I want to get into photography

[[JDM] Koller]

Well as you can read by the title i want to get into photography. i just want to know what camera i should get for my first one and what editing software i should get. i want to take pictures of cars and landscape. I am short on cash for a camera so it needs to be on the cheaper side but still be a good starter. any suggestions would be much appreciated

[theAngryMarmot]

Buy a decent point and shoot. Do not worry about editing right away. Work on setting up your shots, capturing the best viewpoints, framing, etc. Get the basics down first, you can take great pics with a point and shoot camera, and you will have time to learn and focus on the basics without overloading yourself on things like exposures, focusing, balances, etc. Once you have the basics down, then you can play with the more user friendly and less drastic functions of the camera, and see how they work. Then move to a SLR.

There is no point in running out and buying a DSLR when you do not know how to take a good picture. I see this a million times at car shows, some guy/girl with a 2k dollar camera, who cannot set up a shot, focus, take a night pictures, or capture the subject well, yet they look down upon people with lesser cameras like they are a pro. I get that shit all the time just because I dont use a DSLR. There were a few people laughing and making fun of me for having a tripod at the may2nd drift event :p My pics are not groundbreaking or professional, but out of the 5 or 6 friends with DSLRs, my pics are much better, and that is because I have learned to have "the eye" and know what will be a good photo and what will not. I have had my pics featured in Popular Hotrodding Magazine, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and a ton of my pics are in all the big auction's catalogs every year, all shot with a 500 dollar point and shoot.

Start small, work your way up. I use a Sony DSC-5H (a few years old, and bring on the haters) but it has a great fully auto pic mode, and when I got the hang of what is a good pic, and what is not, it had enough headroom that I can adjust exposures, white balance, aperature, focus, flash settings, etc. The important thing is to know what makes a good pic and what does not, using the natural light, enviroment, angles, etc, to bring out your subject and captivate the person on that.

[Jason.AZ1]

d40 easy camera to learn on not to much money


or buy point and shoot

[The President]

Sony Alpha Series was voted best entry level DSLR. After using Nikon and Canon I can see why. You can get an A200 and two lenses (18-70 + 75-300) for like 699.00

[91DA9]

Please don't buy a point and shoot, they're all the same. Buy a semi decent Nikon or Canon if you truly want to get into photography, and then learn how to use it. There are plenty of websites, forums, and books dedicated to taking photos properly. My girlfriend and I use a Canon Rebel XTi and I don't regret spending a dime on it. Once you find a camera you like, you really shouldn't need to buy editing software, as most DSLR's already come with it. If you do feel like getting something else download a copy of Photoshop Lightroom it's normally about $100.

[The President]

Please don't buy a point and shoot, they're all the same. Buy a semi decent Nikon or Canon if you truly want to get into photography, and then learn how to use it. There are plenty of websites, forums, and books dedicated to taking photos properly. My girlfriend and I use a Canon Rebel XTi and I don't regret spending a dime on it. Once you find a camera you like, you really shouldn't need to buy editing software, as most DSLR's already come with it. If you do feel like getting something else download a copy of Photoshop Lightroom it's normally about $100.

meh, not soo much any more. point and shoots are coming up in a pretty big way. my boss just bought a new canon point and shoot and it takes pretty damn good pics as long as you know what you're doing. While I agree that a DSLR is the way to go, you could atleast learn photography functions on some new point and shoots. Shit his has macro and is ISO adjustable. Can't adjust f-stop but you've got to start somewhere.
Keep in mind he paid quite a bit for that camera and a DSLR could probably be had for the same price.

Also to the OP, I would not reccomend the Xti because the mirror inside tends to stick. It's a fairly common issue as both Smoot and myself had the problem. Luckily mine was covered under warranty while Smoot's was not.

Also, if you need REAL cheap, then try craigslist for a used DSLR.
Probably the best deal on C/L right now.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/pho/1149734136.html

[94EXCIVIC]

canon has the high end point and shoots that are really good. the g9 and g10. If your looking for an dslr maybe a nikon d40/40x/60. Only problem with those is that you wont have auto focus with any lens other than the af-s lenses, which kind sucks for a beginer cuz youll get alot of out of focus shots plus you wont be able to meter

[[JDM] Koller]

Buy a decent point and shoot. Do not worry about editing right away. Work on setting up your shots, capturing the best viewpoints, framing, etc. Get the basics down first, you can take great pics with a point and shoot camera, and you will have time to learn and focus on the basics without overloading yourself on things like exposures, focusing, balances, etc. Once you have the basics down, then you can play with the more user friendly and less drastic functions of the camera, and see how they work. Then move to a SLR.

There is no point in running out and buying a DSLR when you do not know how to take a good picture. I see this a million times at car shows, some guy/girl with a 2k dollar camera, who cannot set up a shot, focus, take a night pictures, or capture the subject well, yet they look down upon people with lesser cameras like they are a pro. I get that shit all the time just because I dont use a DSLR. There were a few people laughing and making fun of me for having a tripod at the may2nd drift event :p My pics are not groundbreaking or professional, but out of the 5 or 6 friends with DSLRs, my pics are much better, and that is because I have learned to have "the eye" and know what will be a good photo and what will not. I have had my pics featured in Popular Hotrodding Magazine, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and a ton of my pics are in all the big auction's catalogs every year, all shot with a 500 dollar point and shoot.

Start small, work your way up. I use a Sony DSC-5H (a few years old, and bring on the haters) but it has a great fully auto pic mode, and when I got the hang of what is a good pic, and what is not, it had enough headroom that I can adjust exposures, white balance, aperature, focus, flash settings, etc. The important thing is to know what makes a good pic and what does not, using the natural light, enviroment, angles, etc, to bring out your subject and captivate the person on that.
thanks for the info and yeah i think i saw you at the event

d40 easy camera to learn on not to much money


or buy point and shoot
:thumbsup:

Sony Alpha Series was voted best entry level DSLR. After using Nikon and Canon I can see why. You can get an A200 and two lenses (18-70 + 75-300) for like 699.00
thanks for the info
Please don't buy a point and shoot, they're all the same. Buy a semi decent Nikon or Canon if you truly want to get into photography, and then learn how to use it. There are plenty of websites, forums, and books dedicated to taking photos properly. My girlfriend and I use a Canon Rebel XTi and I don't regret spending a dime on it. Once you find a camera you like, you really shouldn't need to buy editing software, as most DSLR's already come with it. If you do feel like getting something else download a copy of Photoshop Lightroom it's normally about $100.
cool cool thanks for the info
meh, not soo much any more. point and shoots are coming up in a pretty big way. my boss just bought a new canon point and shoot and it takes pretty damn good pics as long as you know what you're doing. While I agree that a DSLR is the way to go, you could atleast learn photography functions on some new point and shoots. Shit his has macro and is ISO adjustable. Can't adjust f-stop but you've got to start somewhere.
Keep in mind he paid quite a bit for that camera and a DSLR could probably be had for the same price.

Also to the OP, I would not reccomend the Xti because the mirror inside tends to stick. It's a fairly common issue as both Smoot and myself had the problem. Luckily mine was covered under warranty while Smoot's was not.

Also, if you need REAL cheap, then try craigslist for a used DSLR.
Probably the best deal on C/L right now.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/pho/1149734136.html
dang that is a good price

canon has the high end point and shoots that are really good. the g9 and g10. If your looking for an dslr maybe a nikon d40/40x/60. Only problem with those is that you wont have auto focus with any lens other than the af-s lenses, which kind sucks for a beginer cuz youll get alot of out of focus shots plus you wont be able to meter
cool thanks for the info

[theAngryMarmot]

"thanks for the info and yeah i think i saw you at the event"

I will be at the next one, if you would like to talk some cameras and whatnot, introduce yo' self

[rudsone]

read read read

[[JDM] Koller]

"thanks for the info and yeah i think i saw you at the event"

I will be at the next one, if you would like to talk some cameras and whatnot, introduce yo' self
alright cool u going to unleash that miata and show up that blue one that was there haha
read read read
not following ya

[theAngryMarmot]

haha I am going to, but I doubt I will have anything on patrick's car lol

[rudsone]

read watch listen

do all those in order to know more

[91DA9]

meh, not soo much any more. point and shoots are coming up in a pretty big way. my boss just bought a new canon point and shoot and it takes pretty damn good pics as long as you know what you're doing. While I agree that a DSLR is the way to go, you could atleast learn photography functions on some new point and shoots. Shit his has macro and is ISO adjustable. Can't adjust f-stop but you've got to start somewhere.
Keep in mind he paid quite a bit for that camera and a DSLR could probably be had for the same price.

Also to the OP, I would not reccomend the Xti because the mirror inside tends to stick. It's a fairly common issue as both Smoot and myself had the problem. Luckily mine was covered under warranty while Smoot's was not.

Also, if you need REAL cheap, then try craigslist for a used DSLR.
Probably the best deal on C/L right now.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/pho/1149734136.html

Well that's just my point, a DSLR and an everyday point and shoot are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I quit using the flash all together and rely on nothing but natural lighting anymore, and I can't imagine that's something a point and shoot could do. On top of that our entire setup with tripod, bag, lenses and all cost about $750 total and we bought it all brand new. I know a used XTi or XSi can be had for somewhere around $350-$600 now.

By the way, when did you guys start having problems? We've got 3200 exposures and haven't any problems, just wondering when I should start watching for that.

[The President]

mine was 6 months after the purchase and his was a little over a year I believe. hence why mine was covered and his was not. I do not know how many shots I had on mine though. I used it at work for product manuals and packaging photoshoots so it had quite a few.

Tempe Camera also told me they see a lot of them come in with the same problems and have to send them out to Canon in CA to get fixed properly. I will say that the repair on mine was much faster than expected. only took about two weeks.

btw, you can turn the flash off with most point and shoots. You can also get smaller/cheaper tripods for them as well but most still only shoot in jpeg (no RAW or png). I'll steal my bosses when he lets me and take a couple pics with it and the xti I have on my desk and post them for a comparison.

I still agree that a DSLR is the way to go though.

[[JDM] Koller]

haha I am going to, but I doubt I will have anything on patrick's car lol
yeah that miata was pretty bad

[theAngryMarmot]

"and I can't imagine that's something a point and shoot could do"

mine allows 3 or 4 different flash options, including no flash. I can change exposure, and white balance as well. I use my "point and shoot " to take night shots more than I do day shots here lately, and it does fine.

However, the cost of DSLRs has come down. I gave 500 bucks for my upper end point and shoot 4 years ago, not I could get a sony alpha DSLR kit for almost the same money.

I think that buying a sub 200 dollar point and shoot, and learn setting up shots, and getting good angles/backgrounds/etc is a good way to learn at first, specially on a budget.

[The President]

"and I can't imagine that's something a point and shoot could do"

mine allows 3 or 4 different flash options, including no flash. I can change exposure, and white balance as well. I use my "point and shoot " to take night shots more than I do day shots here lately, and it does fine.

However, the cost of DSLRs has come down. I gave 500 bucks for my upper end point and shoot 4 years ago, not I could get a sony alpha DSLR kit for almost the same money.

I think that buying a sub 200 dollar point and shoot, and learn setting up shots, and getting good angles/backgrounds/etc is a good way to learn at first, specially on a budget.

the only thing that sucks is you have no where to go after that. You then have to just buy a new camera and lenses. Why not just buy a new camera and lens now and not spend the extra 200 on the point and shoot.

DSLR>Point and Shoot just because you're not stuck to one thing.

[theAngryMarmot]

true, but I am factoring in shortage of cash statement. 600 + accessories isnt small money if you are short on cash. Buying a cheap sony, canon, nikon, etc point a shoot will at least get you taking some pics, and when the cash situation improves, the upgrade.

[[JDM] Koller]

yeah i am short on cash so the point and shoot will probably be better for me right now because im going to korea over the summer and i want to take some shots

[chinabean]

just research the point and shoot cams that are within your budget level cause now you can find really decent ones for under $300 that are 7mp and higher which come out really great with all sort of photos from nature/family and what not; would be very good for you to practice on like what other members have said. And don't get too worried with editing and stuff just yet - get used to taking pics then there are plenty of tutorials online for you to read about and experiment with then everything will become pretty simple - Then of course elevate yourself when you got more experience + money to get a better camera/DSLR - research which one you want or fits your price range and explore from there and cultivate your own style of photography =]

[Jason.AZ1]

D40 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-Camera3-Lens-18-PC-4GB-Kit-NEW_W0QQitemZ220410084714QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDigita l_Cameras?hash=item335176fd6a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1308%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) this is what I use, found this one on ebay brand new and its cheap.


also if you want a point and shoot here you go
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10980076

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10981665

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10710381

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10928316

[[JDM] Koller]

just research the point and shoot cams that are within your budget level cause now you can find really decent ones for under $300 that are 7mp and higher which come out really great with all sort of photos from nature/family and what not; would be very good for you to practice on like what other members have said. And don't get too worried with editing and stuff just yet - get used to taking pics then there are plenty of tutorials online for you to read about and experiment with then everything will become pretty simple - Then of course elevate yourself when you got more experience + money to get a better camera/DSLR - research which one you want or fits your price range and explore from there and cultivate your own style of photography =]
thanks for the advice

D40 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-Camera3-Lens-18-PC-4GB-Kit-NEW_W0QQitemZ220410084714QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDigita l_Cameras?hash=item335176fd6a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1308%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) this is what I use, found this one on ebay brand new and its cheap.


also if you want a point and shoot here you go
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10980076

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10981665

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10710381

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10928316
oo nice find thanks

[Jason.AZ1]

Koller;1461861']thanks for the advice


oo nice find thanks

word and only reason i went with a d40 was I got more shit with it for the money i wanted to spend, i wanted a xti but yeah d40 was a better deal

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_280XTIISB/Canon-Digital-Rebel-XTi-Kit.html?tp=263

[[JDM] Koller]

word and only reason i went with a d40 was I got more shit with it for the money i wanted to spend, i wanted a xti but yeah d40 was a better deal

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_280XTIISB/Canon-Digital-Rebel-XTi-Kit.html?tp=263
nice i want to get the d40 it seems like a good dslr starter but is it good quality and things like that

[rudsone]

its just what a beginner needs y0

i say get the d40

[[JDM] Koller]

its just what a beginner needs y0

i say get the d40
yeah i think im going to get it hopefully it works out good

[die in a dick fire noob]

don't buy a point and shoot.

while the settings are there 4/3rds sensors are severely limited PERIOD.

but a cheaper digital slr and start there. like paul said in his first post, focus on setting up shots... maybe even take a class or two... the biggest thing in photography is taking pictures, i know that sounds like a cliche but it's not. you can read and learn as much as you want but when it comes down to it you need to take the pictures and develop your own eye for detail.

[5thgeneration]

dude you could make a pinhole and still take great black and whites...its not about the camera or equipment its capturing something that you see at the exact moment that works...i mean i have had the same peace of crap nikon from 1989 for about 6 years i have taken great photos with..just start small and have fun then invest money...just like our cars start small and work up :thumbsup:

[[JDM] Koller]

don't buy a point and shoot.

while the settings are there 4/3rds sensors are severely limited PERIOD.

but a cheaper digital slr and start there. like paul said in his first post, focus on setting up shots... maybe even take a class or two... the biggest thing in photography is taking pictures, i know that sounds like a cliche but it's not. you can read and learn as much as you want but when it comes down to it you need to take the pictures and develop your own eye for detail.
cool thanks yeah i think im taking photography next year

dude you could make a pinhole and still take great black and whites...its not about the camera or equipment its capturing something that you see at the exact moment that works...i mean i have had the same peace of crap nikon from 1989 for about 6 years i have taken great photos with..just start small and have fun then invest money...just like our cars start small and work up :thumbsup:
cool thanks for the info

[Jason.AZ1]

Koller;1461960']nice i want to get the d40 it seems like a good dslr starter but is it good quality and things like that

yes the camera is very very good man

i use mine or i try to use mine everyday

[[JDM] Koller]

well i finally saved up enough money to buy the d40 lol so i might be picking it up soon. but if any one has a d40 and has some pics that you've taken please feel free to post them up.

[die in a dick fire noob]

dude you could make a pinhole and still take great black and whites...its not about the camera or equipment its capturing something that you see at the exact moment that works...i mean i have had the same peace of crap nikon from 1989 for about 6 years i have taken great photos with..just start small and have fun then invest money...just like our cars start small and work up :thumbsup:

just saw this post and would like to address it.

i agree with starting small and going up, but i bet your 1989 film nikon is a 35mm. see what people who haven't worked around film or really don't have a lot of experience with it don't understand is that 35mm is 35mm is 35mm. Meaning, when you got a point and shoot in the 80's it was a 35mm camera. when you got a 35mm slr in the 80's it was a 35mm camera. the only advancements in these systems was motor drives, af responsiveness, and automated settings. everything was still produced in 35mm. now when you equate a 35mm frame to a digital camera you have to realize that a 35mm frame is bigger than most digital slrs still to this day. there are only a few "full frame" cameras. you also have to understand that the digital slr frame like nikon's ccd in in the d90 is 23.6x15.8mm still nearly 33% smaller than a 35mm frame. a 4/3rds sensor is 18x13.5mm. Also the technology in the point and shoots is severely limited in comparison what with the amount of photosites and segments.

Here are a few things to notice:

with 35mm (34x26) you can make about an 11x14 with normal 200 speed film and have acceptable quality. with 100 speed you can get into the 16x20 range with a nice piece of glass to back it up, say a 50 1.4 or 85 1.4.

with 4x5 you can make 16x20's with 400 speed film and 24x36's with 200/100 speed.

with an 8x10 view you can make up to 4 foot by 5 foot images with ease if you use the right equipment.

now having said all of this think of the digital slr as a 35mm camera. that being considered the 4/3rds sensor of a point and shoot is comparative to 110/APS sized film. notice how i didn't even mention these in my explanation from before. that's because these tiny tiny films can really only safely produce a 5x7.

if your intention is to store your photos and share them digitally sure go for it. but if your intention is to print anything i would not waste my time with a point and shoot. that's not to say that you can't make a decent sized image out of a point and shoot but it's not ever going to be the same.

so if you say you can make a good image with a pin hole camera this is true... but a pinhole is representative of an aperture size like f64 which is going to obviously make a clear image. now if you used a pinhole camera on 35mm film you could get a decent image, if you use it on 110 the image would definitely be inferior.

[[JDM] Koller]

just saw this post and would like to address it.

i agree with starting small and going up, but i bet your 1989 film nikon is a 35mm. see what people who haven't worked around film or really don't have a lot of experience with it don't understand is that 35mm is 35mm is 35mm. Meaning, when you got a point and shoot in the 80's it was a 35mm camera. when you got a 35mm slr in the 80's it was a 35mm camera. the only advancements in these systems was motor drives, af responsiveness, and automated settings. everything was still produced in 35mm. now when you equate a 35mm frame to a digital camera you have to realize that a 35mm frame is bigger than most digital slrs still to this day. there are only a few "full frame" cameras. you also have to understand that the digital slr frame like nikon's ccd in in the d90 is 23.6x15.8mm still nearly 33% smaller than a 35mm frame. a 4/3rds sensor is 18x13.5mm. Also the technology in the point and shoots is severely limited in comparison what with the amount of photosites and segments.

Here are a few things to notice:

with 35mm (34x26) you can make about an 11x14 with normal 200 speed film and have acceptable quality. with 100 speed you can get into the 16x20 range with a nice piece of glass to back it up, say a 50 1.4 or 85 1.4.

with 4x5 you can make 16x20's with 400 speed film and 24x36's with 200/100 speed.

with an 8x10 view you can make up to 4 foot by 5 foot images with ease if you use the right equipment.

now having said all of this think of the digital slr as a 35mm camera. that being considered the 4/3rds sensor of a point and shoot is comparative to 110/APS sized film. notice how i didn't even mention these in my explanation from before. that's because these tiny tiny films can really only safely produce a 5x7.

if your intention is to store your photos and share them digitally sure go for it. but if your intention is to print anything i would not waste my time with a point and shoot. that's not to say that you can't make a decent sized image out of a point and shoot but it's not ever going to be the same.

so if you say you can make a good image with a pin hole camera this is true... but a pinhole is representative of an aperture size like f64 which is going to obviously make a clear image. now if you used a pinhole camera on 35mm film you could get a decent image, if you use it on 110 the image would definitely be inferior.
You know alot about cameras props to ya and i know where to go if i have a question if your cool with it

[die in a dick fire noob]

i'm always down to help.

just shoot me a pm when you have a question and i'll try to answer it as best i can.