First camera?

[MarcGonsalves]

I read the tutorials, and that even seems a bit advanced for me. I've never owned a camera for myself, but I find photography to be quite intriguing. I'm looking to get a point & shoot considering a DSLR would be a bit pricey for my first camera. I was reading reviews and looking around when I came across the Sony Cyber-Shot TX1. Was wondering if anyone had input on this camera and wondering if it would be a good first.

Of course I'm also accepting ANY tips anyone might have to help a beginner!

 

[eccs19]

What's your budget? You may be able to get a used DSLR depending on what you want to spend.

 

[MarcGonsalves]

To be honest I'm not really willing to go over 300 dollars. It being my first camera I don't want to spend a whole lot of money if my idea of photography doesn't keep going. I know this is probably hard to comprehend because you guys/gals all love photo.

 

[eccs19]

I think for $300, you should be able to get a used DSLR with a basic lens. Good for learning, and if you get into it, then it will work well for a few years. If you find you just like snapping pictures, you can still put a DSLR into a basic mode, and it will work like a point & shoot, but better quality if you get one you want to enlarge.

 

[MarcGonsalves]

Any recommendations on a DSLR in my budget?
Also, do you know anything on the TX1 from Sony? I was reading some reviews and people seem to love it. It's also quite a low budget camera, so that helps a lot.

 

[Soulz3urn3lack]

Why not go with a 35mm SLR? You can buy one cheap and learn on it. Then save for a DSLR if you decide you want to move digital.

 

[eccs19]

Why not go with a 35mm SLR? You can buy one cheap and learn on it. Then save for a DSLR if you decide you want to move digital.

You can definitely get a 35mm SLR dirt cheap, but keep in mind that it will add up after a while buying film & processing.

MarcGonsalves - I don't know anything about the camera you've asked about, but if it's getting good reviews, then it should be a decent camera. I don't know much about the older Canons or Nikons, but you should be able to get an older Pentax DSLR in the price range your talking about. Anything in the digital *ist series. (There is one in the *ist series that is film, so watch for that one)

 

[MarcGonsalves]

I appreciate the help, both of you!
I will continue searching. I'll also be looking at the Pentax DSLR.
I'll keep you updated, but right now I'm still leaning towards the sony

 

[IDLaxStar]

You definately can find a cheap dslr for under 300. But on thing you have to think about is if you start getting into photography and end up loving it and one day get serious with it do you want to be invested in pentex gear or canon or nikon. My suggestion would be to look for a used canon 20d. You can probably find one for under 300. If you can only find one thats just the body only then grab it and the 50mm 1.8 lens for under a 100 bucks and you will get some awesome results with it. But thats just my opinion.

 

[MarcGonsalves]

Do you feel dSLR's are okay for beginners? I really don't know much about photography at all. I've just been browsing the web for about a year now, looking at photography related things (pictures, cameras etc.) and decided to give it a lot. I want something simple so I don't get bogged down with all the technicalities right away and end up veering away from photography.

 

[Babs]

I'm not totally new to photography, but am new to DSLR photography. I got myself a Canon 350d (known as Rebel XT on your side of the pond) with what is known as a "kit lens" (i.e. the standard lens which comes with the camera), spare battery, battery charger and 2 memory cards for £200 ($315 ish) on eBay. I love it and I've since expanded it with another couple of lenses.

You can stick your camera into full automatic mode and it will behave like a P&S camera, but with a better quality. But as you find out more about it you can start to change the settings on the camera or add different lenses or filters to give you different effects. It means you can grow your knowledge of photography with what the camera can do, whilst still enabling you to pick it up, switch it on and take a photograph quickly. A DSLR is bulkier than a P&S camera, but it will last you longer if you decide you want to get into more of the technicalities of photography.

Before my Canon I had a Sony Cybershot (an earlier version of the TX1) and my folks currently have one very similar to the one you've mentioned. It's a nice camera which takes nice pictures, but it will only take "snapshots" (e.g. family pics, pets, sightseeing photos, etc). You'll be very limited if you want to get into changing settings and whatnot.

 

[IDLaxStar]

DSLR's are definitely ok for beginners. Like Marc said you can just put it in auto and snap away. But once you learn more about your camera and such you will be able to do way more then a point and shoot ever would. And you will learn a lot really fast, at least i did

 

[MarcGonsalves]

Sounds like I should be looking into DSLR's. I saw that Canon 20d for around 300 on Amazon. Just the body but I think that might be the move

 

[Studio7Four]

I am not really going to try to sway someone away from shooting with a DSLR. I love mine, and all the points about the versatility (while still being able to shoot in full-auto just like a point-and-shoot) are valid. However, for someone just getting into photography, one of the best ways to learn is to shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Try different things, make mistakes (and learn from them). To that end, a small point-and-shoot is much more convenient to carry around for shooting on a whim than a DSLR. You can just throw it in a pocket or a backpack and keep it with you just in case something catches your eye.

On a side note, I traditionally love Sony electronics, but their point-and-shoots have (at least in the past, haven't looked lately) only used Sony's proprietary memory sticks. They're a fine storage device, but if you move to a different brand's DSLR you'll have a bunch of useless memory sticks lying around.

 

[MarcGonsalves]

Thanks for your input Studio. I was actually thinking about that after my last post. Perhaps a P&S is more useful so I can take pictures wherever and whenever I want.