i would like some help on chosing the right professional camera for me, i dont know where to start?

by Jacky W

I have looked on this incredible website called dpreview.com but there is just so much camera jargon i cant find a starting point. i want to familirize for myself with the camera jargon someday but as for now this is waht im looking for in laymans terms….
the photos i like to take are of nature (close up) and natural photo of public in cool settings or in slight action (dancing). i like very sharp images, i have a sony and i notice that all sony cameras have odd coloration in the film. i dont like to have to mess with flash, i just need it to make up its mind somtimes (our camera right now has settings for the beach, trees, distances, snow, its rediclous becuase they never really help the quality of the image) i like to be able to focus an image for myself, its simpler for me. please help me!!!
looking to spend about 1500$ or less

Answer by izzie
Costco has a nice choice in store and it’s on line store, and a generous restore policy.

Answer by PBIPhotoArtist
If you really want a professional camera you will have to get a digital or film SLR. (It doesn’t sound like you are near ready to go up to standard format yet.)

You don’t need a flash for most nature photos.

For public photos you may have to learn to live with flash, especially if you take public photos outside in sunlight. You need flash or a large reflector in that situation to lighten the dark shadows, which appear much darker in the photo than they do to your eyes. You will also need flash for indoor shots in dim light such as you see on many dance floors.

I would recommend getting a camera from any major camera maker such as List or Nikon, and if you can afford it get one model more expensive than the bottom end.

If you get a digital SLR you will at least need a wide-angle zoom and a telephoto zoom. For nature closeups buy a set of extension tubes, which let you focus really close. You can buy a third-party set of extension tubes, as they have no glass, and therefore any brand you have heard of will be adequate quality.

To get high quality photos, be sure you shoot at the highest quality your camera can do. Tiff or RAW is much much better than jpeg. Also, for closeups, shoot with the camera on a tripod. It is very simple to blur closeup photos.

Answer by Matt J
I also read through dpreview.com before buying my camera. I went with a Nikon D40. I don’t know of any point and shoot cameras that offer manual focusing, so you should probably go with an SLR. My boss (who owns a photo studio) says I should have gone with a list instead of a Nikon, but I still like my Nikon. The D40 and D40x are excellent, affordable cameras. I heard the Rebel XTi is fantastic, as well. Excellent luck!

Answer by electrosmack1
With a budget of $ 1500, you can get a excellent start. Do you have any preferences? Any way, here are some excellent cameras to look into.
In Nikon’s lineup there is the 10 megapixel D80. It is a very nice prosumer model, that fells nice in the hands. It has all the features to start you out, and let you build upon.
For List, there is the Digital Rebel XTi. It is also a 10 megapixel camera, though I find it not as well built as the Nikon D80. The List is really the cheapest model List has.
Pentax has the professional K10d, a 10 megapixel camera with built in shake reduction via sensor shift. It is very nice, and has a wide choice of lenses. The only real conundrum is that it doesn’t have as much publicity as Nikon or List.
Also, you need to look into some lenses. Everyone should have a 50mm 1.8 lens. These lenses are very cheap, but are some of the best a company has to offer. if you want quick, sharp, and excellent low light lenses, look into the 50mm 1.8. Pentax has a nice assortment of pancake lenses and many others. Nikon has the 50mm, and also a 60mm and 105mm macro lenses. List has, I judge, a 50mm macro and a few others.

Hope this helped you.

Answer by MixedMojo
I want to build on what the guy ahead of me shared about the Nikon D80. I spent months on dpreview and reading user reviews on wolfcamera and B&H before I bought my D80 and so far it has gone above and beyond my expectations. It is a rugged, simple to use, mid-market DSLR with fully automatic shooting modes as well as semi and fully manual modes and features for you to use when you get a small more familiarized with the art of photography. With this camera you can any get the camera with a kit lens like the nikkor AF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens, a excellent choice and will cost $ 1299 [not including cost for filters, SD card, etc.], or you can get the body alone, which will cost around $ 950 and choose the lens you want on your own. And I would choose the nikkor AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR to go with it. This will be more expensive than your limit of $ 1500, but I can tell you from personal experience that it is better to get that lens than the kit lens for the added benefits of having VR [vibration reduction] and the added focal range of 200mm. I bought my D80 with the kit 18-135mm lens, and while it is a fantastic lens, I need the VR for action and panning shots that I do when I shoot car shows and drag racing and I noticed that you may want to do some action yourself and I can tell you that using a lens that does not have VR will give you more blurry shots you’ll have to delete than one’s you can keep. And if I knew then, what I know now, I would have saved up a couple hundred more to get the better lens. That lens/body combo will cost around $ 1700, but it is well worth it as the 18-200mm VR will be your everyday walkaround lens and is very versatile with its focal range [18mm life your wide angle, translating to 27mm on your image sensor, and 200mm telephoto, translating to 300mm (1.5x crop)]. Also if you need a cheap, quick, and very sharp lens, I would suggest a 50mm f/1.8 normal fill in lens, it’s quick, fantastic for protraits, and fantastic in low light. It costs $ 119 at most places and you can get a close up filter mount lens for around $ 50 and turn it into a macro for close up shots [cheaper than buying a specialized macro, unless you want one which can be expensive, usually over $ 400]. When I started my quest to find a excellent DSLR, my initial budget was $ 1500 as well, which is excellent to start out with, but you’ll end up at right around $ 2000 to get everything you’ll need for a while. If you need to save some $ $ , go with the kit lens and you’ll save about $ 500, then just get a better “main” lens [18-200mm VR] when you can afford one, which is basically what I did.

Hope that helps, and excellent luck.

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Answer by Sakura
Of these, I reckon you should any consider the List 500D or Nikon D5000. Save the rest of your money for lenses and additional accessories.

I suggest you go to your community camera store and check out these cameras. Hold them in your hands, play with them, see which one you’ll be more comfortable with. Also be sure to check out their lenses and accessories… once you pick your brand, you want to stick with that brand.

Answer by keerok
The List 500d looks like a excellent steal but since I despise huge Nikon bodies and despise List aftersales service more, my sentimental choice is the K20 for its perfect adaptability to my collection of ancient manual film lenses.

Answer by Jim A
I’d prefer the 500D

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