What is the best camera for a beginner ($150 budget)?

[cityrain]

Hi, I'm really wanting to get into photography, but I don't know what kind of camera to get. I have a $150 budget, so I know I can't get a really good camera. So I'm wondering what is the best camera under $150, to start me off. Thanks for your help.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Nikon D-50 Body only

^^^what to expect on such a budget for a DSLR

 

[TenaciousTins]

In my experience, $150 or under isn't going to get you anything GREAT to work with. Yes, it is always the person taking the pictures and not the camera that the person has, but if you're looking to really get into photography, $150 is a pittance, a very very tiny pittance. If you were looking in the $400-$1000 range that would be a lot easier to work with. What types of things are you looking to shoot?

 

[redessa]

Yeah, I'm thinking you need to be looking at at least $400 just for something functional from the last 5-6 yrs. And even then you're likely talking entry level used camera. Most lenses alone are more than $150.

 

[MLeeK]

My suggestion would be to save until you have the money to at least get into a bridge camera. It isn't going to do you a whole lot of good to invest in a basic point and shoot if you want to "get into photography." You can snap away with a point and shoot and you can learn about composition, but that's about it.
You really need a camera capable of shooting in full manual. It doesn't have to be a DSLR with all of the other investments that go with it. There are some awesome point and shoot bridge cameras out that have the best of all worlds, but sadly they are MUCH out of your price range.
A bridge camera has all of the nifty toys on the point and shoots like in camera editing and the "smart" auto modes and all kinds of stuff that we don't want on a DSLR. PLUS it has the ability to be completely controlled like a DSLR so that you can actually learn about photography, exposure and creating the image you want to create. Added bonus is that they also tend to have a lens that goes from ultra wide angle to mega zoom-more zoom than what I have available to me under anything short of about $5000 in the LENS ONLY.
Canon's new SX40HS is the newest, latest and greatest. Nikon's P500 is their top of the line. The predecessors to those cameras are also options that should bring the price down, but you are still looking at about $350 for the SX30 IS and $250 for the Nikon P100.
You might try ebay and look for the SX20 IS, P100 or P90 to get you started...

 

[nickzou]

Save up. 150 Could probably get you a decent body to start with. I recommend the D70s. They are relatively cheap and I've been meaning to get one because of its hybrid shutter. But 150 bucks won't even get you one decent lens. Photography is kinda expensive, it's just a sad fact of life. Wait until you have at least 400 dollars. My advice is don't get too caught up with the camera body (everyone does), get good lenses!

 

[jake337]

You'll need a bit more of a budget to go digital. You'll need a lens as well. You can get a 50mm f1.8 dirt cheap. Raise your budget to $240!

Nikon D40 for $179
Nikon Digital D 40 6.1 MEGAPIXEL BLACK WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (SD CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

50mm f1.8af for $76
Nikon Autofocus 50 F1.8 (52) 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS STANDARD ANGLE LENS - KEH.com


You could also grab the 50mm and go film for much cheaper. Many bodies in the below link under
$100 bucks!

Nikon Autofocus Camera Bodies - KEH.com



You can do the same searching with other brands and have the same results.

 

[FireRunner]

I suggest heading to Craigslist, there's always photographers selling their old equipment. Even better when you find someone who started getting into photography and then stopped, now they just want to sell their equipment.

 

[jwbryson1]

Read through this list and reviews of selected cameras and see what you think. Just a thought. The less expensive cameras are down the page so you'll have to scroll down to get to them.

Recommended Cameras

 

[sm4him]

I'm going to go a little against the prevailing opinion here--most of the responses seem to be telling you that $150 budget just isn't going to cut it, you need much more if you REALLY want to "get into photography." I agree to an extent--if you already KNOW enough about it to KNOW you want to do serious photography, then I agree, save your money until you can spend at least $600, bare minimum.

BUT...if you have never taken pictures at all, and really just want to see if it appeals to you, learn a little about it, and THEN decide if you want to get serious with it, I don't really see anything wrong with getting the best point-and-shoot your $150 can buy.

I used different versions of the Canon Powershot for many years--the last one I had before finally moving up to DSLR was a Powershot a630. It's several years old now, so I'm sure there are better versions of it now, but not sure which one would fit your budget. My Powershot was an 8 mp, and had--in addition to the standard auto mode--shutter-priority, aperture-priority and full manual modes, which allowed me to learn how to use all the settings so that there wasn't *quite* as big a learning curve when I moved to DSLR.

I even managed to "point and shoot" my way to several winning entries in some local photo contests, including two that won ribbons competing against photos that had clearly been taken with more professional cameras. I even sold a few of my point-and-shoot pieces and had a series I shot published as the cover shot and feature article photos for an industry magazine. So, point-and-shoots aren't *entirely* worthless.

I will reiterate what I said earlier, though--if you already KNOW you want to get serious about photography, then I agree with everyone else--keep saving. But if you just want to see if the hobby appeals to you, and/or if you feel you simply MUST have a camera NOW...then, imo, you can't beat the Powershots in that price range. Just make sure it has different shooting modes, including manual.

 

[LuckySe7en]

keep an eye on craigslist. $150 might be enough to get you a Canon 10D (body only), which is capable.

 

[DiskoJoe]

LMAO. N00b

 

[LuckySe7en]

LMAO. N00b

Instead of laughing, why not try and help them out?

 

[usayit]

A few years ago, I found a budget Samsung DSLR (Pentax *ist copy) at an online pawn shop with kit lens within that budget. Worked fine for several years till I dropped it. Definitely dooable.. just takes some effort and expectations to be set properly.


OH.. and some luck too...

 

[nickzou]

My friend recently found a brand new unopened T2i kit for 450 bucks.