Newby

[Birdy21]

Hi, I am 65 years old and have had a love of photography for many years but gave away photography when my husband became sick and needed a lot of care. I am now back in the market for a camera but a little lost in the world of digital. My last camera was a Pentax D 10 and loved it but now lost in the array of cameras and their features. My main interest was portraits and did some wedding photography some years ago. I have never taken a raw image and am eager to start learning again. I am excited to once again join like minded people in the love of photography.
Cheers

[bitsnpieces]

Hello and welcome to AP.

With regards to your next camera, I'll probably let one of the more experienced photographers answer that - really, it's to each their own and I'm simply a Sony fan because I love their features and also believe the cameras can do just about anything the others can. But that's just me. :)

[ricktas]

Welcome. Sorry to hear your husband was unwell. There is a big learning curve ahead of you with digital, so take your time, learn one thing at a time (trying to learn it all at once is way to hard). Ask questions in need, join in. See you on the forums

[Mary Anne]

Hello Birdy :action66:and Welcome to AP. I am also sorry to hear about your Husband.
I think the best thing you can do is going to a Camera Store and try a few on for size and make sure they feel comfortable in your hand.
Take note of a couple you really like then come back to AP and put a post on the Camera and Gear Forum where you will get lots of help
There are so many cameras to choose from these days from Full Frame DSLR's down to the smaller m4/3 and the amount of lenses available is mind boggling.
RAW is the way to go as you can fix up so many problems before converting to jpeg. And as Rick wrote above it is a big learning curve so take it slowly.
Have a look at the Library up top of this page for How Do I info. And if you need Help just ask :2smile:

[Birdy21]

Thanks you for the welcome. I have been looking at two cameras in particular and would welcome any advice. They are the Pentax K3 and the Nikon 7100. Unfortunately we don't have any "camera shops" as such here where I live so we have limited places to buy and try cameras. I have had a look at the Nikon 7100 and I liked it. I can order the Pentax K3 from a shop here ( JB,s) but they don't carry it so I cannot see it before I buy it. Because I have only owned Pentax cameras throughout my life I have always veered towards Pentax because of lenses, flashes etc that I already had when it was time to update. This time I have a clean slate as I have no equipment so would be greatful for advice.
thanks
Wendy

[Mary Anne]

Wendy There are plenty of Pentax and Nikon uses here.
And you really need to ask on the Camera Lens Gear forum as lots of Members dont look at all the forums.
All the Best with whatever you choose.

PS There may be a Members here that live close to you and would not mind showing you their Camera's
There is a Member here in Brissie who comes and helps me with my Olympus when I have problems and lets me try his lenses.
I know I am so lucky though there are some great people on AP.

[Cage]

Hi Wendy, welcome to AP.

I'd like to de-mystify digital cameras. They work on exactly the same principle as your Pentax, except that they are more forgiving in that you don't pay to have your mistakes printed. The big difference is that instead of having to buy different film for varying light situations, your film speed setting, ISO, is now in-camera. Once you reacquaint yourself with the exposure equation you can set your camera to Manual mode and start shooting. You can learn all the bells 'n' whistles as you go, although a lot of them you won't use.

[Kym]

:gday: & Welcome
- lets see some photos in the main CC forums (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?5) maybe try a competition or 2 and have fun!

[Kym]

Maybe have a look at the New to Photography (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showlibrary.php?title=Indexes:New_To_Photography_Book) book and the Learning Plan in the book.

[Birdy21]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I do want to clarify one thing. I have used a digital camera before, a Pentax K D10 ( I think I said a Pentax 10 D in my introduction) sorry, but really did not use it to its full potential. I have found so much information here already. Thanks again.
Wendy

[Mark L]

G'day Wendy.
Sorry I'm a little late with my hello.
Good on you for getting involved here. And it's wonderful to see an enthusiasm for relearning.:th3:

[BradAnderson]

Welcome, and good luck on your new camera purchase. Look forward to seeing a few photos on the forum soon.

[Birdy21]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Hopefully I will purchase my camera soon, although still undecided about which lens to buy.
cheers Wendy