Amateur Photographer Needs Help!

[designerdemarco]

I just wanted to get your opinions on what a good starter camera would be for an amateur photographer. Anyone know of a good camera for around the $500 range? I always wanted to get into photography and now with a good knowledge of Photoshop and some tutorials I have completed from Layers, I want to purchase a better camera. Right now I have a 3.2 mega pixel Sony that does good enough but nothing professional grade. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[Paul C]

You're not going to get into professional grade for $500 unfortunately. The least that a pro would want is an SLR with interchangeable lenses. That being said, you can take some very good photos that are useable (up to a reasonable size) with your current camera.

I would stick with that until you can afford to get a Canon or Nikon (just two brands off the top of my head, there are definitely others) that has interchangeable lenses.

I have a Canon 30D here at work and it's fine for a full page ad in a glossy magazine. I recently blew up a photo taken on a 30D to billboard size - it took some doing but it worked quite well.

pbc

[The Repro Kid]

I bought a FUJI FinePix e900. It's about $500, 10 mega pixels, and shoots in Camera Raw Format. It's very light and compact and the batteries last a long time on only 2 rechargeable AAs. I love it.

[TORCH511]

You really want to find the money to invest in a camera with detachagle lenses (SLR). You can find a Canon Digital Rebel kit with one or 2 lenses for about 600-650 on ebay. Hands down, for the CONSUMER level cameras Canon makes the best. The Professional level stuff is as good as any as well, and for the record, I am a life-long Nikon and Hassleblad user so if I am pushing Canon... that should tell you something.

While the camera may not be as full featured, any money you invest in leses will not go wasted should you decide to upgrade to a more professional level camera.

[designerdemarco]

I was actually looking at the Nikon D40, but I am still doing some research. Thank you for all your input. This will definately help me along my path of reasearching. I most likely won't be able to get a good camera for a few more months but at least I know what to look for. :D

[The Repro Kid]

I almost bought the Nikon D40. But I chose the Pro-sumer e900 instead because my primary use of a camera is for my "hobby," underwater photography, and underwater housings for a D40 costs, brace yourself, $2,500! So I went with the e900, whose housing only costs $250.

If it were not for the housing issue, I would have went with the D40.

View my older underwater photos here, all shot with a 2.1 megapixel olympus c2020, most with natural lighting, a few use a single strobe.

http://mendozaproductions.com/uwphoto/

[designerdemarco]

Absolutely beautiful pictures! The closest I ever came to underwater pictures was when we went to the Bahamas and bought one of those Kodak disposable cameras. I have yet to get them developed! I think I’m afraid that they are not going to turn out good and it would be a waste, plus I still have a few shots left on the camera. In fact I don’t even know what I did with it. I particularly like all of your murk shots, they are such pretty fish. Wow! I also really like P3300023 under the Grace/Anacapa 3-02 section. How long have you been diving?

[The Repro Kid]

Absolutely beautiful pictures! The closest I ever came to underwater pictures was when we went to the Bahamas and bought one of those Kodak disposable cameras. I have yet to get them developed! I think I’m afraid that they are not going to turn out good and it would be a waste, plus I still have a few shots left on the camera. In fact I don’t even know what I did with it. I particularly like all of your murk shots, they are such pretty fish. Wow! I also really like P3300023 under the Grace/Anacapa 3-02 section. How long have you been diving?Thanks. I'd develop up the pictures even if you still have some shots left. The film won't keep forever and you may winding losing any shots you might have if don't develop them in time.

Those orange fish are Garibaldi, the CA state fish. They are territorial and the males guard the nests, so they tend to swim right up to you and accost you, which makes them an easy subject. Most CA divers groan when they see Yet Another Garibaldi photo.

I really like that P3300023 photo as well, it's one of my very favorites. That batch of photos are the first underwater shots I'd ever taken. P3300023 is a very striking composition that caught my eye immediately. It looks like a nice serene gathering but it reality it is very dramatic, as Sea Stars eat Sea Urchins and this group of Sea Stars are most likely on slow motion march to devour the urchins.

I've been skin diving since I was 9 or 10 years old, but I only got my scuba cert in 2000.

[designerdemarco]

Here is a picture I took in Mayport Village, FL an old fishing town. Just a point and click shot, but I have gotten a lot of good feedback from this picture. Any thoughts from my friends who know photography?

[TORCH511]

Repro, I love that shot off catalina (7-17-04, image 1 of 17) looked through a bunch of the galleries and that was my favorite.

[The Repro Kid]

Here is a picture I took in Mayport Village, FL an old fishing town. Just a point and click shot, but I have gotten a lot of good feedback from this picture. Any thoughts from my friends who know photography?It's a great shot. I like to make sure nothing lands square in the middle, you're pretty on with that.

It could use a good scan though. See if you can get a photo Neutral Gray Scale on paper, not transparent, and use it placed in the bed with the photo to find a good a black and white point while scanning, and then go to Photoshop to adjust for perceptive mood.

And you can get a sunset photo to look better by masking and adjusting the horizon and the sky in Photoshop separately.

[The Repro Kid]

Repro, I love that shot off catalina (7-17-04, image 1 of 17) looked through a bunch of the galleries and that was my favorite.
Thanks. I need to get my new housing and get some new shots:o

Some of my favorites are from this series.

[DuFrank]

I got the Canon 350D kit with 2 lenses. I find that the kit lenses have an amazing quality (compared to kit lenses for Nikon D70). With the batterygrip attached you have a second shutter release button for your vertical pics. Great sensor; not very much noise in higher ISO settings.

Now you can buy the 400D in the same kit (body, 18-55 and 55-200 lenses, and batterygrip) for about €900,-.

Cheerio!

Frank