Photography
Related: About this forumAdvice for a newbie.
I am looking for a good beginner camera. I have several gardens in my yard and I would love to be able to take pictures of the various plants, birds, bugs...
The only camera I have ever used was a simple "point and shoot". Now all I have is my phone camera. I am looking for something a little more professional, but not too expensive. I also travel quite a bit and would like something that is small enough to take with me.
Any suggestions?
BTW - I love this forum, although this may be my first post. So many talented photographers.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)I am a Canon fan myself, but there is lots of good products out there.
It's also an excellent week to shop as many are on sale for Father's Day. This I have found sort of wraps up the good sale season on cameras, but I am sure you can find something nice.
I think there are some Canon P&S's out there for about $100.00 or so check Office Depot & Best Buy's ads this week. If you have a local camera store, you might want to check with them as well or online try Adorama or B&H as those come to mind.
bluedigger
(17,087 posts)First, how much do you want to spend? Do you want a better quality point and shoot, or do you want a camera with changeable lenses, like a dslr?
You definitely want a "macro" function!
A new category of cameras called 4/3's has changeable lenses with smaller bodies, and might be good for you as a beginner and traveler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Thirds_system
It really comes down to how much you want to spend, and what you want to tote around with you. You can get a very nice point and shoot for around $200, or a decent beginner kit in the 4/3's for around $500, I think. A entry level dslr kit, with a few accessories, is probably pushing $800 these days. You could also save a lot by hitting up craigslist - there are always lightly used Canon and Nikon kits there if you are patient enough.
This is a good site for specific model reviews: http://www.dpreview.com/