completely new to the "sport"

[spirosnm]

Hi all.

I am completely new to this. I hope my question has not been answered already at another thread, but from the little research I ve made I think not. So here it goes.

I like taking photographs and until now i have been doing it with a Sony DSC-P51 Cybershot (2.0 MP - don't laugh I know it is an old one :blushing and because technology runs wild as we all know, I recently got a mobile phone (SE K800i) with a 3.2 MP in order to have it all the time on me and being able to take fotos in my everyday life without carrying 2 devices (you do always carry a mobile phone right ??)

As written above I like photographs and I was thinking of getting more involved (as an amateur of course) by being able to "control" my fotos instead of letting the cybershot do it all by itself (autofocus, etc).

That for what would you suggest as equipment for a newbie (and which models) so that I won't invest a lot of money in this first step until I discover I really fancy it ?

I would want the gear to have a very good value/usage ratio... All suggestions would be more than appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SBlanca]

to be honest in your position i wouldn't know what to suggest, seeing as you're not sure you want to take it up as a hobby as you say "discover if i really fancy it", but what i did was i had/have a normal P&S digicam (fujifilm, 2.0mp also) and spent a long time using it (3 years or so) for photography and not just taking photos at parties etc., all the photos on my blogger blog were taken with my P&S, after spending a long time using it i noticed i wanted to further in photography so i got the Canon 400d bought for me...i suggest you stick with what you've got and see if you really like it...theres no point spending a lot of money or something more advanced and then not liking it

 

[Sim]

In my opinion since your camera has no manual modes at all, it'd be worthwhile to invest in a camera that lets you exercise more control over your pictures. Like you said, then you can play around with the settings and see if you like the hobby.

You don't have to spend too much on one; for example, I found the Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP for $140 on Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerSh...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203387839&sr=8-2 ) and it has the usual useful modes for taking creative pictures:
P Program Access advanced exposure compensation features while shooting mostly automatically.
Av Aperture-priority You define the aperture to either isolate your subject or have clarity throughout the entire picture, and the camera will choose the corresponding shutter speed.
Tv Shutter-priority You select the shutter speed to stop or blur action, and the camera finds the appropriate aperture. With slow exposure times, Canon’s noise reduction system activates to ensure low image noise.
Manual The ultimate in creative control, you set ISO speed, exposure compensation and white balance

You don't have to go for this specific camera, of course. There are lots of cameras that would be great.

 

[katsrevenge]

I picked a Nikon P600 for this task. It's a bridge camera, meaning it is between a completely auto point-n-shoot one and a full on DSLR.

This model has a huge lens (seriously, I can take clear photos across a river and of the moon's craters) and a bunch of preset modes and effects (people, pets, nightscape, snow and so on). It also has a bunch of manual control settings and modes to play with. Think aperture, shutter speed and so on. Oh, and I can set and control ISO.
It has a full manual mode too.

I got this one as it cost less than a DSLR and I don't have to mess around with lens. It fits in my purse, which is a nice bonus. I went with Nikon after reading that they tend to all be set up sort of the same and I've had Nikon point-n-shoots for years. That, and the lens for the DSLRs tend to be more interchangeable. Not that I think it matters, really.

 

[Rob5589]

Holy necropost, Batman! Only 7 years ago and the OP was "last seen" here in March of 08

 

[katsrevenge]

LOL, well, crap.

I found it via the 'active threads' button!! Very weird and funny.

 

[soufiej]

Cool, all the equipment suggested is now obsolete.

Sort of a Sherman & Mr Peabody without the neat animation.

 

[jaomul]

I suggest a 5d mark 3, it'll be out 5 yrs from original question

 

[wyogirl]

You say that you aren't sure if you will like this or not. Normally I say buy the best you can afford. But in your case..... RENT SOMETHING!
Borrow lenses.com

Rent a dslr and lens.... Give it a try. See if you will like it before you buy.

I rent everything before I buy it.

 

[Rob5589]

You say that you aren't sure if you will like this or not. Normally I say buy the best you can afford. But in your case..... RENT SOMETHING!
Borrow lenses.com

Rent a dslr and lens.... Give it a try. See if you will like it before you buy.

I rent everything before I buy it.

This thread is fuuuuunnnnnn

 

[Derrel]

LOL, well, crap.

I found it via the 'active threads' button!! Very weird and funny.

Most likely, a spam-bot tacked one of those weird, one-sentence spammy replies onto this thread, and it made it to Active Topics, and you replied! As I understand it, that is how a lot of these old threads are resurrected.

 

[wyogirl]

I fall for this way too often.