What camera for me?

[N1ck1984]

Hello everyone, my name is Nick and I’m brand spanking new to the forum! I am very interested in photography, but I am not trying to make a career out of it (at least not right now).
I want to be able to take action shots of certain activities and capture shots from different activities such as(football, basketball, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX) I also want to be able to take pictures of “nice” cars driving fast, or just looking good, but I also want to be able to take shots of nature and city life; action or still.
I also want to be able to take creative pictures. Now this is going to sound very “noob” I really enjoy pictures where people leave the shutter open, but I know very little about this. So if someone could shed a little bit of light on this topic I would greatly appreciate it. What types of cameras do this as well?
Hopefully I did not sound like a total fool and most of you will be kind and help a me find they right camera that will help me start this journey.

 

[Dao]

I will say look for a entry level camera and start learning how to use it. Once you learn more about the camera and photography in general, then you will/should know what tool(s) you need for the type of photography you want to go after.

 

[N1ck1984]

I will say look for a entry level camera and start learning how to use it. Once you learn more about the camera and photography in general, then you will/should know what tool(s) you need for the type of photography you want to go after.

Thanks for the reply. Okay, so what would be a good brand and how much is a entry level camera. Also do you have any recommendations?

 

[CWN]

It's called a long exposure, most any SLR should have this option.

What is your budget? You can get a point and shoot that does everything you need or you can get an entry level DSLR. Either one will run you about $400 or more.

P&S
Canon G10/G11 (~$499)
Canon S90 (~$429)
Nikon P6000 (~$499)
Panasonic LX3 (~$479)

DSLR
Nikon D40 (used, ~$350)
Nikon D60 (might find a new one, ~$375-$499)
Nikon D3000 (~$499)
Nikon D5000 (~$799)
Canon XS (~$569)
Canon XSi (~$699)
Canon T1i (~$799)

 

[Dao]

Go to a local store that carry DSLR cameras and check them out. At this point, most of the entry level cameras are very similar.

Personally, I like to stay with Canon or Nikon DSLR cameras because they are popular. Advantage of that is more accessories available from 3rd party companies for their cameras. And they both have a great selection in their new lens line-up.

But other brand such as Sony, Pentax or Olympus are not bad neither. Just go to store and check them out.

 

[manaheim]

I might suggest a search. This thread comes up about 8,000 times a year and there's a lot of viable info already here.

 

[N1ck1984]

It's called a long exposure, most any SLR should have this option.

What is your budget? You can get a point and shoot that does everything you need or you can get an entry level DSLR. Either one will run you about $400 or more.

P&S
Canon G10/G11 (~$499)
Canon S90 (~$429)
Nikon P6000 (~$499)
Panasonic LX3 (~$479)

DSLR
Nikon D40 (used, ~$350)
Nikon D60 (might find a new one, ~$375-$499)
Nikon D3000 (~$499)
Nikon D5000 (~$799)
Canon XS (~$569)
Canon XSi (~$699)
Canon T1i (~$799)

Okay I have started to look at the options you have giving me and I think I like the Nikon D60 and might purchase it soon. Can anyone give me a reason not to go buy the D60 and maybe go with the D40 instead (beside the price)?

 

[PhotoXopher]

I've had both, and they are excellent cameras. The only advantage I can think of in favor of the D40 is 1/500th flash sync vs 1/200th.

That said, the D60 has a lot of cool features that the D40 does not - such as Active D-Lighting, auto rotating screen, still movie maker (in camera).

Can't go wrong either way as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Village Idiot]

Hello everyone, my name is Nick and I’m brand spanking new to the forum! I am very interested in photography, but I am not trying to make a career out of it (at least not right now).
I want to be able to take action shots of certain activities and capture shots from different activities such as(football, basketball, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX) I also want to be able to take pictures of “nice” cars driving fast, or just looking good, but I also want to be able to take shots of nature and city life; action or still.
I also want to be able to take creative pictures. Now this is going to sound very “noob” I really enjoy pictures where people leave the shutter open, but I know very little about this. So if someone could shed a little bit of light on this topic I would greatly appreciate it. What types of cameras do this as well?
Hopefully I did not sound like a total fool and most of you will be kind and help a me find they right camera that will help me start this journey.

Down with used? Skip entry level and look at something like a Canon XXD series; 20D, 30D, 40D, etc...

20D's & 30D's can be had for about $400 with 40D's going for about $600-$700 used. They have better build quality and can shoot at higher frames per second, which can be a blessing when shooting sports and action. I believe the slowest FPS rate of these cameras is going to be about 5 FPS, where most all the entry level cameras won't fire much faster than 3.5 FPS.

You'll also want a fast zoom, which can be expensive. 70-200 f/2.8 is probably one of the most used telephoto zooms out there. They range from about $700-$1800 depending on the brand and features of the lens. You could probably find a used Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 for a good price to help keep the total cost down low. There's other options, but using something like a variable aperture 70-300 will net you more range, you won't be as easily able to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action when needed.

I've used my Canon 70-200 for everything from models to motorcycles. It's a very versatile, high quality lens.

 

[Village Idiot]

I've had both, and they are excellent cameras. The only advantage I can think of in favor of the D40 is 1/500th flash sync vs 1/200th.

That said, the D60 has a lot of cool features that the D40 does not - such as Active D-Lighting, auto rotating screen, still movie maker (in camera).

Can't go wrong either way as far as I'm concerned.

The D40 uses an electronic shutter at faster speeds, actually allowing it to have a pretty much unlimited x sync. Neat little trick that older CCD Nikons can do. Some one even said they could do it with a D700, but I think they may have been mistaking that for some type of HSS mode.