Best camera for a beginner?

[Jess & Stewart]

Since I'm now depressed about having no good pictures of Stew & none to submit for the calendar, I'm thinking of getting an actual camera to take pictures with.

Suggestions on a good/great camera that isn't too expensive for a beginner?

I now have a fenced in yard at my dad's with lots of foliage, flowers & an old rusty barn to take pictures of Stew, so I want to take advantage of it!! If the photos loaded, you see there's potential there!!

[Jess & Stewart]

Here's the barn picture

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Love the color of your dog!  Gorgeous.

[Jess & Stewart]

Here's the ball picture I took in my apt that I wish had a better background because I love it.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Jess, it is so hard to know. I used a point and shoot for many years, got great photos, and was selected for the calender too!

I was  just so interested in photography in general and that's why I took a bigger leap.  Sad to say, I dont take as many photos of my dog as I do other things  ( please dont tell Spud)

Some iPhones have great cameras with good quality. 

Do you want to learn a lot or just take great photos with simplicity and ease?

[Jess & Stewart]

Joanne- I'd say I want to do both! I do think my new iPhone takes much better pictures than my old phone, which is what the pictures I posted were taken on.

I just wish I had more good pictures of Stew as a puppy since he was so cute. A lot of mine are bad phone pictures in my apartment, lol.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I think the best advice, I didnt take, was to go to Canon's used and refurbished website

[F, Calla & Luca]

We have had discussions on various cameras. The cheapest option is to get a good point and shoot. They are light and portable. If you want to go further you can still use your point and shoot for convenience at times, and invest in a dSLR. But even with what you have you can do a lot. Composition is vital. In the picture with the barn if you want a good picture of Stew you need to have him be prominent and sacrifice most of the barn. Maybe you should go through some lessons here or elsewhere on line before you decide on a camera.

[Jess & Stewart]

I definitely know I'd need to lose the barn in the pictures, that was just one I happened to snap and hadn't edited yet. My mom is actually a pretty great photographer so I know some things. Maybe I'll check out some dSLR's. I'm curious about mirror less cameras also.,

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

What kind of pictures do you want to take and how much energy do you want to put into learning it all, and what is your budget? 

Point and shoots are pretty good if you want something easy and automatic. It's much easier to get something in focus and decent if you aren't interested in learning photography. Some of the higher end camera phones are great but require fairly decent conditions to get a high quality image. Both of these options don't do well if you like to shoot action shots.

Digital SLRs are the way to go if you want really good quality and quick focusing, but getting an image in focus is a little harder than with the other options. They are also big and bulky and more expensive.

There is a new trend in cameras that is between a point and shoot and a dslr called mirrorless cameras. Sony makes a good one.

You can probably get a good used one of anything from craigslist. I have bought and sold a bit of gear there. Just decide what you want and know what it is really worth before you buy.

For general prices I check out Fredmiranda.com. Also a good place to buy equipment. I've bought and sold things there too. But it's usually higher end stuff.

To read camera reviews and buying guides dpreview.com is my favorite place to go.

FYI my next door neighbor wants to buy a new camera because she wants better pictures. Yet she doesn't want to learn anything about photography, she just thinks a newer more expensive camera will do the trick. I told her that she would get better pictures spending the money on photography classes and learning to use what she has. I don't think she wanted to hear that. She isn't the type of person that would even open the camera manual.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

I went from a Kodak point and shoot to a canon rebel. It did take a while to get the hang of it but with the help of the photography group and Camillas online classes I now feel so much more comfortable with my photos. If u feel u can't put down a chunk of money at one time, QVC an HSN have some really good deals on starter packages...and they have payment options.
Let us know what u decided. Hope to see u on the photography group soon..

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You can get good pictures with a compact dslr camera.  You can go on line to make comparisons:

http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=cano...

Stream of conscious remarks:

Get a camera with 'some' choices and if you find you want to do more, you can purchase a better camera later and keep the small one for quick stuff. Many compact camera let you shoot manual if you want.

The better the camera, the better quality your photos - even as a point and shoot.

The larger cameras shoot faster - so you get more pictures of Stew that aren't blurry.

Always set whatever camera you have on the best quality pictures it can shoot.

It is great if you want to learn how to use manual and really get into it, but most of us really don't want to get that involved but we would like to get decent results. 

Take tons and tons of pictures and you will end up with a few you like.

I chose a Cannon SX280 for my compact camera.  I mostly use it when my husband and I are doing motorcycle touring and I shoot while we ride.  It takes great pictures, but it has a battery drain you would not believe!  Would I purchase it again - not for the way I use it, because I  use 2- 4 spare batteries on a day's ride.