what is a good camera for a beginner photographer?

Question

i want to get into photography but i'm not sure what a good camera is?

Answer 1

Most students of non-digital photography start on something like the Pentax K1000. Very basic manual camera with a 50mm lens. I actually still use my K1000 and bought a back up in case something ever happens to it. It's so reliable, takes nearly every make of lens and is made like a tank.

You should also sign up for a class. Most local community colleges offer beginner courses. You have to learn about Fstops and shutter speed so that you can learn how to properly expose photos. Not to mention, concepts on composition, subject matter, genre, etc.

Answer 2

I started with a Canon AE-1, it's from the same generation like the Pentax K1000, and you can get these film cameras very cheap these days, HOWEVER. I very much would advise into forgeting film and going to digital. WHY?
because the learning curve is so so so so much shorter.
With a digital camera you can learn in one day more than you would learn in months with a film camera. You can take hundreds of photos and instantly learn about how the different settings affect the outcome. I would recommend something like a Nikon D70. You can get a used one for 4-500 and you would not regret it. It's true that the old manual cameras are built like a tank, but film is such a pain to work with. It takes hours if not days to develop it and by the time you see the results you won't remember what the camera settings were that achieved those results. I have both, and was holding on to my old Canon AE-1 as a backup camera, but I'm getting ready to get rid of it because film is really a thing of the past.
Besides, with digital you save hundreds of dollars on film. You don't have to print every crappy photo. You can print only the ones you really really like. And if you only like one, you can go to the store, put your card in, and pay your 24 cents for a photo and you're done. With film you're always paying for the whole roll.
Another reason to use digital is that with film you can only have 1 kind of film in it at once. So you're limited shooting in the lighting conditions that film was made for. With Digital, you push a button and you can go from ISO 100 to ISO 1600 film. (from slow to very sensitive film) And most digital cameras even have a setting that will pick the best "ISO (equivalent to film sensitivity to light) setting" for each shot.
Go digital. film is for dinosaurs.

Answer 3

Before you decide on what camera to buy, you need to decide what you are going to do with it.
I think a digital camera is the best since it offers the most options and is easy to learn. Also, you can see your results faster and cheaper (downloading to a computer and the memory card is reusable - unlike film.)
If you are just looking to get into snapshots, the Canon Powershot A95 is a good model, and easy to use. It also has plenty of features.
If you are looking for something a little more advanced, any of the Canon Digital Rebel SLRs are a good choice.
You need to decide what size pictures you are going to take and choose a camera with enough mega-pixels to make clear photos in that size.
You should also go to a store and handle some of the cameras. You want one that is comfortable for you to hold (it's different for everyone) and that has the features available for what you would like to do.
I would personally go to a camera store - or several - and explain to them what you are looking to do. They should be able to direct you to a camera in your price range with the features you want. (Remember, you don't want something so complicated you get frustrated with it, but you also don't want something so basic you are wishing for more in a week)
After talking with the camera shop, either buy one there or shop around (other electronics stores or ebay). You will get the best customer support with photography questions at the camera store, and sometimes they are more willing to help if you shop there.
Make a list of what you are looking for in a camera, if you can't afford what you want, shop around for a deal or buy used - or settle for a little less until you can afford it.
Best of luck.
Remember, it is not always a great camera that takes great pictures, but a great photographer who does. (But a decent camera helps).

Answer 4

a good camera is one that will do what you need and want it to do. for beginning, these days digital snap cameras are probably best. you can see your results right away and then manipulate the images in the puter to whatever you want them to be.

If you want to try film, get a good quality single lens reflex. A Pentax K-1000 or something similar. you will have to learn to make adjustments to both shutter speed and lens opening, but this is all part of the learning process. use decent speed film for most things, 400 or 600 Asa until you learn what you are doing.

you can get decent results with any old quick snap camera, if you know what you want. this applies to digital or film. you will simply have to learn what your camera is capable of and not. if you work within it's capabilities, you will be fine. as your capabilities grow, so should you camera's.

Answer 5

The best "learning camera" is a good old-fashioned one like a Pentax k-1000. You'll learn everything about shutter speeds, f stops, depth of field and much more with it. It's a film camera but that's how you learn the truly manual stuff that you can apply to everything in the future regarding photography.

Answer 6

Contrary to popular but mistaken belief, a totally manual camera is NOT the best camera to start with. The best camera to start with is one that you CAN use totally manual but can also use in semi auto as well as in totally automatically. The idea is that you LEARN to use a camera manually for those ocassions where you must know and be able to override the automatic mode and/or features. After all, most moden digital cameras CAN be used totally manual AND totally automatic, with and without auto focus! Get the most versatility for your money. The camera you select will NOT make you a better photographer anymore than an expensive hammer will make a better carpenter... but a versatile camera will let you learn more and quicker.

Don't let slogans and trendy commercialized comments suade you; be practical and spend your money wisely. Learn from the bottom up, and learn the fundamentals that will assist you greatly in the future. Above all, learn the vocabulary (jargon) used in photography so that you can understand more of what is being said and more of what you read.

I recommend film to start with. It's easier and less complicated, and what you learn are mere foundations for digital technolgy. And you keep your mistakes in order that you can learn from your mistakes! You will know how to compose and crop via the viewfinder, use the settings for a correct exposure and how to handle difficult lighting situations BEFORE you start learning about the intricacies of digital technology... in other words, you can dedicate your time to learning the technology AFTER you learn about PHOTOGRAPHY... first learn photography, then learn digital technology for your photography. Learning photography and the intracacies of digital technology at the same time can overwhelm you and make it more difficult for you to establish your own style. Haven't you see some people machine-gunning their cameras and taking a dozen or more photos... in hopes of getting one or two "good shots"? That's a waste of time and a total waste of time later as that person spends a few hours reviewing the slew of photos taken... if only that person had learned to take good images from the beginning!

Consider the Nikon N80, the best and most versatile camera (can be used totally Manual Mode, or semi-automatic in Aperture Priority Mode or, instead, in Shutter Priority Mode, or totally automatic Program Mode), has 3 light metering types (average metering, 3D matrix metering and spot metering), built-in strobe and a hotshoe for a strobe light, too, and is built ergonomically (and is considered the best camera for taking classes, too).

You will want to keep this camera long afterward; it is a sturdy-built camera with similar features to the professional level, Nikon F100. There's no better camera at this price range! Shutter speed: 30 seconds to 1/4000th second plus bulb. Weighs 18.2 ounces and self timer, tripod thread, standard cable release thread, too. It has a hotshoe and syncs at 1/60th second with a dedicated strobe flash (remember, it HAS a built-in strobe, great for fill-in light). It will set your film's ISO for you automatically, it will advance the film after each shot is taken, and it will rewind the film as you take the last the shot. It also has a great, clear viewfinder with all the information (f/stop, shutter speed, ISO, mode, etc). You can use it in auto-focus or manual focus.

Check this site: http://www.photosig.com/articles/1227/article


The best lens for the Nikon N80 is the Nikkor AF 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6D which can be used for wide angle (28-35mm), regular (45-55mm), portrait (85-90mm), short telephoto (105mm) and for macro photography.

If you need something a little more economical, then go for the older but equally as good Nikkor AF 35-105mm f/3.5-5.6D-macro. Make sure you get the Micro or Macro version, not the one that is not a macro lens.

A very good low light lens for emergency purposes would be the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D and you can find it for about $75-$80 used (great lens for low light situations and a great lens for portraits, too). This is considered the Best Bang for Your Dollar Lens, and with good reason: it has one of the best optics in the world for the greatest image detail, and is one of the best low-light lenses, too. Easy to carry, it has saved the day for many photographers!

Best place to find a good used N80 and the recommended lenses above: www.keh.com and be ready to buy the minute you see what you want; their products do not stay on their shelves very long. If you don't see what you want, go back in two or three days. They have the best prices and the most conservative ratings anywhere! Get the instructions manual AND Hogan's Book on the N80 (fantastic tips and tricks of the trade).

If you're just starting out, get the N80 camera; you won't regret it. You'll have a quality camera that you will grow with and not outgrow anytime soon and you'll find great (better) lenses on the used market in far better shape than those older manual lenses for Pentax. The lenses will fit the lens mount to any and all Nikon SLR cameras since 1959 and those yet to be made.

IF, however, you're still unconvinced, go to a camera shop and ask to hold the N80. Look through the viewfinder and compare it to another similar camera that you might be considering to buy.

AND if you're intrested in a digital camera, my choces are: Nikon D80 (a bit expensive) with the kit lens or the Nikon D50 with the kit lens (more reasonably priced but a new digital costs money) or the still popular Nikon D70S, which you can also obtain at a very good price at www.keh.com (and still a popular camera worldwide because of its many great features and durability).

Good luck and very best wishes.

Answer 7

Well, in my opinion the best camera to start off with is one that works. I say this because if you have one that doesn't work than what kind of photographer are you? Also, if you need to pay for said camera than you take some time out of your day and prostitute yourself so you can buy like, some fish-eye lenses and some aging solution so when you make the pictures on the papers than you can make it look like the old westey kind, you know, with the prostitutes and cowboys. Than you should take that camera with the fish-eyed lense and aging solution and prostitutes than place it in your car and drive around taking random pictures. Than you publish those random pictures of homeless people and tradgedy in TIME magazine and get a nobel peace prize for making pictures bring peace to the world. After that you take your camera with the fish-eye lense and the aging solution and the prostitutes and the nobel peace prize and go to tirconium to take some pictures of the overlord who needs his chick nuggs to survive. Than you get the pictures and teleport to the underworld and battle with the cerebus to get into hades and fight with some dead people so you can get them to tell you what the best camera you need for beginners because the camera you bought, with the fish-eye lens and the prostitutes and the nobel peace prize and the pictures of the overlord and the other doodads and trinkets broke and now you need a new one so you can continue on with your dreams of photography and such so you can publish your pictures in TIME magazine.

Answer 8

You have to really decide whether you wanna a analog or digital camera.

I know of a good website that offers great advice.

www.fotogenick.com

Hope that helps.

Answer 9

Any camera will do. It all depends on how you use it. Try different angles and such.