Choosing a camera.

[Quinzo]

Hi guys,

I need help choosing a camera. I've taken a recent interest in photography and I need a good camera to get me off the mark. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Q.

 

[Big Mike]

What's your budget? What do you like to shoot?

 

[Quinzo]

What's your budget? What do you like to shoot?

my budget is about about 200 and I love to shoot landscapes and extreme close-ups .

 

[panocho]

digital or film?
with that budget in digital you're rather limited.
in film, that's another story. you can get a reliable manual body (any brand: you'll find a lot of posts with discussion on different brands and models, and even lists of the best manual bodies of every brand) for 50-70$. For landscapes and macros you can take all the time you need, so no need for AF or any other newer features; just a simple ol MF metal body.

Then, expend the rest on lenses. I would go for a 24 or 28mm for the landscapes and another of around 100mm with macro function

example: Nikon FM, plus Nikkor 28mm plus Nikkor 55mm micro. You could get to fit all that in around $200 (difficult but not impossible -and a real bargain, indeed).

a cheaper option: something like the FM, a nice 50mm and a ring to reverse the lens. That makes only less more than 100$ and could work as well

 

[Big Mike]

You can get a great 35mm film camera with a good lens for that.

If you are talking digital, then you will have to settle for a 'digi-cam'.

 

[Quinzo]

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/SLR/EOS_3000V/index.asp

What about this fella?

 

[panocho]

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/SLR/EOS_3000V/index.asp

What about this fella?

why not -but personally I would go for a MF body. You don't seem to really need the extra features that that one offers, and probably you do would benefit from having a reliable manual camera, like (just an example) the FM I mentioned. Why? well, first it's fully mechanic, so no problem if you run out of batteries in the middle of nowhere and don't want to miss some beautiful landscape. second, it's a metal body, so no problem if in the middle of nowhere you accidentally drop the camera.
with the one you post, dead batteries and your photographic potency will be also dead. and if you drop the camera, prepare to probably buy a new one.

on the other hand, manual bodies are a real pleasure that you will probably love