Where to start with photography

[stance4sissies]

I was one of those random weird kids you met in your high school photography class.. using his older brother's Nikon 30mm(or 36mm...whatever is a normal middle of the road film size ) to shoot pictures of random things and ideas my teacher had assigned to the class. So I have a little bit of background knowledge and skills left from that class.

Anywho, that camera is long and gone and I really don't feel like messing with developing my own film, or setting up a home dark room. I'm looking into DSLR cameras, they
seem to be the bee's knees these days.

As of now, cars will be the main point of interest in photography, but I plan to start shooting larger scenic views, the kind of things you see after coming over a big hill or when you drive into a huge(tall) city.

I've read through reviews, forums and other sites, and after looking at the options, and over-all ease of use, the Nikon D3100, I think it could be the camera for me. 1080 HD video, 11-point AF system, easy to use and a good camera to start out using.

Now, I want to hear the bad and the ugly about this camera. I like to buy once, buy right, and get best bang for my buck.

If you have any other recommendations, please feel free to share. Personally, I think I can learn to use/deal with any camera, I'm a tinkering-technical kinda guy, I'll figure it out. I would prefer picture quality over easy-to-use, but I feel under-educated on cameras to try to make that opinion. I also find the 1080 HD vid hard to pass up, I can find plenty of good use for it.

Like I said, I'm new, I've done some reading. Now I'm looking for some opinions and wisdom.

Thanks

[Davy Dirkse]

hmmm well, i suggest using a 550D, is a nice semi pro camera and its even great for beginners aswell actually.. doesn't cost THAT mutch atm. 720p HD video recording. maybe 1080p, havent looked into that yet

[Kielan]

I got a 550D as my first camera and honestly I can't think of a better camera to learn on, you won't outgrow it for a long while, yes 1080p video at 30 fps. Its a fantastic camera, I highly recommend it. I still use mine and I've had it for nearly a year and a half now. See my flickr in my sig if you want to see what the camera is capable of with some pretty basic lenses.

[stance4sissies]

I got a 550D as my first camera and honestly I can't think of a better camera to learn on, you won't outgrow it for a long while, yes 1080p video at 30 fps. Its a fantastic camera, I highly recommend it. I still use mine and I've had it for nearly a year and a half now. See my flickr in my sig if you want to see what the camera is capable of with some pretty basic lenses.

I've seen some of your photos and they look great man. You've got a good eye.

I am reading up on the 550D right now. What does(should?) a 550D run for used?