Digital Cameras

[Brian]

Hello...

I'm looking for a nice digital camera. I want to get into photography as a hobby.

Any recommendations for a digital camera? I have a $500-600 budget.

[maxf]

my mom is photographer, and she kind of wants to go digital. good cameras are $5000+. anything else is just a shoot and snap (including $500-$600 cameras). doesn't mean that they're bad quality, but they won't be like 35mm cameras or anything

[Brian]

That's ok ... it's just a hobby. Not proffesional or anything.

[maxf]

would you just be taking pics? or editing with photoshop?

[jadzia]

Try here. Tech TV always has some great reviews. These are their picks for High end digital cameras for the ameteur photographer... Some nice picks and a few around your price range.

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/p...577766,00.html

[thebassman]

There are some good SLR cameras in the $500-$600 range... You totally do not need to spend $5000 on a camera... most professional photographers wouldn't spend half that much on the camera... accessories, on the other hand, can cost you a fortune. (this would be a great topic for my new photography forum!)

[hatchet]

Try cnet also -
http://reviews.cnet.com/4502-6501_7-...erby=-7eRating
We ended up purchasing the Canon A80 (4mp) for a jobsite camera - it's a pretty good camera but doesn't have all the functionality as the G5(5mp). We wanted the G3 with 4mp but we can't find one that wasn't refurbished for a decent price.

[samer]

how about sony ?

[hatchet]

I know a lot of people who like Sony. I figure if I want a camera (any kind) I'll stick with the companies that have been making them long before digital cameras.. i.e. canon. nikon, etc.

[samer]

hmmm.. ok .. but i like the Memory Card system of sony ... just my 2c

[drummer4life05]

My brother just bought this one from Circuit City:
Kodak EasyShare DX4530.
$300 from Circuit City.

Pictures are great quality. Let me know if you'd like to see some examples. My parents took it to Niagara Falls when they went there for the weekend, and I could PM you some.

:-)

[Stitchy626]

Originally Posted by maxf

my mom is photographer, and she kind of wants to go digital. good cameras are $5000+. anything else is just a shoot and snap (including $500-$600 cameras). doesn't mean that they're bad quality, but they won't be like 35mm cameras or anything

You really do not need a $5000 digital camera. The $5000 cameras have around 10 or 11 megapixels which is only needed if you are going to be blowing the pictures up to be a huge size like billboard size and such. For $500 - $600 dollars you can get a digital SLR but most of them you can only get the body and not the lenses that come with it. It depends on what you want to do. I mean you can get a digital point and shoot or you can get the digital SLR cameras( can change the lenses and such) It really depends on what you want to do, and how far you want to go into the photography.

[samer]

stitchy are you a pro photographer !? nice knowledge BTW

[Stitchy626]

Originally Posted by samer

stitchy are you a pro photographer !? nice knowledge BTW

Well, I am not a "pro" just yet. I do enjoy photography, but I am trying to start fashion photography, which I love. I have been looking to get into digital, so I have been doing a lot of research on it and that sort. I want to get the best digital camera for my money, but the thing that really sucks is that you will go and buy a camera today, and tomorrow there will be one that is 10 times better. That is what I do not like about digital. A regualr 35mm does not change that drastically like digital. But getting a digital camera can be VERy expensive. A regular point and shoot is not expensive because you will only be paying for the camera and that is it. It you get a digital SLR, you will buy the lenses and then eventually you will want larger lenses and that sort of thing. It is best if you have a 35mm camera lens that can fit the digital camera. Like the Canon rebel 2000 35mm lenses can fit on the digital rebel, so you will only have to buy the body (if you have the 35mm) because you already have the lenses. That camera I believe is 8 megapixels but that is good for the average person as a hobby because you will not be blowing up your pictures to fit a billboard, and you will not be submitting the pictures into photo editors... unless that is the goal you want. But like I said, the average person who wants to take ictures of their dog, or when they go on vacation and wants the pictures to look good does not need to spend $5000 on camera. Their are perfectly good acceptable ones that will do the job.

This link may be a little helpful as well.... The pricing is off, you can get a lot better for cheaper than it show, but you can see the size picture that can be produced with how many megapixels. So if you are only going to produce 4x6 prints, you do not need a camera that can produce 16x20 prints.
http://www.consumer.org.nz/topic.asp...nttype=general

[John Scott]

I like the Pentax Optios. They have some great features, and are just a tad bigger than a pack of smokes.

[thebassman]

I'm personally saving for a Nikon 5700. It's good enough quality for anything I'd use it for, plus is very versitile so I can add most standard SLR accessories to it...

(damn I wish this thread were happening in my new photography forum... hehe.) :wink:

[ash]

For Hobbies a lot of my non-Pro photographer friends have been using the Cannon Ixus.
I've used it myself and am very surprised and happy with the results.
A lot of stores will let you use their display cameras to test out how it works etc.
Definitely go with the "try before you buy"
I personally know more about video cameras, so sorry I couldn't be of more help, but definitely find the one that suits you & your budget, and most importantly one you are happy with!