Camera suggestions?

I am looking to buy a camera that I can use to take pics now, and stay as a hobby in the future. I am selling my house, so I need to take pics, selling all the crap I have accumulated in the past 10 yrs. In the future I would like to get into the hobby. I have taken high school and college level courses, and actually got an uncle into it to the point that he is doing weddings and stuff in retirement.

What do you guys have? What should I stay away from?
Low cost decent camera?
Investment now that I can add to later?

Thanks for letting me pick your brains.

What's your budget? Any particular area (macro, landscape, wildlife,etc) that interests you? Do you like to play with settings (f-stop, ISO, etc) or prefer PnS?

point and shoot digital is what i'm looking for. I have not done any technical photography since college in 1992. I'd imagine it's a whole new world.

Some landscape, mostly outdoor action photos while hunting and fishing.
maybe $300 - $500

I've heard amazing things about the Canon S5. It's a point-and-shoot but with lots of manual adjustment possible. It's about as close to dSLR as you can get without actually buying one.

You'd be surprised. The techniques are the same. In the nineties the SLRs could be set to point and shoot.

3 things to prioritise.

price range.
Who much time you want to spend on a single shot.
output format. - TV, computer, print (what size)

If you can decide those it'll help make a desicision.

I went on Safari with a compact digital 8MP, 12x optical and was really happy with the results.
You can pick up something worth having in that range for $£250 - $400 (Not checked those prices recently)

Go for the best and largest lens is my advice.
I guess most decent zoom cameras will have AS. (Important)

In the nineties the SLRs could be set to point and shoot.

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And they still can!

I suppose my point is that I want full adjustability and customization from my camera- that's why I love my dSLR.

I have a Canon Digital Rebel XT which is a great camera. It has lasted me over 3 years about 10,000+ photos. It can be set to point and shoot, or you can use it as a SLR as you wish. Its 8 mega-pixel which is more than you'll probably need (old SLRs that were on 35mm film shot pics that are equivalent to todays 5 mega-pixel cameras) and the photos are rather large, memory wise. I solved that delima with a 4 GB compact flash card (which can now be purchased for ~60-120$) and it will allow for over 1000 photos per card load at 6-8mega-pixel.

If you happen to have mid to late 90's automatic SLR camera, Id suggest shopping that specific brand of camera as the lenses may interchange. Best buy often has camera packages for sale with several lenses...I do not regret buying an SLR at all, and hate going back to my smaller, compact digital camera

NJTomatoguy said:

...mostly outdoor action photos while hunting and fishing.
maybe $300 - $500

Click to expand...

Honestly, you need to be thinking DSLR for that sort of speed and range. Of course, that would push it out of the $300 to $500 range once you factor in lenses.

take a look at the canon g9 or g10. great cameras. you can do just about everything a dslr can (minus all the lenses, but you can get add-on lenses for the g series, but I digress...)

Another camera I'm a big fan of is the Panasonic Lumix line. They have some 'pro-sumer' cameras that are pretty good. I bought my 70 year old Dad one for his birthday. He can use it as a point and shoot, and I can use it instead of my Dslr. (canon 20D)

Once you have a few models in mind, check out Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ

B

my Nikon D40 can be set on Auto... it is very easy to use and very affordable, and takes some awesome shots, and is always upgradeable

as for point and shoots my wife has a Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ1 that is very nice, also take very nice pix

if you want to save some money and get a great camara the sx110is is a great camara. the next step would be the g9 these of course are pns cams. if you want a nice dslr then the sony 300 would be what i would buy.

First, visit this site: Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ
They have professional in-depth reviews on literally thousands of cameras. They also have user reviews on cameras, which I found to be a great tool in picking out my first digital. I've had that same camera for 7 years now, and it's still taking decent pictures.

For what you're looking for, I'd highly recommend a camera in the "pro-sumer" group. It's basically a point and shoot with a manual mode so that you can easily take photos but also fool around with manual focus, shutter speed, aperature setttings, etc. when you feel like it. Fortunately for you, there are tons of great cameras out there that fall into this category and are also within your budget. My recommendations:

1. Canon G10 - $430-500: Canon PowerShot G10 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review
2. Nikon Coolpix P80 - $300-350: Nikon Coolpix P80 digital camera specifications: Digital Photography Review
3. FujiFilm S2000HD - $250-300: Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD digital camera specifications: Digital Photography Review

An SLR would also be nice, but for point-and-shoot they are a bit cumbersome. The Canon still has fantastic image quality, and offers ease of use and is much more portable. I love the Canon Rebel XTi for a digital SLR, but I think this is just overkill for many occasions.

NJTomatoguy said:

I am looking to buy a camera that I can use to take pics now, and stay as a hobby in the future. I am selling my house, so I need to take pics, selling all the crap I have accumulated in the past 10 yrs. In the future I would like to get into the hobby. I have taken high school and college level courses, and actually got an uncle into it to the point that he is doing weddings and stuff in retirement.

What do you guys have? What should I stay away from?
Low cost decent camera?
Investment now that I can add to later?

Thanks for letting me pick your brains.

Click to expand...

If you can afford it, go with this: Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xt

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet is go to a camera shop (I seem to remember a few good ones in Mount Laurel/Maple Shade/Moorestown) and handle as many cameras as you can. Take test shots. How does it feel in your hand? Are the layout of the buttons comfortable and intuitive?

I shoot with a Canon XTi and I take it just about everywhere in spite of its size; then again, I'm a shutterbug!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Flyangler18,
Thanks for your help and input. I think you have steered me in the right direction, and I am going to take your suggestion and actually go to the store. Found out there is a Ritz Camera right in the mall near me. Moorestown. There are also 12 camera shops, 3 ritz, within 10 miles. You were right. There is one right up the street from my buddies house in Cherry Hill, so I'll swing by that one this weekend. Not a ritz, a local guy.

Thanks again.

Bob

Glad I could help, Bob! I think that's the one thing that gets overlooked when people toss out their recommendations and probably one of the most important. I have fairly large hands; out of the box, the XTi is a smidge small in my hands but I shoot so often, I added a battery grip and this filled it out for me.

Jason

If you're going to order the camera online, I recommend B&H Photo Video | Digital Cameras, Camcorders I've spent thousands of dollars there over the years, and I've never had a bad experience. Their prices are also the lowest around. In NJ you won't pay sales tax and 'ground' shipping should be next day.

B