what are some good professional-ish cameras?

Question

for under $400??

Answer 1

yeah trust me, THERES NO WAY OF GETTING THAT DONE. sure talent is the most important thing in a photog. following lighting & composition, ect. but with out a good camera to capture all of that your screwed. now im no pro, just a hopeful armature, but i can tell you one thing, my camera, the nikond40X, which by many people is consid. a joke of a cam. cost me about 900$ with warranty(which came in handey) not including all my euqi. which has now set me around 1500$, once again i mention im only an armature. a serious pros camera & equip. would run him/her well into the 10,000$ range, so expanding your budget to at least 3000$ would be my first advice, there after we could get into what else you would need, hope i helped and didn’t discourage you, never listen to people who want to smash your dream......

Answer 2

Let me just start out by saying there are no real professional cameras, just professional photographers. Once you get started, you'll understand this.

For $400, though, a new DSLR cannot be found. The only new DSLR that comes close is the Pentax K100D at $450 w/out a lens. Used, however, you can pick up a Nikon D50 or possibly a Canon Digital Rebel XT. From my experiences with the Canon, I would really not recommend it, though. From what you say you want, I would suggest not getting a digital point and shoot, since you'll be let down by the image quality, shutter lag, and other flaws.

You might put some real consideration into buying a good film SLR. For $400, you can easily pick up the body, a lens, and some film. Really any SLR is good. If you go this route, consider a Nikon, Pentax, or newer Minolta, since their lenses will work on the digital bodies. Thankfully, these are also some of the great cameras companies.

So, really consider a film SLR. This will be well worth your money.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Digital is relatively new and therefore outrageously expensive for what you get. Whether they are as good as film is still being argued, but paying $4,000 for a plastic camera is just a bad joke. When I was doing weddings and school books, the best camera was the one that lasted longest. I'm sure you can get a Pentax metal camera and your basic 35/50/and 135 mm lenses for less than $200 and expect 20 years from it. To have good CDs (not Walmart) made will cost the same as any other thing.

Answer 4

It depends on what you're expecting.
I believe that an SLR is what your looking for, the cheapest for digital would probably be a Cannon EOS 350D they usually are priced any where from 300 to 500.
There are also point and shoot cameras that have the settings of a SLR just not the lens.
As for film cameras you could ask a relative if they might have an old one around.
Used cameras are the your best shot for something cheap.

Answer 5

I'm with michael but i will spin some stuff some may find interesting

for you see if you can get a SLR camera or a Used DSLR maybe - canon and nikon have a good range of lenses

Professional cameras are DSLRs for most, I'm in that camp. In the future I would like to operate something like one of these babies

http://www.dannyburk.com/linhof_617_s_iii.htm

http://www.shutterbug.com/test_reports/0403sb_hasselblad/index.html

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Answer 6

With your budget you are not talking professional, even with 'ishes' added.

However, if your budget can stretch to it, the Sony Alpha 100 is a sturdy little 10M pixel camera capable of 'professional quality' prints.
It has a good range of lenses and focal length multipliers.
Zeiss prime and Zoom lenses are also available. Zeiss lenses are second to none.

Answer 7

If I could spend only that amount I'd get a Canon G9 from Electronics Expo for $418. It has manual as well as pre-sets, a hot shoe (!!!) a nice zoom and MANY extras. Shoots RAW.It will be tough to outgrow.

Answer 8

There are no professional-ish cameras -- only professional-ish photographers.

For that dough I'd rustle up a Nikon F75 and 28-105 lens.

Hope this helps.

Answer 9

Ah! It was going so well until you said the last bit!