New To Photography

[ChasecarterLe]

Hey guys,

I am new, actually brand new to photography. I find it very fascinating how photographers can make images come to life so I thought I'd give it a shot at taking some pictures today.

Anyways, I hope this is in the right sub-category, but what is a good camera for a beginner to use? good tips? is photography more about the camera themselves? or quality relies more on photoshop?

I'm more of a portrait type person when it comes to photography, then second comes to landscape. What are some good cameras for those? my budget runs around 300-400.

Newb, I know :]

[Cathathome]

Hi there and welcome to the forums!

Based on your interests and budget, I'd say you won't be satisfied with a point and shoot, so you might want to consider a previous (not current) version of a basic DSLR. By not buying the latest and greatest, you can use the cash saved for a decent lens. I bought my XT when the XTi was still "new" so saved a couple of hundred bucks on the camera body.

A good lens is your biggest assest, though again, it doesn't have to be the high end variety. You might be able to work out a deal for a body and lens upgrade (from the kit lens) but I recommend you research the lens you want first, so you don't get talked into something you either don't need or that isn't much better than the kit.

Saying all that, you'll first need to decide what brand you want to commit to, since Nikon lenses don't work on Canon, etc.

If you are able to, I highly recommend going to a camera store instead of big box. You can ask questions, hold the camera(s) you're thinking of, bring your own memory card to take some sample pics to view at home, and go back and ask more questions. If you end up not liking what you bought, you won't have to pay s/h if you exchange the equipment, but check what their return/exchange policies are.

I'm sure other members here will have useful advice to add, so be assured you're not alone in the photographic wilderness

HTH,

Cath

[ChasecarterLe]

thank you you're post is very welcoming!

I wouldn't mind point and shoot either... actually which is better for a beginner? and what is "DSLR" and the non-current version of it. Does it come with cameras and lens and how much does it usually cost? I don't want to go to a camera store and get hustled :\


I should probably go to school for this huh :]

[WesternGuy]

Chase, go out and buy a copy of Digital Photography for Dummies. It is one of the best books around on the subject and explains just about everything you would ever want to know, as a beginner, about digital photography, including thoughts on the choice of a camera.

As far as going to school, it probably wouldn't hurt if you can find a short, introductory course at one of your local colleges. :idea:

HTH.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[Frog]

A dslr is a digital single lens reflex camera.
When you look through the viewfinder, you are looking through the lens and see exactly what the camera sees.
There is no previous version...its an slr whether digital or film or it isn't. They've been around a long time.
A point and shoot has a built in lens...its the lens you get and cannot be replaced with another lens.
A dslr has whatever lens you want to put on it from extreme wide angle to ultra telephoto.
There are dslr body and lens packages or you can buy the body only and purchase whatever lens you want/need. You can spend a LOT of money on lenses but one of the best lenses,(50mm f/1.8) only costs about a hundred dollars.
For a beginner you may want to go with point and shoot and see how much your passion grows. If you get serious, you'll want to go to a dslr eventually though.
A budget of 300 to 400 won't go far with a dslr so I'd suggest the best p&s you can afford and learn to use it from one end to the other and especially learn to use the manual mode in which you will set aperture and shutter speed for the results you want.
Learn how to compose and when the camera will no longer do what you need it to, then save up for a dslr.
I'll let others make p&s suggestions or add their thoughts on the subject.