The most often asked question...

[mlarke873]

Hello all. I am trying to decide if I should make photography my new hobby. I found this site on google and decided to check it out. Basically, I am wondering what would be a decent camera for 600-700 dollars that I could take nice pictures with. I am thinking of doing landscapes, sunsets, you know what everybody else does with their cameras. Right now I have a Vivitar point and shoot that takes nice pictures, it just doesn't have all the fun gizmos that I want.
Any suggestions on what type of camera and where to buy would be phenomenal. Bear in mind that if you start getting really technical my eyes will probably glaze over and I will fall asleep. But also know that since the internet puts the entire world at my fingertips, I will definitely research any suggestions.

thanks

[Ashton K.]

Wrong section, but it'll be moved. The main question is how big of a camera you want. A DSLR will offer more functionality, and flexability, but it will be larger, and you'll have to look through the viewfinder, no looking at the screen to aim the shot. They are more expensive, but you can adjust the camera to your needs by purchasing different lenses of varying focal lengths (focal length = how far zoomed in or out it is (not really, but this is in layman's terms), 50mm is roughly average, larger numbers are zoomed in). This is, by nature, another advantage of DSLRs, image quality is affected by the quality of the lens also. You can buy budget lenses that'll provide mediocre to decent qualities, or you can easily upgrade the lenses without changing the camera body. And if you decide to upgrade bodies, you can easily buy a new DSLR of the same brand, and keep the lenses.

It's your call really, depending on what you want to do. Point and shoots are great to carry around, pop out, and grab a "kodak moment." The results will be decent. DSLRs will provide better results, and they are more flexible. But they will cost more, weigh more, and require more time to get used to. You can get some better effects out of the manual modes with a DSLR also, if you're willing to take the time, etc. It's all in what you'll use it for, and how often.