A little help please?

[candi3188]

So, though I'm still an amateur (very much so), I just know that I love photography. Here's the thing, I'm looking to buy a new camera, however much saving it takes. Fairly soon, I plan on upgrading from my current digital camera, a samsung digimax L60. It is a fine camera for what I paid, but I now want something a tad bit more capable. Something with at least 8MP, DIS, and preferably takes a rechargeable battery and an SD card (yes, i'm picky).
However, this is just a temporary fix. I love the convenience of a capable point-and-shoot, but as i advance, i'd like to invest in an SLR. i know how expensive these are, so the cheaper, the better, as long as it's still very capable. I am on a very, very tight budget of a college student. But i have recently changed my minor to photography, so an SLR isn't outrageous. One of my photography teachers recommended a couple to me, but idk about them.
So what i'm asking of you all is that you provide me with some suggestions keeping in mind my budget issue. Suggestions for a digital camera are appreciated, but what i really need is suggestions for an SLR. thanks in advance guys!

 

[RKW3]

There's a search bar at the top of this site, try that.

http://thephotoforum.com/forum/search.php?searchid=1372155

 

[EW1066]

Some may scoff at this recommendation ...Get a Pentax K1000. They can be found all over e-bay and I have seen them with BUY-IT NOW's of $80.00. Yes they are manual everything and auto nothing. But if you are going to learn Photography you will not be using auto anything for quite some time. Keep you P&S for snapshots. Use your K-1000 for photography. I have had mine since 1982 and still use it from time to time. Nicest thing about the K-1000 is that if your taking a picture of someone and they start giving you a hard time...you can smack them over the head with the camera and go right back to taking pictures, these are tough cameras.

look at this one on e-bay "Buy it now" for $90.00 with 2 lenses

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pentax-K1000-SL...ryZ15240QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

My 2 pennies

Vince

 

[Yahoozy]

Nicest thing about the K-1000 is that if your taking a picture of someone and they start giving you a hard time...you can smack them over the head with the camera and go right back to taking pictures, these are tough cameras.

hahah i can achieve a similar result with my X-700
i actually dropped it down a hill about 20 feet once when the shoulder strap snapped (cheap piece of *@&$) and it hit about 3 rocks
i picked it up at the bottom must have had at most 5 minor dings
THATS it! (the lens wasnt banged up either, that was a miracle)




anywho, a full manual camera is a great way to learn the basics of photography by just diving in head first
hell, thats how i learned it hahah

 

[candi3188]

thanks guys for your suggestions. however, i'd rather not get a film camera. i'm moving away from those now. i'd rather not pay to develop film, and it is extremely time consuming to do it myself. i had been using a friend's 35mm canon rebel, which was divine, but i'd like a digital. i think i have found the p&s that i like, though it's a bit expensive. it's a canon sd870 is. also, what do you all think about samsung cameras? i was looking at the L830.

 

[christopher walrath]

EV has got it spot on. For the budget conscious, you can get a film camera, two or three lenses, a cheap flash, a good tripod, a year's worth of film and the gear and chems to develop your own black and white film for about $500.00. It is not as time consuming as you might expect and the learning curve for processing your own is nil. Just ask questions and get a process ironed out ahead of time, practice loading film into the tanks and run through the whole process once or twice to get it down pat. Consider it. Not pushing film over digital here. Just pointing out that you can do a HELLUVA lot more today with film photography FOR YOUR MONEY than you can with digital. At least consider it.

 

[table1349]

thanks guys for your suggestions. however, i'd rather not get a film camera. i'm moving away from those now. i'd rather not pay to develop film, and it is extremely time consuming to do it myself. i had been using a friend's 35mm canon rebel, which was divine, but i'd like a digital. i think i have found the p&s that i like, though it's a bit expensive. it's a canon sd870 is. also, what do you all think about samsung cameras? i was looking at the L830.

If your new minor is photography then I wouldn't worry too much about paying to develop film. That is part of learning photography. Photography is time consuming, that is part of the learning process. By becoming competent in dark room work you get a better understanding of the whole process of what it took to get to that point, be it good or bad.

The understanding and control of light is the backbone of successful photography. Film forces you to put your head into what you are doing and pay attention to every shot. It instills that Get it Right the First Time mentality. Something that the digital spray and pray keep shooting until I stumble onto some setting I like method that far too many newbies tend to fall prey to and use. Get it Right the First Time is a valuable trait that you can then carry over to digital in the future.

 

[eminart]

I think if you're minoring in photography then you're wasting your time looking at point and shoot cameras.

I'm a graphic design major. I won't use a camera nearly as much as you (for school anyway) but I went with a DSLR.

 

[candi3188]

again, thanks guys. i already know how to develop the film on my own, it's just a matter of preference. i started with film photography. i know it pretty well. film photography is something i like, but i prefer digital.

 

[candi3188]

also, by no means was i saying i was going to get one or the other. i plan to upgrade my point and shoot for my random shots, and invest in an SLR for the real meat of things.