Please Help!!!

photo_crazy

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Hi All!!
I am a complete newbie. And by newbie i mean to say that i havent even started out in photography yet! But i have always been interested in it and want to start out now. In fact firstly I want to buy a well chosen camera for myself to get started and need some advice before I make that first purchase. I might be asking some really stupid questions at first though :confused:

My target has always been an SLR, but looking at all the online reviews and replies, i changed my mind to a dSLR...something within my budget although...maybe a nikon D50?

But Recently one of my friends bought a Fujifilm FinePix S6500 FD. I recently saw a review of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ18. Now when i look at a dSLR and these cameras, I see that the Fuji one comes loaded with a 10.7x Optical zoom....28 - 300 mm (35 mm equiv) Lens , the panasonic one with 18x optical zoom and at such cheaper prices!

Now i am totally confused as to y shud one go for a dSLR when the focal range in a high end P&S/ bridge cams is so huge?? Is there some other differences that i am unaware of?

in a normal P&S you get shutter and aperture priorities to play with, bt nt with the focal range. but in these P&Ss you have everything....I may b posting a really silly question here, but i dont seem to understand all the differences that these two categories of cameras have. I want to go on to learn professional stuffs on my camera, so whateve i buy i want it for keeps....please tell me whr i am going wrong in my understanding in the limitations of a high end P&S or a bridge camera when compared with a dSLR... :x
 
One of the main things that I love about my dSLR is the fact that I can change lenses. While a p&s is great for a beginner camera, if it's something that you really want to get in to, you're going to want to be able to change lenses, add external flashes, and play around with the other options on an SLR camera. Focal range and DOF ranges are great, but there is SO much more that you're going to want to do eventually that makes the SLR a much better choice than a p&s.
 
Thanx fr ur reply! Yes that is certainly what i am looking forward to eagerly...to really get into photography and get great snaps...
Actually the confusion is wht does a dSLR offer that the new high-end P&S dnt offer...
I am sure wht u said is quite true, bt cant i do all that on a P&S? except chnging the lenses that is...and after all the wole idea of changing lenses is to get the desired focal length. Then y nt look at these cameras rather than the P&S??

I still want to go frward with my SLR purchase, bt i just want to be sure i understand hw i am making a btr deal with this buy rather than one of the bridge lenses!
Any more help will be appreciated...thnx a lot! :D
 
Lenses can be about way more than DOF and focusing. Sometimes the proper lens can make or break the "perfect shot". A point and shoot camera, even the high end ones, can't offer the amount of things that you can play with on an SLR camera. A dSLR camera can be manually played with so that you're not just auto-shooting at things. While a p&s will automatically adjust aperature and shutter speed, sometimes you don't want that and a dSLR will let you set it yourself. For instance...the groovy pictures of swirling stars and car lights drifting by in the background can't be achieved with a p&s camera. It sounds like you're really crazy about the focusing capabilities of a high-end p&s, but I can guarantee that you'll get the same (and better) capabilities with a dSLR. Plus, there is more room for you to grow!
 
Also one of the big differences between a P&S and a DSLR is the Sensor!! DSLR sensors are huge compared to P&S sensors and offer far superior image quality.

And there lens capabilities can go from 8mm to 600mm! (biggest I've seen)

A lot more features, a lot sturdier and there a Single Lens Reflex, So your looking through a mirror out the lens instead of a LCD in a viewfinder.
 
I would put it like this--do you want to control the outcome of the photo or do you want to allow the camera's limitations to affect the outcome. It really boils down to the camera owning you or you owning a camera. The last thing you want is to have the magic light of dusk right there for your shooting pleasure and your camera reduces your art to a snapshot.

have a good one
3Eo
 
One of the things I forgot to mention is that at some point there WILL be a shot that you want to take that you won't be able to focus on without playing with the lens.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this. But lenses need to considerably compromise quality to get their large zoom factors. My dad too has an Olympus with a 10x optical zoom, but it becomes almost completely useless at the far end. While lenses with such zooms are handy to have around even the cheapest DSLRs can very accurately resolve differences between some very well made and sharp lenses.

What you really need to ask yourself is how does price / convenience compare to quality. If you will ever be blowing up a photo to A3 then the DSLR is the way to go. However if you're just in it for fun and to take pictures for a computer screen and on a budget then you may be happier with these versatile point and shoot cameras. Many of these point and shoot camera also have the ability to control them like SLRs. Ok fair enough the aperture dial isn't placed on a thumb wheel for easy access but it is usable and you can get great pictures out of it.

Have a look at www.dpreview.com for the features and if you are interested in learning and getting creative with your photography make sure you buy a camera with manual focus, shutter priority, and aperture priority , prehapse even fully manual modes. As this level of control is what truly separates SLRs from their Point and Shoot baby brothers.

By the way maddermaxx why stick with 600mm when you could go for 1200-1700mm f/5.6-8
 
Thanks a lot everyone for all ur valuable inputs!

Although rit now i am nt thinking abt blowing up A3 sized photos,bt someday soon when i am good enough at it :mrgreen:! bt my ultimate aim is to get control over the images...

i really want to be able to learn all there is to serious photography and being a good photographer....i guess dSLR is the way to go then coz I want to buy something frm whr i can keep growing till i am ready to make a leap to a btr camera....i have been looking around fr one which is at the beginning of the dSLR range....

the Nikon D50 seems a good deal, though i will b looking at other makes as well. Any suggestions regarding wht cud b a good beginning camera? Thanks a lot once again in advance!
 
That 1200-1700 is nuts. I'd like to play with that for a day.
 
photo crazy- I gave my daughter and my g/f a Panasonic Lumix with a 10:1 zoom ... they both love it and find it very usable.

A dSLR isn't for everybody. Most who enjoy photography, but lack a passion, will get more use and have better images with a high end P&S than a dSLR.

Remember that when you purchase a dSLR you are getting into a camera system. If you are not willing to learn manual settings and not willing to purchase additional lenses then you have pretty much defeated the purpose of a dSLR (IQ for larger prints notwithstanding.)

If you are truly serious and committed to a long term affair with photography and $$ is an issue (as it is with most of us) ... I recommend an Canon XT as a very good entry level camera. Up to an 8x10, the XT will deliver an image similar if not indistinguishable from Canon's much more expensive cameras (XTi, 20D,30D, 1DMKIIN ...). And the XT will deliver much better Image Quality at higher ISOs, 800+, than Nikons (higher ISOs are used in poor light when you shoot without a flash or tripod.)

Gary
 
in a normal P&S you get shutter and aperture priorities to play with, bt nt with the focal range. but in these P&Ss you have everything....I may b posting a really silly question here, but i dont seem to understand all the differences that these two categories of cameras have. I want to go on to learn professional stuffs on my camera, so whateve i buy i want it for keeps....please tell me whr i am going wrong in my understanding in the limitations of a high end P&S or a bridge camera when compared with a dSLR... :x

My only experience with digital P&S was an Olympus C3030z. It had shutter and aperture priorities along with a fully manual setting, but even though I used this camera for a long time, I never fully grasped exposure settings until I used an SLR. On the P&S the exposure settings and focus were adjusted through complicated menus or hard to use directional pads on the back. It was difficult & timely to make adjustments on the fly and then review the shot you had made. When I got the D80, I learned more in a week about photography in general than my full time of using the P&S.

The P&S's you are looking at might be different, but I highly suggest going the SLR route if your serious about learning about photography. It opens you up to a whole different world with it's wide range of capabilities that I don't think the P&S can touch.
 
A great way to start out in photography is to buy an old SLR on ebay. I personally did this, bought an old Nikon FM and learned how to shoot manually. This developed my critical thinking skills in photography. I just feel that it is not a great idea to skip the basics of photography, use all of the manual functions of a digital camera, or as Three Eyed Otter mentioned, "allow the camera's limitations to affect the outcome," and then when you get in a tough lighting situation, etc., you do not know what the heck to do. I used that Nikon FM for over a year, skipped the P & S digital, and went directly to my Nikon D200, which I absolutely LOVE.
 

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