Hi Doc, I love photography and hope to purchase a nice camera soon. What do you

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   debbiepinkstonposted 12 years ago

   Hi Doc, I love photography and hope to purchase a nice camera soon. What do you recommend?
   
   I like to take photos of landscapes, flowers, birds, nature in general. I don't want to spend more than $400-500.

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   Rosana Modugnoposted 12 years ago

   I bought a my first camera about 4 years ago;  Fuji Film Fine Pix S1500, which is now discontinued, the best camera I've ever owned and still own.  Fuji Film Fine Pix have newer series now;  check out S4200 and the rest.  I think you'll like them too and the price is way below what you're looking to spend.
   
   http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digita … pix_s4200/
   
   It has all the features I needed, Macro (for closeup shots), video (runs up to 45 minutes) and zoom lens, flash, etc.  Plus I liked how it felt in my hands.  It has a nice grip on one side.  That's a good tip, to literally hold one in your hands and see what feels good for you.  Of course there are others but that's the only camera I've used so I can't really judge any others.
   
   http://jpgmag.com/people/ArtMenace

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      debbiepinkstonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Rosana, thank you for your answer! I will look into this camera-it sounds like a great one.

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      Rosana Modugnoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm very frugal, Debbie.  I always look for the best quality & quality on any item.  It's of course a personal choice.  But do try a few out and check out reviews online as well.  Good luck!

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   TrahnTheManposted 12 years ago

   At this point it time: Canon t3i (on sale) or t2i. Remarkable cameras for the cost. DOwnload Magic Lantern software and you have an amazing tool. In time save up and get better lenses than the stock factory lens. Nikon d3100 might be an option also.

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      debbiepinkstonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Trahn!  That is good advice and I'll look into it.

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   DoctorSolutionposted 12 years ago

   Sorry for the late reply, didnt had much time to be online lately. About the camera, if you only want to take photos of flowers and nature etc and you think you will keep it just as a hobby you can safely go for any good compact digital cameras, these days compact digital cameras give you good range of optical zoom, some manual options and they r small and easy to carry. The only catch is, after a while you get bored and you want more, you want to try new things, new settings, new lens options and so forth. This is when you cant change to other good lenses.
   
   If you think after 6 months or so you would like to grow and experiment new things... than the good option will be to go for the DSLR, they will give you much more options, manual control, and later if you want, you have wide variety of lenses to choose from, even if you change your camera you will be able to use those lenses. but its unlikely you will be carrying your DSLR everywhere because of its size.
   
   If you decide to go for DSLR, I will recommend any entry level camera from Canon or Nikon. Both brands are excellent (there are some other good brands as well) but the major reason I recommend these 2 is because many third party accessories are easily available and they are cheap, third party lenses, speedlights, wireless triggers etc. As a new photographer every 3-4 months you would want something new and branded things will be 2-3 times more expensive, so its easy to go for these 2 brands as hobbyist.
   
   You can also wait till the mid of September, because Photokina (worlds largest photography equipment exhibition is going to be held) so many brands are announcing the new cameras and equipments, so after a month you ll have more options plus if there is a replacement of the camera you like you might get it cheaper after a month.

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      debbiepinkstonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Doc!  The information you provided is very helpful.  Yes, I'm getting bored with my little digital camera. I would like to try new things now!

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