Dilemma.

[Reinardina]

So a DSLR it is going to be after all! Glad that is settled.

[donoreo]

A DSLR will give the most options

[Reinardina]

And an almost endless supply of 'add ons.'

You can go as far as your aspiration, skill and purse will let you.

But it will always be the photographer who will make the picture.

[eysha]

I get what you are saying R, obviously no confidence in me.

Now how do i close this thread and leave?

[Reinardina]

Sorry Eysha, I think it is you who doesn't have confidence in yourself.
You're relying too much on what other people think and like. And even the top photographers, do not see eye to eye, as to which camera is best.

Earlier in the thread, Hinfrance gave the the best possible advice, when he said you should go out and get to know your camera's inside out. Go out and take photographs. Adjust your viewfinder so it suits your eyesight, and if that does not work, rely on autofocus, which you can see on screen.

A photographer friend of mine, always carries a Panasonic point and shoot camera, so if he comes across something worthwhile, and does not have his DSLR (a Nikon in his case) with him, he can take photographs. Some of his best shots, were taken with the point and shoot.

It is not the camera that makes the shot, it's the photographer.

You're a painter, so you have a trained eye. All you have to do is go out and take photographs. Hundreds of them. From different angles. That's what I do. And I'm not there yet, not by a long way.

Start with simple things, forget about birds in flight, till you know what you and your camera are doing. Aim for perfection, but don't be disappointed if it does not work out immediately. Study your photos, and go back to take them again, if you recognise they would be better from a different angle.

I suppose it is like painting, the more you practise and look at your work with a critical eye, the better you get.

Now take your camera for a walk and shoot everything and everyone in sight!

Good luck!

(And you don't have to close the thread, it will simply sink into the morass of old threads.)

[Graham]

  Hi Eysha.
                Can I suggest that you take note of whay Reinardina just said. One of the most sensible things I've heard in a long time.
                                      Graham. 

[jinky]

I get what you are saying R, obviously no confidence in me.

Now how do i close this thread and leave?

R isn`t having a go there - it`s something she and others often say about not getting hung up on equipment and getting the most out of what you have before moving on , especially if money is an issue. I used my Nikon D80 for 4/5 years ( and still do for some of my sports events  work making use of the crop factor and just saving wear on my D700. I moved to the D700 because  I wanted a better dynamic range and full farme to make best use of my fast lenses etc. Whilst I can dream of a D800 I will probably use my D700 for a few more years until I know it and it`s performance inside out and feel I have outgrown it. Before that D80 I had a bridge camera I used for 3 years until I needed faster focusing and faster lenses / with greater capacity for shooting wide open at f2.8 and better.