Buying a camera help, newbie.

[mr..nemo]

i am new to photography but have a keen interest in it, i am studying graphic design but would like to broaden my knowledge into photography. i do not currently own a camera i used to own a 3.2mp sony digital camera..

and am considering buying another camera, are there any recommendations. im not sure if i should buy a sony 7.2mp camera that ive seen. or a SLR camera so i can play about developing. or a digital SLR. what would be my best option and why. as i am not clued up on cameras atall.

ive noticed a samsung digital slr has 15x optical zoom which is quiet alot, can normal SLR cams match this, with the right lens and how much are they ext.

any help is appreciated thanks.

[Chris79]

A site I found helpful is www.dpreview.com (http://www.dpreview.com) and also www.dcresource.com (http://www.dcresource.com). (for digital camera reviews)

I am also learning photography, and I really like digital because I can look at my experimental pictures right away and see what worked and what didn't.

The camera you should choose truly depends on what exactly you are looking for. There are many cameras on the market that have lots of manual controls, but in a compact camera package. I like these because it's a camera you can use even if you decide to move on to a DSLR or SLR. Sometimes it won't be practical to drag your SLR along with you and you will want a smaller, lighter camera with manual control.

Determine your budget and go from there. If you really want an SLR or DSLR, by all means, get one and try it. There are many good options out there. If you want manual control in a compact package, there are several good ones to choose from, also.

[mr..nemo]

i looked at those sites the reviews were helpfullht . i quiet liked the Samsung Pro815 because of the 15x optical zoom untill i read there about the cam haveing shutter lag. has anyone used this camera... and can i buy other lenses to go on say a cannon cam that will give me high zoom.

i understand the concept of optical zoom, but am a lil confused when the sites talk about zoom ratio

[colonel5]

if you're looking at a digital slr look for the 1st gen digital rebel or a nikon D50. both great starter cameras with plenty of room to grow into

[Mynock]

only site you need: http://www.steves-digicams.com/

[mr..nemo]

i was starting to consider eather

Fujifilm Fuji FinePix S9500/S9000
or
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30

mainly because of high optical zoom

[DesignIt]

if you're looking at a digital slr look for the 1st gen digital rebel or a nikon D50. both great starter cameras with plenty of room to grow into

I agree.

[mr..nemo]

but these cams dont have zoom lenses and zoom is a feature id like

[Tyger]

What do you intend on shooting? Wild life, lanscapes. portraits? Budget?

The camera's I would look at are the Standard Rebel or Rebel XT or the Nikon D50.
You have to be careful with "SLR" like camera's that promote a 10-15X optical zoom. They are better today than they were before but how is the quality at 15X zoom? With DSLR cameras you have to pay top dollar to get lenses equivalent to 10X zoom. The one thing about SLR cameras is the ability to have different lenses, but it can become an expenssive hobby. Take the Sigma 50-500mm (also known as the bigma) This is equal to 10x zoom but it's long and heavy and costs about $1000 US I think.
If you want a complete package I wouldn't go for a DSLR camera unless you are willing to spend on lenses. If you go the DSLR route you have to take into consideration what kind of needs you will require in terms of lenses...you are buying into the whole system and not just the camera.

I went with the XT because of Canons lense line up, IMO i liked the canon line up better than the others.

The camera's you mention are good starting points but i'm unfamilar with them. The best thing to do its to go to a camera store and try them out, take some pics and see how they perform at max zoom, lowlight, high ISO etc.

Let me get back to you, there were a few DSLR like cameras mentioned in Popular photography that i think would fit your needs.

[mr..nemo]

ok mate thanks alot for your help, ill prob be shooting landscape and portraits. budget id say £500. cheaper would be a preference but maybe im being hopeful.

and on zoom lenses when it says stuff like "35-80mm" what does that mean does that basically mean its a 2x lens because 35 goes into 80 twice?

[willy_flew]

I jumped at a point and shoot with integrated 10x zoom and am finding the hi end of the zoom spectrum worthless. I should have waited a few months and went DSLR. I could have picked up a Minolta 7d for around 800 usd at ritz camera. It has integrated image stabilization. Ritz offers a brand of lenses "quantaray" that are affordable and effective. I used these lenses on my traditional gear and they where great for the price.

[mr..nemo]

do all lenses fit all the cams? also when they talk about "28-80mm & 100-300mm " what does that mean on lenses. i found that wrote on a lens description for 2 lenses on ebay.

[Chris79]

I jumped at a point and shoot with integrated 10x zoom and am finding the hi end of the zoom spectrum worthless. I should have waited a few months and went DSLR. I could have picked up a Minolta 7d for around 800 usd at ritz camera. It has integrated image stabilization. Ritz offers a brand of lenses "quantaray" that are affordable and effective. I used these lenses on my traditional gear and they where great for the price.

Not that I necessarily disagree with you on saving up a little more and getting a DSLR (and I am a minolta fan, too btw :) ) But on my Z6, the high end of the zoom is plenty useful. But only with a tripod. Don't try to let the anti-shake system work for that.

[Tyger]

Here are some "SLR" Like cameras you may be intrested in.

Nikon Coolpix 8800: $899US (street value)
Panasonic DMC-FZ30: $564
Kodak P880: $537
Sony DSC-R1: $940
Fujifilm FinePix S9000 Z: $598
Samsung Pro815: $716

here's a side by side comparison
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_cp8800%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz30%2Ckodak_p 880%2Csony_dscr1%2Cfuji_finepixs9000z%2Csamsung_pr o815&show=all

Megapixels: The cameras range from 8-10mp so that's not really a deciding factor.

ISO: Interms of ISO settings only the Sony goes up to 3200 and the fuji at 1600.
The rest only go to 400.

Zoom: The koday is almost at 6x zoom and the sony at 5x zoom. All the rest are at 10x zoom with the Samsung at 15X. Question is how is the quality on the long end?

Image Stabilization: The Nikon and the Panasonic have IS(with the panasonic it IS is on the lens)

Anyway these are just a few things you can see the side by side comparisons to get the full details.

read all the indepth reviews and look at the image comparisons.

If it were me which would i pick? Neither, i'd go for a DSLR camera :)

[Chris79]

If it were me which would i pick? Neither, i'd go for a DSLR camera :)

If you're considering spending over $700 anyway - I agree with this statement.

Though I still stand by my original thought that you'll find a compact P&S with manual control to be a helpful thing in the future, even when you own an SLR or DSLR. It's just not practical to take an SLR and all of your gear, everywhere.

[colonel5]

if you are buying a lens for a DSLR that's made for a SLR there is some conversion on the lenses. I'm not sure what the exact math to it is, but i know it's different.

also a great rule to know if photography...

"the picture can only be as good as the glass it's taken through"

buy a decent consumer to pro-sumer DSLR and invest in the lenses, this is where you'll see a great return on your investment.

[Tyger]

If you are seriously considering portraits than in the long run a DSLR would be a better investment as colonel5 mentioned. It may cost more up front but you will get better results with the right equipment. Instead of buying a p&s now then buying a slr camera in a few years.

You can get a d50 for example and a good portrait lense like a 50mm that would be good for portraits.

[colonel5]

If you are seriously considering portraits than in the long run a DSLR would be a better investment as colonel5 mentioned. It may cost more up front but you will get better results with the right equipment. Instead of buying a p&s now then buying a slr camera in a few years.

You can get a d50 for example and a good portrait lense like a 50mm that would be good for portraits.

Mos def, I spent about $100 on a 50mm/1.8 and it's been the best investment I've made into my camera so far. great pictures at a great price

[mr..nemo]

i think i may consider the CANON DIGITAL REBEL XT / EOS 350D.. would i need from this to invest in a better lens, as i was reading the review and it said the cam was let down slightly by the lens, are there any good lens recommendations.

[JPnyc]

I'm kinda impressed with the Fuji F11 I just got. Here's a sample pic taken at night, with no flash, iso 1600.

[morea]

wow, that's sweet!

[JPnyc]

That was my local watering hole, until last night. Whole block's been sold. You can never have too many grossly overpriced hotels in Times Sq., apparently. That place was kinda famous. Lot's of rather famous people would come in after their broadway show, or on Tony awards night. I've met Jack Klugman in there, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel, Martin Short, Mathew Broderick and Sara Jessica Parker, and quite a few others. End of an era for this neighborhood.

[morea]

what a shame to see it go. Condolences!