Hey all! After reading the "The Art of Seeing" article, I thought I'd take up photography as a hobby, rather than something I do at gigs. I've got a Panasonic DMC-FX9 at the moment but I imagine thats quite limited in what I can do with it...

I thought I'd check ebay for any decent but old SLR cameras that I could pick up cheaply and came across a few Canon AE-1's. They seem to get good reviews. Are there any suggestions? I don't have a lot to spend though, so digital SLR's might be a little too much (although I haven't a clue to be honest).

Any help is appreciated as I'm a bit lost in it all at the moment!

some specifics .. like ..

I have $500 .. or $1000

I am interested in "x" type of photography

using flash in creative ways

I am in this for the LONG haul and will collect lenses like body lice

Macro is cool

Macro is for kids ..

I am going to pay everybody that chimes in on this thread $50



you know, stuff like that !!

and then read through the many, many threads here - most are recent so should have lots of suggestions for you covering your requirements

Ooooo well I'm usually the first to point out the lack of detail in someone's questions so I should know better. Unfortunately, paying $50 to everyone who answer's this thread is out of the question. Sorry, but thats about £25 at the current exchange rate which also equals about 10 pints of a refreshing alchoholic beverage.

Type of photography - any, I'm going to be shooting all sorts while I'm getting to grips with the basics. So, I'll probably be collecting a few lenses as I get to grips with it.

Budget - Now I'll happily pay for a decent camera but as long as its value for money and suitable for a beginner. Buying used isn't a problem with me. I have no idea how much I should be paying so a decent entry level camera suggestions would be ideal. I can always upgrade in a year or two if the camera is the limitation.

I'll have a scour at a couple of review sites but I was really wondering if there are a couple of staple cameras that are generally recommended for beginners?

Nikon D40

Nikon D70...older....cheaper...great results

The Nikon D40X, the Canon EOS 400 & the Olympus E410 appear to be the current wunderkinds. from what I have read - if you disable its internal noise handling software, the Olympus betters both the other two for image quality.

Digital SLR - Canon 300D, 400D, used 20D.

Film SLR - Canon EOS Rebel K2.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into these and decide on one to save a few pennies for. I'll have to practice using my current camera but I'm really limited on the adjustments unfortunately so I can't wait to get my hands on one of these!

Thanks again.

Throw caution to the wind...jump on a Hasselblad while you are young. Thirty year contracts are tough to pay when you get older.

Ok, took your advice to heart and ordered one of these:

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/item/015-00804A/

Leaf Aptus 75 H1 camera back for Hasselblad

£20,254.65


(*waits for $50 to show up in the mail*)

...don't forget about my input...

People have not told you 'bout the K100D .. you know, the one that is $475 ($425 USD after a $50 mail in rebate) from beachcamera.com .. which includes a 18-55mm kit lens.

.. but that's if you buy in the US.

Oh, and by the way, I have never used or touched the Pentax K100D, but it does have in camera shake reduction. And uh, I personally think you should get the K100D or one of the Canon Rebels if you go the DSLR route.

If you don't, I hear (over at dslreports as for thursday of last week) that one of the canon powershots is good .. you might want to double check that piece of info though.

Don't worry, still checking the thread :)

The Pentax is now on the list. Are there any reputable review sites I can look at? I Cnet doesn't count!

im not sure there is such a thing any more. the nearest you'll get is dpreview.com but take that with a pinch of salt like the rest of them. as with many reviewers the words often dont match the pictures.

you'd be better served reading the actual user forums rather than the reviews in many cases.

Olympus

Nikon

Canon

Pentax

I find that Cameralabs.com provides most excellent reviews. Specifically, they have video reviews of the majority of your choices. Give it a try.

Gordon.

Pentax have updated the K100D this week and given it the snazzy name K100D Super. The Super adds Shake Reduction, ISO 3200 sensitivity, Auto picture mode, SDM lens support and the K10D's Dust Removal system.

Thanks for the info. Looks like I've got a lot of researching on my hands (which I don't mind - I'm forever looking at mp3 players on the net despite owning 2 I'm pleased with!)

just a note on the AE-1, very easy to use camera but it wont take current canon EOS lenses which means fishing around for second hand FD lenses as they are no longer in production (although on the upside they are much cheaper), also it lacks the features that DSLRs have (eg. exposure compensation - bracketing )

Nikon D40. I just bought one and it is great for beginners like me. It is lightweight and not that big. It also takes beautiful sharp pictures!! It retails for $600 in the U.S. I got mine at circuit city.