Camera Pros

[E30_fiend]

word

I guess I will have to do wha others said and go try out some cameras at an electronics store

[Stephen]

Entry level SLR. Go check them out. Find which one you like. there will always be an eternal bitchfight between Nikon, Cannon, and others like Sony. Realistically the difference between the various SLRs is minor compared to the abilities of the photgrapher. So if theres one that fits your hand well, has the features you want, and an intuitive menu, go for it.


Edit: for the budget you might want to consider something that would allow for some software so you can use RAW and do post processing. That makes a HUGE difference than shooting JPEG with nothing to edit with.

[E30_fiend]

When do you come back? We can talk cameras then

[Stephen]

Dec 11th :(

lol


If theres anyway you could get a 5 or 600 dollar camera AND some good software thats what id do. Unless of course you obtain it through the interwebz

:shifty

[daniel]

Edit: for the budget you might want to consider something that would allow for some software so you can use RAW and do post processing. That makes a HUGE difference than shooting JPEG with nothing to edit with.

picasa has RAW support, and it is free for all operating systems. iphoto has raw support if you have a mac. It also isn't hard to download lightroom illegally if you want a pay-for program.

and yeah, as others have said, there is not a consensus, because choosing between the d3000 and the rebel xsi is like splitting hairs. it comes down to whether you know people with a certain brand of SLR so you can maybe share lenses, and which one is most comfortable in your own hands. maybe even the shutter release noise will make you choose one over the other (canons have more of a zap noise while nikons have a clack).

[Stephen]

picasa has RAW support, and it is free for all operating systems. iphoto has raw support if you have a mac. It also isn't hard to download lightroom illegally if you want a pay-for program.

and yeah, as others have said, there is not a consensus, because choosing between the d3000 and the rebel xsi is like splitting hairs. it comes down to whether you know people with a certain brand of SLR so you can maybe share lenses, and which one is most comfortable in your own hands. maybe even the shutter release noise will make you choose one over the other (canons have more of a zap noise while nikons have a clack).

Ive got iphoto. I know Taylor doesnt have a mac though. And im talking like Elements or CS3/4, which i use. I havent used Picasa, but im so used to CS4 at this point. If picasa really is good, that might be a good solution. My only point is get yourself some software one way or another.

And i didnt want to recommend d'ling... but..

[E30_fiend]

Ive got iphoto. I know Taylor doesnt have a mac though. And im talking like Elements or CS3/4, which i use. I havent used Picasa, but im so used to CS4 at this point. If picasa really is good, that might be a good solution. My only point is get yourself some software one way or another.

And i didnt want to recommend d'ling... but..

actually I do have a mac. Its a Mac Mini. Cool little thing too. My whole computer is like 6"x6"x2". love it

[nizrulesall]

I second going into a store and getting your grubby little mits on the actual bodies. I searched and tested out canons and nikons for months before i bought. You'll build up a preference with a lil bit of handling. The place to get picky is with the glass. I personally like the build of the nikon (d300) better, just feels solid and perfect in my hands. You cant go wrong with either the canon or nikon.

[Stephen]

actually I do have a mac. Its a Mac Mini. Cool little thing too. My whole computer is like 6"x6"x2". love it

Huh, never seen it. I had one too theyre neat. Mines gotten old now though haha

[daniel]

actually I do have a mac. Its a Mac Mini. Cool little thing too. My whole computer is like 6"x6"x2". love it

well since you have a mac you have some options. iphoto which is built in, picasa which you can download free, or even download a free, legal trial of lightroom (definitely more complex than the iphoto or picasa- requires some patience).

i have a mac mini but run win7 on it 100% of the time. i have lightroom and picasa. as a photo editor, lightroom is more robust, but as a photo library application, picasa is much nicer, even though lightroom is pretty good at managing a library also. picasa has almost all the editing features of lightroom, except it has fewer options when editing specific hues.

the biggest difference between the two is this:
lightroom saves your edits as a series of commands, leaving the original photo intact and making the edits only visible in lightroom. if you want to "save" your edits to the actual photo file, you have to "export" the edited photo (to wherever) as a jpeg.

picasa saves the original version of your photo in a hidden folder in the same folder where the photo is, then saves the edited version in the original folder so it can be viewed by any photo program or easily uploaded to the internets.

it really depends on your needs. i find that once i edit a photo i won't be editing it again, so i like the way picasa handles things. but, to upload a photo to the internet, you have to save a RAW photo as a jpeg anyway, and you will have to do this with either program.

blah blah blah blah, basically just try both of them out for yourself.