Black and white camera.

[lisbeth]

Hello,
I have recently become interested in photography and have decided to buy my first camera, which I really want to be a black and white one. I can afford up to 400, 500 max euros, don't have any size nor brand in mind.
Many thanks in advance for the assistance.

[Andy Stanton]

A couple of questions.

First, I'm not sure what you want with regard to the color of the camera. Small, pocket-sized cameras offer many color options including black, silver, white, bronze, red, orange and blue. But they don't come in black and white. Larger cameras are almost always black, with silver control knobs and dials, though some come in white. Some cameras that are white use interchangeable lenses, and the lenses are black. Is this what you're looking for? Here's an example:

whitecam2.jpg

Second, what size camera do you want? Are you interested in a small point-and-shoot camera or a more professional camera with interchangeable lenses? Most of the cameras with interchangeable lenses won't fit in a pocket. There's also another class of larger cameras that come with only one, non-removable lens that has enormous zoom.

[lisbeth]

I guess I didn't explained it well. When I say black and white I mean monocrome, as in the pics it takes are black and white and not the camera itself.
As for the size, I would prefer one with interchangeable lenses as long as it's not too expensive.

[KCook]

The only dedicated B&W camera that I am aware of is a Leica, which is quite expensive.

All digital cameras, at all price levels, have a B&W setting, so the images will come out B&W. However it is more common practice to convert the color image into B&W with a photo editor. This gives finer control over the exact B&W tones. In fact, there are specialized B&W "actions" for Photoshop to mimic specific B&W films from the old days.

Kelly Cook

[Andy Stanton]

I guess I didn't explained it well. When I say black and white I mean monocrome, as in the pics it takes are black and white and not the camera itself.
As for the size, I would prefer one with interchangeable lenses as long as it's not too expensive.

I was wondering why you were so hung up on the color of the camera.

DSLR's have the best image quality. For under 500 Euros the best DSLR is probably the Nikon D5100, which can be purchased with a 3x zoom lens. If you want a Canon the EOS 1100D (plus lens) is less expensive than the D5100 but still is a fine camera. For a bit over 500 Euros you can afford the Canon EOS 600D, which is a better camera than the 1100D and about the same overall quality level as the D5100.

[lisbeth]

I'll probably go with the Nikon D5100. Thank you both very much for your help, I really appreciate it

[KCook]

Links to more threads that touch on the D5100 -

Nikon d5100 or canon eos d600?

What dslr and lens should I buy to start?

Buying a new camera

Kelly