i need a real camera. I always see these wonderful pics right in front of me and all i have is this sh***y digicam (3mio pix). so im looking forward to buy one, but the problem is (like always) the money.
any recommendations? the way i wanna got is macro and deeph of field and it should be digital. So i need a good cut between money and quality.

Just some suggestions, names and/or price lists would be good

Thanks!

(sorry for the english, i'm trying ;) )

A poor workman always blames his tools.

An good artist can make a great picture using any sort of camera. Learn to understand your camera's strengths and use that.

eg. if you camera has poor resolution - very likely. Take pictures which don't depend on good resolution to make them work. Push things more out of focus. Play with movement. Look for strong colour compositions.

I don't know what you camera is, never heard of it, but if you haven't got the money, then you really ought to "accept the things you cannot change and change the things you can".

I remember being in your position a few months ago! I have to disagree with Seedling in this instance; a good camera can make the world of difference for certain shots, and it's frustrating when you feel as though you're being held back by your equipment. Yes, you can take great shots, even on disposable cameras - but you're far more likely to get the results you want, first time, with a decent camera.

What sort of price range are you looking at? A bridge camera like the FUJI FinePix S9600 may be a good compromise - they come with many similarities of DSLRs, and you can get them from £242. There are also cheaper models available.

However, it depends how fast you expect to progress. I found that I had outgrown mine in about a month. I've now got a Samsung GX10 - I got a kit with 2 lenses (18-55 and a 50-200) for £650.

Hope this helps!

Go to my blog, and you will find some photos that I took using my mobile phone. I'm not kidding, my mobile phone camera is definitely worse than your digicam.
Anyway, if you are thinking to buy camera, don't buy those point-and-shoot camera, get low-end camera that has manual function, that allows you to set the aperture, shutter speed, manual focus, etc (at least these three). And play with that.
Mine now is not so high-class to,.. I'm not having a DSLR. I'm using Canon Powershot, below $500. See if you can reach that.

look for a compact super zoom they usually offer a good macro and lots of flexability. Mine is Dimage Z3 it has a super macro at 1cm from the lens. but not good for indoors or low light, slow or no focus indoors. i dont recommend this camera try Sonys super zoom or Fuji or Olympus. mine is rily bad for point and shoot i don't know why.
And i got mine for 200$.

As suggested, get a camera with manual controls, shutter and aperture priority modes. This will let you be creative.

I wanted a dSLR... had my heart set on it... but just couldn't get the money together for it...


I settled for a Sony Cybershot DSC-F717 - I got it for around $AU 500 (about half the cost of a dSLR body alone). Seems to be popular on ebay right now if you're interested.

I am extremely happy with it... absolutely love it.
Has manual controls, a fantastic lens and produces excellent crisp pictures.

And I am very happy with it despite the fact it is "only" 5 mega pixels (that's still plenty of pixels) and has no RAW mode (only TIF).

I also purchased a 3MP Cybershot DSC-P72 for only $AU 100... this is my pocket camera and it takes quite good pictures. I also loved the fact that it came in its orginal box with a $500 price tag.

Technology can blind you...
Technology gets better every day.
The "cheap" camera you buy today was perhaps once owned by a professional photographer who originally spent 10 times as much on it as you did.

And remember, it is possible to get a good quality camera that isn't an SLR... and with it you can take stunning photographs.



I guess the point is...
do your research, know your budget,
buy the best camera you can afford,
and enjoy it!

Ebay can be a good solution to money problems, look out for stuff from china though they can sometimes come with hidden charges. (import taxes) my brother has found a 2nd hand Canon Rebel with a lens and a long life battery for £224 buy it now, but that may be no good if you live far away from the UK.

Just wait and don't always jump in for the best deals. Summer is nearly here so summer deals should be coming. Good Luck.

I know it's been said already - But I have to say that it is creativity and skill that will get you further than a better camera.

Often when people see my photographs they say WOW you must a have a really good camera. Yet no-one said to Michaelangelo "WoW you must have a really good paintbrush!" or even thought that they would sound like Jimi Hendrix if they bought the same guitar.

All that said it is true that a higher quality camera gives you more creative options - but until you have fully explored your skills and creativity on a lesser camera - you'll never be ready for the upgrade.

Here is a link to some of my flikr archives - the shots here were taken with a Sony Mavica FD75 - this was a 1 mega pixel (yes just one!) digital camera that stored the images on floppy disk (remember those??) The shots are 7 years old.

see the pics here

Here endeth the lesson!

Agree with Nick - your equipment is just means for capturing what you see. My first digital camera was Epson PPC650, 1mpix and the size of a dSRL nowadays. Nevertheless I managed to take some nice shots with it - I would say even better than current cameraphone SE K800i. My second choise was Nikon F650 film SLR, what I still use.
Look around in eBay and if you can not afford new equipment, go for Nikon D70 or Canon 300D - they sell for a rather good price and with an upgraded software are good tools to start. Plus, you can use lens acquired as you purchase new equipment in the future.