Camera Recommendations

A family member emailed me today asking what camera I would recommend for a beginner. This is a question I've gotten a lot over the years! I thought I would share my response this time with everyone. A disclaimer though, all of my recommendations here will likely be out-of-date in only a month!

The first site I point everyone to is http://dpreview.com/. They have the most in-depth reviews on the internet of every camera make and model imaginable. Besides the raw specs, you'll also want to know if the menus on the camera are user-friendly and see some sample pictures from the camera as well. http://dpreview.com/ has all of that.

Now, here are two entry-level cameras that I recommend. I'm not saying their cheap! But both of these are very good starting points if you want to seriously dig into photography.

Canon G10

I own the Canon G9 myself, and the G10 is its recent successor. The G10 packs many of the same features of an SLR into a compact camera. It's 14.7-megapixels and can shoot RAW files giving you complete control over your images. You can shoot on aperture-priority, shutter-priorty, and manual mode; or keep it one of the auto-scene settings. The 28mm wide-angle lens is also a huge plus for a camera this size. It has an E-TTL hot shoe as well if you decide to add a flash later. The gives you a lot of options, especially for portraiture, as you could later move your flash off-camera with a connecting cord to the hot shoe or a radio trigger attached to the hot shoe.

One thing I learned the hard way with the last compact camera I owned is to never buy one that doesn't have an underwater housing available. Even if you don't want the expense of buying it when you buy the camera, you want the option for later. Then in a few months when you're about to take a beach vacation you can pick-up the waterproof housing. I own the one for the G9 and highly recommend it for snorkeling or to keep your camera safe while out on the boat. At the time of this writing you can buy the underwater housing for the Canon G10 for $174.95 from B&H.

Buy the Canon G10 from B&H
or Amazon: Canon Powershot G10 14.7MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR Lens

If you want to jump into the world of DSLR cameras for ultimate control over your pictures, then the new D5000 is a great way to go. The kit I'm listing here comes with a 18-55mm vibration resistant lens, meaning that you can hand-hold it at slower shutter speeds and still come away with sharp pictures. The great thing about owning a DSLR, whether its Nikon or Canon, is that you can add lenses, flashes, and other gear over time and the whole system will grow with you. One day when you're ready to dig deep into macro photography or underwater photography or sports photography, you don't have to scrap everything and start over with a completely new system.

The Nikon D5000 would last you a long, long time though. At 12.3-megapixels it's not going to be obsolete immediately. I huge plus is that it also shoots HD 720p video. This works with any wide-angle or zoom setting and with any lens you put on the camera too! The D5000 has 19 auto-exposure scene modes to help you make the transition to a DSLR, but as soon as you start learning more about photography you're going to want to stay in either aperture-priority (where I live most of the time), shutter-priority, or full manual.

Buy it from B&H
or Amazon: Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD