fearnot

I am beginning this experience from scratch and am seeking suggestions for a reliable, user friendly, used/new SLR camera. I think that I need to grow into digital photography; true or false? I want to pursue photography to satisfy my passion, and to hopefully take images that others value as well and are willing to buy. Thanks in advance for your suggestions and advise. (Budget concerns are a primary factor at this time as well.)

oleg Loc: NYC

Whatever the camera might be make sure it has RAW ability, Manual exposure and a hot shoe. Get a Point and shoot first, learn Photoshop. Then you can get the DSLR- check out the Sony line. Do not try the biggest number of pixels. The higher it is the smaller they are. My Canons - 5D and G7 have about the same pixel number 13MP. But 5D is a full frame and the size of a pixel is 64 sq. N-meters. G7- 4 N-meters. That's why the difference in quality.

BBNC

Fearnot;

You mentioned new or used equipment. Until you gain some experience and learn what is to be expected from your equipment, do not buy used unless you absolutely know and trust the source, and they can show you what to do with it.

When you are selecting your first set of gear, have a knowledgeable friend help you pick it out, whether it's from a box store or one of the big photo retailers like B&H.

jjestar Loc: Savannah GA

I would find a friend who has some experiance and have him/her go with you when you decide what you want to buy because salesmen are their to sell. I would suggest going to a camera store and actually handle the different types of cameras some are heavy especially with larger lenses attached. Also you have to decide how deep this passion goes and the amount of time and money you wish to allot to this new hobby. No sense in buying good stuff if its going to just sit there.

JimH Loc: Western South Jersey, USA

FN, there are literally dozens of 'beginner' level cameras that you could purchase, any one of which will do just fine. You'll get many answers here recommending a particular brand or model but those are coming from people WITH that particular brand or model. It really doesn't matter all that much, especially for your first real camera. My advice? DO NOT get all tangled up with the photo-geek speak and jargon right now. It will just confuse you. Forget RAW vs JPG, Photoshop, Gimp, Picasa, Elements, Lightroom, Topaz Adjust, 12mp vs 15mp, or how many square nanometers your pixels are. IT DOESN'T MATTER RIGHT NOW. Trust me, IT DOES NOT MATTER RIGHT NOW.

You have a couple of basic choices. A "point and shoot", or "P&S" camera is one that generally does NOT have interchangeable lenses. They tend to have smaller sensors than full-sized digital SLR cameras, but the only thing this really means in the END RESULT is that you can't enlarge a picture you take with an average P&S much over about 3 feet square. If that's not an immediate factor, you just saved your self a ton of grief - completely forget about MP size. Anything you buy today, unless it's about 5 years old, will be perfectly adequate.

P&S cameras do not have a lot of flexibility when it comes to adjusting the camera's basic modes - for example, you frequently can not adjust shutter speed or the aperture opening when you want to take more 'artistic' shots. The camera may already be programmed for common situations like "Portrait", "Landscape", "Sports", and so on.

So the bottom line with P&S is that sooner or later, when you learn enough about photography, you will be limited in what a P&S camera can do, and you'll graduate up to a full size DSLR.

There are some "bridge" P&S cameras that DO offer the ability to handle interchangeable lenses, and more camera control, such as shutter speed and so on. They may be a viable alternative that falls between the basic P&S, and a fancy, full-fledged DSLR.

Go to a camera shop if you can, and handle the various models they have. See what feels good in your hands. Without knowing your age and gender, we have no idea if you're a 19 year old sorority gal who weighs 93 pounds and has hands the size of butterfly wings, a 280 lb truck driver who bench presses Toyotas for entertainment, or a 83 year old with arthritic hands.

Use GOOGLE. There are many camera and photography review sites that often have specific sections for beginning photographers.

The important thing is to NOT get all tied up with details and useless technical mumbo jumbo. Yeah,you need to kinda know that stuff after a while - but not when you are first looking. Find a camera that takes nice pictures that YOU find easy to use and operate, and go from there.

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

fearnot,
I was in the same place you are in only about a year or so ago. What I would recommend is to buy a point-and-shoot super zoom camera. Here are my reasons why: one, many semi- and pro photographers have one of these in addition to their other cameras because of the wide AND long distances achieveable from just ONE camera and lens; two, most of the super zooms will also have a "manual" setting which you can learn and start getting experience with for when you eventually DO get that D-SLR; the barrel of the lens will have markings to tell you at what distance the lens is focused on, which will allow you to get experience with knowing what you can expect, either close-up or far away, from the lenses for your D-SLR (except those lenses will produce even better quality photos than your super zoom); these super zooms also have IMAGE STABILIZATION already built in to the camera to help avoid camera shake when you hold it but you should also get an inexpensive tripod (mine cost $30 and has been very reliable). Those are some advantages of super zooms. As far as cost, if you buy brand new, it is well worth saving the money to get a super zoom and you can expect to spend roughly $350 to $500 (there will be some on this blog who will tell you to save up even more money and make the plunge in buying the entry-level D-SLR). I'm not sure what your budget will allow so you might need to buy a used super zoom from a local photo store or good reputable online company like Adorama or B&H. If you buy a non-super zoom point-and-shoot, you will definitely not get the lens reach and there may not be a manual function. So...what are some super zooms to consider? I personally have a Fujifilm S200EXR, a Fujifilm HS20, a Canon SX10, and a Canon SX40. Other ones that have been rated decently are Panasonic LUMIX FZ150K, Nikon P500, and Sony HX100V. There are others, of course, but these are the latest (and greatest?) ones being offered. Simply do an online search on these cameras to give you a better feeling about them. As some have said, at this point, there are some things about cameras that are simply unnecessary for you to consider....BUT, one thing you should consider is whether or not the camera is manual focus or autofocus. That will be your biggest dilemma right now. Autofocus is easier but manual focus teaches you more about the whole experience of composing a shot. If after looking at these cameras you decide that a super zoom seems like a good idea for now but you're balking at the price, I would be willing to part with either my Fuji S200EXR or my Canon SX10 for about $150.00 each. Let me know if this interests you.

jjestar Loc: Savannah GA

The New Nikon 1 has received good reviews and has lens packages.

coco1964 Loc: Winsted Mn

Other than she's on a budget and the cheapest I've seen the new Nikon is between $600-$850 depending where you look. I've used Nikons most of my life, have 4 of them now and one thing I've learned about Nikon is don't run out and buy their new products because they will have bugs. The d3100 was an upgrade (get the bugs out) of the d3000, the d5100 is an update of the d5000, the d7100 is an update of the d7000 and so on. Now this may be true for other manufacturers as well but be careful about "NEW and Advanced" technology,it might come back to bite you........

coco1964 Loc: Winsted Mn

Just took a quick look and the new Nikon 1 starts at $600. Now a nice little camera that IMO would work great fot you would be the Nikon Coolpix P120 which you can pick up for about $250. It's a point and shoot and to start will fill all your needs. When the time comes you feel you want to go bigger you have a good backup camera or a glove compartment ride along----check it out...........

pfredd

Two points of your question leap out. 1- don't expect to sell anything unless you are a news stringer or happen to be there when the volcano erupts. 2- The wisdom of implying 'cheap'.
Would suggest you seek out a camera club - high school, jr. college, senior center (local camera store will know). In the club you'll get a lot of hands on advice, and very likely offers to buy somebody's gently used equipment at a very low price. You will get a snootful of TLC also.
P.S. Tread lightly, you are entering a field where the opportunity to spend money is unlimited.

Sensei

A lot depends on what your budget is. If you go onto Adorama, you can find a lot of used DSLR from various makers and compare them. They will be pretty accurate in their ratings. You can also check the B&H site and look at the used cameras on there. If you go to Adorama, also look in overstock
Overstock will have new and refurbished cameras available.