Hey all, I am a purely ameteur photographer and i really want to get more into it, with a better camera. Thing is I dont know what to look for because I am such a noob. I dont have a lot of money so it would have to be around $400, that seems a price I could afford.
i want to get sharper quality than i have now, which isnt to much

thanks for any and all help


here are some of my pics as of now.
http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=146935&highlight=
http://www.teamscionrg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4375
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d94/BananaWagon/Scene%20shots/DSC02287.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d94/BananaWagon/Scene%20shots/DSC02243.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d94/BananaWagon/Scene%20shots/DSC02289.jpg



I want to be able to capture this type of sharpness:
courtesy of "iwantajdmgrl" hope you dont mind
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/5581/trentonhd2.jpg
http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/3204/dsc7007ffy3.jpg

ayone can offer some assistance?

i'm even more amatuer than most but, i think its a really high resolution camera with a longer exposure setting. But on the other hand it only caught one light on the stop light.

Im really interested too.

did you try PMing that member?

The kind of camera that the pros use is a D-SLR or Digital - Single Lens Reflex camera. That is just a fancy way of saying that you are looking at your picture directly through the lens instead of through a seperate viewfinder. Unfortunately, these are very expensive. At least $1000 and lenses cost extra.

For your needs, a mdeium to high end point and shoot camera should be fine. To get the nice sharp detail, you want a camera that is at least 7 megapixels. The newer cameras go up to 10 and some pro models go all the way up to 16! Unfortunately $400 will buy you a decent camera, but not a great one. However how you use the camera is almost as important as the quality of the camera. I suggest checking out some photgraphy forums and read up on it a bit.

Don't get all caught up in the megapixel myth. Things like sensor size, camera build quality, and (most importantly) photographer skill level are all WAY more important than how many megapixels a camera has. As a matter of fact, when camera makers keep cramming more pixels on the same size image sensor, they are also incresing image noise.
As for what camera would be good for YOU; that depends entirely on what you will be using it for. What types of photos do you want to take with it?

Canon s2.

it's what won me a spot in the calendar contest.

http://www.scionlife.com/calendar/2007/neothin_02.jpg

for nighttime photography, it has similar sharpness to my friends 1200 dollar canon 20d (note, a tripod IS MOST DEFINITELY needed for goo night shots). during the day it has some issues in bright sunlight, but it gets the job done... especially with that image stabilization system it has helping out.

NIKON D200 WHAAAT WHAAAT!

lots of reg. cameras, (5mp plus) if you set it right, can turn out really good. all about knowing your options and setting it it up right. when you understand it all, get the fancy camera. Like take the time stamp off.

yeah that d200 is ridiculous.

But if you really are looking into a better camera, you're gonna need to drop at least $700, but more like around $1600 for a good digital. I don't know much about film camera pricing though... Photography is not something for the faint of heart or wallet. It takes a lot of practice, patience, and money.

Don't get all caught up in the megapixel myth. Things like sensor size, camera build quality, and (most importantly) photographer skill level are all WAY more important than how many megapixels a camera has. As a matter of fact, when camera makers keep cramming more pixels on the same size image sensor, they are also incresing image noise.
As for what camera would be good for YOU; that depends entirely on what you will be using it for. What types of photos do you want to take with it?

Call it a myth if you like, but I own both a 5 and an 8 megapixel camera, with similar sensors, and the 8 megapixel images are vastly superior. And both are simple point and shoot cameras. Aside from image quality, more megapixels afford you more room to crop your image without too much image degredation.The bottom line is you get what you pay for. And like you said, the most expensive camera in the world will not improve your photography skills.

The kind of camera that the pros use is a D-SLR or Digital - Single Lens Reflex camera. That is just a fancy way of saying that you are looking at your picture directly through the lens instead of through a seperate viewfinder. Unfortunately, these are very expensive. At least $1000 and lenses cost extra.

Im going to have to disagree with that, the camera im looking at is a canon rebel xti >>click me<< (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=14256)

retail is $799, but ive seen it as cheap as $569 online and when Ive seen it in best buy, it comes with a Canon 18-55mm EF-S Lens for the $799 price.

Now dont get me wrong, I know its above his $400 price range, but I think that it would be better to save up and get this quality camera even though its more. It also has been getting excellent reviews...

just my $0.02

You won't have to spend as much as some people on here are telling you. If you're not interested in getting a DSLR, than I would recommend the Fuji 6000FD. After rebate, it's $333 from Buydig.com. It's an excellent camera for the money and gives you enough flexability to keep you happy for a long time.

If you are interested in making the big jump to DSLR, just keep in mind that the price of the camera is only the beginning. Most will come with a decent "kit lens" that will be fine for most basic shots, but you will soon be spending much more on other lenses, filters, flashes, bags, tripods...the list goes on and on. The advantage is in the cameras capability. I have a Pentax K100D DSLR and I LOVE it. You can buy it new with a lens for around $550 right now. You need to view a DSLR as a system, not a once-and-done purchase.

Call it a myth if you like, but I own both a 5 and an 8 megapixel camera, with similar sensors, and the 8 megapixel images are vastly superior. And both are simple point and shoot cameras. Aside from image quality, more megapixels afford you more room to crop your image without too much image degredation.The bottom line is you get what you pay for. And like you said, the most expensive camera in the world will not improve your photography skills.
I'm not saying a higher res camera wont make a difference. I'm just saying that megapixels alone won't guarantee a great photo. I can show you images from a 6MP DSLR that will blow away most pics from a 10MP point-n-shoot digicam. Especially when you get up in the higher ISO ranges (like 1600 and above).

I Have a Sony DSC-H2. It cost me around $500.

Here are some samples.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/curetonixon/photoshootII020.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/curetonixon/photoshootII011.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/curetonixon/photoshootII031.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/curetonixon/sunroo002-1.jpg

Photoshop plays a big part in how well your pictures can look.

Im looking to get a Nikon D50 soon though, gotta save up!

The kind of camera that the pros use is a D-SLR or Digital - Single Lens Reflex camera. That is just a fancy way of saying that you are looking at your picture directly through the lens instead of through a seperate viewfinder. Unfortunately, these are very expensive. At least $1000 and lenses cost extra.

Im going to have to disagree with that, the camera im looking at is a canon rebel xti >>click me<< (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=14256)

retail is $799, but ive seen it as cheap as $569 online and when Ive seen it in best buy, it comes with a Canon 18-55mm EF-S Lens for the $799 price.

Now dont get me wrong, I know its above his $400 price range, but I think that it would be better to save up and get this quality camera even though its more. It also has been getting excellent reviews...

just my $0.02

Agreed. The canon is a great entry level dslr. I am currently saving up to get a Nikon d80 which is in the same league as the canon but has been getting slightly better reviews. The downside being that it is around $200 more expensive. The upside for me being that I already own a nikon flash that will work with the d80.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that DSLRs are expensive. That price of $569 for the canon was probably for the body only. I wasn't suggesting that the original poster should get one either. He asked what kind of camera takes the really nice shots so I was just answering that question.

So Big Bird, it's not that hard to research cameras. Just go online to get an idea of which cameras fall in your price range and then go to a site like www.cnet.com and do a search for reviews on those cameras. Should tell you all you need to know. Here is a great link. Not sure when this article was written though so it might be alittle outdated....
http://cameras.about.com/od/choosingacamera/tp/price.htm

Call it a myth if you like, but I own both a 5 and an 8 megapixel camera, with similar sensors, and the 8 megapixel images are vastly superior. And both are simple point and shoot cameras. Aside from image quality, more megapixels afford you more room to crop your image without too much image degredation.The bottom line is you get what you pay for. And like you said, the most expensive camera in the world will not improve your photography skills.
I'm not saying a higher res camera wont make a difference. I'm just saying that megapixels alone won't guarantee a great photo. I can show you images from a 6MP DSLR that will blow away most pics from a 10MP point-n-shoot digicam. Especially when you get up in the higher ISO ranges (like 1600 and above).


Agreed. you can't go wrong with a dslr, you just have to shell out the cash. My comparison did not include a dslr. My point is that all things being equal, more is better.

I agree with Gonzo on the whole price issue, I just was wanting to point out how there were more affordable DSLRs out there.... and personally I goto http://www.dpreview.com/ for reviews from people that use the cameras, but www.cnet.com is a good choice as well :)

thanks guys, keep it coming,

i have been looking into this one, reviews seem good too
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=381966&is=REG&si=rev#anchorToReadReviews

thanks guys, keep it coming,

i have been looking into this one, reviews seem good too
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=381966&is=REG&si=rev#anchorToReadReviewsThat's actually a very good camera and will probably suit your purposes quite well. If you want to save $15, get it from here:
http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNPSS2
They are an EXCELLENT place to do business with.