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March 5, 2007Answers:
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I know close to nothing about photography but I really want a digital slr camera this year. I'm sick of the point-and-shoot cameras with their shutter lag & crap pictures. I want a great camera that will take close up portraits and wide angle. I'm really not sure what kind of beginner dslr camera I should get. I'm on a tight budget, I want this camera to only cost around 650 dollars or less. I've heard the d40 is a great beginner camera but it's from like 2007! I want an updated dslr with enough megapixels! Please help me.
The D40 is a great camera, the age of it really isn't relevant unless you are a professional or have been taking photos for years. The lenses on the camera are more important than the camera body itself.
This probably sounds way out there, but I always suggest starting out with a classic slr, meaning a film slr. Film forces you to compose and think about shots before taking them, it will force you to use the camera as a tool for art, not snapshots that you could get with a p&s camera. With the right film slr, you will learn how to manually operate a camera, so when you move to digital, you will be experienced and able to expand your artistic ability even more.
Go for the D40, or similarly, the Canon Rebel XT. The kit 18-55 lens is good for wide angle [unless you're talking fisheye, a good fisheye lens will run you over $600]. Pick up a 50mm lens, the f1.8 50mm "nifty fifty" is perfect for portraits.
If you get the dslr, use it well, [not saying you do these things but] not just for pictures of your pets, or yourself in a mirror, because if you're doing that then what is the point of getting a nice camera. But I know the frustration of the limits of a p&s camera, and I think the D40 is a great move if you have the money.
More info btw: megapixels are overrated. Unless you are planning on enlarging your prints to huge sizes, megapixels don't matter, anything above 7.0 is fine.
(Rating: 5) thank you this was so helpful. i never knew that megapixels didn't matter only when blowing up the picture. I only will make small prints of portraits for my friends. But yah thank you so much!!