What's a good camera for a (serious) student of photography?

Just looking for a good digital camera for photography (i am a student and want to take this seriously for a 1st good camera) I am looking for a camera in which i dont have to use flash very often, be able to pick up details in scenery shots, below $400.00, fast and doesnt wash out flashed photos too much. Any suggestions??

Hi --

If you want to use the camera for a class or to learn photography in general, I would suggest you get an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) or an advanced digital that allows manual control over exposure. The Pentax *ist DL is the least expensive of the digital SLRs (although you'll also need a lens):

http://www.digitaladvisor.com/digital-cameras/pentax-istdl_reviews.html

Not having to use the flash very often means that you'll want to look for two characteristics in a camera: high ISO setting (800 or more) and image stabilization: both allow you to shoot in lower-light settings without a flash. A good choice here might be the Canon S3 IS which has a high maximum ISO of 800, and image stabilization.

http://www.digitaladvisor.com/digital-cameras/canon-s3_reviews.html

The Canon S3 does not have a mount for an external flash so you are limited to the built-in flash. The main reason that flashes on digital (or any) cameras look washed out or uneven is that the flash itself cannot light a wide area, partly because of its placement on the camera, and partly because of the amount of light it cam produce. All on-camera flashes make some compromises. An external flash mount ("hot shoe") lets you add a flash later that has more power and gets it's light source further away from the lens. The S3 has a pop-up flash, which is better than one mounted on the camera, but I cannot attest to its total power.

You might also look at some of the Panasonic cameras. The FZ30 is a little out of your price range and only has a maximum ISO of 400, but looks capable. Others from Panasonic might be good bets also.

http://www.digitaladvisor.com/digital-cameras/panasonic-dmc-fz30_reviews.html

Hope this helps.

One other camera to look at might be the Kodak P850 which has Image Stabilization and is actually in the price range you specified :-)

http://www.digitaladvisor.com/digital-cameras/kodak-p850~1_reviews.html

Tom

Hi, Thanks for the help but i should have stated that i am in Australia and my $400.00 isnt the same as yours (all though i wish it were!!) So those cameras (even though they seem to be exactly what im after) are a tad to expensive for me. I have been looking at the Kodak EasyShare Z7590. It is about $445.00 AUD at tiger direct with a Mach Speed 512MB Secure Digital Card ( which is whithin my budget)

This camera has good reviews - but i would appreciate your thoughts or anyone elses judging by my original post

Cheers

Thanks for all your advise Tom, you have been a great help as now i know what im looking for!

:)

Hi, Thanks for the help but i should have stated that i am in Australia and my $400.00 isnt the same as yours (all though i wish it were!!) So those cameras (even though they seem to be exactly what im after) are a tad to expensive for me. I have been looking at the Kodak EasyShare Z7590. It is about $445.00 AUD at tiger direct with a Mach Speed 512MB Secure Digital Card ( which is whithin my budget)

This camera has good reviews - but i would appreciate your thoughts or anyone elses judging by my original post

Cheers

The ratings for the Z7590 camera you want are very good and the good zoom and high ISO make it a good fit for your requirements. Kodak has done a very good job finding a good middle ground between the point-and-shoot models and fancier cameras.