I am interested in taking up photography but I cannot afford a pricey digital camera?

Question

I am starting out in a class learning on a 35mm manual but know that I will eventually graduate to digital (and I will take those classes as well). However, I cannot afford to pay over $1000 for a digital camera.

Are there digital's out there for around $500 that take quality pictures?

Thanks
Lane

Answer 1

Get the most digital camera you can afford, and then, learn ALL of it's features and use them to the best of your ability.

No kidding. MOST people buy WAY more camera than they really need and most of the equipment's features go unused. The other thing I've noticed, based on what I read in this forum is that people don't read their manuals, so end up using the features improperly, or, in the wrong settings.

Write down a list of the things you want your camera to do, and then, go out and find the ones that will do them. You want to shoot stuff from a distance? Go for as much optical zoom as you can. Ignore the digital zoom numbers. They are meaningless. You want to take actions shots? Find a camera that will take a burst of multiple shots on one click. Do you expect to take extreme close ups? Look for macro capabilities. Do you need simplicity of use or do you expect more control over the shots? Interchangable lenses or a single lens with multiple capablities? Durability and portablity? Supports peripheral lighting equipment?

Battery life. Heck, even battery TYPE can be critical. Both of my digitals use double A, rechargable batteries and I have several sets I take with me in the field. But if I ever get caught, somewhere, with dead batteries, I know I can get some at virtually any convenience store or bait shop, no matter how remote. Can't do that with some of the proprietary ones that come with some cameras.

Same might be said for some flash memory cards. Be sure to save enough of your budget for purchasing extra memory. Check out the prices and availability of those. My first digital uses a card that went obsolete. Now, I can't hardly find that type of card.

Do the list. Make it a wish list of EVERYTHING you wish you had. The prioritize into the most important to the least. Then, go online and do some "window shopping." Find out which ones can do the most important functions from the list. Read the professional and other user reviews. Narrow down the list of possibilities.

You'd be surprised what you can get for under $500. ESPECIALLY the post Xmas sales!

Answer 2

I am a professional photographer. The best camera for you really depends a lot on your budget. If it's very low initially, look for a compact camera that offers full manual controls. The Canon G9 offers manual controls and the best user interface I've ever seen on a compact camera. It also takes stunning photos and even offers a flash hot-shoe. ~ $500 Next up are the entry level DSLRs. I'd skip the bottom rung like the Nikon D40's - everybody I know who has purchased one upgraded to a D80 or better within a year. If you're interested in pursuing photography as a career, you'll want to stick to either Nikon or Canon DSLRs, because they are the only two systems widely available for rent and service in just about any civilized corner of the globe. You'll find it's difficult or impossible to find local stores and service centers that carry Pentax or Olympus components.

Answer 3

Try the Fujifilm Finepix S9100. It's a type of camera that's called "SLR-like", which are bridge cameras between the point-and-shoot variety and the DSLR cameras. They will do almost everything a DSLR can co, but you don't need to purchase any extra lenses for it. The main lens is a 10.7x optical zoom, which is the equivalent of a 300mm lens.

Right now, the S9100 goes for about $450 or so. It's a 9 megapixel camera.

Here's a link to a review page (or two) for that camera...

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=926

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Fujifilm/fuji_finepixs9100.asp


Good luck with your search. Whichever camera you choose, I would suggest that you do a Google search for the camera make/model, and then read as many reviews - especially user reviews - as possible. I've found cameras sometimes have a decent review from an editor, but it ends up getting crappy reviews from actual owners.

Happy hunting.

Answer 4

There actually is a Digital SLR out now that is 6.1 Megapixels, and it's the Nikon D40. You will get all of the results you get with the regular film camera you are usuing now, but it's digital.
There is one on bestbuy.com and I saw some others extra lens kits for $549.
It's a pretty good camera, one of my friends own one and they are very pleased with the quality of the pictures and stuff.
Just a regular point and shoot camera will not be enough to "take up photography" I really reccomend the D40, you will be very satisfied.

Answer 5

There are tons of digital cameras out there that take great pics for under $500. And now is a good time to buy, because right before and after Christmas there are lots of sales. I bought a 7.1 MP camera recently for $200. What I did was go to the website for my local electronics store, which has customer reviews, and check the reviews for all the cameras in my price range. The ones that had the best reviews/rating, I searched for reviews for them on Google. After reading a few professional reviews, I settled on one that sounded like the best for my needs.

Good luck in your search!

Answer 6

Go to www.bhphotovideo.com, and use their search feature for advanced digital camera.

Aside from not having interchangeable lenses, some have pretty good Zoom lenses, 7-10 MP, hot shoes, image stabilization, and a few have manual focus.

BH has a pretty good selection in their system, and you can also check out www.dpreview.com, to get reviews.

From there, just look around to see who's got the best prices.

I'm looking at the Canon powershot S5 IS.

Answer 7

You can get the D40 for around $500 and it's a good entry-level SLR with most of the bells and whistles you'll need.

Answer 8

Ask your teacher to help you buy a secondhand camera for the purpose.It's usual for the teachers to hear such requests and render help.

Answer 9

Take a look at the Fujifilm s9100