Getting started with photography?
 

I've been inspired lately [namely by a certain magazine named The Fader] to take up photography as a form of artistic expression, and really -- to just have another outlet for fun.

I'm looking for a nice starting camera [film - not digital], to take around with me. Something not too complicated, but with a few features I can mess around with and still get a clear, crisp picture.

Price isnt *that much* of an issue, however since I'm really lookign for a starting camera, I dont way to pay too much.

Oh, and I didn't quite know what forum to post this in (since the photography forum is strictly for showcasing work), so any help, knowledge, or imput would be appricated. Thanks.

You know, you should try to find a nice used/new camera shop. I'm sure there's plenty in NYC. Tell the nice folks what you're looking for, and I'm sure they'll hook you up.

*moved to Tilted How-to*

check out some place like Olden or B&H Photo. I'm a big fan of B&H Photo, they close early on Friday and aren't open on Saturdays.

check out some articles on www.photo.net

I'm sure I've mentioned this site on TFP before, but it is a really good site for information about photography.

Click on the "Learn: link for articles etc. There's a couple of good ones on choosing a camera, setting up a system, etc.

Go to Ebay lots of cheap 35mm cameras there. I use a cheap Ricoh. Got the camera, flash and a decent lens on ebay for around $100. You don't want to spend too much in case you find you don't like it. FYI it is alright to ask questions on Photography Forum.

ebay is your savior
 

I think ebay is probably the best way to go. B & H is good too but I think you'll get a better deal on ebay. I would recommend getting a 35 mm SLR with a metal body. The key being the metal body, there's a better chance a metal body will survive being dropped. Also I would suggest getting a fully manual, that way you really learn how to use your camera in all aspects. I've also heard some people say that autofocus makes them use more film which of course costs extra money.

My sister got her camera off of ebay and you can find good complete cameras for under fifty bucks. I'm actually thinking about doing the same soon, my digital camera is fun but I really miss having a manual, the noises were just so satisfying.

btw B&H is awesome for film (and lots of other stuff too) they have probably every kind of film under the sun.

Good Luck and post your pictures here: http://www.fotolog.com if you can I'd love to see them!

my advice would be to enroll in a beginning photography class at your local college. You can use their camera while you're learning how cameras work, THEN you can buy one armed with the knowledge of what's good and what's not.

One of my favorite places is KEH.com. If you have the money, I suggest either a Canon or Nikon 35mm body with a Tamaron lens to start (the 35-300 will cover all of your needs). The advantage of buying this outright is that you can use the lenses you will buy later with any system upgrade you want to make. The lenses are the most expensive part of the camera system. Both Nikon and Canon have great digital bodies. With the more expensive systems you will have the option of renting strobes if you wanted to for portraits.
You should also take your special pictures to a real photolab where they change chemicals more often than the one hour places. The color saturation is worth it.
I would also advise you to buy a larger brand name camera because you have many options (filters, grads, lights,lenses, polarizers, etc.) Get an auto focus, auto exposure camera so that at the worst you have a rather bulky point and shoot. Then take a class and play with the manual settings. It's loads of fun. Good luck!

All of it good advice. You may want to try going to a local camera shop that sells used equipment and poking around.

The thing that will teach you the most about photography is using an old fully manual camera. These are also the cheapest :D. I used an old Nikon, but Canon makes some good ones too. I would get one of those two if for no other reason than that there will be lots of lenses available for them used. I would start with a 50mm lense to learn on and then move on to other lenses.

When you are first learning, dont use slide film. Its pretty expensive, and keep in mind that you wont get prints back unless you pay extra for them. I would get a good color print film. I used a lot of Fuji Superia 400 when I was learning. Good stuff.

At some point, see if there is any community college or anything around that offers classes in B/W photography. Black and White is a wonderful thing, as is being able to print your own prints, and you will learn a lot from it.

I like Nikon SLR's. The "guts" to the camera are metal not plastic like alot of the so cald competition. You could go with the F60 body to start. You can go fully automatic, or by F stop, or by shutter speed, or fully manual. Nikon has a good auto focus system as well.

Yes, photo.net is a good place to start. As for a camera, if you're looking for a digital one that's more than just a point and shoot, i recommend the Canon Powershot A60. It's got manual controls similar to the ones on semi-pro and pro cameras, and is a great value for its price range :) I'd recommend starting on that one before moving on to those pro cameras.

I started with an affordable Minolta SLR. I loved it even though I couldn't mess with the pictures as much as I would have liked. The camera I have now is a Nikon. Yay, for cameras that don't break right after the warrenty is up (My Minolta lasted 2 years and then just died). As far as a starter camera goes, the old cameras work wonderfully. As long as it is in good condition, the quality is great and they are pretty easy to figure out.

I got interested in photography only 4 months ago, now I'm hooked.

Got started out with a fully manual almost 30 years old SLR camera and a colour process B&W film (Kodak Pro. T400CN, for you geeks out there). Got about 10 decent shots out of 36 exposures film :) Then I moved on to a never Pentax SLR .. a bit more automatic, a bit easier and a lot better shots :)

I would follow the advice to take a course. I'm so fortunate that I work for a photographer, so it was kinda easy to get really good advice. Would have taken me a lot longer time to learn it on my own.

A tip for reducing costs: Only develop the film at the local photo-store and get yourself a filmscanner. That way you can look at all the pictures and edit them before ordering the prints. That way you don't even have to use B&W film .. you just use photoshop or similar to make it black and white.

Very good advice shrubbery. I have learned much from this thread. I am not a pro photographer, but I do love it so. I was 5 when my dad showed me how to use his Roliflex that he bought after the war in Germany.