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I've always been a fan of photography, I was even going to take it up after highschool, but reality kicked in, I didn't think I would be able to make a career out of it, plus I really didn't like what I was studying under 'Multimedia'.
I've recently found my self interested in photography again and wanted to take it up as a hobby, I'm looking into buying a camera, I have a few basic digitals, but they are really only good for holiday snaps.
I was thinking along the lines of a Digital SLR, admittedly I don't know much about cameras as I never really got into it. What I am really after is a something that will be able to capture what my eyes can see, for example if I am taking a wide angle shot of buildings in the distance, my regular holiday snap camera takes the photo as if I had been a mile further away than I really am.
I had a quick search through the forums, but most of the topics were about basic digitals.
My Budget is about $1200, anyone have any suggestions of cameras(brands) or perhaps ideas of where I can start, what features should I be researching?
Cheers.
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I will admit I myself don't know much about cameras, but I have talked to a lot of people who do know something. As far as for a beginner I've heard nothing but good things about the Canon Rebel. I've seen photos taken by one and they look phenomenal, but they were portraits, so I don't know about wide angle and such. I've heard they run about $5-800(got the price wrong at $900), or at least that was how much the one was in the store I found. I'm definitely going to buy one when I get the money.
Even though I know your asking for help here I'd suggest just going to a camera store and talking to people who know this stuff a little better.
Regardless good luck and share some photos with us when you make a decision!
Edit: I started looking around and I remembered when I was in this place here in town last and I told him I was interested in the rebel and he tried showing me a brand called Pentax. He said it was more of an intermediate camera for about the same price as the rebel and the rebel was more beginner. So that may be another brand you can look into.
I found one of their cameras here, so you can look at it.
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Canon EOS 350 D is what a beginner who wants to get serious is probably looking for. It is a cheap Digital SLR, sold extremely well world-wide because of the price/quality scale. It is known as the Canon Rebel XT only in the USA. It has a similar name to the USA on in Japan I think, in the rest of the world it's Canon EOS 350 D.
You could go for a Canon EOS 400 D, it's the follower of the 350, slightly more expensive, but a little superior technically.
Some EOS 350 D's specifications, at least, what I remember:
-8.1 mega-pixels, CMOS sensor, -up to 1600 ISO sensitivity (i might be wrong, lol)
When you're trying to capture a wider area than the camera would normally aloud, there are two common methods. I apologize if you're already familiar with them
-wide-angle lens - an optional objective attach to your camera, that allows it to capture a wider portion of the frame you're shooting. This is the opposite of the of the lens that nears a far-away subject
-the 'panoramic' procedure ( i really don't know how this is called in English, sorry for being so chobo). It's basically a procedure that involves shooting several 'neighbor' frames, with the normal lens, and then adding them up to form the final photograph.
You should listen to the opinions of someone who's a little knowledgeable with the Nikon cameras as well. But basically, if you plan on getting a professional tool, Canon or Nikon is the way to go.
Good luck
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Norway10161 Posts
I'll throw my vote to the EOS 400D. Rather handy and offers a nice choice between advanced options and ease-of-use.
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Oh and btw, the cameras I mentioned fit easily in the 1200$ budget. You could (and definitely SHOULD) buy a few more accessories, like UV filters (that's a simple lens you can add to the objective), yellow or w/e filters, maybe even a tripod, and that wide-angle objective;)
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Must be because it's 5am but I read it as "amateur pornography, buying a camera" and got very curious, only to find this... lol
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I haven't used D40x.
But i do have a D50, which is the beginner model DSLR before D40.
But I do not like the handling of D40, I think both D40 and EOS350D are small cameras. My hands are less comfortable in holding them. The body of D70/D50 seems mroe solid.
Canon and Nikon are the 2 leading companies. Lenses are also very important, try looking at samples and decide which brand would you go for.
Personally I find the photos taken by Nikon cameras are sharper in colour. This may be due to the internal modification of camera once the photo is taken. That's why some say the the D50 photos are sharper than the D70 photos.
I find low-tier Canon DSLR focusing faster but there is a higher chance of off-focusing...
For lenses, 50mm F/1.8 is a very sharp/fast prime lens. Should be around 100 USD. Both Canon and Nikon produces similar lenses at similar price.
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you got a nice budget dude and depending on the features you want (basic or semi pro) you can go for
Nikon - d40x or d80 Canon - 400d (rebel xt in the states. not sure though) or 40d
pretty good models. then the lens depends on what you want whether for portraits or wide angle shots. good luck dude! i love photography and i'm sure you'll enjoy (although im more in love with lomography )
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