New to the forum and the hobby

[Yaqngie]

As stated above I am new to the forum and the hobby, lifestyle,etc and I hope that you guys can assist me.

Im looking to get a decent camera in the 1000 dollar range since Im new and now sure how far I will be taking this. Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Yaqngie]

Bump anyone with some help?

 

[crimbfighter]

Well, as far as I know, you should have several options. I for example, put a little less than $1300ish bucks down and walked away with a Nikon D5000 with the 18-55mm kit lens and a Nikon 55-200mm zoom, memory card and extra battery. And a few other little goodies. All the equipment I needed to start out. These lenses and body are still beyond my capabilities as I still haven't found a single time when I said, "boy I wish I had that fancy feature the next camera up offers..." This camera is still well beyond my capabilities and will likely be so for a few years to come.

I then later dropped another $500 to pick up a pro quality tripod, an OCF (Off Camera Flash, my SB600) and another lens, my 35mm f1/8 prime (which is my best lens by far). The addition of these items added a whole new dimension of photography to explore. Little changes in equipment can make for hours of new things to learn.

In conclusion, I think if you dumped that doe on a kit, such as Nikon's d5000 kit, you will be happy with the results and it will take a while to outgrow it's capabilities. And to not anger the Cannon users out there, I'm sure Cannon offers something comparable to the Nikon kits. And may even be a little cheaper. It seems to me, if you have nothing to start with, these kits will give you almost everything you need to get started and discover if it's something you want to continue with our abandon.

Here's a couple links to help get an idea of what you're looking for. The first one is the d5000 body with 18-55 VR lens.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital-18-55mm-55-200mm-Accessory/dp/B002ED1MD0[/ame]


This one is an example of a comparable Cannon kit that you get some extra goodies with.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-18-55mm-Battery-Accessory/dp/B0029N458E[/ame]

By all means, there are a lot of knowledgeable folks on this forum who could probably correct any of my mistakes or misconceptions I have made, here's a starting point for you in any case. Plus, at those prices you have some extra doe to buy a Post Processing software, such a Photoshop, and some other gear like a second zoom lens, more memory, ect.

Hope that helps your thought process! And welcome!

 

[cameradino]

To be quite honest, I've been looking at this:

Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera NEX3A/B -

There's also the PEN series from Olympus. Similar idea.

I know it's not a true SLR, but I've been wondering if that matters anymore. The mirror is less necessary with a nice LCD and live preview. You're talking to a guy who still uses film, but:

1. I love my Contax G1, if only because it's a rangefinder and the lenses are extremely sharp.
2. Part of the reason I know I love it is the lenses can be designed without making the rear element clear the mirror (this is a complex topic, but suffice it to say SLRs are actually at a disadvantage here on wide angle focal lengths).

If I want to shoot digital, I'd give the Sony "rangefinders" some serious thought. They're also cheap. In theory their wide angle lenses can be sharper than anyone's.

 

[justindavid]

check out this little guy. Canon 50D with a 28-135IS for $1100: Canon EOS 50D SLR Digital Camera Kit with Can 2807B005 - B&H

 

[DeadPixel]

Welcome to forum, Yaqngie
Nice to meet you!

 

[Yaqngie]

Thank you for the welcomes.

Crimbfighter that was one of them that I was looking at. Costco has that one and a Canon package. The Canon is a 15.1 MP vs the Nikon 12 MP.

I really wanna get into Macro shots with my fish tanks and coral.

 

[Voyager]

I recommend all of above , and also get some books about lighting and/or composition, because one of the first frustrations of every photographer is not to get those wonderful magazine pics, so it is important to learn the basics first, believe me, you will enjoy this hobby. Greetings.

 

[TheSolicitor]

If I could be so bold as to step in and offer my two cents...

One of the bits of caution I would urge is to find a camera that has a second read out for settings and the like. I have a D5000 and absolutely love it. A buddy of mind had the same camera, but someone accidentally kicked his bag and broke the LCD screen on the back rendering the camera effectively useless for M-A-S-P shooting as he cannot set ISO, WB, or even toggle JPEG or RAW shooting.

If the camera you purchase only has the readout on a single screen, and that screen goes, you have a really nice, really expensive paperweight, unless you want to shoot AUTO, and once you get some of the basics down...you'll never shoot auto again...

Just a thought. Welcome to the forum, and welcome to a hobby that will be tremendously rewarding!