Do you think I can buy a good camera digital/film under 500$?

Question

I really want a camera I think I'd like to take black and white, and take picture of a flower with waterdrops on it, also one good for vacations and taking pics of buildings and making them into pictures for my home possible 8X10. Please let me know if I it is possible to buy one under 500$ and still be good and durable. ThankYou.

Answer 1

I would say either an SLR or a digital cam with good optical zoom would be best for what you are trying to accomplish. FYI- many photo labs can PRINT in black and white-upon request so you don't need to spend all that extra $$ on b&w film. Sepia is my personal favorite. Good luck and happy picture taking!!!

Answer 2

canon a570

All of the major brands are good. Choose a brand that appeals to you. Then you have to think about getting a spare battery, what size memory card, if you want an extended warranty, how much you can afford, what size zoom, if you want manual controls, the size of the camera, finding a reliable place to purchase it, and the list goes on and on and on.......

The first thing to realize is that almost any digital camera will take good pictures. If more people would read the manual more than once, they would be able to take better pictures. Usually, the person assumes it is the camera when it could be them not knowing exactly what to do. Just give yourself more photographic knowledge by doing more reading on the internet.

I really believe buying a camera is an individual choice.
The person needs to read alot of reviews on cameras so they can decide on the features that they really want and need.
Go to the store and hold them so you can see if they feel comfortable in your hands. If possible, take some pictures in the store to check the quality of the pictures.
I can only give a suggestion of what to look for in a new digital camera.
Good Luck

my suggestion
go to yahoo shopping
digital cameras
digital camera GUIDE
be sure to check titles on the left side
the guide should answer your questions

Answer 3

I would highly recommend the brand new Fuji Finepix S8000fd for you. I have its predecessor, the Finepix S7000 and I've taken incredible pictures with it. I am updating to the S8000fd and can't wait. It was just released this Monday and you can get it for less than $400.

This class of camera is called Advanced Point and Shoot. They can be used on full Auto Mode or use it on Full or even partial Manual Mode so you can fool around with lighting, effects, etc. Advanced point and shoots are great for the person who is becoming more serious about photography but yet doesn't want to lug around a heavy Digital SLR and all the lenses. With this camera, you can use the Super Macro Setting for your flower picture, switch to normal full auto setting and take a picture of a building within seconds.

With its 18X optical zoom lens, the FinePix S8000fd will fit any of your needs. Covering a full range of focal lengths, from 27mm wide-angle to 486mm telephoto, the single built-in lens eliminates the need for bothersome lens changes. This also minimizes the possibility of dust getting inside the camera. I've had my S7000 for about 4 years and have found it very durable--because it's a self contained unit. My old SLR needed to go in for yearly cleanings for interior dust and moisture probably from all of the lens changing. Several DSLRs have a built in dust cleaning ability but DSLRs can't take movies. So after the flower, the bee, the building...you can switch the setting again and take a movie of a soccer game or the crazy squirrel that lives in the park!

It also has built in image stabilization, so when you get super excited over a great photographic opportunity, your shakiness won't show up in blurry pictures. And you'll get the dew drop on the flower petal and even the pollen on the bee's knees! With its 8 mega pixels, it'll be crystal clear, too! No problem getting 8X10 prints and even larger.

Another aspect I love about both Finepix cameras is that they take AA batteries. I use rechargeable, which you'll want to do so you always have fresh batteries in your camera without impacting our environment. The wonderful thing is, if I do happen to be without fresh batteries, I know I can pick some up at the nearest drugstore or convenience store and I can get them for a reasonable price!

Whichever camera you decide on, remember how quickly technology changes, get a good camera without breaking the bank! Have fun! Experiment!

Answer 4

I would not buy a film camera. There are many very good digital cameras you can buy now for under $500. Almost all digital cameras let you choose to take photos in color or in black & white. I would also recommend you buy a compact camera that is easy to carry because many of the bigger cameras in the under $500 price range do not take photos that are any better quality than the photos that the best compacts cameras can take. Do not always think that a camera with more magapixals is better. The best 8 magapixal cameras can take better looking photos then many of average 10 and 12 magapixal cameras. Craming more pixals into a small sensor often causes problems by making photos look more grainy in low light situations. My old 4 magapixal Olympus camera took awsome photos even when I blew them up to 12"X18".

Some models I would recommend are...

Fuji FinePix F50fd (Less than $200 online price... great camera if you take a lot of photos in low light conditions)

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS or Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 (Both less than $360 online... 3" LCD screen)

Canon PowerShot SD800 IS or Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33 (Both less than $300 online... 2.5" LCD screen)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 (Less than $300 online... 10X Zoom, 2.7"LCD, not quite as compact as the others listed)

These 2 Canon's and 3 Panasonic's cameras I recommend all have a 28mm(equivalent) wide lens meaning that it is better at taking wider photos like when you want to take a photo of a large group of people, or a wide landscape photo. The DMC-TZ3 also offers 10X Zoom.

For any camera you buy, you will also need to spend $40-$80 to purchase a 2 or 4 gig memory card. A tripod would also be a good purchase for taking the best quality photos in low light or at night.

Answer 5

it depends on what kind of camera you want. Do you want an ultra compact or a DSL-like camera? Do you need the latest and greatest or could you get a camera that is last years model. Do you plan on buying online or at the store. You can find better deals online. Do you prefer a certain brand? Does it matter which storage media you use, meaning, do you have leftoever cards from a different camera. 500 bucks can buy a nice camera, just need to know what you want first.

Answer 6

you should look for an SLR-Type camera. you should be able to get a good one for under 500$. look for higher mega-pixels that will give you better photo quality, especially since you want to make 8x10's. With lower megapixels the photo will look fussy when blown up to that size. get higher optical zoom if you want to shoot objects far away. I have a panasonic Lumix Dmc-Tz1 with 10x optical zoom and it works great at concerts when im in the nose bleed sections. there are tons of cameras out there in your price range that would be perfect so heres a site that will let you search for a digital camera using make, model, megapixel, optical zoom, and price. and you can read the reviews and find out which one you like best.

Answer 7

We have a Panasonic Lumix, about $300, that we love. This is what we replaced our Fuji with. We hated the Finepix. The Panasonic takes great pics, has a wonderful zoom (and built-in macro) and has a picture stabilizer(that was one of the things we hated about the Fuji--unless you were using a tripod, pics were oftrn blurry). My husband also uses the Panasonic for dark-sky photograhy, and the results have been spectacular. And this best part is, it fits in your pocket, unlike the bulky Fuji!

Answer 8

In my opinion it's not good for you to look at the SLR. But for your budget you can buy a great SLR-like camera. Look at Fujifilm S9100 / S9600, Sony H9 / H7 or Canon PowerShot S5. As for newest big zoom cameras such as: Olympus SP 560 / SP 550, Fujifilm S8000 or Panasonic FZ18, be my guest at: http://fototramp.blogspot.com/2007/10/olympus-sp-560-vs-sp-550-18x-slr-like.html
I'm a little skeptical for groovy 18x ultra-zoom cameras.

Answer 9

Yea. You can MOST DEFF get a good quality camera for under $500.
Try looking around, and get as many megapixels as you can...and still keep it under your price range.
8 and 10 megapixel camera's are great!
And canon has some 8MP and 10 MP camera's, for good prices.
Canon makes amazing cameras!
They have awesome quality, and aren't too ridiculously expensive.

Answer 10

sure most of the good cameras are less than 500$ well not the very professional ones but the point and shoot ones are about 400$..my first is sony cybershot dsc-t200...its 8.1mp and 10x digital zoom and 5x optical zoom good for your needs i guess..and another good one is dsc-n1 it the best 10.1 mp and 5xdigital zoom and 3x optical ...like them both..and both are 400$ really good if you need a compact one...