Camera and Lenses

I know that alot of you take pictures of the point and hopefully someone knows about cameras and lenses. I want to get good pictures but I dont want to break the bank. I was thinking of a Rebel SLR G (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005OCWN/qid=1045790966/br=1-7/ref=br_lf_p_7//103-2562824-3734228?v=glance&s=photo&n=493718) with this lens (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000501T7/ref=p_de_acc_4_2/103-2562824-3734228?v=glance&s=photo&n=493718). My question is do you think this is a good combination for a beginner? I want good pictures of TTD (the lens will hopefully get me close enough?). Sry about the long links but the URL button produced nothing when I entered the URL's into them
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What was that? A quarter... From where..raptor? A bird...
Czechs are so funny

Webmaster http://www.digital-ignorance.com

I just use a regular zoom camera and i get farely good photos i think it cost somewhere from 50 to 100 dollars look at best buy or walmart they have good selections

hope this helps

Raptor rocks

cpfan since 2000

I currently have a powershot A40 but it has no option for an additional lens. I just wanted closer pictures that are good quality...

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What was that? A quarter... From where..raptor? A bird...
Czechs are so funny

Webmaster http://www.digital-ignorance.com

Canon really makes some nice SLR camreas.

The lens should let you zoom in pretty close.

Big thing you can do is go someplace and try out its sister models, and see if the weight/design/etc. is something you like. Best Buy has several. Don't know about Circuit City, though... I don't work there.

Best Buy's SLR selection

Circuit City's SLR selection

I did note that on the Rebel 2000 unit that Circuit City does have a better price. $299.99 vs. $319.99. Can't speak for all BBY stores, but ours would price match.

Circuit advertises no restocking fees, and BBY doesn't have restocking on regular cameras, as long as everything's in the box and you have your receipt at both retailers. (Both can look up credit/check transactions, but I believe Circuit can look up cash, whereas we can't.)

I can't stress enough going to try out the units at the stores. AND ASK QUESTIONS!!! Ask to take a similar lens that you're looking at on Amazon.com and put it right on the camera, and see how it turns out. If they ask why, tell them you're camera shopping and you need to be able to zoom in far and still have a clear photo. They should understand... hey, it's a huge purhcase.

Even if you don't buy at BBY or Circuit City, when and if you do buy from Amazon.com, you'll be more comfortable with it because you'll have a better idea of what's coming than if you just go by a web page description.

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17 straight years of real thrills and counting...

Go with digital. It is much easier and you know seconds after the shot if you like the results. It may seem more expensive at first but when you factor in film, it saves money.

I have a Canon Powershot S30. It's what ACN uses for their photos and what I use for Point Hype. It gives very nice results. Cnet is listing it for $350.

It's amazing how much technology advances in a small time frame. Just 6 months ago when I bought my camera it was $550. I hate to think how much my computer is worth now.

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Eric Morrison (Coast)
Point Hype
http://www.pointhype.com
*** This post was edited by Etrain 2/20/2003 10:11:01 PM ***

TekGuy is righ. Canon makes a good SLR. They have nicely priced cameras for beginers. I use a Canon EOS Elan II. Along with a Sigma APO Tele 400mm, 70-300mm Macro, and a 15mm Fisheye. It takes very clear pictures, I even won a first place at our local Center for the Arts ( it was a picture of Raptor):)

I also use a Canon LT 260 for quick pictures. Its nice to have a small camera too. I recomend Canon, its just my opinion. Im not a expert with cameras. But Canon is a nice brand. What you have picked out I think would be great for you. But like TekGuy said, go to a camera shop such as BBY and ask questions!:)

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Screamsters 2001
Millennium Force/Screamsters 2002
Rip Cord/Screamsters 2003

I have a canon powershot s330 zoom is great if you want to pay 300 for it.I will be taking pics of cedar point I have some from end of lsat summer that turnd out great i took one going over the second hill of MF looking at mantis looks good. It's all around a very good camera

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wood stand for...Wood Out Of Date.. sledding is the only thing that is close to cp in the winter the way i put it six flags needs more parks to keep up with the one and only cp :)
*** This post was edited by jonisneo 2/21/2003 7:34:08 AM ***

First of all, even though I'm a gadget geek, you need to understand now that cameras don't take pictures, photographers do. It doesn't matter what you buy, if your composition skills in particular suck, the photo will suck.

SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras offer a degree of flexibility that others don't. Granted, you need to take the thing out of full-auto and actually understand what it's doing, but for example, you can compose great depth-of-field shots with an SLR and a long zoom that you can't do with a non-SLR.

SLR's allow you to learn what photography is all about, if you choose to really learn. You're also using better glass. The vast majority of them are film cameras, but the flexibility (should you choose to use it) is there to do far more than any other camera in terms of exposure.

There are digital SLR's, but if you want, be prepared to drop about two grand. I have Canon's "pro-sumer" model, the D-60, and I love it (I also have an Elan IIe film body, so my lenses work with both). Dan has the Nikon version, and he too seems pretty happy with it.

The "normal" digital cameras work fine if you're doing landscape shots or shots of your friends. Generally speaking, the more they cost, the better they look. Do your homework online, because some have piss-poor color reproduction. I'd say anything from Canon or Nikon is a safe bet.

I like DPreview for actual full-resolution samples and reviews.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP - Sillynonsense.com
"The world rotates to The Ultra-Heavy Beat!" - KMFDM

Jeff hit that one right on. A good example of what he's talking about in the first paragraph is is my mom. The SLR my dad has (it's a Canon something SLR, but I can't remember which) takes some of the nicest pictures I've ever seen, but only when my dad or myself use it. My mom has this ability to tilt the camera while she takes the picture, making everything 'run.'

Personally, I don't take breathtaking shots, so I use a Sony DSC-S70 I picked up at work. I use it, as Jeff recommends, on vacations or with friends/family. At 3 megapixels, it's barely ok for 8x10 photos, but anything bigger starts to box up really fast.

And if you do use film, definitely, definitely go with 35mm over APS. APS may have the 3 picture sizes (which you could always do with 35mm with a little extra work), but it doesn't have the same level of clarity due to its smaller exposure area.

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17 straight years of real thrills and counting...

[Edited for spelling... why do I always notice it AFTER I post it?]
*** This post was edited by TekGuy 2/21/2003 11:18:38 AM ***

APS's "picture sizes" just crop the image to achieve that effect anyway. As you say, you can always get the same effect with a little more work. You can always remove information, but you can never add... (Same rule applies for digital -- I always take my shots at the highest resolution I can, and then crop or resize later if needed. That way if my subject isn't centered the way I want, I can correct later with the magic of Photoshop)

--Greg, who's comfortable around cameras but not nearly in the class of some of the prosumer enthusiasts.

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--Greg
My Home
MF count: 54
*** This post was edited by GregLeg1 2/21/2003 12:19:40 PM ***