[MacinTommy]

Hey, I wanted to get into photography but I am definately a beginner, the only experience I have is from photogrphy class in highschool about 4 years ago. I need help picking out a good camera for about 500-800 dollars. What are some of the things I need to look for in a camera?

[Oisín]

What kind of camera? Point-and-shoot (PS) or Single-Lens Reflex (SLR)?

Your price range could buy you both high-end PS cameras and low-end SLRs. Personally, being a recent PS-to-SLR convert myself, I’d go for the low-end SLR any day of the week. For $800, you should be able to find a Canon 350D (aka Digital Rebel XT in the US, I think), which is a great low-end SLR that’s very good for beginners—it’s the one I have, as well. It’s not exactly an original choice—it’s the most sold SLR camera in the world—but it’s a good, solid camera with a good bang for your buck.

[mdc]

I agree with Oisin on the SLR camera.

I've had a handful of digital cameras, starting from the most basic point and shoot ones to fixed-lese-SLR-like, and now I have a Nikon D50.

I have it with the 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses. I really like this camera.

[MacinTommy]

ok so what is the difference in SLR and PS?

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by MacinTommy

ok so what is the difference in SLR and PS?

PS = point and shoot = the viewfinder is not the same lens as the lens used to take the picture. (Although for digital cameras, this is less of an issue if you take the picture while looking at the LCD)

SLR = Single Lens Reflex = the viewfinder uses the same lens that is used to take the picture.

You can buy different lenses for an SLR camera and get better close-up or wide-angle shots. Usually, once you buy a few lenses from a certain manufacturer, if you decide to upgrade the camera itself to the next model from that manufacturer, your lenses will work with the new camera. For that reason, lenses for SLR cameras tend to hold value over time. Even with the advent of digital SLR's, where you'd expect equipment to depreciate dramatically as new models come out, optics are still optics, and a good lens will not lose value if you take care of it properly.

My wife bought a Canon Digital Rebel when they first came out, and she was able to use her old Canon film camera lenses on that camera. (The only caveat was that the Digital Rebel's sensor is smaller than a piece of 35MM film would be, so since the film lenses were focusing on a smaller area, the math for the lenses changed.)

I call point and shoot cameras PH. D. Cameras..... Push Here, Dummy!

[MacinTommy]

http://www.bestpricecameras.com/prod...35&start=1

Ok i found this website. Is this the camera ya'll were talking about? If so, which package is recommended?

[Uriel]

I'd look at the Nikon D70 also.

[vtgts500kw]

id go for the canon rebel XTi if i could afoord it. better pixels and a few new features like self sensor ceaning etc.

Canon EOS Rebel XTi (Black) Kit, 10.1 Megapixel, w/ 18-55mm EF-S Lens

best bet is to go to a camera shop and try bot the nikons and canons, because you are either a canon or nikon guy. there are differences in the images the 2 different sensors in the cameras take and you can sometimes tell the difference.

im a canon guy so have got a canon with a few lenses and misc. acessories. it an get pretty expensive pretty fast.

good luck.