help on buying a digital camera for school

[zombieshooter]

hi i've just signed up here having read the blog for about a year or so and picking up lots of tips. I'm starting my a levels next year and i want to take a photography course at my school. They say you need at least a 6 mp camera (my family one at the moment is only 4) and my dad has agreed to get me one for christmas but i'm not sure which one will be right for me.

I'm not sure if i want a compact camera or a dslr camera because dslr ones are quite bulky and are a lot more expensive. I've been looking on a few review sites but i'm still not sure which is right for me. I like the look of the panasonic lumix but i've read some bad reviews of it, sony cybershots are cool and there are some good reviews but what do you guys think?

[mhuk05]

What's your budget?

[Nicole]

If you're doing a photography course personally I would think you would want a DSLR for the extra control you get. By the time you start getting to the "compact" cameras that offer the same control / functions you're getting close to the price you would pay for a DSLR anyways. The DSLR will also let you grow in a way that the compact may not (if you intend to follow up with your photography) since you can buy different lenses as you go on. A used / refurbished DSLR may be a good option if you're on a budget.

[jdepould]

If you go the used/refurb DSLR route a Nikon D70/D50 would be good for under $500 (US) and used D200s will be coming way down with the release of the D300. Canon 350D or 30D depending on your budget.

As far as lenses, whatever body you end up getting, I'd recommend picking up a 50 f/1.8 and just a normal kit lens, great for just starting out.

[smc1377]

And also remember, not all pixels are created equally. A 6mp DSLR is going to be vastly superior to a 6mp point and shoot. The main reason being sensor size. You can only work so much magic out of the small sensors that are in point and shoot cameras. One of the most noticeable differences will be noise at high ISO.

[filemanager]

If a used DSLR is out of the price range, I have a Sony Cybershot which is awesome. I highly recommend it.

[wulf]

Have you got any friends doing the same course? What are they using? If you all have cameras that use compatible lenses, you will potentially get some mileage out of sharing lenses (depending of course on both how rich and trustworthy your photo-geek friends are).

Wulf

[JAHphoto]

A DSLR will make you the envy of everyone at the photography class.

Plus, they're way better.

If you can get one for Christmas, I would highly suggest that. It's worth the bulk a million times over.

If you can't get that, go for a hybrid, they are smaller, cheaper, but still have good controls. A Canon S3 IS or S5 IS are examples.

[zombieshooter]

thanks for all the responses everybody
dslr sounds like the way to go from what you guys say, i'm not really sure budget wise because i'm not buying it but i don't think anything too expensive because i'm getting a new computer as well which will cost alot and the bulk thing isn't just because its awkward but because i've got to carry it around to and from school and when i'm going to places to take photos on the london bus system, so a compact camera will be more discreet if you catch my drift

[Nicole]

Actually, lots of people don't even seem to look twice at people with DSLRs because they're getting more and more common. Plus as long as you have a good bag that's comfortable it won't be an issue carrying it around on a bus. I carry my camera whenever I go out and I walk everywhere :p

[jdepould]

Some DSLRs are smaller than others, a D50 with a 50 f/1.8 is pretty darn small.

[wulf]

Or go for a D40 (says the D40 owner ;) )... or similar low-end DSLR. They give all the control over the basic parameters (aperture, etc) that is missing on a point and shoot and allow the lenses to be changed (a drawback of the crossover cameras). You will be missing some of the features of more advanced cameras but you should still have all you need for getting a good grounding in photography at a relatively low price.

The other important thing to do is to check with whoever is likely to be your photography teacher. What do they think? Do they have connections to get a better price (I know that education deals are offered for areas like computing and music; photography might be the same)?

Wulf

[mattdm]

Don't forget the Pentax K100D -- superb features for the price. It's not as nice as its big-brother K10D and is probably due for an update soon,but if you're looking for a solid entry-level dSLR the price/performance is unbeatable.

See a review here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk100d/