help needed

[dawn23]

Hello! I am just starting to experiment with this and need some help.
First and foremost, I need some suggestions for an upgrade on my camera. Currently i have a Sanyo, and hate everything about it. I feel like my phone takes better pictures. I am not opposed to a larger camera, but prefer digital and ease of use is a must. any suggestions?

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[shmne]

Hey Dawn, you'll find that we know nothing about you. We need a bit more to go off of than just "ease of use" so just fill out the questions bellow:

- What is your photography experience?
- Sanyo makes a lot of cameras, give us the actual name or model
- What do you want out of photography?
- How serious are you about photography?

That will let us begin to answer your query and help you on along

[Bitter Jeweler]

The 5DmkII is a larger camera, and pretty easy to use!

[dawn23]

the camera is a Sanyo, VPC-T1495.
I have taken pictures of families and children in the past, I really enjoy that.
I have a few pictures of landscape, but the main use of the camera would be people.
I have played a little bit with taking pictures in different lighting, settings, ect. but I know there is a lot more to learn.
As far as how serious, I'd say very.
This is the first time I have asked for advise for a camera suggestion and the first forum I have ever joined.
So far its proving to be a good decstion, thank you all for your help.
I hope I have provided enough information.

[dawn23]

OH yea! I was hoping to spend closer to $500 for my first camera.

[Mike_E]

If you could come up with an extra $150 I'd say a Nikon D3100 with the 18-55mm was a great place to start your journey.

If you're really serious about this a bridge or P&S just won't do.

[subscuck]

With a budget of $500, the next question would be, were you thinking SLR or point and shoot? If you're thinking SLR, you are most likely looking at used gear (nothing wrong with that). OTOH, for $500 you can get a nice "bridge camera", still a P&S, but with some of the flexibility of an SLR.

[subscuck]

If you could come up with an extra $150 I'd say a Nikon D3100 with the 18-55mm was a great place to start your journey.

If you're really serious about this a bridge or P&S just won't do.

If I'm not mistaken, and I could be as a Canon guy, but isn't the D3000 right about $500? Tho, due to lack of focus motors, I'm not sure any of Nikon's entry level offerings would fit the OP's "ease of use" requirements. I also have to respectfully disagree about bridge cameras. For someone on a limited budget who may not be able to afford additional lenses and such for some time, a bridge camera is a good place to start learning the fundamentals of both cameras and photography. I've seen many beautiful shots from bridge cameras in the hands of people who know what they're doing.

[dawn23]

Ok, I have looked at the D3100 with the 18-55mm, but whats the difference between that one and theCanon PowerShot SX30 IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera?
pros and cons?

[JG_Coleman]

Ok, I have looked at the D3100 with the 18-55mm, but whats the difference between that one and theCanon PowerShot SX30 IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera?
pros and cons?

Well, there are plenty of features that could potentially be compared. But, the main physical difference is that the Nikon D3100 is an interchangeable lens DSLR, while the Canon PowerShot SX30 is a point-and-shoot. This obviously begs for further explanation.

A D-SLR camera can accept a variety of lenses, from super-wide angle lenses to super-telephoto and everything in between. D-SLRs typically offer creative flexibility and image quality that trumps point-and-shoot cameras.

A point-and-shoot camera generally can only use the lens that is permanently attached from the factory. For this reason, the attached lens is designed to be very versatile. The higher-end point-and-shoots, for example, oftentimes feature enormous zoom ranges that just aren't available in a single lens for a D-SLR.

There are upsides and downsides to both.

A point-and-shoot is the ultimate in portability and ease-of-use and will perform well in most situations that you come upon. The downside is that the image sensors in these cameras tend to be smaller than those in D-SLRs, meaning that you are taking a hit (albeit sometimes a tiny hit) in quality for the convenience these cameras offer. Image quality also suffers a tad bit because its not easy to engineer lenses that can offer a 35x zoom range (in the case of the Canon PowerShot SX30) without making compromises in terms of how it performs.

As mentioned earlier, a D-SLR uses interchangeable lenses that rarely exceed 10x zoom... usually much less ('prime' lenses, for instance, don't zoom at all). These lenses are designed with a limited focal range in mind and will generally perform better overall than that of the point-and-shoot. The image sensor is usually better than those of the point-and-shoots, as well. So, from the get-go, image quality is amongst the main distinguishing factors. Of course, the D-SLR offers compromises of its own. For example, you'd have to carry around 2 to 4 different lenses with a D3100 to cover the same range of focal lengths covered by the Canon out of the box; you'll also have to manually change these lenses whenever you want to change your focal length from one range to another.

This doesn't even come close to a complete comparison of the two designs, but it covers some of the most fundamental differences between the D3100 and the SX30. You'll really need to decide which package suits you best by doing a whole lot of reading and maybe trying to visit a camera store to actually pick up the two different cameras in-person and see how they differ.

Suffice to say, very few people ever "went pro" with shots from a point-and-shoot... a fact that many might argue to be irrelevant, but which stands as a basic indication that D-SLRs are widely-accepted as offering the image quality and creative flexibility that people need if they are making their living taking photos. You may very well have no interest in selling your photos, but I mention that simply because the D-SLR is almost universally considered the "superior" camera for those that are sincere about their photography.

That being said, most "pros" don't use entry-level D3100s either. Nonetheless, if photography is something you feel you'll pursue for a good deal of time into the future, I would suggest the D3100 over the SX30. My viewpoint is: you might as well start getting used to a genuine D-SLR now. If you buy a better Nikon down the road, you'll still be able to use whatever lenses you've accumulated.

But choose what suits you by doing plenty of research. Nobody here can effectively make the decision for you, even if we can be of some help.

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

If you can find a used Canon T1i kit that would be a decent camera to start with in that price range. I know you can get one new for around $650. It has an AF motor built in and has pretty decent noise handling for being a 15 megapixel. I am not trying to bash Nikon or anything. I just think its a decent camera and have owned one.

[dawn23]

Jg, Thanks so much! Your post was very informative, thank you again for putting that into perspective for me.

Thanks to everyone else too, you've all been very helpful getting me started.

I'll be sure to let you guys know what camera I decide to go with!

[Raian-san]

The 5DmkII is a larger camera, and pretty easy to use!

This.

[dawn23]

I have decided to go with the Nikon d3100. Now, my only questions is should I invest in the Tamron 70-300mm Di Lens now.
The delima is that I can get a kit that includes the lens cheaper now if the lens will be beneficial now, or does the standard lens zoom well enough take pictures of people & landscapes?

[Matt24138]

You will want more lenses