absolute BEGINNING photographer needs help

I'm about as "beginner" as it gets... 17 years old, hardly even touched a camera that wasn't disposable... I'm a total novice. I've become interested in photography and am taking a class in it next year at my school. What I'd like is any advice you could give a beginner, especially about what my first camera should be. I don't have a lot to spend, so if I could get something decent for under $100, I'd definitely go for that, but as I am a complete novice I don't even know what "decent" is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well for starters, look for a fully manual 35mm slr. That means that you can change the settings of the camera. I have an old Minolta XG-M that would be great for a beginner (it was my first camera) and they usually sell on Ebay for around $100.

Here is an example I found:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...813764321&rd=1

Do be careful when buying on Ebay though! Only buy from a reputable seller (check their rating) and make sure that the condition of the camera is as excellent as possible, or you could end up with more problems than pictures.

I'm sure that there are other good beginner cameras, but don't think that you have to buy new, or the latest and greatest, to get good photos. The quality of photos is up to the photographer, not the camera! :)

Good luck, and I hope this was helpful.

Hey, we've all been there!

I would suggest going to your local public library and reading tons of photography 'how to' books. Second, I would then sit down and decide exactly what I want to do with photography. 35mm SLR cameras/lenses are pretty much the standard for more serious photographers. Do you want complete control, semi-control, hardly any control, with the camera settings? Do you want all manual, or auto focus lenses? How much do you want to learn?

For example, all manual camera bodies/lenses are usually cheaper than the newer auto systems with all the bells and whistles. But all manual is more difficult to learn right away.

Third, I would check out the reviews here on this site. They've helped me a lot. Once you know what kind of system you want, then you can figure out what brand you want. Go to some local camera /pawn shops and play with several cameras. Which camera body fits well in your hands, and that you can get comfortable with.

Constantly stay with the discussion groups here, and you'll soon figure out the different models, and what they can do, and what seasoned photographers are saying about them.

Don't get discouraged during the first year or so of learning photography. Your not going to shoot perfect photos right away. It takes time, so be patient, and your 'eye' will develop!


Good luck!

Kathy

Thanks... I think I'll be wanting a lot of control over my settings... that camera you recommended seems like it'd fit me well...

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Originally Posted by sandman

I'm about as "beginner" as it gets... 17 years old, hardly even touched a camera that wasn't disposable... I'm a total novice. I've become interested in photography and am taking a class in it next year at my school. What I'd like is any advice you could give a beginner, especially about what my first camera should be. I don't have a lot to spend, so if I could get something decent for under $100, I'd definitely go for that, but as I am a complete novice I don't even know what "decent" is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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I'd suggest that you talk to your teacher of the upcoming class about what camera to buy.

If you wish to buy a used fully manual camera, the pentax K1000 is a very serviceable camera and there are a lot of them out there.