New to photography...what sould i get

[joshcereal]

Hey all, so i know you propley get this question day in and day out so bare with me i will try to be as detailed as possible with what i wanna do with the camera and what i want outt photgraphy...k

So the question is what camera sould i start out with

what i wanna do with the camera
-would like to take sport shots (skateboarding, snowboarding, moto cross, trophy truck racing)
-would like to take texture shots (for video games since thats what i do_
-would like to take mini shots (like of bugs and little details thats cool to me)
-i also like black and white shots, plus i live in arizona so lots of nature shots

What kinda things i want in a camera
-for me digital is a must i live in a small town that all we have is cvs to do photos and i also use photoshop alot
-i want to be able to grow into it and learn it in and out so about 2 years of use really
-it needs to be for begginers really but be able to take me to the advanced stuff and when the time comes lead me to a more higher grade and exsperinced needed camera

other things to note
- i have medium sized hands so a small camera is ok so is a big one
-i dont mind spending exstra money down the line for lenses and whatnot
-i dont mind carrying lens with me so thats no proplem
-im a fast learner and also very artistic i also read alot and pull books online to read


My budget
well my buget is about 500 usd and is fixed at that... my mom and wife are getting me the camera for my birthday (im in my 20's)....i live in a small town and due to that i need to order online propley amazon or ebay

I was going to get the nikon d40 [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D40-Digital-Transcend-SecureDigital/dp/B000LRMX7A/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1223507642&sr=1-12[/ame] thats was the package i was going to get but im not sure if ther is somthing better out ther or not so im asking you people here ar THF....

well thanks for your help ahead of time

thanks
josh

 

[Sw1tchFX]

D40's pretty much the best you can get for $500, otherwise, Ritz has a sale on D80's 800-some-odd with the 18-135.

 

[joshcereal]

Ya-500 is pretty much what im at for a camera.... and if you know where i can get the d40 cheaper so i can get another lens de indulge me... because the cheapest i can find is 475ish on amazon

 

[joshcereal]

found a d40 with stand and stuff on ebay but its a import it says wich worries me ...... sould i stay away from that

 

[Trace63]

Save some money, get something better.

 

[bigtwinky]

I was somewhat in a similar boat. What I decided to do was to get a beginner body and then aim at upgrading lenses. A beginner body with lenses will take nicer, sharper pictures than a professional body with entry level lenses.

I settled on the Canon 450D (aka Rebel XSI) and I love the camera. Has great functionality to allow me to learn. Didn't have the budget for more than that. I have some old film Rebel camera lenses that I am using that I'm saving to upgrade. Lenses last a long time, bodies are updated somewhat regularly.

Nikon vs Canon, well, its a never ending debate. Both are great.

- "Mini" pictures / closeups is called macro photography. This is typically achieved with a special macro lens. Its not a uniquely camera specific thing.

- While most cameras can do black and white pictures in camera, most people I know highly recommend taking the picture in colour and using Photoshop to convert to B&W.

Lenses will make the big difference in terms of what type of photography you do. Without getting into details of censor size / full frame, pro cameras do offer nice upgrades for people who know how to use them. I'm happy with my XSI and looking for higher end glass. I'll save the pro body when I'm more of a pro.

Hope this helps somewhat...

 

[joshcereal]

Wow thanks for the adive... i beleive i will take that adive and go with the d40 and than update the lenses with good quality one than i can just update the body when i get alot better and the lens will still be great....

i found a nice deal for 500 with body,lens,filiters,tripod,bag,4gig card and a few other things...

than a bit down the line i will get a nice wide angle/fish eye lens since i wanna do alot of skate shots of my friends and some events... and than wanna get a nice zoom lens since i live in the desert

well thanks for the help and it would be cool to have a budy to share with so guy above if you have aim or myspace what you SN