Digital Cam for a newbie

D

Dark Star

Herald
Well I have developed an interest into photography thanks to TE :P But I haven't had much of an experience with digi cams nor the dslrs. So to begin with I want a digital cam . Considering this will be my first digi cam I need something good and with subtle options and decent features.

Here is what I am looking for :

1. Don't prefer brands and megapx. Cause they are not always the best for the performance. So need a cam with good sensor rather than whopping mpx.

2. Need cam for general picture capturing, will be using this cam for capturing system,products pics needed for reviews and articles.

3. Should have capabilities of doing good HDR image capturing and what not :P

4. Color production should be good as well.

I am totally clueless about the things I need to know and look for so please do help me out.

Now price. I don't actually know how much should I spend . Considering this as my first cam, I am betting on anything thats under 10k. I don't want a DSLR cause I don't need something the pro atm nor i need something over 10k for my needs.

So please do suggest me a good camera for my needs.

Regards
 
At 10K, I don't think you can expect anything more than a decent P&S with a small sensor and more pixels. There isn't a single P&S in that budget (or even beyond that) that has a decently large sensor. Sigma DP1 or DP2 come with a big sensor, but they cost upwards of 350$. Your best bet would be to increase your budget and get a decent 4/3rd cam or compromise on your requirements.
 
logistopath said:
At 10K, I don't think you can expect anything more than a decent P&S with a small sensor and more pixels. There isn't a single P&S in that budget (or even beyond that) that has a decently large sensor. Sigma DP1 or DP2 come with a big sensor, but they cost upwards of 350$. Your best bet would be to increase your budget and get a decent 4/3rd cam or compromise on your requirements.
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Well, I dont see any requirement of TS for which he need any M 4/3rd or a large sensor cam. :P

A decent P&S cam seems ok for the first digital camera. 10k budget is not too bad to begin with.

To me, at this budget Canon IXUS 120 IS seems a good option..

PS : No idea of fujifilm, though people say they make decent cams too..
 
What about canon SX 120 IS? you might get it for around 11 ~ 11.5 K !!

or you might want to look into panasonic lumix series? FH 20 / 22 ?
 
ashvarybabul said:
Well, I dont see any requirement of TS for which he need any M 4/3rd or a large sensor cam. :P

A decent P&S cam seems ok for the first digital camera. 10k budget is not too bad to begin with.

To me, at this budget Canon IXUS 120 IS seems a good option..

PS : No idea of fujifilm, though people say they make decent cams too..
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Requirements 2 & 3, especially 3 require a good image from a decent sensor, preferable in raw format. :P Just did not want the OP to have great expectations in a 10K cam. A 10k P&S is good for nothing but casual photography.
 
Fuji is best VFM , no compromise in quality, and best deals, do for something in range of 10k and you will ger a ultra zoom cam worth every rupee spent.
 
If u can get Fuji Film Finepix s1800. The best VFM i would say. Sell on eBay around 12k. On Amazon 6.5k though.. after import to India through ICC world 10k
 
logistopath said:
Requirements 2 & 3, especially 3 require a good image from a decent sensor, preferable in raw format. :P Just did not want the OP to have great expectations in a 10K cam. A 10k P&S is good for nothing but casual photography.
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2 and 3 are contradicting to each other :bleh:

Why he wants HDR for general imaging, product and review photos..

U might be aware of the fact that while HDR is need for some it is fantasy for most of the photographers :)
 
Dark Star, when you say you want to try photography, is it for a hobby or do you need an everyday camera. Cause if its the former, I suggest you hop over to jjmehta forums and look for a pre-used Canon 350D or Nikon D40's....
 
^^^Its a hobby . If P&S are that bad I will have to look for something better.

What if I increase the budget ? Anny decent suggestions for good capturing ? Shouldn't be too high end ? Something from the leagues S3IS(retailed for 17 grands ?right?) ?
 
First decide on the P&S or the DSLR option .Speaking from experience , a year back I was in the exact same dilemma as you . I thought DSLR is only for very serious photography and I would never get the hang of it so I should stick a superzoom / P&S with DSLR like features. Also for my budget no DSLR had 720p recording which I used only a couple of times in the whole year.Overall looking back I can say it was a somewhat a good decision cause this thing (FZ-35) was small enough to carry everywhere and click random snaps. It gave me almost full control over the snaps and helped me learn about Aperture,Shutter speed ,ISO and all the other jargon ! I have eaten a lot of peoples head on TE for this , especially Brendon :rofl:.

But after learning everything , a year down the line ....I also feel , damn I wish I had bought a DSLR !! Its cause I know that even though I haven't utilized my superzoom to its best and still lack in the creative/composition side , my camera has started limiting my requirements to an extent. I just cant think of shooting good portraits in a room with nice ambient lights etc.I just cant up the ISO beyond 200 cause it adds up hell lot of noise to the snaps . Its just on a different level with the DSLRs. Now I might be getting rid of this superzoom and upgrading to a DSLR. Just like audio its a super expensive hobby so I need to very very careful before falling in love with all those amazing glasses !

So I would say first decide - what kind of photography you are interested in , how much time you can give right now or in future as you start enjoying it and then get a good camera depending on that.

In non DSLRs if you can up your budget you can get some good P&S from Canon ,Panasonic etc in ~12-15k range.There's the Canon S90 as well which gives amazing results , but way expensive ! In DSLRs, you can consider buying a new/used Canon 1000D or a D3100 for almost 3 times your current budget :ashamed:

One thing Ive learnt from all this millions of Flickr snaps and images posted on TE thread , more than the gear its your vision that matters.Some are born with raw talent while some get it with dedication and practice .You just need to go out and shoot as much as possible . :P
 
Buying a DSLR is just very similar to making a higher end computer rig...

You cant make it go cheaper. Just like you cant just buy a i7 and some blah blah and then not installing a good cooling setup to save money.. or using a 600 bucks PSU for it. Every thing go expensive whether its Mobo, PSU GPU cooling stuff etc...

Same go with DSLR. buying a 1000D (which is least) wont end up with things. You need better lens, better tripod blah blah..(given that better skills are already there :P )

PS : Its not that I am against DSLRs.. I just wish to show the hidden point of DSLR story
 
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