My Birthday and Christmas (which are 4 days apart) will give me cash to invest in a decent camera. OK, now what do I get? I want the best deal I can get for as little as possible. I’m talking hundreds, not thousands of dollars here. I will need a dslr and a lens. I don’t know which brand is the best to get either. So help me out please!
Thank you in advance for your advice!!
Heather Rivet..., 9 months ago
Nikon:D
Anthony Hedger, 9 months ago
DSLR
Heather Loster, 9 months ago
Sony Alpha. It’s a hybrid, work of art in itself!!
ROSS MANARCHY ..., 9 months ago
Lots of pixals
ROSS MANARCHY ..., 9 months ago
more info..since…...photos are to capture images and download onto comp. and possibly a program like phtotshop. the high pixal count becomes more critical to quality of downloads, archiving and enlarging. even a small digital camera with 8plus million pixals is good, have heard of 12 mil pixals, also…..having said all that it depends on what it is you want to do with the camera….the lenses have become less and less to pixal count….hope that is helpful….and yes nikon is good but expensive.
Kimberly Palmer, 9 months ago
I agree with Ross, lots of pixels.
I love my Canon EOS XTi Rebel….
PhotogeniquE IPA, 9 months ago
I would say consider a Nikon or a Canon DSLR as your starting point, then, pretty much, it will depend upon your budget. Get the best model you can afford, which will often come with a decent starter lens as a package, and go from there.
Michael D'Andr..., 9 months ago
I have a Nikon D40X, it’s a 10 mp DSLR, and is a good camera for the price! I’ve had it for a couple months now, and I love it. It’s great if it’s your first DSLR.
Vonnie Murfin, 9 months ago
I have a Nikon D80 with a 18 – 200 mm lens. I love it!! It’s the best thing I have ever bought. I bought this camera over a year ago.
Paul Martinek, 9 months ago
Pixels Pixels Pixels!!!!! Plenty of them the more the better. I am partial to the Cannon Rebel it’s what I started on in high school.
Arlene Zapata, 9 months ago
Stacy: I’ve been happy w/the Olympus E-Volt 500. It now comes w/2 lenses for the same price I paid for the camera + 1 lens. It has a great ease of use rating also. Other nice thing, it’s body is compact. Have fun shopping!
Alvin de Quincey, 9 months ago
Yep… Nikon or Canon. I’ve got a lovely Canon, but watch out, some of the package deals can sell pretty ordinary lenses and others can be good. Google reviews on the ones you finally settle on and get the best bang for buck. Pixels are pretty important, but it wants to sit well in your hand and feel comfortable to use also.
eponavisions, 9 months ago
ya know stacy i have 3 cams, the bells and whistle one was 3k plus, with a disk to download, i have old pentax and do my black and whites with this. yet the best ones i have had are the cheap like 60dollar which have caught rays and more in nature that the bells and whistles one. i think collect all ya can. love my video cd jvc with downloader, pentax yes cheap yes. remember you can manipulate them with programs like artrage2 25 dollars. it works and i had one heck of a time before. why i have vista premium, then artrage2 changed this. i am playing now not doing much, yet i will. and darling you are great. go with your inner voice that speaks so well even with cam you have. you are grande. i love. personally i love also kimberlys art, and several others like you that blow me away. i had cannon, took it back. to blind to set my fstops even auto:) so i keep it simple.and know how much i love your style:)
StacyLee, 9 months ago
Thank you all so much for your advice… I really appreciate all your help :) Now I have a lot to think about :)
Robert Dose, 9 months ago
Get a canon, that way you avoid the cheap Sony sensors found in every other brand (including nikon)..... (they die randomly and cost a lot to fix, speaking from experience)
Robert Dose, 9 months ago
oh and remember, it is the lens that makes the image, not the camera. Pixel count is not as important as one might think. a camera body with good colour gradation and low noise levels will leave you with a better picture then just a heap of megapixels… this is coming from someone who makes a living off of photography.
Arthur Chambers, 9 months ago
Nikon d 80….............
collectiveone, 9 months ago
Nikon For sure. D80 or D300 which will be out soon! Spendy I know, but so worth it! I have always used Nikon and always been satisfied.
Georgi Bitar, 9 months ago
depends on the budget,but Canon XTi is a good deal
i luv it:)
Meach, 9 months ago
Sony Alpha 100 or the new 700 if you have a really good Christmas!
ECGardner, 9 months ago
I would go for the Canon Rebel (I think the newest model is the 450d). The sensors are better than those in the Nikon, and the range of lenses you can get with it is huge. It’s a great camera for the price.
StacyLee, 9 months ago
Thank you all so much… I’m going to take notes on all of your comments LOL :)
Mark Tisdale, 9 months ago
Oh wow, what a big question!
I have a Canon 20D and love it. But here’s the fun thing, one of my best selling photos was taken with an Olympus point and shoot! It’s the photographer, not the camera.
If you are going down the dSLR route, remember, there’s a new camera all the time. As soon as you buy one, it’s obsolete. The 20D has been surpassed first by the 30D and then the 40D.
So, my only advice, is spend your money on the lens if you have to make a choice. I got my 20D with the kit lens. I used it for awhile and then got a better lens. Now the kit lens never leaves the house.
Whatever camera you get in the dSLR world, Canon or Nikon, you’re ultimately buying into a system. You’ll get your lenses as time rolls around, and you’re invested in whatever brand you chose. That’s why you spend for the glass. Because in time, I’ll finally be moved to get a new camera. Maybe I’ll have to. Maybe I’ll just want more pixels, etc., but I won’t be making all those lens purchases again anytime soon!
Have fun with your hunt!
Oh, and here are a couple of sites I’ve used to research in the past – may help you narrow down what you’re wanting.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/
BIPS, 9 months ago
Hi Stacy, a Nikon D3 if you have the budget/want to spend at the higher end of “35mm” DSLR, if not then perhaps a D200/300 or failing those a D80… all very good but please never then skimp on the glass… better to go for something like a D80 and then afford some better glass if you’re budget constrained… BIPS
Peter Hall, 9 months ago
In my case, I began with a Kodak Z7590 point and shoot, but reached it’s limitations very quickly, which led to a little frustration. I then bought a Pentax Ist DL, Dslr camera, which opened my horizons and I and then I bought a second Pentax, a K100D Dslr. Both camera’s were cheap, the first with 25-70mm zoom, and 80-250mm zoom cost me about $899 (AU), which was pretty good for a new camera then. I bought the second, the K100D because the lenses I had would fit the camera, so I bought body only, for about $699. I bought the second because at sea, things happen quickly and I didn’t want to stuff around with lens changes. It took me 2 years to get to this stage.
My cameras are 6.1 megapixel, and that is a bit of a limitation, but if you shoot in RAW, and post process on the computer, and save as TIFF, you’ll get the large file sizes required for printing large pics. So the megapixel thing is not so important in this case, as you are starting out. Later, look for the more expensive large megapixel cameras.
I am assuming you are on a limited budget. Which I was. I also have a Sony WSC 55 point and shoot which is 7.1 megapixel and 3x optical zoom whic is ideal for carting with me wherever I go, as it is not always convenient to take a Dslr everywhere. SO don’t ignore point and shoot cameras either.
Carl Chick, 9 months ago
Can you spend around $1500 USD?