Hey guys,.....

Looking at purchasing a new camera.....where to start, what to look for, and any other pertate info apprieciated.....

not2fun

Are you looking for film or digital?

Assuming digital, P&S or DSLR?

How much you want to spend?

What do you plan to do with it?

Are you a fan of one particular brand over others?

Mark

Hey there Not

I consider myself less a photographer and more a recorder of life.

Some general tips:
1. Its not about the megapixals, its about the lens.
2. Get a camera with a comfortable grip.
3. A swivel screen is really, really useful but there are not too many of these with SLR.
4. You may require more than just one camera.
5. Technology improves from second to second.
6. You will never regret the purchase of a decent flat screen to monitor your pics.
7. A camera should be used every day.

I have two cameras (both swivel view screen). My small Canon A620 goes where ever I go. It records prices when I window shop complete with instructions and product. I diarize my day. I monitor the condition of items before they are loaned and when they are returned. It is extremely useful when dismantling something then reassembling same.

My other camera comes along for special escursions. This is a Panasonic FZ50 which is highly respected for its Leica lens. There are not many cameras as reasonably priced nor as flexible in zoom capabilty. Truly a fabulous camera to take on holiday. It will get your shot.

Nevertheless, neither camera can compete with a professional SLR.
These are altogether crisper in focus and faster in shooting. HOWEVER, the SLR is also much more cumbersome than the FZ when it comes to changing lenses.

Just some thoughts to get you started. Meanwhile, answer Mark's questions.

Big question: what is your budget?

Good advice from the others here so far. I'd like to add one thing - if you do go for a dSLR, make sure you get to fondle it first - you don't want to commit to a particular model only to find out that it feels clumsy in your hands.

Ideal arrangement would be a small cheap P&S that's easy to carry for those snapshot times and could take a bit of a beating, coupled with a decent dSLR for those times when a P&S really wouldn't cut it and you will regret losing the photo - like taking pictures of your children taking part in a pageant when you're seated out of the the P&S's built-in flash range (it has happened twice to me already, and now I'm sucking it up and buying the damned dSLR). The dSLRs are also much better at low-light photography - most P&Ss start to produce horrible photos at anything above ISO100 because of the small size of the sensor.

Possible combinations:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 (P&S)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 (dSLR - nice and small too!)

Olympus FE-370 (P&S)
Olympus E-520 (dSLR - built-in IS)

..and this site should be your reference for anything related to digital cameras: http://www.dpreview.com

Maybe I should tell you what I have.

I currently use a Canon 350D, or EOS Digital Rebel. I have the "kit lens" (18-55mm) which does a decent enough job and a 70-300 zoom from another manufacturer. The camera is only 6.3 MP but I have gotten some really nice stuff with it when I set out to take pictures and not just snap a snapshot. That complexity of camera always has been too much for documentation of kid's birthdays, holidays and other family events.

One exception to what I just stated is weddings. I do and always have used the best cameras I have for weddings and such, but if a paid photographer is present, I always try to stay out of his or her way and take what special shots I can find that might not be part of the normal "set" of wedding album shots.

My digital SLR is not my only digital and my wife, son and daughter all have their own digital point and shoot cameras. One is a Sony, one a Kodak and the others are Canons.

I still have though seldom use:

2 Canon A Series bodies
50mm f1.4
50mm 1.8
70-210 f3.5
28-80 f3.5 - 4.8
135mm f1.8
300mm f2.8
35-105mm f.3.5
2X teleconverter
About 100 filters
Other stuff and accessories

All of this is 35mm SLR stuff.

I also have:

Zeiss TLR with a 75mm f2.0 purchased in Germany in 1948 by a guy who gave it to me when his eyesight began to fail. This camera uses 120 roll film and is currently my only 120 format camera. I did at one time have a Mamyia 645 roll-film SLR with 4 lenses but couldn't justify keeping them when I was no longer making money with my cameras. I haven't used this camera in about 5 years though it still works flawlessly. It is more of a collector's item than a camera these days.

I also still have a Crown Graphic in 4X5 format with a 120mm f2.8 Schneider and a 150mm f4 Fujinon. This is the camera I always loved taking pictures with the most. It makes negatives the size of what most people consider to be final prints. For B&W work, nothing beats shooting 1 frame at a time and having total control over every detail from framing to developing. It also requires hauling about 100 pounds of stuff around in order to use it and if you shoot 20 pictures in an entire day, you have worked hard and will only have finished prints after another 40 hours or so of work. This camera too is more a collector's piece than anything thought it is a wonderful camera to use and play with.

I still own three enlarges, trays, a bunch of bottles and storage stuff, and a nearly usable darkroom that was put together for just that purpose many years ago. Since I began shooting digital, I haven't even turned on a safelight. I have found that Photoshop is my new darkroom and I could spend the rest of my life just playing around with different stuff and never print another mistake unless I want to do it for some reason. RAW format is my new negative and my monitor and printer have replaced my darkroom and enlargers.

Did I mention the lights, umbrellas, stands, backgrounds and other studio stuff? Or the 1/2 dozen tripods I have floating around...

Since I got the DSLR I have bought only one spare battery and two CF cards. I found I don't need as many things (toys) with digital as I did with film. I find plenty of stuff to spend my money on anyway, just not cameras.

Thanks guys.....I haven't soaked in all of the information yet, but wanted to let you know this.....I am in the market for digital. I already have a film camera which I love....(Canon rebel....)....

To be honest, I don't know ONE thing about them.....its all greek to me. and budget??? hmmm...haven't really discussed this with H YET, but lets say $800.00.

I be back with this in a moment....Kiddies want lunch....

not2fun

...then a Digital Rebel seems the obvious choice....

$800 might be a bit low for camera plus lenses though.

Wolf Cameras has a digital Rebel for about $599 with one wide angle lens and a zoom lens for another $99. Plus, they will make you a deal on a printer/scanner/fax. The wireless remote is only about $30. Going on now. think the website is wolfcamera.com Free shipping if there's not one near you. This is correct, if I remember the ads right.

That is what I'm buying myself for Christmas.

How many lenses do you have for your Rebel?

The lenses for that should work on a Canon DLSR as well so if you have anything at all it might give you a few options if you stay with that line.

Currently the Canon line includes a couple of models and for 800 you might be able to get a body with a couple of lenses.

I bought mine from Beach Camera in Atlantic City. Other Internet sources include B&H, Calumet, Best Buy, Walmart, etc. If you don't need a lot of hands-on time to decide (go someplace and handle the models to see how they feel) the only real criteria is price on the model you want. Sometimes a place will have a camera for about 20 dollars less but will charge you 25 for shipping. The place that is ten dollars higher than average might have free shipping or free to a store near home that you can pick it up at when you go there.

Unless you intend to opt for a gaggle of lenses, you might look into a good DSLR without interchangeable lenses. These are one-up from P&S while not as bulky or expensive as a full blown DSLR system. Canon, Kodak, Sony and Olympus all make this kind of camera. I mention this type because they are smaller, lighter, faster and have a lot of nice features including some with image stabilization for less than the full DSLR lines. If all you intend to do with it is typical snapshot and documentation of vacations and such, this type works just fine.

Now, if you want to get into photography, want to learn about manipulation of your images, create special effects etc, then a DLSR is the way to go.

Only the most recent DLSRs have a LCD display that can be used as a viewfinder. They instead use the through the lens viewing that gives them their name. The viewing and taking lens is one and the same. With digital cameras, this has been pretty much true since the beginning. But many point and shoot cameras don't have a viewfinder other than the LCD and this makes picture taking more a case of trying to line up a tiny image on an even tinier screen. It's sort of like trying to watch the replay of the play on the goal line on a Watchman with a 2.5-inch screen and trying to figure out where the ball was when the runner's knee first touched the ground.

A camera with a viewfinder gives you an opportunity to examine the frame before tripping the shutter. This will keep you from having a perfectly exposed shot of your husband standing in front of the Great Wall with a bicycle sticking out of his ear or a telephone pole growing out of his head at that quaint little spot you had the picnic. These are thing that are really hard to catch on a 2.5 inch screen as the image flops around while you try to point the camera to find what your eyes see.

Are you confused even more or did that help?

Mark

The digital Rebel will accept and use the 35 mm lenses but not as effectively...they lose an f/stop or some of the zoom ability or something like that.

That hybrid type digital camera is a pretty cool thing...better than a point and shoot and not as bulky as an SLR.

I also need a point and shoot. I want one with a viewfinder - not just the screen because sometimes you have to take one somewhere where the screen just isn't easy to see....really bright sun or really dark. And, I really like the concept of being able to get batteries almost anywhere I go because I carry a p&s almost all the time and I would be afraid I would get out of town and not be able to buy or charge batteries should the ones I have die.

Actually Cinders, they lose some of the image at the wide end of things. Most DSLRs use an image senser that is smaller than a 35mm frame and so effective focal lentgh for comparision purposes can be acchieved by multiplying the length by 1.6. So a 50mm (actually 47) would be the NORMAl lens for 35mm, that same lens would give you the same field of view as an 80mm lens on 35mm.

Since the parts of the image that is lost is around the edges, the part that is used might actually be better at the corners than the same field of view on 35mm since the edges is where an image deteriorates first.

Mark

Hi Not,

All the advice is solid. Someone mentioned this earlier and this is the first thing I do when I shop for a new camera... I play with it in store for at least half an hour and make sure I like the feel of the grip and also that I can access all the buttons and scroll wheels without taking my eye away from the viewfinder. In my case I settled for a Nikon D80 with the battery pack. The unit on it's own was too small so this accessory made the difference. (Mark....my wife wouldn't let me get the 3D) You have a rebel... that should be your starting point... digital rebel (very similar feel to the rebel) then play arround and see if there is something you like better. The technical details at this point are not as important as really, liking the tool you have.

TMTS,

How the heck are ya, Boy?

Mark

Mark,,,,,

What I have to do to get that boy outta hiding, huh?????.... :RollieEyes:.....

He's been too busy enjoying Recoveryville....

thanks for all the info guys....keep it coming. I honestly didn't know where to start. The rebel I got off of some pallets H purchased years ago for Ebay (long story....). I love it.

What do I want to do with the camera???....need a new one, especially with the digital era being here to stay....want a new one for class......I will mostly be using it to shoot photo's of people (well duhhhh.... :RollieEyes:). I have used mine to get some of the most amazing photo's of the kids and such. People always are telling me they might as well put theirs away and just get copies from me, since mine end up being so good. I shot 15 rolls a few years back at a friends wedding (in Captiva). I too stayed outta the professional's way. Well, she ended up using more of mine than his (which saved her a bundle...) and her mom has one of each of her kids that day that we blew up and framed.....

So there you have it....I've dabbled, done well, would like to learn more.....

not2fun

I'm going to stick my neck out.

By the sounds of things, the camera bug has already bit... Indeed you may well be ready to advance past that of Canon 350D(or Rebel XT).

Consider this: The Canon A650 is a discontinued unit but with all the latest technology. It is a P&S camera with some serious high end specs. But discontinued. Therefore the price drops quite dramatically (It did here in SA)
The beauty of this baby is that you can easily carry it in a handbag. I'm talking practicality here.
The camera still has advantages over the newer range in that it has twice the battery life due largely to twice the batteries.

Later on you may want to be in the market for "the camera". Trust me, the technology only gets better. Meanwhile you will own a beaut of a machine that is more likely to be used often than the larger one.

Think smart.

It looks like the A650 is one of the hybrids....more sophisticated than a point and shoot but not an SLR.

:MrEEk:

Pep,

Is the surprise because I'd own such a thing or because it was bought in 1948.

Mark