hello everyone!!!

[gurumasta]

hello everybody. i am brand new to this hobby as of a couple days ago. ive read a little bit and understand very little. it is my first time on a photography forum. any good links for a beginner? i know nothing. also, i am looking at getting a camera for christmas, and my question is, should i go nuts now and get a camera that isnt a point and shoot, or should i start easy and go with like a fujifilm s9000 to test the waters. i will mainly be using the camera for pictures of my fish tanks (mostly macro) and my daughters birthday parties and things of that nature. . thanks in advance, derek

 

[Rob]

Hi and welcome Derek!

A good place to start is the sticky at the top of this forum. As to whether to go the whole hog or not... this is something only you can answer. A dSLR would probably be the best thing in terms of photographic ability and versatility, but if you're only after snapshots it's an expensive way to do it.

Rob

 

[LizM]

I agree with Rob. I would add though that for fishtank photos you need to be able to override the flash but for birthday parties a Point and Shoot will probably do what you want. Go to the local store and get your hands on a lot of the cameras. Look for intuitive controls and a good fit in your hands along with the features you really want.

 

[jstuedle]

Welcome Derek to TPF. Glad you found us and look forward to helping where we can. Rob & Liz gave you good advise, when you have more questions, don't be a stranger.

 

[gurumasta]

thank you for the advise and the replies. i will go to the local photo shop and drill them with some questions and get my hands on some different cameras.