I wanna get into photography, I wanted advice as to where to start with a camera and all...any advice is appreciated.
Getting into photography
I wanna get into photography, I wanted advice as to where to start with a camera and all...any advice is appreciated.
L@t3 N|GHt Cr3\/\/ and Hump Her Crew member
really depends on what you are wanting to do. Do you just want to take some snap shots of friends, car, etc or do you want to get into it heavily? Also, how much are you looking to spend?
^^^ GA_TEG recommended the cannon S2IS to me and probably in the next few weeks I am going to get one, I have read the reviews and it is a great starting camera with 12x optical zoom and image stabilizer, I also think you can get some additional lenses for it.
I'd start with a point and shoot that has some manual adjust ability, then move up to an SLR when you feel you're ready.
Also it might help to make friends with photoshop.
One thing to keep in mind is, when lookng at point and shoots you will end up paying close to $300-$400 for a good one, maybe a little more. You might see some D-SLR's that are close to that price range but you have to think about lenses. WHere a point and shoot can cover a wide variety of shooting conditions, a D-SLR is really lens dependent. So you sink over $500-$800 on a D-SLR you also have to factor in lenses to go with it. Danny, Jaime, Joey, Walker, and Myself sink money into lenses to go with our camera bodies. Walker and I are just starting out with ours and building our lenses up but it will be nothing for us to have to drop $400 min on a lens to acheive the shots we want. Danny, Jaime, and Joey already have some very nice glass that is over $1,000 in just one lens.
Basically like estis said, start off with a point and shoot to see if you really like it and want to go further with it. Depending on what you are wanting to shoot you may be able to get by with just a 3 mp digi cam with basic funtions, a 5mp with a few manual funtions, or you might want to step up to a 8mp with more manual control (Nemesis). You really need to decide what kind of budget you have and what you are wanting to shoot. A good website to give you some basic info and reviews is dpreview.com
I dunno, I figured to spend 3-500 bucks, I will look into the canon S2IS and see if I like it, I really am wanting to get into photoshoots (cars and people) and do some scenery and backdrops.
L@t3 N|GHt Cr3\/\/ and Hump Her Crew member
Canon S2IS is a great camera to start off with along with the Nikon 8700. What do you mean cars and people?Originally Posted by Tbird_guy
As a beginner, you may want to start out with something like this:
Later, QD.
FOR MORE INFO, CLICK THE PIC!!!
one thing i woudl like to advise you man, is that, if your going to want to take good pictures, like of cars or scenory(sp?) then you are going to need an slr camera, either that or a camera with atleast 7 or 8 mega pixels, because odds are you going to want to blow up pictures at some point if you are going to get into photography, if you want to do normal pictures, just for fun for right now, get something like the kodak z740 its got 10x optical and a pretty alright digital, im not sure off the top of my head, i think its about 5 maybe. another good one is the sony cybershot thats 5 mp i think but it also has about 12x optical, since you are just starting out, i wouldnt really go in an slr camera right now, there pretty expensive depending on what you get, especially if its digital. but if you think thats what you want , go with it, id also suggest getting atleast a 1g memory card, whether it be sd xd or a memory stick or even compact flash, but that all depends on the type of camera you get. reason i suggest getting a 1g is becauase you will probably be wanting to take multiple pictures of the same shot, and thats the card your going to want to have, when i sell my camera's to customers at my store, i usually want them to play with the camera first before i really get into telling them about it just to see if they like the way that it feels and what not, so if your going to want to get a camera, i think the best thing is to go to a camera store, and play around with the camera's, that way you can get a good feel for them and a good idea of what you want. one thing i wil mention to is that if you do get a camera, my opininion is stick with an SD memory chip when it comes to a camera's memory, reason for that is because, right now, they are more of a guess you could say, the "universal memory" because alot more manufactures use SD as apposed to others, and that way if one camera goes out that you might have you dont have to worry about spending an extra 60 or 70 dollars on a card depending on the size you want
i hope i help, if you have anymore questions man just let me know
Canon Nutswinger:
Canon XS
18-55mm
55-250mm
50mm USM
Blacknight, I agree with pretty much all that you have said except to take some awesome scenery shots you do not need an SLR. I have seen several that shoot with P&S and they can blow away others with D-SLR's. Most people will only blow up to an 8x10 or maybe an 11x13 so a 5mp will be good enough for that. Also, the TWO common cards really are SD and CF. I do agree with playing with the camera in the store first so you can see if it feels good in your hand and the weight is good. Overall good advice. BTW, what store do you work at?
work at best buy, new store on 124 in snellville, store 0776, yeah you are right about how most point and shoots will can do good scenery shots, only reason i suggested the slr thing with him wanting to do that is because he might want ot do some manual focusing on certain things and what not that slr's have a beter time doing then p&S. your right about the SD and CF thing as well, the ony reason i mentioned SD mostly is because most of the time in P&S's SD is the most common format of memory in cameras but in SLR alot of the time its CF althought some are starting to go SD
Canon Nutswinger:
Canon XS
18-55mm
55-250mm
50mm USM
Cool, I might have to see if you can get me the hook up on a new tripodThe one I am looking at is like $130 or so so I need some help
Yeah it seems to be that most P&S's run SD while the SLR's run CF although most Nikon and Canon's run CF even in the P&S's. The Nikon 8700/8800 and the Canon S2IS both have some good manual control and with him starting out he really does not need to think about the manual controls of an SLR. Man if I had to deal with all of the manual controls on my 350D when I first started out, I would not be doing this today
I would also love to learn how to use my camera better. I have a Sony DSC-V1 and also a Sony W5 that I can play around with. I want to learn the basics first about different shutter speeds and different angles to shoot at. I had Matt give me a quick little talk on how to use my camera at a past car show and that helped me quick a bit. I guess the best way to learn is to acutally go out and play around with the camera.
So anything you guys recommend to do to get better at taking pics? Any sites you recommend? And also is my camera any good?
Where the hell did this come from? :confused:
You said it! That and hang out with people that are into the same thing you are with good cameras.I guess the best way to learn is to acutally go out and play around with the camera.
hahaha, I have been toying with the idea for a while now, and I wanted a new hobby, so I figured this would be a good one to get into. I dunno, just somethign to do, I wanna be able to go have something to do when I am bored and such, besides, when the bird is done, we need some good z/bird pictureshis will all be over the next few months
L@t3 N|GHt Cr3\/\/ and Hump Her Crew member
WOW glad i found this thread, i have been looking the last few days at getting a better digital camera since the one i have sucks. I am looking for one that does good day shots but at night also has some good nigth shots. Nice crisp and clear shots at night no blur and gets a good shot. The ones i took last night sucked http://forums.importatlanta.com/showthread.php?t=37249 the camera i have just doesnt take good shots. I found this one for a good price http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/S3100/S31A.HTM <---- what are yalls opinions on that camera?
If I were you I would check into a Canon or Nikon. That Fuji would be good for most shots but really would not let you have that much manual control as even in manual mode it is still pretty much automatic. Your longest shutter is 2 seconds which is good enough to pull off some decent night shots and the aperture is hard to get to with out going through a lot of menus and folders. I think if you look around and check out some of the Canon and Nikons you can find a better camera. Look at www.dpreview.com and check out some of those on there.
LOL i dont really know shit about cameras right now, i jsut read, and dont know what most of it means. I am really jsut looking for a good starter camera, for around like 200-300 (yeah i dont have much to spend) and need some suggestions.
Look into the Nikon 8400. Seems like a good camera to start off with and Nikon P&S's have some nice glass.
DAM GOOD Camera, but about 2 and a half times more than what i want to spend, what is your opinion of the 4600 by Nikon?
I really think I am gonna get the S2 IS, that one is really catching my eye, but it will be a few weeks/month before I get it, gotta save the cheese
L@t3 N|GHt Cr3\/\/ and Hump Her Crew member
I've used it and loved it. Great Point and shoot!
Go to the "official Photography thread" and you'll see about 5-6 pics I snapped with it. (I wasn't experienced at the camera either and I still got good shots).
If you are wanting to get into photography as a serious hobby then I will advise you to save up to get a better camera that will give you more control. You have gone this long with out one so a little longer should not be that big of a deal. The one thing you don't want to do is regret buying a camera because you had to have one right then. Save a little longer and get one that you can learn on and will continue to challenge you.
is the fujifilm fine pix S3100 a good camera?
Guys, listen:
The person behind the lens makes a huge difference. The internet research is good before you spend any money, but in reality practice is the thing that will help you take better shots. I've seen some incredible shots taken by P&S style cams all day long. That's what I started on. I still have a few P&S's myself.
Another thing to do is go to the bookstore and invest in a few good books. There are several out there specifically written for new digi cam users. I think there's even a new digi cam for dummies style book.....
With the books, you can study and learn what apperture priority does, what to do when you need more light, what depth of field is, etc. If you KNOW the concept and terminology, then it is far easier for you to "pick up" tips from others since you have 3/4 of battle won.
yeah, I read the other thread, and I have a lot to learn about it all, and I wanna learn before I go off and buy, just to make sure this is gonna be worth my while...I am not gonna rush off and buy it, my top priority right now is getting out of debt, so I am gonna be setting back money each week till I can get the S2 IS, I really like that camera, I went today and held it and liked the feel and all...
L@t3 N|GHt Cr3\/\/ and Hump Her Crew member
Good advice, also you can go online and read up to get the basics from any number of sites and then go out and try what you read. Hands on teaches you more than anything else, I know it has for me.Guys, listen:
The person behind the lens makes a huge difference. The internet research is good before you spend any money, but in reality practice is the thing that will help you take better shots. I've seen some incredible shots taken by P&S style cams all day long. That's what I started on. I still have a few P&S's myself.
Another thing to do is go to the bookstore and invest in a few good books. There are several out there specifically written for new digi cam users. I think there's even a new digi cam for dummies style book.....
With the books, you can study and learn what apperture priority does, what to do when you need more light, what depth of field is, etc. If you KNOW the concept and terminology, then it is far easier for you to "pick up" tips from others since you have 3/4 of battle won.
good choice I am saving up for the cannon also
thank ya..BTW plus rep for all who have helped me in this thread
L@t3 N|GHt Cr3\/\/ and Hump Her Crew member
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