New to photography, help needed...

**Ryan220587** · June 2nd, 2007, 07:06 AM

i have a few bucks to spend and am interested in perhaps getting into some photography. i would like to know what would be a good little camera to use to start out....i have no idea on what the best brand of cameras are. i would also appreciate any advice on anything else i might need to get me started...camera accessories, photo editing software etc.

i really am starting from scratch here, but i need a new hobby..so any help would be appreciated

my budget would be anything up to 1000 dollars for camera and anything else i would need to get me started (830USD approx.)

if there is anything else i have missed, please just let me know.

regards,
ryan

**doddsy** · June 2nd, 2007, 07:40 AM

with that much to spend the eos350d might be worth a look.

stick around though there's much more accomplished photographers than me around here who might have better advice

**Ryan220587** · June 2nd, 2007, 07:49 AM

no worries, thanks for the feedback doddsy

**CoonDawg** · June 3rd, 2007, 05:03 PM

I can't advise you on a Camera, but I can advise you on a few other things.

First off, since you're starting, there's little reason to buy a full blown version of Photoshop. (Except for the extremely cool CS3 feature, an automatic picture stitching button

That saves a LOT of time.)
GIMP or PhotoPlus are free, and should be enough for basic editing. And then, if you feel like it, you could turn around and spend the money you saved on photoshop and buy a Wacom Graphite Digital tablet.

**ShuckyD** · June 3rd, 2007, 05:30 PM

I would take a look into the Rebel XTi or XT from Canon... they are both good cameras and are SLR, style camera's so you have the option of interchangable lenses. I do alot of digital and film photography, but i also understand your on a budget so the Rebel is a good bet.. ohh and GIMP is pretty decent unless your looking to go out and buy PS (PhotoShop), if so CS3 cant be beat

**Ryan220587** · June 3rd, 2007, 07:27 PM

thanks for the input guys. i will probably go for GIMP to start out, see how it goes. as for the camera, that price range is probably just right

i think the interchangeable lenses would be a good idea because this gives me the option to expand things a little later on, right?

i have had a look at the rebel xti and it looks like a pretty good deal (how does it differ from the eos 400d?) i will have more of a hunt around and look at prices etc for the xt and xti models.

**Martoch** · June 3rd, 2007, 08:25 PM

Make sure you check out Steve's camera reviews...VERY thorough reviews!
http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html

Here's the Rebel XTi...
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_.../rebelxti.html

He even has a ton of sample pics taken with each camera at their original resolution.

**ShuckyD** · June 4th, 2007, 09:10 AM

if you want reviews from another location (sry i forgot to mention this link before)

www.dpreview.com

They have the latest and most complete reviews I have found, they cover events like Fotokino and other main photography events. Let me know which one you choose as well, so maybe i can help recommend you some things to get more out of your experience

**Friedchicken100** · June 4th, 2007, 10:09 AM

I strongly recommend Nikon. Canons come with a few more features but have very cheap housings. Nikon housings are scratch-proof and very durable.

**Ryan220587** · June 5th, 2007, 06:24 AM

thanks guys, i will keep looking. the rebel xt looks like a pretty good deal, but i'll also have a look at nikon's range and such. there's no urgency on buying, and i really do need to research a lot before i make any purchases. i'm a bit tied down atm with work but any input is appreciated

**phenious** · June 5th, 2007, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by ShuckyD

if you want reviews from another location (sry i forgot to mention this link before)

www.dpreview.com

Def. look @ DPReview before spending your money. Then I recomend going to a good company to make your purchase like BHPhoto. Their service has been second to none and that is why they have all of my video business.

My Girlfriend uses Nikon. I bought her a Nikon D50 which takes great pictures. The main thing I would say is spend money on the Lens. A good lens will make a huge difference once you learn how to use it. Most kit lenses are not the best by any means but they are not terrible either.

As for the Nikon Canon debate... Goto stores if you can and get the cameras in your hand and see what you like. Keep in mind that Canon and Nikon use different Lens mounts so if you go with Canon or Nikon it is probably a life time choice once you start investing in things. I use Canon for my video cameras but I have to say I have enjoyed the Nikon SLRs

**Ryan220587** · December 15th, 2007, 04:11 AM

hi guys,

it's been a while but i have actually gone and purchased a nikon d40x, with a bonus carry bag and 2gb ultra 2 SD card. i am waiting for the battery on the camera to charge however i am very excited about my purchase indeed. it was either a new PC or the camera, and i was so undecided about the PC that i went and bought the camera. i feel like i made the right choice. i will check out all the gear tonight and have a little bit of a look on the manual as well.

if anyone has any advice for me now that i have my new camera, i would appreciate it greatly

NOTE: i do still have a PC to use, my gf and i are just sharing the one computer now. so any advice on software etc is still welcomed.

regards,
ryan

**CujoRbd** · December 20th, 2007, 12:30 AM

you may consider getting a secondary SD card so you don't run out of space while you're out shooting. there's a bunch of places online, like newegg, that sell 1 and 2 gb cards between like 10 and 25 bucks, and of course there are cards in higher capacities than 2 GB.

as stated before, GIMP is great! if you don't have linux, they do have it available for windows. they even have some good documentation on how to use its features and such.

if you're looking to maybe spend a little money, you could go for Photoshop Elements. It's only like $100 and you can work with the raw image format that the nikon uses, which means that you'll be preserving the dynamic range in your photos. not saying that you can't shoot RAW without it, but you will have to convert to TIFF or something before doing any post-processing like lighting adjustments or more advanced edits. if you get it, i recommend using your own organization method instead of using the "Organizer" program that comes with it. before buying it, consider the advantages and disadvantages to using RAW over jpeg (do a google search for "raw photography" or the like and you'll find more info). maybe get a trial of it and see what you think.

**Ryan220587** · December 20th, 2007, 01:43 AM

thanks for the heads up, cujo!

i may look into photoshop elements, sounds like a good place to start. also sounds a bit more feature rich than GIMP (SKIMP? :P)

$100 is definitely affordable for me.

i am a little worried however, as i need to upgrade the warranty on my camera. i couldn't afford an extended warranty when i bought it, and i rang today and was informed that i have 28days to extend the warranty. i am going to go home tonight and work out which warranty i need. any ideas on this would be great.

i will also look into an extra SD card. do i need a lens filter or anything else for my camera?

thanks again,

ryan

**tony_j15** · December 20th, 2007, 02:02 AM

congrats on your purchase. If you want to wait, Adobe is going to have a free, online version of Photoshop up in a few months http://www.news.com/2100-7345_3-6163015.html

I would go ahead and buy Elements though. It's a great starting point and later on you can upgrade to CS3.

I would check your local retail stores for good deals on SD cards. Over here, they're on sale every week and you can pick up 1GB as cheap as $10, 4GB will go for $40 or less sometimes.

Read all the fine print regarding an extended warranty before purchasing it. Generally, I think they are a good thing since they go above and beyond the manufacturers warranty, but sometimes they have odd restrictions.

**Ryan220587** · December 20th, 2007, 02:20 AM

thanks for the heads up, tony. might i ask about what "odd restrictions" might involve?

yeah the SD card is no problem at all, they're always cheap here too mate

my camera comes with a 1 year manufacturer's warranty, do you think it's worth extending, and if so, for how long? they are asking quite a bit for 3 - 5 year extensions, and i really haven't budgeted for it...

i will definitely start out with elements, and then go for an upgrade once i've learned all the basics...i'm still a noob to all this and don't want to dish out too much money just yet.

thanks again for the reply, any light shed on the warranty would be great, i'm in a panic about it now!

cheers,
ryan

**Ryan220587** · December 25th, 2007, 07:33 PM

hi guys!

hope everyone had a jolly xmas.

i am going into the city today to buy myself some camera gear, most likely a second uv filter, a bigger bag for all my gear and another sd card (although i'm shooting in jpeg and i am considering putting it towards elements instead).

should be good. i'll let you know how i go.

ryan.

p.s woohoo! 700 posts and still kickin'

**KarmaKiller** · December 25th, 2007, 08:23 PM

Only 700...Pfft...

Good luck on the gear!

**Ryan220587** · December 27th, 2007, 09:32 PM

haha yes, pathetic in some eyes, a milestone in my own..

i bought me another hoya 52mm uv filter (for my second lens), and a lowepro nova 4 camera bag. very happy with my purchases and now i have no money left

i have started to try and learn a bit about aperture and shutter priorities, and manual focusing. have taken some great shots but they're too big to upload on imageshack. if someone can help me to upload these somewhere, i would be happy to share some shots. i am done spending money for a while, need to focus on taking some good shots now...

ryan.

**Ryan220587** · January 28th, 2008, 08:30 AM

Hi Guys,

Long time no post!

I have been busy with work and in the time ive had, been trying to get some good camera shots. I have since also bought myself a Manfrotto tripod that i got from a local dealer for a good price. The reason I bought it is because I was at some waterfalls getting great long exposure shots, but camera shake was causing bluriness. I haven't had a chance to get back there with the tripod yet but will at some stage. I am also very interested in getting macro shots and think that my next lens will be a macro lens. I don't have a lot uploaded atm but if you're interested, I will put the link up to my photos thus far.

http://photo.net/photos/Ryan220587

Hope you like at least some of it!

Enjoy.

Ryan.