) thousands of pictures. And I'm still learning what it's capable of and how best to make it do what I want (hence why I've signed up here).

I still toss the point and shoot in my riding jacket when I head out on my motorcycle and take some great pics with it. But when I want more control over my shots, I've got the "big boy".

Do some research. Find out what will best suit your needs WITHIN YOUR BUDGET. Don't feel pressured to buy more than what you are really comfortable with.

Good luck and have fun!