15/f
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.
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. [ denialsam's advice column | Ask denialsam A Question ]
Rinachan answered Sunday December 27 2009, 7:06 pm: weeeelll.. if you're not familiar with photography, i wouldn't get an slr. not only are they super complicated, but they're not a beginner camera. i can't say much on the dslr or anything. but it's not going to be worth the money in the end. if you love photography, you can get a legit camera for 300. slr's are for some hardcore stuff that professionals handle. i've had a lot of friends want slr's but just mess up by getting one in the end.
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