 Tarah Dawdy |
Updating my equipment, advice on which to choose? Hi, I apologize in advance for my rambling. I am 15 and I currently own a Cannon A540 powershot. I would like to update or add to my camera equipment, and I will be asking for this as a Christmas present. So there are a few scenarios I am considering asking for. My powershot has 6.0 mega pixels & 4x optical zoom. As cameras and camera equipment is expensive I am trying to ask for the thing that will give me the most bang for my (parents) buck. 1. An older SLR camera with about the same Mega Pixels 2. A new Point and Shoot Digital Camera with more mega pixels. 3. Lenses, filters,light stands, and, misc equipment. for my current camera. I trust your opinions since most of your are pros. If you have any other ideas for me I'd love to hear them! Thanks :D
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John G. Clifford Jr |
Well, Tarah, it's hard to know what you should get without knowing what your goals are. Cameras are tools. What do you want to do with your tools? Here's the first, and best advice I can give you: FORGET about megapixels! If you just like taking pictures and really don't want to get into the technical aspects of photography, then it's hard to see how you'll get better results with a different camera. Photographers take pictures, not cameras, and good photographers can take great pictures with any camera. If you are more into photography and really want to improve your craft, then, yes, you most likely want to get a digital SLR (dSLR). There are a lot of good dSLRs on the market from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Sigma, and Sony. Any of these will make beautiful pictures... if you have the technical skills and knowledge. Look at camera review sites, like dpreview.com, for more information on specific cameras. Go by your local camera shop and play with their demo cameras (although most camera shops will have a limited selection of cameras, because they can't afford to stock everything). As a beginner, I'd strongly recommend that you buy through your local camera shop because they'll be there to answer your questions. I own Nikon and Fuji point-and-shoot digital cameras ('digicams'), and Sigma and Pentax dSLRs. Look at my gallery to get an idea of what these cameras can do. Better yet, use the camera database here on BetterPhoto to look at the images shot with each camera that might interest you. You'll soon discover that it's not the camera!
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Pete H |
Tarah, Your goals will dictate what to do. If all you are doing is snap shots at birthday parties etc a few times a year, most anything will suffice. If your goal is better quality, any of today's DSLR's will produce better quality images compared to any P&S camera. Most "bang for the buck?" Personally, unless you are 100% convinced you have a love for photography, I would not spend a lot; although the term "a lot" is relative. ;) Perhaps a mildly used DSLR with one good lens. 200mm Prime @ f/2.8....$1,200 Knowing the basics.....PRICELESS
Pete
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Tarah Dawdy |
Thanks guys I appreciate your advice. I should have stated that I am considering a career in photography so I am trying to explore photography further. Even if I do not end up with a career in photography, I still love it and will continue to do it. Thanks again!
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