i am in the military and move quite often. there are so many sites to see and things to see that the average person does it. but i dont have a camera haha. was wondering what would be a good beginner camera for me. i currently live at the base of the rockies and snow just fell on mountain tops. looks great. any helpful info is much appreciated

nikon d40, d60, and d80 all good to start out on or if you dont want digital go for a 35mm slr type deal tigerdirect.com has good deals on those nikons

How about a Canon G11 ? That's carry-able. Not a DSLR but you can learn a lot starting with something very basic. Or even the G-9 or G-10.

Edit: Not that the G cameras are "very basic" as they are rather advanced compact cameras. Basic as in you don't have to worry about the various lenses, accessories, etc. disappearing.

This post was edited by Solarves on Oct 7 2009 09:26am

ya kinda what i was going for. i was considering a cannon power shot

no point of buying G-series unless you are really much into photography and the size is REALLY important.



all point and shoots are crap, this is maybe the only one worth using(but still crap compared to eny dslr and you should get cheap dslr for the price) http://www.dpreview.com/news/0807/08072102panasoniclx3.asp , or atleast was some time ago.

I don't think the G11, or even the G10 for that fact should be considered "crap."
In my opinion, they lead the compact digital camera world right now.

No camera is "Crap." It's a tool used to record what the eye sees.
If somebody buys a G11, take actual time and effort to learning and training their eyes, I think they could rock the p&s, and even produce some stuff better than people
shooting with a DSLR.

I've seen people create better shots with a disposable film camera from Walmart than some taken with a Nikon D90.


Personally, I'd go for something definitely compact. Don't even think about a DSLR if you're in Armed Forces.
They are heavy, big, and will definitely require even more attention depending on where you're stationed.
Compact would be the way to go. You have a gun to worry about carrying, let alone a telephoto lens!

This post was edited by TheBlackRose66 on Oct 7 2009 07:43pm

theyr crap compared to dslrs. G-series isnt for amateurs starting photography, thers no point for amateur to spend so much on point and shoot. Point and shoot cameras have small sensor and that limits what kind of pictures you can take really much. Yes you can take good pictures with them, but where or what kind of pictures you can take is limited. Same with disposable cameras. G-series dont have lens that reaches telephoto either, so no point of bringing that up. G-series is good for point and shoot, but not good enough to justify the price tag. Thyer something that i would recommend for professional who needs to have camera all the time and cant carry a dslr.

Here is some cameras i would recommend if you want good camera thats not too big and you can pay more for it than crappy point and shoots:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09061601olympusep1.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/PanasonicGF1/

this should be out late this year or early next, but waiting for this might be worth it

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0903/09030201samsungnxsystem.asp

Not that those sample pics on those links is with the camera using prime lens(no zoom), zoom lenses will be bit bigger, but not nearly as big as dslr cameras. That samsung has same sensor size(x1.6) as those cheap dslr cameras, so its basicly as good as a dslr, but smaller. Those other two have smaller sensor(x2 if i remember right) than dslrs, but much bigger than eny point and shoot, this gives really big advantage over eny point and shoot camera.

This.

Get a camera that is going to be easy and enjoyable to use. Work on your basic photography skills. Then if its something you enjoy pick up a dslr.

any recommendations on a point and shoot? im still considering the cannon powershot unless there are any objections

Ehhhhhh... IMO D70s > D40/60

To each their own though.


As for point and shoot. Hell any Canon SD series will do really.


Get a Leica M9. Full frame camera, very portable. (I'm kidding it's also has a ridiculous price tag)

This post was edited by Jaytron on Oct 9 2009 10:06am