Best camera for photography?

If you're just starting a new interest, it's probably better to get an inexpensive one until you form a better idea of what kind of photography you like. Although I've a more heavyweight backup camera, lately I've almost exclusively used a compact camera - a Fuji A850 ( http://fujifilm.co.uk/consumer/digital/digital-cam... ) which is very versatile and straightforward. There are any number of small cameras with similar, if not better, specifications.

Photoshop *is* complicated, and expensive. For basic editing, you could try Google's Picasa, which has the advantage that it also organises your photos in a searchable album.

PS I think other posters are suggesting unnecessarily expensive cameras. Unless you're rich and cost is no object, it's complete overkill to get a DSLR at this stage. Compacts are really good these days, and excellent for developing skill at composition.

PPS Giggles: not me. But just because you have a budget, there's no reason to spend right up to it if it's unnecessary.

The best cameras for photography offer the user control. A good photographer knows what to control, and the camera can offer varying degrees of automation. Sometimes a photographer must manually focus, sometimes the photographer doesn't have time to keep changing exposure, and needs to lock in a specific setting. But it all comes back to the user and their ability to tell the camera the right information.

A fancy DSLR won't guarantee you great images, it's just a tool, a dumb computer, you are the key, you tell it what to do and it will do it. Without the camera the photographer is impotent, likewise without the photographer a camera is useless. You can get away with a 70 year old film TLR, just as much as the latest DSLRs, because none of that matters in the end, as long as the camera lets you do what you want it to do.

So with your $1000 spend as little of it as possible, keep it back for when you've developed interests in specific subsections of photography, then you can splash on more subject specific equipment. Start with a Canon 10D (with a Sigma 18-50 or Tamron 17-50) or Nikon D70/D70s (with an 18-55mm lens), they're not very expensive and leave you money to spend when you worked out where you're going.

For a start you should look at a basic cataloging/retouching program. Something like Adobe Lightroom or if you run a Mac, Aperture, this gives you everything you need to 'cook' RAW images. You shouldn't need more heavyweight software for now, because if you're spending more time photoshopping than you are shooting something is going wrong.

First thing: There is no such thing as a specifically 'pro' camera, but pros do generally use top end DSLRs (from, say £3,000 plus extras) because they give excellent image quality and are rugged and reliable. There are no DSLRs on sale in Britain for £300, but they do start around £350. All brands on sale in Britain are good, the top three are generally considered to be Nikon, Canon, and Sony. Certainly any DSLR will give you a good start in serious (and fun) photography. Indeed any DSLR becomes more versatile when you buy further lenses for it. The other way to look at it is a 'bridge' camera - which have long zoom lenses and start around £180. The physically smaller sensors in bridge cameras mean that the ultimate quality of DSLRs is not quite there, but the quality may be plenty enough for you.

Photoshop is... a professional tool. Use Photoshop Elements, it has the basic tools and is more appropriate for people who only wish to manipulate their photographs.

Overall, I would not suggest you get a DSLR from the start. At least, not a new one. Get something cheap to get you off on the basics of making quality photographs in terms of motif, composition and story behind the shot. As I said, start cheap and when your camera can't offer what you *need* to take a shot then move a notch up.

Other than that, Older Nikon cameras (D40) are *very* good and cheap but that is a DSLR. For now, I'd say you'll be fine with a DSLR-like camera (Canon Powershot S<x>). I suggest finding one with the capacity of manual settings.

Learn about what a camera needs. I'll include my learning website. It's very good so take your time and read through it.

Good luck.

i have a canon eos rebel xsi id recommend that to anyone, i just shot a wedding with that camera (im only 14) dont believe me if you dont want to :) anyways i've heard the newest canon rebel is an awesome camera too. I've also heard that the nikon d3000 is good too but ive never used it.

For the photo editing program i am going to get photoshop elements its like photoshop but for beginners and also you can take classes for it or buy books to help use it.

to see some of my pictures that i've taken with my canon rebel click the link down there =)

http://photographer22.deviantart.com/gallery/#-201...

Your ideal camera is going to depend on whether you want a small point and shoot or a big DSLR camera. Either way I'd recommend Canon, I find their products to be very well-built and intuitive.

If your looking for a reliable, small, all-rounded camera, the Canon Powershot SD780IS is a good choice: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T9NUQM?ie=UTF... It has 12 megapixels, 3x Optical Zoom, image stabilization, and a big LCD screen. It's also very compact and the black version is pretty sleek.

If you're looking for a DSLR, you don't want to cut corners, you want to get a camera which isn't going to become obsolete in a year. I'd recommend looking at the Canon Digital Rebel T2i: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035FZJI0?ie=UTF... I know it's expensive, but it has 18 megapixels and shoots unlimited 1080p video at 24 fps, which is movie quality.

Try Trick Photography Special Effects - http://tinyurl.com/OJ9NE3qdgm

Cameras ... man this question gets asked like 10 times a day.

Any rebel but I'd go for T1i at your budget ... the XSi is pretty good but it;s starting to get a little old.

Photoshop isn;t THAT complicated ... it's pretty easy. Just go watch some tutorials on YouTube and you;ll catch on.

I have a Nikon D5000, and I love it. It takes pictures and video and is very easy to use. I got mine for around $700. As far as photo editing, picnik is a fun and free site, as is photobucket.

Well, Ray, she did say it needed to be under $1000. This camera is. I'm guessing that you were the one to thumbs down my post...

with 1,000 dollars you could buy a D-SLR, I assume that's the kind of camera you want, a good one would be the Pentax K-x.

Photoshop can be complex, but only if you don't learn to use it, buy a book if you must, a similar program would be Corel Paint Shop Pro.