to start off, i know nothing about cameras.
- price limit is $150-$250.
- i already have a droid razr, i dont know much about the camera on it but u could tell from my profile. also i dont see that much.
- i plan on starting to go to the greenwich concours every year. but besides that and maybe semi-annual trips to NYC, i dont go to huge car locations. ill see something, like once or twice a month.
- another thing that bothers me ALOT and has cost me over atleast 15 pictures is the shutter speed (i thinks its called that) like one time it will take a picture in under a second, then it will wait like 4 SECONDS after i touch the button to take it. is it possible to preset that with a camera?
- so do you think its worth getting a camera with this kind of budget, or should i stick with my droid razr and smartphone cameras until i start seeing more exotics?

Well, it's definately worth it to buy a camera. Definately. Nomatter how many exotics you see it's worth it. But you may have to save up a bit more because you should get a DSLR for sure but i havent ever heard of one for under $250 unless you get lucky with Craigslist or Ebay.

http://snapsort.com/recommend#!type=DSLR&general=price&price=250

so you think a canon rebel t3 is good? also what about lenses, like are they required for it to work, or just optional to get different effects like polarization or HDR? also are there any lenses that you know are good and could keep me under 350? with the rebel body

I used to think using my iPhone was a good enough camera

Then a friend got me to get a camera which I did I got the Panasonic lumix tz30 which I've been using for about 18months... I also though with that camera I wouldn't want to upgrade to a DSLR

But I changed my mind and wanted something better so I just bought a Nikon D200 to get me started on the next level


You won't regret getting a camera
They are so much better than phone cameras

Awesome, but can you explain the lenses thing to me, like are they required for the camera to work?

Yes, the lens is the part of the camera that sees the image in the first place. Without it, your camera definately will not work. But, i'm not exactly the best person to ask about those. I think you should probably start with the kit lens that comes with the camera and upgrade later though because you'll have a lot of choices when picking a lens and you'll have to decide which range, aperature, and filter thread size you prefer. With lenses you also get what you pay for so you may find a $50 lens and hate it when you start using it. You really want to be sure of the quality before the purchase of a lens because some may not autofocus with your camera (a D3200 only autofocuses with AF-S lenses), some may make your photos blurry, some may be slow, some may add vignette, you have to pick between a wide angle and a telephoto, and some just aren't made well and break easy. I'm saving for an 18-200mm lens but they'll probably be way out of your price range for a while (about $1000 for the Nikon AF-S one, i'm not sure about the Canon version).

And to answer your other question, yeah, i've heard good things about the T3. It's what Andrew used to use and what Rivitography uses now (along with many other people on the site). It's definately not on the 5D level but it's a great entry level camera from what i've heard of it.

I thought Andrew uses a T3 currently? Anyways yeah you need atleast 1 lens, also I shoot with a T3i but my sister has the T3, I used her T3 before and it works well, It's a good entry level DSLR camera.

I'm not 100% positive but i think he recently bought a 60D.

ive given up on dlsr style mostly because of price. also given that ive never even used a real camera, i don't want to drop that kind of money not knowing if ill like it or not.

BUT, ive been browsing other things and ive found this

http://www.target.com/p/canon-powershot-sx-500-16mp-digital-camera-with-30x-optical-zoom-black/-/A-14233618?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C14233618&CPNG=Electronics&kpid=14233618&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=14233618&gclid=CIm7n569-7kCFYiY4AodqCEAvw

heres a review

http://www.trustedreviews.com/canon-powershot-sx500-is_Digital-Camera_review

it looks good so far, and the reviews are positive. are there any obvious problems with it?

Send Brendon (Davis313) a message about the Canon Powershot. He has one, although I can't remember specifically which model it is. But I do recall him mentioning that the zoom feature on his is very good.

I've never used one so i cant say if i like it or not really but the reviews look pretty good. This is my favorite camera review site;
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/886847-REG/Canon_6353b001_PowerShot_SX500_Digital_Camera.html

If it were me, i'd definately still buy a DSLR but for a point and shoot, it looks like a nice one.

I have a Canon Powershot A4000 IS and its a great point and shoot camera... I think Brendon has a A3200 IS (Not sure though) But it works great for me and will take some pretty decent pics. Now if your looking for something that you can mess around with shutter speed and stuff than I'd recomend the Canon Powershot SX160 and its the same price as my A4000 ($170ish)but is for a little more advanced photographers. Hope this helps you!

I would definitely start off with a point and shoot since you have never owned a camera. There is no reason to jump to a DSLR yet. I had point and shoots for 5 years until I upgraded to a DSLR.

I had a cell phone and went straight to DSLR. It would be tough in the beginning but at least you'll have the right equipment to practice with, although it sounds like DSLR is out of the picture for you.

that was exactly what i was thinking. and although, as W16 just mentioned, a DSLR is almost mot a possibility anymore, what makes a dslr so good?