Beginner help for choosing camera

[fekish]

Hi,

after extensive reading over the past week i came down to the following models.

Basically i have a Canon SD1000, and now i want something better, that would help me know some things more about photography and help me take some nicer photos in the future in all places (indoors, outdoors, family photos etc), as i am getting married in a month ...

The other thing i was looking for is to have good video capabilities as when i travel, we usually tend to shoot small video clips. Although i am skeptical on whether such HD films would fill up the memory card, and would be left without space during vacations (thus as a backup would have definitely my small canon).... Of course i suppose i could decrease quality of videos and thus, the size would be reduced...

The my list with order or preference - FOR NOW:
1. Pentax K-x - i dont want to spend much, and i think this is the best combination
2. Panasonic Lumix FZ35 - its compact and thus, has many +
3. Olympus E-PL1 - a bit expensive for now
4. Fuji HS10 - it was number 2 but read some bad reviews

What would you recommend from me from your experience?

Thanks everyone in advance!

[belong]

have you checked the canon 500D?

[fekish]

i think that is a bit more expensive and i dont want to go so high in expenses, as this is my first camera.

[rick55]

Hi, Fekish, and welcome!

I'm curious why you don't have Canon or Nikon cameras in your list. There are certainly some that would be in your price range. Rob conducted an informal poll, here, and Nikon and Canon are by far the most. I'm sure some of that is that people who check out the forum notice that it's loaded with Canon and Nikon comments, so they try elsewhere. But still worth thinking about.

Cheers,
Rick

[fekish]

The thing is that i didn't find a similar camera let's say to k-x around that amount of money. Its a bit higher that those brands start.

Also for the smaller ones, i didn't find actually any good comments for any other similar ones. the camera that i currently have is a Canon one

[rick55]

The thing is that i didn't find a similar camera let's say to k-x around that amount of money. Its a bit higher that those brands start.

If you have a hard budget ceiling, that may be the best choice. But if you really fall in love with DSLR, you may be replacing the camera before long. And if you start collecting lenses and accessories for one brand, it's harder to switch.

Cheers,
Rick

[Crovean]

Get a used DSLR to start off. I just started with a used Canon 30D

[Philjam10]

Hi: I started a year ago with a Sony Cybershot (used) to see if I liked photography. A year later after much reading, thinking and correspondence on this website. I bought a Nikon DSLR 3000. But some thinking that I picked up on the website accounted for my choice. Namely what do you want to shoot? I wanted to shoot wildlife since I live in the bush in central Northern, Ontario, Canada. That meant something better than the promotional lenses that the camera manufacturers, Sony,Nikon,and Canon provided in their sales. And I followed the sales as a matter of course everyweek. A professional camera store near where I lived had a sale on Nikon lenses with a super price on the 70-300mm. I bought the lens then bought the D3000, and cried poormouth and the sales rep paid part of the sales tax from his commission. In other words I made the package fit what I wanted, on good advice from this website. All the top brands are good, but if you have a Canon, or Nikon, its easy to get help from this website. If your budget is still tight use the same philosophy with used equipment from a trustworthy outlet. The basic package you buy is only the beginning, I've since added an 18-55mm lens, an expensive carry case, PS elements, an adapter for a 500mm mirror lens, and 2 memory enlargements so that my laptop has 2 GB's of memory. And remember the lens are not interchangeable between brands, so you are committed to a brand.
So, I repeat, buy according to what you want to do. All brands are good, but if you have a Canon or a Nikon you can get help anywhere.

[benm]

There is no need to decrease video quality (or photo quality) to save memory card space. Just buy more cards; they are one of the cheapest photo items you will buy.

[Shadowman]

Check out the following link to learn more about your camera and its shooting modes. This will help you learn more about photography and perhaps take nicer photos with the camera you currently have.

http://faculty.philau.edu/kayk/kkay/...y%20Center.pdf

[fekish]

Thanks for the tips guys,

basically after some search and your help i have as number one option k-x and second FZ35...

k-x because it will let me go into more depth of photography, i will be able to explore all aspect and feel extra motivation to read about photography.

fz35, because it will be a small and possibly more reasonable step for me, plus cheaper price and plus it shoots video on a compressed mode, that for holidays might be an easier and more comfortable solution as i wouldn't care so much for memory.

[Shadowman]

In your first post you stated you were getting married, so who will eventually make the final decision on which camera to buy?

Thanks for the tips guys,

basically after some search and your help i have as number one option k-x and second FZ35...

k-x because it will let me go into more depth of photography, i will be able to explore all aspect and feel extra motivation to read about photography.

fz35, because it will be a small and possibly more reasonable step for me, plus cheaper price and plus it shoots video on a compressed mode, that for holidays might be an easier and more comfortable solution as i wouldn't care so much for memory.

[fekish]

Well...

My finacee loves photos! She is looking on and on and on photos from previous trips. And also loves watching the little videos that we are making with our small digital cameras...

So if i have some good arguments on photo quality and video quality she would say ok.
If i tell her we have two options Pentax and Panasonic, the only thing she would most probably say is "so do we really need the more expensive camera?" Thus i would have to find some good points as an answer...