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General discussion

help with picking a SLR CAMERA (rookie)

May 7, 2012 3:50AM PDT

hello.... i need of help. i was looking for the best slr camera. a big thing i'm a rookie at all of this. so i was reading the cnet site trying to figure out what would be the best. having a very hard time doing that. please help... i like taking pics of moving cars, sports. fast moving things. i need a camera that can keep up. what do you think.... i wanted to keep the price under $1000..... thank you for your help

Discussion is locked

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DSLR cameras
May 7, 2012 5:39AM PDT

All DSLR cameras can handle fast moving things.

The trick is to use a fast shutter speed (1/1000th of a second is usually sufficient).

If you are tracking a fast moving vehicle, you do need to use the optical viewfinder.
It is very difficult to track by using the LCD screen.
So you should make sure the DSLR does have an optical viewfinder.

I suggest you buy the kit lens that is associated with the camera you choose.

The two most popular brands are Canon and Nikon.
Which is better?..... Both!

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help
May 7, 2012 11:52AM PDT

thank you very much for your help snapshot2

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Knowledge and Technique
May 7, 2012 7:57AM PDT

You need knowledge about exposure and technique to capture action photography; it has very little to do with the camera. Buying a more expensive and complex camera won't help if you don't learn about the basics of exposure. This simulation covers the fundamentals of exposure:

http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/

You can Google the different types of sports you are interested in for pointers on the equipment needed and the techniques involved.

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help
May 7, 2012 11:54AM PDT

thank you very much for your help pistoncupchampion

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Canon EOS Rebel T1i
May 8, 2012 2:36PM PDT

I went through this same issue myself when I was looking to make the leap to DSLRs. Not to try to intimidate you, but if there's one thing you should know, it's that everything about DSLR photography is expensive. When I bought mine, the total came to just over $1000 for a camera and two lenses.

Consider going for 'last year's model,' something that will be on discount and probably bundled with an extra lens to help get you started. I personally own a Canon EOS T1i and while it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of some of its higher-priced (or newer) siblings, it definitely has what it takes to help you get started with the basics of DSLR photography.

The best advice I could offer is after you do your research, head out to some of the photography shops in your area and try them out for size. You can read all you want about them online, but nothing really compares to getting to use it in person. You might find that you'd be more interested in a high-end point and shoot rather than a DSLR.

Good luck!

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I agree.
May 23, 2012 5:00PM PDT

Once you have your DSLR you would always have a reason to spend and we're talking about small amounts here. Anyway, I'm also a newbie in photography and got my camera just a week ago. My friend advised me to get an old model and just invest on the lens so that's what I did

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typo
May 23, 2012 5:01PM PDT

*we're not talking about small amounts