Quality Camara for Beginner?

[mark_tate]

<p>Well Jennifer the choice is up to you on weather to use digital or film , just don't think that digital will make it easier, it can make some things easier to learn but it will also give you a lot more to learn .<br>

With an old 35mm manual SLR all you have is shutter speed ,aperture and focus to worry about , with digital you will have that plus a lot more electronic wizardry to learn .<br>

35mm film is cheap and still plenty around and it is still easy to get developed and printed<br>

I do agree with the fact that film is an ongoing cost but that it true with any sort of photography and digital photos still need to be printed .<br>

I do agree with Andrew Lyn about the Holga in that it would not be an ideal first or only camera and getting medium format film could be a problem as well as the development , but I did give one to my daughter who lives in CA and she seems to have no problems .BTW the Holga is also available in 35mm</p>

<p>The Fuji cameras described here are an excellent choice but they are still not much more than a point and shoot and while the lens quality is very good as it is with any Fuji camera it is still only a 10MP witch is fine if you only ever wish to print postcard size photos .<br>

Digital is great but to get the quality you have to spend money .<br>

Quality printing is going to cost no matter what you use but the quality of that print will only be as good as the camera you use to shoot it with .<br>

One more thing to consider , You could go get a very nice Nikon or Canon 35mm SLR for around $200 ,it may be around 10 to 15 years old but there is a good chance that you will still be using it in another 10 to 15 years and all the photos you take with it now you will still have in 20 years because you have a negative .<br>

what ever choice you make always remember that it is YOU who makes the photo and the camera is only the tool you use .<br>

I know a few students who went and spent over $10,000 on a camera and then wonder why there photo's are no better than the other person who spent $50 on a Holga .<br>

A photo is made with what you see with your eyes and feel in your heart , not with what you hold in your hand .<br>

I hope you post some shots on here some day ..I will be looking for them</p>

[jennifer_beth]

<p>Thanks for the advice Tate. I probobly won't buy a camera this instant because I still need to think about it and what will work with my budget. I actaully did take some pictures yesterday but it was with my camera phone because that is the only kind of camera I have right now, and I agree that it's the person that makes the photo and not the camera. Even though it wasn't the best camera in the world it was still pretty fun. I'll post them up today or tomorrow if I can.</p>

[jennifer_beth]

<p><img src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/117/1/6/Stilless_by_MyDearMullosk_Dl3.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" /><img src="http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx237/ll-i-love-bananas-ll/poles.jpg?t=1272409723" alt="" /><img src="http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx237/ll-i-love-bananas-ll/tulip.jpg?t=1272409623" alt="" /></p>

<p>These are a few pictures I took. The quality on my phone isn't that good so the colored ones didn't come out that well. I did edit the contrast and exposure on the computer. Would editing be cheating?</p>

[jaydesi]

<p>I'm in the market for a used Canon 20D SLR as a backup, they're running $200-$300 (ebay, craigslist), and for $70 you could pick up a new Tamron 28-80mm lens from Adorama. From there you have the option to add better lenses as you want, but you've still got a decent digital camera with a lot of lens flexibility and lots of learning potential. Sure, it's not a state of the art DSLR, but it'll be a good start for getting your feet wet.</p>

[mark_tate]

<p>Great shots Jennifer , I really like the top one , even with only a camera phone all the rules for composition and lighting are still there , learn photography on your phone so when you do get a camera you have a head start</p>

[jennifer_beth]

<p>Thanks</p>

[travone_logan]

<p>Jennifer,<br>

I'm new to photography myself. I Love to look at great shots on the internet and I was always excited to make my own. I used to become frustrated however with the price of DSLR's and I had all but given up deciding it was just much too expensive for me to take on. But as I'm always on the net and I know some amateur photographers I expressed how I felt to one of them and she told me to go film. It was shocking to me cause I had always assumed all of her photos were digital, including her double exposures. I had no idea those type of things could be done with film. She told me to get the same camera she did for her first, a Pentax K1000. It's a solid camera, all manual though so you'll have to learn about what you're doing, but it's absolutely great. Many people will tell you they are great camera's and will do just about anything you need given you learn how to use it. I bought my Pentax in December used on Ebay for $100!!! And it came with 2 lens, and it works just great. Film is also still a popular medium for many people. I would say this is a great cheap way to start out with photography. Give it a go.</p>

[richardsnow]

<p>Jennifer --</p>

<p>First of all, welcome to the community. You will find a wealth of valuable information from the frequent posters here. You'll also find a lot of opinions...remember, everyone has one.</p>

<p>As an advanced amateur photographer, I can tell you how I started...and what I bought...and how expensive it was...but I won't. What I will do is suggest you READ before you JUMP and make a decision on what you want to accomplish before you buy a camera, then learn to use your camera to its fullest before you jump to a new camera.<br>

Most people buy a digital camera for a purpose. They know if they want to be a casual photographer, a serious hobbyist, an advanced amateur, or eventually become a pro. You seem like you want to be more than a casual shooter, so... </p>

<p><strong><em>HERE'S WHAT MOST PEOPLE DO WRONG:</em></strong><br>

What most people that want to advance beyond a casual photographer do <em>WRONG</em> is that they don't learn about what makes a good photo. </p>

<p>They buy a camera that they <strong><em>think</em></strong> will advance their knowledge of photography, but then never turn the camera off of AUTO or off of the various auto modes available. They never learn how shutter speed, aperture, film speed (ISO), focal length, and distance to subject help determine what the photograph will look like. They never learn about<em> PERSPECTIVE</em> because it's easier to plant your feet and zoom rather than fix your focal length and move closer to or farther away from the subject. And most importantly, they never learn to see <strong><em>light</em></strong>, (and shadow). Light, and it's interaction with the subject is what you're capturing on either film or a digital sensor. You need to learn to see it and manipulate it in order to further your photography.</p>

<p>People also don't learn what how to <strong><em>effectively</em></strong> use their camera equipment...then when their photos come out poorly they blame the equipment and never consider that the operator may be the issue. Then they run out and buy "better" equipment to compensate for lack of skill. What they eventually end up with is a $3000 point and shoot... (I don't know how many people I see at local sporting events with a $1000 DSLR and a $2000 lens attached that have their camera set on <strong>AUTO</strong>)</p>

<p><em><strong>So...here's my advise.</strong></em> </p>

<p>READ and LEARN about photography. </p>

<p>Buy a point and shoot that has aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes. Make sure the camera is<strong><em> COMFORTABLE </em></strong>in your hands. There are several good P&S cameras out there...you'll need to find the one that fits you. Don't spend more than $200 on this camera...more than that and you're buying a gadget, not a tool.</p>

<p>Once you have your camera, shoot on AUTO and the auto modes available until you learn to "see" light. <em>Read more about photography and practice what you're reading about.</em> Then move to shutter priority for fast moving subjects and aperture priority for everything else. Learn how your camera "sees" by using these modes. Then, when you're ready, move to full manual mode. (Personally, I only use full manual when I have lots of time to compose a shot and get the settings just right <em>BEFORE</em> I shoot.) Once you do this, you'll <em>hopefully</em> know how to make great photos with this camera.</p>

<p>When you feel that you've outgrown your point and shoot, buy a DSLR...do not waste your money on another point and shoot. Take what you've learned from your P&S and apply it to your new camera.</p>

<p>I hope this helps...I know I didn't suggest a camera, but you should make that decision for yourself. Don't rely on other people's opinions... their suggestions may not fit you or your style.<br>

RS </p>

[jennifer_beth]

<p>Travone,<br>

actually I'm really more interested in digital because it lets you edit stuff on the computer and I think I can experiment more with them, but thanks for the suggestion.</p>

<p>Richard,<br>

yes your advice was very helpful. I never knew about all this aperture and shutter stuff. I actually don't have much knowledge on how cameras functionand stuff like that. So yea, this did help. I've been looking at the Canon's PowerShot SD1300 IS which is $200. I think I may get that one. Btw, do you think editing photos on the computer is cheating? Like changing the sharpness, saturation, brightness and stuff like that.</p>

[richardsnow]

<p>Post production is not cheating.</p>

<p>When pro photographers developed their own negatives and prints, they would dodge and burn, allow more/less time for the light to hit the paper, etc, etc. That's what made photography both expensive and difficult to master. </p>

<p>Now, using Lightroom, Photoshop, Aperture, or any of the other photo editing software out there is exactly like what people who develop their own negatives and print their own prints do...it's just faster and the learning curve is easier. </p>

<p>If you don't have the hundreds of dollars for Photoshop CS5, just get Photoshop Elements. It's all you should need for now.</p>

<p>RS</p>