what's a good digital camera for around $500??
i need a camera for art/academic purposes. it's part of a grant, so i can't really ask for more than that. i think i want something with the option of manual focus.
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If you're looking for a capable but not pricey digital SLR, I would recommend the Pentax k100d. It competes well with the similar Canons and Nikons, but costs less.
I would suggest getting just the body, and then getting a fixed width lense to go with it (without zoom). This will give you better quality shots... the lenses that come bundled with digital SLRs are usually subpar.
Also, the k110d is the same as the k100d, but without the shake reduction (and cheaper)... I'd probably go with the K100d myself.
Or you could just search craigslist for "digital SLR"... you can definitely find some deals, just be sure you know what you're getting.
p.s. After looking for lenses for the K100d not included in the kit, that may put you over $500... the kit lens should be alright.
A few more thoughts... the extra $100 (at amazon at least), may in fact make the k110d a better deal. I would definitely consider both. Also, apparently you can use old, manual, high quality pentax lenses on these. You can probably find a killer old lens on craiglist for cheap and then match it with this camera. Pretty sweet.
i'm happy with my sony cybershot 7.2 megapixel dscp200. not much time to describe it -- but you can find the info easily online. i bought it under $500 1.5 years ago, and i'm sure it's less now.
check out the cannon website. my kids have some that take great pictures
I would recommend any Canon IS camera. their site (www.canon.com) has a product advice center (more specifically – http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndex1Act&fcategoryid=101) where you can choose among the options and price range to find what matches your needs the best. Also, check out dpreview.com like someone mentioned earlier, that site can be a little intimidating at first (it was to me anyway), but slim the fat, by using their comparison function. I would use their function AFTER going to Canon site and having a general idea of what I want. After that, you can type in the cameras you are interested in and dpreview will give you detailed specs and also tell you other cameras (from other brands) that it can compare to.
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