what camera should i buy???

[wasimtichu]

my budget is 15k... and i need a good suggestion... for basic entry level photography... help me!!

[KCook]

15K in what currency? There have not been any "basic" camera designs, at any price level, for several years now. They all feature a fair degree of automation, or sophisticated settings (some both!). The appropriate "entry level" depends on the destination. Do you want to end up with nice family snap shots? Or be featured in glossy magazines? Or somewhere in between?

Kelly Cook

[wasimtichu]

15k in indian currency... i want to take macro photos.... and also for nature, animals etc....

[Andy Stanton]

There are plenty of good digital cameras available in India at the price you want to pay. None are suitable for professional photography but they will do well for casual, family, recreational and light business use.

Two questions, however:
1-Do you want a camera with a long zoom lens (10x or above) or will a standard zoom lens (3x-9x) be adequate?
2-Do you want the camera to be pocket-sized or is it OK for the camera to be carried around the neck or over the shoulder?

[KCook]

(Got your PM, but I will respond here) Macro will be your biggest challenge. The SLR-like ultrazoom cameras have the most "powerful" macro, but only at their most wide angle. This results in the lens nearly touching the subject, which is often not desirable for macro work. The other digital macro solution would be to fit a macro accessory lens in front of the normal camera lens. In effect a fancy magnifying glass. But with some fuss, this can be done with any digicam, it need not be an ultrazoom.

For serious macro photography, on a strict budget, the best solution would be to pick up an old used 35mm SLR. Shoot film and forget digital.

Kelly