Where to Begin

[Beginner73]

I would really like to get into photography, unfortunately don't know where to begin. Should I buy a cheap camera to get myself started or should I go out and buy the best my budget could afford? I really like the Canon Digital Rebel. Is this camera to much for someone with absolutely no experience?

[PhilR.]

I would really like to get into photography, unfortunately don't know where to begin.

As with all endeavors, one must begin with the basics. Get thee to a decent bookstore or library and get a few books on photography. As no one here has the time to teach someone such a complicated subject, you will have to do the initial legwork yourself. Once you have some basic knowledge, you can come here and ask questions for clarification of any particular issue.

As for the camera - no, it's not too much camera, and although you can accomplish most of what it can do with a much cheaper camera, there are merits to buying what you might end up with anyway. Personally however, I would spend money on a few photog. books and a smaller and cheaper camera that will still allow manual settings. This will allow you to practice the things that are independant of the camera, such as composition, and to a certain extent lighting. Once your skills and knowledge increase, you can decide not only if you want to continue down this road, but in what manner you want to continue. You can upgrade in the future, and still have a handy little camera that can still be used for informal snapshots.

PhilR.

[D70FAN]

I would really like to get into photography, unfortunately don't know where to begin. Should I buy a cheap camera to get myself started or should I go out and buy the best my budget could afford? I really like the Canon Digital Rebel. Is this camera to much for someone with absolutely no experience?

Take Phils advice and add a Canon A75 for about $199. I has all the stuff you need to get familiar with photography, and you'll get some nice photos out of it as well.

Bon Foto.

[Beginner73]

I've done some research on the A75, it has pretty good reviews from what I see. I believe this will be my first digital camera purchase. Now could anyone recommed a goog photography book for a beginner, such as one that will help with understanding the following: ISO settings, apature, whilte balance. etc.

[Thon]

Take Phils advice and add a Canon A75 for about $199. I has all the stuff you need to get familiar with photography, and you'll get some nice photos out of it as well.

Bon Foto.

Any camera with manual controls is a good starting point. The Canon A-series are the most basic cameras for someone who is serious about learning the camera basics. But, if you can increase your budget a bit, some of the ultrazooms can be a good starting camera, and it can improve your learning curve as the higher zoom can let you experiment more.

Do also look at accessories like tripods, add-on lenses and filters which can be added to your collection later.

I have a Olympus C770UZ which gives me enough controls and zoom range as well as the ability to add conversion lenses, filters and external flash. This adds more flexibility to the camera and can delay the big jump to dSLR later.

For tips on photography, the internet is the best library available, books can help too. Most review sites do offer links to these pages. Try searching in Google for photography tips, depth of field, etc... I believe the Nikonians site offer some very good tips too.

[John_Reed]

I've done some research on the A75, it has pretty good reviews from what I see. I believe this will be my first digital camera purchase. Now could anyone recommed a goog photography book for a beginner, such as one that will help with understanding the following: ISO settings, apature, whilte balance. etc.Look on this (http://www.shortcourses.com/) page for Dennis Curtin's excellent on-line courses in all aspects of digital photography.