Anyone know anything about Cameras?

[Khristine]

I was interested in getting a Digital Photography camera. Like the Canon Rebel (but god knows i can't afford anywhere near that).

I don't really know much about camera's but i would like to know if any of you know much about these types of camera's.

I was looking around in the local paper, and have found a few ones that look appealing, but i don't know if they are a photography camera (you know the ones that can take a bunch of pictures at a time - instead of taking a picture and then waiting and then take another picture, like continuous).

When i look for these types of Camera's should i look for Shutter Speed? so i know it is one of those camera's i'm looking for?


Sorry if i dont make sense i'm a Totally clueless noob. Lol

Deyna Khristine

 

[bonster]

I don't know too much but I would think about the following features:

- zoom, if you want it

- manual and/or autofocus

- 'burst' mode for rapid shooting (think this is what you meant above)

- resolution / megapixels - the size and detail of the photos

- battery life and memory card size (how many pics you can hold)

- connection to get the pics to your computer (some computers will see your camera as a 'disk' holding the pictures if you connect it via USB, or you might need special software and cable that comes with it)

hope that helps

 

[AndrewF]

Hi Khristine,

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

The above is a site which I pop by on occaision. If you have some models in mind, they may have a review on it.

If you're still eyeing up the d-rebel, you may also want to look and the Pentax *ist DS (just call it the Pentax DS) or the up-coming Nikon d50.

Before I get into what features you may want, I'd need to know what you planned on using the camera for - like inside, outside or both, with or without the flash, family/pets & vacations or a more artistic/technical approach? and what print-size?

Andrew

 

[Khristine]

I mainly want to use the camera for taking those professional pictures of cars (like in car shows or car magazines), also take photographs of nature (lol i sound fruity), and of course to take pictures of my pets. i want high quality pictures, print size wise i'm not too sure of since i'm quite fairly new to this.

forgot to mention i want to use it for both indoors and outdoors. i do want the rebel, but it's so expensive, i was hoping to find one that is still decent and inexpensive or fair price.

 

[shredhead (DOG LOVER)]

8 Megapixels is EXTREMELY high quality. Most people get way with 2-3. Depending on the printer, you might have great quality prints.

I'm not sure about you but when I take pictures of nature, I like to be able to adjust the f-stops and shutter speeds depending on what I'm taking a picture of. You definitely want auto and manual focus.

The print size will all be determined by whatever size you decide to choose.

Many new digitals have the Movie feature where you can actually record movies with the camera. I'm not sure how much you'd use it but its nice to have and with a high quality camera like the Rebel, it will be a great quality video.

Please feel free to ask any specific questions.

-Jon

 

[AndrewF]

I mainly want to use the camera for taking those professional pictures of cars (like in car shows or car magazines), also take photographs of nature (lol i sound fruity), and of course to take pictures of my pets. i want high quality pictures, print size wise i'm not too sure of since i'm quite fairly new to this.

forgot to mention i want to use it for both indoors and outdoors. i do want the rebel, but it's so expensive, i was hoping to find one that is still decent and inexpensive or fair price.

Hi Khristine,

There's a couple of options for you. The Digital Rebel that Shredhead mentioned is quite good. There's also the older version of the Digital rebel (which is a 6mp camera) and you could probably score that one used at a decent price. You can check out other brands as well....there's the Pentax *ist DS (just say DS or Pentax DS) and Nikon is coming out with a D50 later in the year....both of which are at the same price-point....which I know is expensive - BUT you have to remember it's a one-time expense...there's no film cost and there's no processing cost....and trust me - a couple of months of shooting slide film (which is what I use) quickly surpasses the cost of a digital camera.

Another option is to hold off on a digital camera and go with a film based SLR. They are a lot cheaper up front for the same features.

I do think an SLR is the way to go though. Unlike point-and-shoot's, what you see in the viewfinder is the picture the camera is taking.

As for features, Shutter-speed shouldn't be much concern. A typical camera has a range of 30 sec. to about 1/2000th of a sec. which should cover off 99% of what you'll need. I would recommend you get a camera with:
1) depth-of-field preview (this stops down the aperture so you can see exactly the area you have in focus) - and it's critical for nature shots.
2) built in flash - unless you plan on buying a separate flash
3) exposure compensation. All slr's have manual and semi-manual settings but exposure compensation will allow you to bias your exposure towards highlights or shadows without a great deal of thinking.

Edit:
Lastly, no matter what you may see in the paper, make sure you get your hands on the camera first. It may look good on paper but if it doesn't fit your hands, it's a waste of money.

Also, get a book on photography which explains aperture control an other functions in detail....it'll help you get the hang of things a lot faster than just using an instruction book.

 

[Khristine]

Thank you for the advice everyone!

I'm still debating on which one to get, I have a sony cybershot p52 with the movie mode thing, i like it and all, but i just want something better and more high tech.

i was offered a nikon coolpix 880 for only $200, but it's only 3.2megapixels and that's what my camera already is.

its hard to go shopping for a camera

 

[Renee750il]

Remember, without a good quality lens your money is wasted. You can bet on anything Nikon puts out having a good lens; Sony got smart and now offers Zeiss lenses on some of their digitals. Canon also makes a good quality lens.

Other than that, I've nothing much to offer on digital cameras. I haven't been the least bit interested in them until recently when they've finally figured out how to have the ability to use different lenses like a real camera.