Need a new camera. Any suggestions?

Hawg Fan · October 2010

I see a lot of great pictures posted on the forum, so I know that most of you have some great equipment and good camera skills. Any suggestions on cameras? I hope to buy a new one on Black Friday. Thanks for your suggestions!

Uncle Phil · October 2010

I shoot with the Canon EOS 7D. Fairly expensive, but the Canon TI2 is virtually the same camera for about half the price and shoots awesome stills and HD video.

Hawg Fan · October 2010

I'll have to check out the Canon EOS and T12. I assume they have interchangable lens so that you can take close ups as well as long shots. Some of the pictures posted here are professional quality, and that's what I'm looking for.

edg1 · October 2010

Hi Terry,

As a dedicated, though very amateur, photographer, allow me to give you one warning.

Like buying an egg, buying a high end camera can become a never-ending expenditure of money. There are lots of really nice lenses, tripods, filters, software, etc, etc, etc.....

On the other hand, like buying an egg, a nice camera can contribute greatly to happiness, both yours and those around you. Art photos, family photos, what ever, make great gifts. I am really into taking pix of roses for my art, 20k+ photos of my 9yo daughter, and I am the "official" photographer at my daughters school. I have a blast doing all this.

One thing to consider if you decide to go the DSLR route is that once you start buying lenses, you are stuck with that brand. None of the automatic features from brand X lenses will work on brand Y bodies. I have 10 Nikon lenses and I shudder to think what it would cost me to replace them if I went to another brand body.

If I may suggest, between now & black Friday, go down to a real camera store & check out what they have to say. Odds are, their prices are competitive, and they know what they are talking about.

Take care,

edg

http://www.edgordonpix.com

thailandjohn · October 2010

edg1 is correct, very good advise
One other thing I can add is, learn to use your camera and this requires taking a lot of pictures and knowing what does what, aperture , shutter speed, ISO, etc

Billy Grill Eggster · October 2010

Learn to operate your camera in the dark / not looking for dials on camera and adjustments on lenses. It will make you faster and more confident in the use of the camera. If you want to use the pix for the web you don't need a 3 thousand dollar camera and 7 thousand dollar lens. A couple of hundred dollar camera will give you the web-site display.
But you need a pro-sumer ( my word for top consumer camera ) if you want great pix for yourslf and family.

LDD · October 2010

if you go P&S - don't waste your money on anything over 200.

if you go DSLR - I'm partial the nikons (I have a D70s)

RogerT · October 2010

You should look into Nikon and Cannon cameras. Both offer a wide range of camera bodies, and lenses. I am a Nikon person myself, and currently own 2 different ones.

On the lower end cameras, both I believe offer a package kind of deal. Body, lens, and some other accessories. You don't need to spend a ton of money getting your first DSLR, and quite frankly, would probably enjoy and use a lot more a lower end model, that is simpler to use.

Just because it is cheaper, doesn't mean it wont take fantastic pictures. Because it will. They just don't have all the high end bells and whistles.

As was suggested earlier, get to a real camera store, handle a few of the cams and ask lots of questions.

You think you spent a lot of money on your egg? You havn't seen nuttin yet!!! :evil: :evil: :evil:

Roger

icemncmth · October 2010

I agree with above. One more thing to think about. Look at the different brands and compare the placement of each feature. I grew up shooting pictures with a manual Nikon FM-2T and I so I am use to the layout.

The layout on each brand is different and that can be a real pain if you are use to things in a certain layout.

fishlessman · October 2010

i went the dslr route and regret the decision, i take pics of food, fish, and the outdoors. i see the newer cameras with the big optical lenses like the canon sx 30, i think i would have been happier with that camera. my nikon d 60 is a good camera, but i dont have the time to learn every feature, the money to buy the big lenses, and i dont like carrying all the stuff. i find the point and shoots more convinient, take a pic of a fish, turn around and click a pic of an eagle flying a mile away without changing lenses. i would probably stick with canon or nikon

eggzlot · October 2010

Check out dpreview.com for forums on photography plus TONS of camera and lens reviews - both DSLRs and point and shoot cameras.

I went the DSLR route but went with an Olympus (e-520) because at the time, it was one of the most lightweight compact DSLR with stabilization built into the body, not the lenses. (I do not want to get too off the subject - you can send me an email off here if you want more info on Olympus)

however - Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony have all released mirrorless "DSLR"s. They look like DSLRs, but lack the mirror, and therefore, are just slightly bigger than point and shoot camera, but still offer interchangeable lenses. Olympus and/or Panasonic makes a 14-150mm lens for this line of cameras, which should cover most reach you'd need for general photography and avoid you having to change lenses often. Canon and Nikon will be coming out with these types of cameras, my guess is at CES next year since nothing was released at Photokia to the best of my knowledge.

You pay a bit more for the features you get with these new compact DSLRs, but the size/weight ratio is amazing for the quality. Panasonic and Olympus call them Micro 4/3rd cameras while Samsung I think is the NX Model and I forget what Sony calls them.

In all - buying a DSLR is a VERY personal decision. The best option is to go play with them in the stores and see what is comfortable in your hands at your budget. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, etc all offer great results if you know how to and want to use the camera :-) And yes, it becomes addictive with lenses, filters, software, etc, so enjoy!

stike · October 2010

i have a junky little point and shoot. pics are just "ok", but fine for what i need.

what is your budget and what do you want to do/achieve with it?

Shwiezzee · October 2010

All post are good advise. A few years ago we did the same thing, I looked at everything. We bought the Nikon D80. Excellent pic quality good lens support and affordable. I also have a Nikon N2000, old school! I love that camera.

Jay

tsheehan7 · October 2010

If you go the DSLR route, don't forget to look at the Pentax Kx. That camera has a growing fanbase and is an excellent value. I have a Canon Rebel XT, which is fine, but I think Nikons are a little more user friendly. That said, because of my investment in lenses, my next camera will likely be the Canon T2i.

If all you want to do is snap shots of food and maybe friends at parties, go point and shoot and save hundreds of dollars. If you want portrait quality images with depth, color, low light capabilities, etc. then DSLR is good.

If the latter is the case, look at the Pentax - it's worth your time.

Davekatz · October 2010

Take a look at the Micro Four Thirds (m4/3) cameras coming out from Panasonic:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with 14-45mm lens

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 with 14-45 mm lens

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 12.1 with 14-42mm lens

All between $400 and $600. You cannot beat the bang for the buck on theese in terms of size, options, and image quality.

ibanda · October 2010

I just bought a point and shoot Panasonic Lumix for about $325. All this digital this and digital zoom that doesn't mean squat unless it has good glass and the Lumix have Leica glass. I am no expert, but I am pretty happy with it.

Need a new camera. Any suggestions?

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