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Time to upgrade to a serious camera. 10+ megapixels and a real lens. Budget under $500

Posted by Dr.Vermin (aka Dr.Vermin) Oct 13 '09, 11:24

After playing with the work camera, I am now painfully aware of the limitations of my little pack-of-cigarettes-size digital camera.

So, time to get serious about this, now that I have more people to take pictures of.

What does SLR mean? I know what it *stands for*, but what does it MEAN to me?

"ISO up to 3200"? wtf?

Never heard of Pentax, but I see they have some models in my price range.

What else should I watch for?

Responses:

THANKS, you guys! I'm going to get researchin'... -- nm - Dr.Vermin Oct 13, 11:36 1
- site with reviews -- (link) - decline Oct 13, 11:37
SLR = Single Lens Reflex. Means you're seeing (almost) exactly what the lens will see. I got a Nikon D40 at Target on Clearance this wkend for $350. -- nm - JaxSean Oct 13, 11:32 5
- This is the camera I own. I have no complaints, except that I am always tempted to buy more and more expensive attachments for it -- nm - Roger More Oct 13, 11:34 1
  - Great part is, those attachments will work with the newest camera too. You're not throwing away any investment there -- nm - oblique Oct 13, 11:38
- Nice deal. I'd personally stay in the 8-10MP range but you're still going to get some great photographs from that. -- nm - oblique Oct 13, 11:33 2
  - I was considering that, but I figure this is my first attempt at an dSLR. - JaxSean Oct 13, 11:35 1
    - You'll be very happy with it. 6MP is plenty for up to 8x10 prints. No problem there. And be careful of the video - oblique Oct 13, 11:37
what SLR really means is 1) it is not point and shoot (for the most part) and 2) lenses are sold separately and are expensive - decline Oct 13, 11:29 2
- coworker bought a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens for his Nikon ... over 600 bucks -- nm - Beryllium Oct 13, 11:31 1
  - I spent $300 on one of the Canon telephoto lenses (it was last year's model ) -- nm - decline Oct 13, 11:34
Look at the size of the sensor, not the number of megapixels -- nm - Roger More Oct 13, 11:26 2
- That's what the girls tell the guys so they don't feel bad. -- nm - Mop (231 lbs) Oct 13, 11:29
- Yup. You can find great cameras like the Lumix or PowerShot variety that look great but ultimately have the same sensor as a cigarette sized camera -- nm - oblique Oct 13, 11:28
look for a shutter mode you can hold open for more than 2 seconds. -- nm - Max Oct 13, 11:25
500? Canon powershot SI. -- nm - loosilu Oct 13, 11:25 1
- here you go, the latest model is Power Shot SX20 IS. 12 megapixels. -- (link) - loosilu Oct 13, 11:27
It basically means you have a real piece of glass that can be changed with other real pieces of glass - oblique Oct 13, 11:25 8
- um, I can do that on my non-slr PowerSHot. However, the difference is when you are sighting the photo, you look through the actual lens that takes the - loosilu Oct 13, 11:28 4
  - I've never seen an interchangeable lens on a powershot. -- nm - pmb Oct 13, 11:30 1
    - my powershot a640 could interchange with one other specific lens variant for that model. Not much of a feature. -- nm - Beryllium Oct 13, 11:32
  - Which model powershot has an interchangable lens with the variety that an SLR has? I wasn't even aware any of them had even one option to change -- nm - oblique Oct 13, 11:30 1
    - Maybe not the variety, but that was one of the reasons I bought the Sony I did (that I lost). It had additional lenses. -- nm - JaxSean Oct 13, 11:34
- Oh, and if you're looking for a recommendation. Canon Digital Rebel XSi. Real SLR, 12MP, $630ish @ Amazon and totally worth it compared to any PS -- nm - oblique Oct 13, 11:27 2
  - This is the camera I own. It is absolutely amazing. -- nm - decline Oct 13, 11:30
  - I've used an XSi for a few minutes ... they take great shots, even in untrained hands. -- (link) - Beryllium Oct 13, 11:30 [flickr]
10 megapixels? Are you planning to print up photographic wallpaper? -- nm - TFox Oct 13, 11:25 4
- This is irksome to me. That's not why you get high megapixels for. The real reason is simple: CROPPING. - Mop (231 lbs) Oct 13, 11:27 2
  - I hope you recover ok. -- nm - TFox Oct 13, 11:29
  - real photographers don't crop! - loosilu Oct 13, 11:29
- my Pentax Optio W60 (waterproof point and shoot) is 10mp -- nm - Beryllium Oct 13, 11:27

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Time to upgrade to a serious camera. 10+ megapixels and a real lens. Budget under $500

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