New to photography....

[tnvol]

Could you guys recommend any good books for beginners?

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

How To Photograph Absolutely Everything by Tom Ang

The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography by Jim Miotke

I agree. All three of those books are awesome. Jim Miotke's Betterphoto Guide to Nature Photography is also really good. John Shaw's book on Landscape Photography is also really good.

 

[sburatorul]

Offcourse a budget prosumer like Canon SX 110 IS is bound to show noise at ISO levels of 400 to 800 considering the small sensor size. Then again its not right to compare it with a DSLR even though it happens to be an entry level one.

Good thing about Canon SX 110 IS is it will let you take control(Full Manual) of your shot. Getting a DSLR is good but considering you will buy a cheap DSLR seems you will be wasting money when you gaion expertise. Instead get a good P&S camera like Canon SX110 IS or a semi-DSLR like Canon G10 now & start collecting for an intermediate DSLR camera later on.

good luck using manual on p&s! the time it takes to set apperture or shutter speed will be longer than enough to make sure you lose lots and lots of shooting opportunities... there is a reason why dslrs have little wheels for this kind of stuff. i would say go for a entry level dslrs and you cant go wrong. ive had my d60 for over a yer now and with a few lenses which you can see in my signiture ive been more than satisfied... sure i would love a d300 but considering the price... you know...

 

[Figment]

They still make the Nikon D40 (Just bought mine from Calumet Photographic about a month or so ago)
I've been 1000000% satisfied with it since I bought it. I'm learning a lot.
One thing I wanted to mention to you, don't be afraid to buy a P&S as a backup camera, but DO YOUR RESEARCH. Couple guys at work carry P&S's around in their pockets for those "Damn, I wish I had my camera" moments, but they don't want to tote their heavy gear bag around everywhere they go. (Who WOULDN'T want to tote their camera everywhere... My wife thinks I'm having an affair with my camera, because I spend more time with it than her)
I would HIGHLY recommend the D40 as a starter. I found a couple of decent package deals. Through Calumet, I got the D40 Body, 18-55 Lens, SB-400 Speed Flash, 4 Gig Memory Card, Rechargable Batteries for the flash, and a gadget bag for $605 Out the door. My budget was $800. Here's where I made my mistake. I didn't get a larger lens. They were out of stock on the 55-200 Nikon Lens I was seeing everywhere else, and the Sigma that was in stock wasn't VR (Vibration Resist, or Anti Vibration...a MUST on a longer lens)
Pop the extra cash if you can and GET A LONGER LENS.. I'm kicking myself now because the wife won't let me spend any more money yet...
Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I've heard good things about Canon too, and used to be a Canon user with Video. But my Nikon's my new baby.
Now if you'll excuse me... I must try and sneak a picture of my boss having a meltdown.

:lmao:
Thanks for the tips, I'll have a look online to see what I find. The D40 certainly sounds like a good deal.

If i were you I would buy a second hand DSLR from Craigslist or Ebay. I've seen used Canon 20d's and 30d's for under $350 with a kit lens.

I'd rather not go second hand though, I have some bad experience from that and would rather get a new one with the warranty.

With all that knowledge you have(since you've already been to school), getting something less then a DSLR would be very frustrating since you won't be able to maximize what you know. Just my two cents.

Erhem...now lets not exaggerate:lmao:
"all that knowledge" ...I know close to nothing
I did learn a few basics, but I've forgotten most of it. I'm planning to get a couple of books to learn the basics again before I actually buy anything.

Could you guys recommend any good books for beginners?

A Site my dad sent me to while I was shopping was KenRockwell.com
Specifically, this article Nikon D40
He LOVES the D40. I've spent A TON of time on his sight, and have learned a lot.
I also agree with most everyone else, if you don't step into a DSLR, you're going to frustrate yourself. I'd been ITCHING for a "nice" camera for a while, kept price checking P&S Cameras. When a buddy at work showed me his D60, I was hooked. "MUST....HAVE....CAMERA....."
The D40 was more in my price range. My friend and I have shot side by side, same settings, almost same pic.. and we can't see a difference. I think the main difference between the 2 cameras is his is 10MP mines 6, which I'm told doesn't matter much until you're blowing up past 8X10.
Anyway, my additional 2 cents. Let us know which way you go.