What is the best camera for a novice photographer?

Question

I'm looking for a high-quality, digital camera that doesn't require taking out a loan. On the other hand, I'm not looking for a point and shoot. This isn't for family vacations and scrapbooking. I'm looking to do serious work and possibly open my own studio if things go in the right direction.

Answer 1

If you want something serious, stay with a digital SLR. I've shot with Sony, Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Minolta, and Olympus. Out of those, I prefer Canon or Nikon. I personally own a Canon 20D.

I'm not sure what taking out a loan means to you; you're probably not going to get anything that I would consider high-quality for under $500. The Rebel series are pretty respectable; and you could get a pretty decent kit for under $1000 with a couple different lens, battery; memory card, bag, etc.

A couple of things to know about Digital SLR's before you buy one.

Depending on how large you're going to be printing... don't get swept away with high mega-pixels. Just about anything you'll find new on the market is going to be enough to print 8x10. I constantly print 11x19 shots with my 8 mega pixels and they always come out great. The image quality has nothing to do with megapixels. Image quality comes from image sensor and lense. Which brings me to my next point.

Lens: Always, always, always buy the same brand lens as your camera. If you by a Nikon body, buy a nikon lens. If it's Canon, buy a canon lens... etc. You can save money with Tokina or Tokar, or whatever they are called, but they won't compare to a name brand lense.

Memory card: You'll really hate yourself if you get anything less than 1 gig. It's typically enough, but I've gone on vacation a couple of times without the ability to dump pictures to a hardrive, and found myself deleting pictures from my 4 gig card to make room for more.

If it were me, I'd buy a Canon 20D or 30D and start off with somewhat wide lens... maybe a 25-100 mm or so. If you can find a 20D it will be cheaper, and there are too many enhancements that you absolutely need from the 30D. You could probably find a package deal on Ebay complete with a lens, bag, battery, memory card etc... everything you need for around $1000.

If that's too much $$... You can get a package deal of a Rebel XTi for around $800; It will be pretty much the same camera as the 20D but it won't have the durable light weight Magnesium alloy body, It won't be as fast, but it will give you a picture just as good.

Still to much Money? Get a Nikon D50. Won't have the megapixel power, but like I said earlier, 6 megapixels will give you a high quality print as large as the average person would print. 8x10 no problem... 11x19 probably wouldn't look too terrible. I don't think it has the magnesium alloy body either, but that's just a durablity issue... framerate isn't as fast... but all these things aside, you'll get a great picture. And a package deal will run you from $200 -$300 or so.

Good luck.

Answer 2

this is probably not what you want to hear, but i would advise starting out with a fully manual film camera, like the pentax k1000, so you are sure to learn all of the basics and the science and whatnot. the camera does not make the photographer, the skill and knowledge and eye of the photographer make the photographer, and a snapshot with a high end digital camera is still just a snapshot.

if you do insist on going digital, look in to buying a used canon 20d, they can be had for about seven or eight hundred bucks, and will serve you well for a while. i would avoid any canon product with the name rebel on it, just personal taste. also, pentax has a 6.1 or so megapixel camera (the 20d is 8.2 or 8.5) that can be had new for about six or seven hundred bucks. surf around at adorama.com or bhphotovideo.com, but support your local privately owned camera store with your business if you can. things may be a bit more expensive, but you wont have to pay for shipping, and having a good rapport with a local camera store can provide you with a wealth of customer service and support that you can't get from one of the big mailorder houses.

Answer 3

The D40 is fine. But why saddle yourself with such a camera?

You should look into the Nikon D50 or the Rebel Digital XTi. Both fine cameras that you will not be disappointed in.

And if you would really like to learn photography, do not overlook the Nikon EM, the Pentax K1000, the Leica IIIf, or a Canon AE1. Super affordable and a great way to learn the basics.

Answer 4

It is normally best to stick with a major brand with a good track record if you want the capability to build on the system in the future. With this in mind, plus your desire for a low price I would limit your selection to canon or nikon. Both companies produce great quality camera's, but if you are serious about pursuing photography as a career you need to purchase as much camera as you can afford.

Answer 5

I have a Konica Minolta DiMage A200 and it is a seriously amazing camera. I spent around 300 bucks on the camera alone. it was a sale at CompUSA cuz normally its like $700.
i am looking to upgrade to the Canon Rebel XTi now

Answer 6

Sony, Nikon, Cannon, even Kodak...they are all good and when you gt away from the entry levels they almost all have manual controls. But if you truly are a novice maybe you should be satisfied with the point and shoot for awhile and gradually work your way up to using the mnanual controls to make better pictures.............

Answer 7

I would recommond the Canon XTi. It takes really nice pictures and it is really easy to learn how to use it. The Nikon D50 or D70 are also a good choice (not as good as the XTi). If you want a non-SLR try out the Canon G7 its a really nice camear that has Canons Digic III processing unit. Its as expensive as the XTi but its still really nice.

Answer 8

I have the Olympus Evolt 500. I love it, and the owners manual is easy to read and understand. It has a built in flash, yet you can buy the external flash. I bought mine as a kit, and it came with both lenses. I also got the warranty on it. I even got the huge memory card for it. I paid just under $1200.00 and that included the warranty. I bought it at Circuit City.

Answer 9

I just bought the Cannon Powershot 710 IS -
This camera is great. It has all the automatic options as well as manual options if you wish to give them a go. It also includes an image stabiliser.
I found by buying on line I was able to save lots.

Answer 10

Try the Nikon D40. Great Price, and I bet they are just as fine as an expensive one!