New to photography, looking for a camera!

[DocFrankenstein]

no no, some cameras are advertised as SLR-Type... do they mean that it's a digital compact camera in with a digital slr look?

Listen to what the people are telling you. Don't be silly.

You see... you want to cover 3 sits with one arse:

I will mostly be shooting actions shots, aswell as some stills and macros..

If you try to do that, you will be very frustrated. Even more... you want to print them at 13-19 inches.

It's impossible for many different reasons. Some of them I am going to list:

1) You won't be able to print quality 13*19 from a consumer camera, because the sensors of that camera are too small and produce a LOT of noise. The picture will not look good. To get rid of noise you need a DSLR.

2) You want to shoot action. To do that, you need a camera that can focus FAST. You also need a camera with fast lenses. Consumer cameras are not capable of focusing fast enough yet. You need a professional camera.

3) A lens which can zoom in 10x is gonna be much worse than 3 lenses which can zoom in 3 times... or ones that can't zoom in at all.

4) A 1300$ consumer camera is gonna cost 150 dollars in 3 years. A 1500 lense is gonna cost 1300 in 3 years.

Yawn... I'm getting tired.

 

[photosoup guru]

When I wrote the question about DSLR-Type, I was just wondering what they meant by the term.

Alright, now I am considering getting a DSLR... So I was looking at the D70 and a 70-300mm lense would that be all I need to get me going?

 

[Ant]

When I wrote the question about DSLR-Type, I was just wondering what they meant by the term.

They mean fixed lens compact P&S cameras that are made to look like SLRs to fool people into thinking that they are SLRs

With that kind of money just buy a Nikon D70 and a 70-300mm lens and start taking great pics.

I've got an Olympus C750uz with a x10 zoom. At full zoom it gives me 380mm.

My 70-300mm lens on my D70 gives me a maximum of 450mm because of the 1.5 digital factor. So, yes, a 70-300mm lens will be OK for you.

 

[Big Mike]

I'm with everyone else when I recommend getting a DSLR over a high end compact digital camera.

Besides the shutter lag issue, there is sensor size. Even though the Digital Rebel & D70 are only 6MP, they will vastly out perform any compact...even the 8MP ones.

Sensor size of the Nikon 8800...2/3 " (8.80 x 6.60 mm)

Sensor size of the Digital Rebel...22.7 x 15.1 mm

I understand that you don't want to buy $2000 worth of lenses but at least you would have that option. With a compact, what you have is what you are stuck with.

Also, Canon is (or was) currently offering a $100 rebate when you buy a Digital Rebel. You can even double or triple your rebate if you buy one or two additional lenses.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Or u can get a used 10D. They go real cheap now because 20D came out.

If I were you, I'd stretch the budget till 20D because it will give you more keepers.

 

[railman44]

If you want to take "snap shots" go with a compact digital rangefinder. If I were you, I would pop for the D70 with a "normal" AF lens. The D70 will accept the older Nikon AI lenses. On eBay the 80-200 AI zoom f/4.5 is fairly cheap (of course you'll have to focus, set aperture, etc.) but that would get you by until such time you decide to purchase an AF zoom. My .02 pesos...

 

[photosoup guru]

Alright, so I think I'll go with a d70 and a 70-300mm lense... would there be anything else I would need?

 

[Axel]

Just to be a little different, I would recommend you to get an SLR not a DSLR... I just think one learns a lot more of the basics of photography by going the hard way with an SLR instead of a digital... But I may be very wrong here...
I just know that when it comes to learning how to play the guitar it is better to start off acoustic than go with the electric right away! LOL! If there is any truth in that when it comes to cameras, I don't know. But if the choice is strictly between a compact and a DSLR I have no doubt on my mind, DSLR!!! I assume you want to have fun, right? How much fun can you have with a compact? I guess you could have some fun, but not half as much as with a DSLR. Listen to what the pro people here have told you and please trust them!

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Just to be a little different, I would recommend you to get an SLR not a DSLR... I just think one learns a lot more of the basics of photography by going the hard way with an SLR instead of a digital... But I may be very wrong here...

I think so too :twisted:

I see no reason for starting off with a film SLR if you can afford a DSLR. It's totally manual, MLU... AND gives you the instant feedback you need to learn about photography.

I don't see how you can go wrong there.

 

[Axel]

Just to be a little different, I would recommend you to get an SLR not a DSLR... I just think one learns a lot more of the basics of photography by going the hard way with an SLR instead of a digital... But I may be very wrong here...

I think so too :twisted:

I see no reason for starting off with a film SLR if you can afford a DSLR. It's totally manual, MLU... AND gives you the instant feedback you need to learn about photography.

I don't see how you can go wrong there.

LOL! If that's the case, I agree! LOL! I WAS wrong... LOL!

 

[Big Mike]

I agree as well. Imagine trying to learn to play guitar if, every time you played, you had to wait (an hour, day, week) to hear the sound.

The instant feedback of digital is a huge advantage. But then again...film may force you to be more careful, take your time and learn your stuff...rather than just firing away with digital.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Yeah, I haven't thought about that.

Probably with DSLR, you're gonna learn about the technical part really fast. (hopefully)

With film, you're forced to appreciate every frame, so you'll learn about composition (hopefully)

Nothing prevents you from learning both no matter what camera you have. DSLR I beleive is cheaper in the long run.

 

[Trig]

I think guru means cameras like the Fuji S7000.

 

[Axel]

But then again...film may force you to be more careful, take your time and learn your stuff...rather than just firing away with digital.

That is exactly what I meant the first time...