New Guy Wants A Good Camera To Learn a Bit About Photography

[cslinger]

Hello everybody. I am in the market for a new digital camera and this time I want to get something in the higher end consumer/amateur level. There is a massive amount of information on this web site but I really don't know where to start so I figured I would simply post and ask for input.

I basically wanted a non-professional grade camera but one that is a reasonably high end consumer grade camera. I want it to have enough manual functions to begin teaching me about photography and to have the ability to grow through various lense options etc.

With that said on to the specifics.

Budget

* I would like to spend in the neighborhood of $500-$600. Feel free to advise on cheaper and more expensive alternatives as it helps me learn what features are better to have etc. but in the long run I am shooting for this price range.

Size

* Doesn't really matter too much. Something along the size of a Nikon D70 or Canon EOS would be fine.

Features

I would prefer 6 Megapixels or better.

* What optical zoom will you need? (Out of the box I would like a standard 3x-4x optical zoom function.) Will additional lenses provide me with additional zoom options down the road?

* How important is “image quality” to you? (6-7, doesn't have to be professional quality but I would like it to be good.)

Do you care for manual controls? Yes I want manual controls because i want to start learning more about the science of photography.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? General amateur photography and amateur print making using color laser printer etc. Some macro level work for close up shots but a good macro lense is not necessary out of the box, I do, however, want the option to buy a good macro lense down the road.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? Probably not.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? Yes to both.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? Yes to both.

Miscellaneous - My primary want is a decent out of the box do all solution with the ability to add better/more job specific lenses as I desire and learn.

Are there particular brands you like or hate? - Not really. I assume nobody on an enthusiest site such as this will suggest junk so I leave it to your capable hands.

Are there particular models you already have in mind? I have been looking over the Nikon D70 and Canon EOS series.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
I would like the ability to capture some short video if possible, but not necessary, and I would prefer a more robust camera. Doesn't have to be weatherproof but I don't want it to go TU if a fine mist happens to fall on it.

I would also prefer good battery life and or the option to utilize multiple battery packs or optional primary cells. I am not sure if camera battery packs can be removed and charged, while a fully charged one is placed in the camera or not.

Thanks for any help you might offer and feel free to ask me specific questions but understand this is a new undertaking for me that I will be reading and learning about as I go along. I currently have very little knowledge on the subject.

Chris

[John_Reed]

Hello everybody. I am in the market for a new digital camera and this time I want to get something in the higher end consumer/amateur level. There is a massive amount of information on this web site but I really don't know where to start so I figured I would simply post and ask for input.

I basically wanted a non-professional grade camera but one that is a reasonably high end consumer grade camera. I want it to have enough manual functions to begin teaching me about photography and to have the ability to grow through various lense options etc.

With that said on to the specifics.

Budget

* I would like to spend in the neighborhood of $500-$600. Feel free to advise on cheaper and more expensive alternatives as it helps me learn what features are better to have etc. but in the long run I am shooting for this price range.

Size

* Doesn't really matter too much. Something along the size of a Nikon D70 or Canon EOS would be fine.

Features

I would prefer 6 Megapixels or better.

* What optical zoom will you need? (Out of the box I would like a standard 3x-4x optical zoom function.) Will additional lenses provide me with additional zoom options down the road?
If you're talking about "additional lenses," understand that only a dSLR will allow you to swap lenses for different ranges, like wideangle, telephoto, etc. You CAN get add-on extenders for fixed-lens cameras, but they'll always work in concert with the lens that comes built-in to the camera.


* How important is “image quality” to you? (6-7, doesn't have to be professional quality but I would like it to be good.)

Do you care for manual controls? Yes I want manual controls because i want to start learning more about the science of photography.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? General amateur photography and amateur print making using color laser printer etc. Some macro level work for close up shots but a good macro lense is not necessary out of the box, I do, however, want the option to buy a good macro lense down the road.

There you go again, singing the dSLR song! ;)



* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? Probably not.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? Yes to both.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? Yes to both.
Here again, a dSLR is being called for. It takes a combination of high-ISO capability and fast lens speed to get decent results, in general, on "sports and/or action" photos.


Miscellaneous - My primary want is a decent out of the box do all solution with the ability to add better/more job specific lenses as I desire and learn.

Are there particular brands you like or hate? - Not really. I assume nobody on an enthusiest site such as this will suggest junk so I leave it to your capable hands.

Are there particular models you already have in mind? I have been looking over the Nikon D70 and Canon EOS series.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
I would like the ability to capture some short video if possible, but not necessary, and I would prefer a more robust camera. Doesn't have to be weatherproof but I don't want it to go TU if a fine mist happens to fall on it.
None of the dSLRs will take a video movie. You'll have to trade off all your other wants and needs (as you perceive them now, anyway) against this requirement.


I would also prefer good battery life and or the option to utilize multiple battery packs or optional primary cells. I am not sure if camera battery packs can be removed and charged, while a fully charged one is placed in the camera or not.

Thanks for any help you might offer and feel free to ask me specific questions but understand this is a new undertaking for me that I will be reading and learning about as I go along. I currently have very little knowledge on the subject.

Chris
I would say you should concentrate on a dSLR with a kit lens, and raise your budget level to accommodate about ~$1,000 worth of equipment to start. Personally, I'd favor the new Pentax K10D, with its in-body image stabilization, and the accompanying ability to accommodate other lenses you might choose down the road, still with image stabilization. As I said above, movies aren't a part of this picture, but you'll be so busy with the other things you can do, maybe that won't be a hindrance?

[cslinger]

Thanks for the quick reply. Forgot to mention DSLR was really what I was looking at so it looks like I was at least on the right track. Video is very low on my priority list and not necessary at all.

Thanks again,

Chris