What kind of professional digital camera should I get ?

Question

am looking to buy a very good professional digital camera. I have been thinking of taking up photography as a hobby. Mostly photos of my childrens lives, family events, etc. Yet I have no clue as to what kind of camera is best for what I want to do. I was thinking of going for Nikon, Cannon or possibly a Sony one. I am also looking to spend between $500 - $700. I want it to be versatile and durable, because I am not sure if I will be able to afford another one any time soon. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I a sorry to tell you that you will need to increase your budget approximately 10 times in order to acquire a true Professional Grade Camera System.

Your budget will get you a Entry-level DSLR kit or a High-end P&S bridge camera which give almost DSLR type of performance.

If you go for DSLR, Canon Rebel XSi and Nikon D40 are the 2 models that I recommend.

For High-end P&S, I will suggest Canon PowerShot G9 and Nikon Coolpix P6000.

Answer 2

buy a sony  DSLR-A350 or a canon EOS Rebel XS

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stor...

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/contro...

Answer 3

stay away from canon

Answer 4

The marketplace calls "professional'"cameras something different - you want what they would call an entry level or enthusiast d-slr (a digital camera that you can exchange lenses and other parts) or a "superzoom."

The problem with all the slr's is that they look "pro," meaning big, not something you can put in even a large jacket pocket.  Olympus, another company, makes the smallest quality one available, but Canon, Nikon, and Sony all make excellent quality cameras too.

Here are a couple of links to facts on these kinds of cameras.  

If you are looking to spend $500-$700 and not spend anymore, get a good superzoom.  It is almost as good as an slr plus a couple of interchangeable lenses in most situation and everything is "all-in-one".

If $500-$700 is to buy the foundation of a photographic system that you will continue to invest in, get an slr.  like on of these:

Olympus 510 or 520

Canon XSI or XS (wait a couple months, the price will drop on the XS)

Sony 300 or 350 (a little bigger than the others but a cool flip out screen that's great for catching kids without them realizing they are being photographed).

Make sure the camera has Image Stabilization or Shake Reduction (same thing).  It will give you many more non-blurry pictures, automatically.

Answer 5

For that price range, I suggest you look into either getting the Canon Rebel XTi or Nikon D60.

I own the Canon Rebel XTi and I haven't had any problems with it... I love this camera!

The key thing is to try them out at the camera store first, then decide which one you're most comfortable with. Good luck!

Answer 6

That is actually a decent budget in my opinion. There are two approaches to this; you either get something cheap to test the waters or venture forward boldly, knowing you want to commit to the hobby, and get something towards the top of your range.

It will come down to features, in my opinion. Many cameras have huge resolution capabilities, but at the end of the day, you need to understand the features and the basics of light and composition. Try http://sharedreviews.com - there are a TON of people there who talk openly about their experiences with their cameras and how they have benefitted from them...or not, as the case may be. Best of luck with your search!