beginner

lozz · Jul 20, 2003

hey, im just starting out at photography and the only camera i have is a fuji finepix 2800 with a 6xoptical zoom. im just wondering if thats a good enough camera to practice on. i know its not like a really ace camera, and you cant alter the shutter speeds an the f stops on it.... at least i dont think you can. but im hoping to go to college and do some photography when i leave school so anyway i just wondered what ya thought of that camera

enigma · Jul 20, 2003

if you are wanting to do somthing in photography, i would get a 35mm slr. you could pick one up for as little as $200, with a nice 50mm lense. To get a digital camera with as all the manule features you would need to spend a bit more. I dont know much about your camera so I cant say much about that, but I would start with a 35mm.

lozz · Jul 21, 2003

yeh i was thinking about that... could you recomend any to me because im not sure which to get, having all the photos developed would be a pain tho.

mrsid99 · Jul 21, 2003

Hi Lozz,
That's not a bad little camera that you have apart from the lack of manual control.
My suggestion (based on experience) is to buy another digital in the mid $300 range but with all the manual controls.
This way you can experiment all you want with zero cost impact and the feedback is immediate i.e. you can see what an adjustment does.
When and if you want to progress to a "real" camera you'll at least understand enough to keep the waste to a minimum.
HTH

lozz · Jul 21, 2003

hey mrsid
that sounds good, i didnt know ya could get digi cameras with manual controls without it being a digital SLR. but thanks for ya help

mrsid99 · Jul 21, 2003

Hi again Lozz,
I picked up a new Olympus C-2040z just before last Christmas for $229.
The cameras were going obsolete hence the low price but it's capable of manual everything and works great.
For reference, I used it to shoot pics for the last "fireworks" challenge and that meant manually setting distance, exposure time and aperture.
Keep checking around and you'll find something in the price range with the features you need.
Have fun!

lozz · Jul 22, 2003

hey
thanks for ya help again

i asked my dad last night if he still has his slr camera...cuz i knew he had one years ago, anyway it turns out he still has it and it still works ok apart from its something like 15 years old lol. soi might practice on that abit when we get some film for it.
but anyway thanks again for ya help