I'm finally employed and able to go camera shopping -yay! I'd love to know what y'all recommend (or recommend against). Probably going to go with something slightly used to save money and get a better model. Would like to keep it under 300ish.

thanks - I appreciate any suggestions for either a camera or good vendor.

Ann Marie

Hello Ann Marie

As far as a camera suggestion it all depends on what you are looking for not only now but in the future. I shoot with Canon and have nothing but great things to say about them and you will hear that from the Nikon owners out there. I would suggest going to a camera store and checking out some of the different camera brands and models to see what fits you best. Then shop around on ebay for used and even new there are some great deals out there. Another thing you may want to try is check with a few members here and see if they have a extra camera you can try on one of our meetups. I have 3 different canon bodies and a number of different lenses and would have no problem letting you use one of them on one of our walks this way you get to try it out for a couple of hours and really get a feel for it.

Good luck with your search and please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have

Leroy
www.leroythomasphotography.com

Ann Marie,

Leroy has lots of great suggestions -- except the Cannon. I shoot with Nikons and wouldn't dare shoot with anything else. That's my point and suggestion. Nikon and Cannon owners are fiercely loyal because I think they are the best two brands out there. You'll find it easier to get lenses or accessories as you continue to grow your collection. I've had good look buying cameras and accessories on Craig's List. I actually sold and bought lenses there over the weekend. Also check www.bhphoto.com. They always have good prices on new cameras and sell used ones as well. When you find one you might be interesting in buying, check out the review on http://www.dpreview.c.... They have a pretty comprehensive list of brands and models where you get non-biased opinions. Finally, if you are considering a specific model, you should post here or send us an email. I always like getting opinions from people I know and trust.

Good luck! Looking forward to hearing all about your new Nikon. :-)

I'm finally employed and able to go camera shopping -yay! I'd love to know what y'all recommend (or recommend against). Probably going to go with something slightly used to save money and get a better model. Would like to keep it under 300ish.

thanks - I appreciate any suggestions for either a camera or good vendor.

Ann Marie

hi ann marie so what camera did u buy iam also looking for my 1st digital slr someone suggested i buy a used body then buy aa really good lens i see a nikon d3000 body brand new on ebay less than 400 and there is some kinda ebay protection only 5 hrs to go on this auction kinda changed over frm cannon to nikon-- should i go fo it HELP THANKS JOHN

Somebody said Canon and Nikon are like PC and Mac in the computer world... ha ha... I think both are equally good with dSLRs but Nikon brand is more expensive... I shoot with Nikon but wouldn't hesitate to shoot with Canon... Anyway, if you are serious about photography I'd suggest to go with a good dSLR (such as Nikon D90 or similar Canon) and a good lens (18-200mm, for example, as both Nikon and Canon have it), which means you may need a much bigger budget... If you have only $300 then a compact camera is probably your only option, but please remember the size of photo sensor matters in creative photography... and so it is very difficult to control "depth of field" with a compact camera... and the shutter lag... and there are many other shortcomings of a compact camera comparing to a dSLR...

I'm not sure what to recommend in that price range, and you might have bought by now anyway (I'm alittle behind on posting, and life lol)

I bought an Olympus EPL-1,( the "Pen" they call it) the hybrid, and LOVE it. It has functions of a dslr but also a point and shoot. It's easy to use, light (but sturdy) and has some neat features built in. It's about $500 though.

It has an interchangeable lens, so you can add even more control and get extra lenses as budget allows. You probably won't be able to find one used though, they haven't been out all that long.

Some people get very stuck with brand names, Nikon vs Canon, but there are other good brands out there. Even a Sony camera vendor told me I had a good camera. The big thing that made me not go with Nikon was lens prices, I'd pretty much never be able to afford a new lens. And I just didn't like the way Nikon felt in my hands. My camera was affordableish, and had more then enough to make me happy. I'd recommend it to anyone.

(and I agree to the nikon:canon what windows:mac people are very brand loyal.)