What camera?

My previous inquiry - http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/blurry-ten-year-old-nikon-cool-pix-4600-fixable/96551/page1/

I'm looking for a camera to do some semi-serious photos. I realize a budget camera won't fulfill the list below but cost has to come first. I'm a beginner so there are specifics I'm not aware of.

• budget; low. Doesn't need to be a new model so used is likely.

• maybe a quality beginner's camera that can be modified as ability improves or needs change.

• not into tech so much, don't need a camera with all the bells and whistles, just clean photos.

• clear pics that can be blown up to a decent size

• I like to shoot in all lights, preferably dusk, dawn, cloudy, rainy. How about at night without a flash?

• currently into stills, with nature and buildings as my main interests. I love old buildings and trees;

I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks.

How big a camera are you willing to carry around? A DSLR is going to be much more flexible - interchangeable lenses - but it's not nearly as portable as some other options.

It used to be that you needed fast lenses to shoot in low light, but with high ISO sensors these days, you can get away with a lot slower (and cheaper) lenses. For the type of photos you're after, a slower lens will work just fine; ISO can take care of the lighting conditions.

How big are you planning to print? If you're not printing, or cropping heavily, pretty much anything out there today will work. Giant MP files are mostly just advertizing and wasted HD space.

Do you care about manual controls, either now or in the future? If you do, do yourself a favor and get something that allows you to make all the common adjustments (focus, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation) without going into the menus. Menu-driven controls will drive you nuts.

Do you care about shooting RAW, or are you content to have only JPGs? RAW gives a lot more potential for manipulation, but they also sort of require it, and they take a lot more space. What you intend to do after the photos are taken in terms of post-processing should guide this.

Beyond that, if you're particular about the look of the photos out of the camera, look at samples online. Not perfect, since there's usually a lot of compression, but it can give you some idea of what to expect.

Samsung

Sony

If not going DSLR

Oh, okay, I have to star the flamewar...

Canon sucks! Nikon rules!

Seriously, if you go the dSLR route.. Anything made in the last 5 years will be more than good enough for what ever you're after (technology and available lens-wise). You're buying into the lens system, the body doesn't matter so much. 1st step: Determine whether any of your friends have lenses you can borrow, and buy the same camera type as them. Assuming that doesn't pan out, go to a shop and spend some time holding the camera and manipulating the controls, whichever one "feels" better is probably the better choice for you.

I shoot Nikon myself, and I've found comparable new lenses in my price range (i.e.: not the professional sphere) are slightly cheaper than Canon, but your local demographics will completely skew that if you're willing to shop used.

The Pentax Q System is worth a look if you don't want a DSLR as well.

Black Friday sales put prices low enough that you could have gotten a body and pretty much every lens for around a grand all in. At that point, that's serious value.

First off, I need to learn all of the terminology at the bare minimum.

• camera size; I carry my camera around with me a lot so not too large. Slipping it into cargo pants would be nice but not at the expense of quality pics. I guess the largest sensor is more important than the camera size while still being affordable.

• printing size; at least 18x24?

• Good manual controls, definately. The less menu searching the better.

• I watched a video on RAW vs. JPEG. RAW, hands down. http://petapixel.com/2014/07/21/raw-vs-jpeg-using-real-world-examples-illustrate-difference/

• Wonko, no friends here at all so borrowing lenses is out. I do need to at least get a feel for what feels the best. From the looks of the G12 it has a not too large body but looks like a nice fit.

• Swank, I guess I want a dslr but would consider the best value. Can't afford a grand any time soon, though.

• Perhaps this search is similar to finding a used car - choose a good model that is in the best kept shape.

Keep your eyes peeled. DSLRs can be had for well under four figures, lightly used or even new.

Here's one with an additional pocket camera for under 400 : canon

Note that when you opt to shoot RAW, you are setting yourself up for considerably more work to get usable images. While that video makes it look quick and easy, the guy is also very experienced and breezes through a lot of stuff that will take time to learn. Also, bear in mind that RAW files will usually look very flat compared to JPGs until you work on them, meaning until you edit you won't really have usable photos. You'll need software as well, and time to learn it. Finally, RAW files take a lot more space and processor power. They are great for tweaking the final results, but there are trade-offs.

Sensor size matters, to a point. How the sensor renders is important as well; the only way to figure that out is to look at the photos a camera produces (and a lens, in the case of interchangeable lens cameras). For 18x24, you can get by with ~5MP, and 10MP should get you outstanding resolution at that size.

You should seriously be considering something like the Nikon J1. I picked mine up at Costco with two lenses and a bag for $550 on sale. They have released some newer models, so you can get the original for about the same $ lots of places now. It is small enough to slip into a pocket, or you can put a larger lens on it and get in a little closer. The camera is great in low light and at freezing action, and it has lot's of manual controls and shoots in RAW for complete creative control. The quality is enough that I don't use my DSLR much, and the convenience is such that I don't use point and shoots anymore either.

There are other cameras in the same genre, and most have a bigger sensor and better overall quality than the Nikon, but they sacrifice some features or style. Shopping around, you will find the one that is right for you. Some, including other Nikon models, offer a hot shoe which would be nice, or WiFi which would also be nice.