Besides orders being placed the most common email I am getting right now is “I want to get a camera for Christmas. What do you suggest?” So here goes…
I recommend a dslr over a point & shoot…even if you don’t know how to use a camera on anything but the automatic mode. The basics of photography are fairly easy to learn and a dslr opens the door for so much more than a point & shoot. They are bulky, but well worth it in my opinion. As far as specific dslr cameras go, I shoot with Canon so naturally I lean to Canon. Nikon is also a great brand. I personally would stick with one of those. I buy most of my equipment at BeachCamera.com, but there are tons of great credible online stores. Locally, I would recommend Camera Gallery at 71st & Memorial. They can really walk with you through what camera will fit your specific needs.
I recommend:
any of the Canon Rebel versions ($450-$800) – This would be my #1 recommendation for most people
Canon 20D, Canon 30D, Canon 40D, Canon 50D
Nikon D40, Nikon D60, Nikon D80, Nikon D90
You will also notice there are several different lens options. To explain it in the least technical way, here you go:
18-135mm: This is a zoom and a wide angle. Numbers below 50 allow for a wide angle.
f/4.0: In simplistic terms this is how blurry you can make your background. The smaller the number the blurrier the background. I only buy lenses that are f/2.8 or smaller.
You can always invest in the camera with the lens it comes with, learn photography beyond the Automatic mode and then invest in lenses that fit your personal needs. Hope that helps….just a little note to say I’ll be doing more teaching related things next year, but a dslr will be required
Canon is offering a rebate on certain models, you find that rebate HERE
by AshleyAnn
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sheridan - oh my gracious…if you are going to teach us I will be BEYOND thrilled. I’m ordering a new camera today! Oh I can’t wait to check new posts! So excited!
AshleyAnn - All in due time Bopha…keep checking the blog…hint, hint, hint
bopha27 - okay, the next thing that the great ashley ann should do is teach a crash course for us dummies (no offense, Jeanette
) that bought expensive cameras and don’t know how to get our monies worth out of them.
AshleyAnn - The “f/thing” is called an “f-stop”
You won’t see it on the camera because it is a lens component. Typically you can see it on the lens. For instance on the camera above it is 1:3.5-5.6. That means at the widest (smallest number – most blurry) it is 3.5. Since that is a zoom lens it can change from the smallest being 3.5 to 5.6 depending on how far you are zooming. You can buy a Canon 50mm f/1.8 for under $100.00. It isn’t a zoom, but is an AWESOME lens for getting that blurry background. I have one similar and do 95% of my stuff with it.
Jeannette Swan - I can’t figure out the f/ thing on the XSi! Hey, I just got home from Target and noticed the camera above was $150 more at Target than beachcamera – plus you would have to pay tax. I would take the beachcamera.com route for sure.
bopha - Okay, that has been my one biggest question, how do you get your backgrounds so blurry. I have a rebel xt and I can’t find where you see the f/? information. any suggestions?
jesse - Girl, you know I have my eye on one! Thanks for the suggestions!
Jeannette Swan - I couldn’t wait until Christmas so I took the plunge and ordered the camera above from Beach Camera as Ashley suggested. At least my birthday is in November!! I even compared the prices and it was $40 cheaper than Best Buy – and no shipping or tax. I know I need to learn how to use in manual mode and am going to wait patiently for the lessons, but even in auto mode, the pictures are great. Thank you, Ashley, for taking the time to give us your idea and suggestions – we love them!!