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I'm going on a trip to Prague in a few months but I need a new camera to take with me. I'm clueless when it comes to photography so can you guys recommend some camera models that I might be interested in or that you've had some experience with?
A friend recommended a Canon rebel sos but he got it a while ago so there are probably better alternatives now.
It has to be able to take relatively high quality photos, be not too bulky, and have decent battery life. Something with lithium ion batteries would probably be best right?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Edit: My budget is probably around 900-800 or less.
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How much money can you spend?
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a cannon 500d or something is great and you'd still have cash left over.
dunno what they are called in America. Rebel somethings..
edit: oh hah i just re-read the op, your friend is right, if you read the manual on the way there you should be able to make sexi pics.
edit2: yes the cannon 500d is the newest in the rebel series to my knowledge.
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I'm a nikon user. With a budget like that, you could afford to pull a d90. I own a d40, but a few of my friends have the d90, and it's sweet like sugar.
Google Product Search Results
OK, so the reputable sellers on that page have it going over 1k, which is probably too much for you. Still, the d40 (something around $450) works extremely well for me.
I don't know too much about Canons, as far as I know, there's not too much difference between the cameras at matching price points. DSLR quality is good these days - you can't really go wrong with either company. I guess it's all about the lenses that you can get for each (and those are pretty similar too).
Good luck getting a camera! And if you do end up getting a DSLR, remember to RTFM (and learn what all the settings mean) before going on your trip!
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If you don't know how to take photos, there is no Point in getting a really nice camera.
I've had mine for quite a while (Canon T1i) for almost a year, and even though the detail of the pictures is nice, most of the photos are lacking because I have limited artistic skills.
Low-end ($200~ish) cameras have caught up immensely in terms of detail to DSLRs. Plus, if you're not printing and you're just going to resize it for web use, there's no point to having more than 5 Megapixels.
Also, DSLRs are bulky. It is a bit of a hassle, especially if you invest in multiple lenses and a Flash.
If I were to do it over again, I'd probably get a Canon G10/G11. It has manual controls and isn't as bulky as a DSLR, which makes it great for learning. You can also add an external Flash to it.
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Will you need telephoto (zoom)?
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On April 08 2010 01:47 kainzero wrote:If you don't know how to take photos, there is no Point in getting a really nice camera. I've had mine for quite a while (Canon T1i) for almost a year, and even though the detail of the pictures is nice, most of the photos are lacking because I have limited artistic skills. Low-end ($200~ish) cameras have caught up immensely in terms of detail to DSLRs. Plus, if you're not printing and you're just going to resize it for web use, there's no point to having more than 5 Megapixels. Also, DSLRs are bulky. It is a bit of a hassle, especially if you invest in multiple lenses and a Flash. If I were to do it over again, I'd probably get a Canon G10/G11. It has manual controls and isn't as bulky as a DSLR, which makes it great for learning. You can also add an external Flash to it. If he just reads the manual for whatever camera he is getting and also googles basic composition he'll be fine.
I think there's a photo guide on TL actually.
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How about a Nikon D3000? That's a very good entry-level DSLR, and it's only about $500.
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800-900 can buy you a very nice, practically dsl quality camera. I bought a fujifilm exr200 about a y ear ago for 200, and it works great. So for 800-900, you can afford a lot. What I would recommend is that you go to dpreview.com and look at the different sample galleries for the cameras and see which pictures you like best. You can also go to flickr.com and go to see a list of all the cameras that people use and the galleries that correspond to each camera. They have literally hundreds of brands and they tell you which cameras are the most popular on flickr.
To give you a headstart, before I bought my current camera I really wanted a panasonic LX3. At the time it was the highest rated camera. It's compact, costs about 500 brand new, and has top quality for an inbetween a point and shoot and a dslr.
Also, something to think about is videos if you plan on taking videos. I know people say that a digital camera is for taking photos, but sometimes you can have the enjoyment of great picture quality and high quality video. Don't think that the more expensive a camera the video quality is proportionate, because I had this old model canon that recorded the best video i've ever seen in a camera whereas my current, much newer camera, has shitty video but I didn't buy it for the video.
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On April 08 2010 02:32 ShaperofDreams wrote: If he just reads the manual for whatever camera he is getting and also googles basic composition he'll be fine.
I think there's a photo guide on TL actually. It takes a lot of practice and experience to take good pictures, you don't just read stuff and automatically understand and shoot phenomenal pictures.
A lot of that practice and experience doesn't require a DSLR and I really think you should only get one once you understand why you need it and you feel limited by a compact.
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On April 08 2010 05:03 kainzero wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2010 02:32 ShaperofDreams wrote: If he just reads the manual for whatever camera he is getting and also googles basic composition he'll be fine.
I think there's a photo guide on TL actually. It takes a lot of practice and experience to take good pictures, you don't just read stuff and automatically understand and shoot phenomenal pictures. A lot of that practice and experience doesn't require a DSLR and I really think you should only get one once you understand why you need it and you feel limited by a compact.
That's fine and good, but this guy isn't asking how to become a great photographer. He just wants to get a nice camera to take with him on a trip. I do feel that the automatic settings on DSLR's are nicer than with compact cameras anyway - so why not?
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On April 08 2010 09:45 Daveed wrote:That's fine and good, but this guy isn't asking how to become a great photographer. He just wants to get a nice camera to take with him on a trip. I do feel that the automatic settings on DSLR's are nicer than with compact cameras anyway - so why not? With a Point and Shoot, versus a DSLR out of the box, you get better zoom (Canon and Nikon both start you out with 18-55, versus 37-222 on a Lumix LZ3), better macro, and portability. You lose image quality, (possibly) manual control, burst fire, and the ability to change lenses. For Canon, a used 28-135 lens set me back an extra $150.
You can also take phenomenal photos with a Point and Shoot as well. Lately, the quality of Point and Shoot sensors has been improving a lot and again, if you end up resizing your picture, you lose a lot detail anyway.
I feel like there's no reason to get a DSLR now unless you plan to take it seriously as a hobby and even then, there's still many benefits to Point and Shoot cameras.
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unless you want to get into serious or sport photography, don't bother with DSLRs. you should check out the canon g11 or s90. Both are great point and shoots with enough manual controls to satisfy your curiosity. they take pretty good photos and are easier to learn and carry around.
On April 08 2010 09:45 Daveed wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2010 05:03 kainzero wrote:On April 08 2010 02:32 ShaperofDreams wrote: If he just reads the manual for whatever camera he is getting and also googles basic composition he'll be fine.
I think there's a photo guide on TL actually. It takes a lot of practice and experience to take good pictures, you don't just read stuff and automatically understand and shoot phenomenal pictures. A lot of that practice and experience doesn't require a DSLR and I really think you should only get one once you understand why you need it and you feel limited by a compact. That's fine and good, but this guy isn't asking how to become a great photographer. He just wants to get a nice camera to take with him on a trip. I do feel that the automatic settings on DSLR's are nicer than with compact cameras anyway - so why not? you buy a DSLR just to use its EZ mode... >.<
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I've heard great things about the g11, but if you have the money its all up to you whether you get a DSLR.
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On April 09 2010 05:01 caelym wrote:unless you want to get into serious or sport photography, don't bother with DSLRs. you should check out the canon g11 or s90. Both are great point and shoots with enough manual controls to satisfy your curiosity. they take pretty good photos and are easier to learn and carry around. Show nested quote +On April 08 2010 09:45 Daveed wrote:On April 08 2010 05:03 kainzero wrote:On April 08 2010 02:32 ShaperofDreams wrote: If he just reads the manual for whatever camera he is getting and also googles basic composition he'll be fine.
I think there's a photo guide on TL actually. It takes a lot of practice and experience to take good pictures, you don't just read stuff and automatically understand and shoot phenomenal pictures. A lot of that practice and experience doesn't require a DSLR and I really think you should only get one once you understand why you need it and you feel limited by a compact. That's fine and good, but this guy isn't asking how to become a great photographer. He just wants to get a nice camera to take with him on a trip. I do feel that the automatic settings on DSLR's are nicer than with compact cameras anyway - so why not? you buy a DSLR just to use its EZ mode... >.<
I don't agree with this. DSLR cameras produce photos in much better quality because of the physical design of cameras.
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