Another New Guy.. Please Share your Knowledge!

[Calvinjd]

Well hello everyone. Before I start I would like to apologize. I understand this would be a fairly common question/cry for help, so i'll try to keep it short. I am a young/er university student fascinated by photography but have absolutely zero knowledge about where to start.

I'm looking at purchasing my first camera and need help. I don't want to rush out and buy something I know nothing about. My main barrier is budget, I can justify around <$800-$1000. Do I need a +$1000 camera? Should I start with a basic camera? What type of camera? What I would like to primarily use it for is automotive photography (meets, rolling shots, etc.) with the occasional time lapse (willing to sacrifice).

SO PLEASE, any suggestions, links, pictures, whatever it may be will be greatly appreciated!

[Jade]

Craigslist is your best friend. With your budget I would look for a crop sensor camera from Canon or Nikon, paired with a kit zoom that the seller will probably throw in for next to nothing (to cover the wide end of the focal range), as well as a prime lens or two that you would actually enjoy using.
A Nikon d7000 with a 18-105 and a 35mm f/1.8 would keep you under budget and it would give you a prime thats actually equivalent to 50mm.
Or you could look for a Canon a 70D or 7D with a 24-105 and the 40mm 2.8 pancake or the new $100 50 f/1.8

Also just buy a 35mm film camera and start shooting that while you're looking for digital gear, they are cheap and you can gauge whether this is an investment you really want to make.

[ToasterVan]

If I had to do it over, I'd get the iPhone/iPad. reasoning.. tablets smart phones have just as good image/video quality as a standard/stock digital camera. If you've a virgin to cameras.. my best bet would be to purchase a small pocket camera like the Nikon coolpic or the FujiFilm's XP series.. both of these cameras are water proof, idiot proof too.. I mean if you ask me this question a few years back I would have told you to goto your local community collage and take a course. But instead of using the digital type camera, I would have suggested the Nikon 35mm format body. But make sure you purchase lenses that are digital compatible. This way when your ready to upgrade the 35mm camera body to a digital body, you'll already have the lenses. Just don't forget to transfer your images to CD/flash instead of paper.