Newbie starter

[Iguanasan]

That's kind of like saying, "I want to drive a car, should I get a Ford Focus or a Porsche 911?".

If you are looking to spend about $200 then you will probably have to stick with a point and shoot unless you get very lucky finding something used. The big question is why do you want to take photographs? If it's from the viewpoint of documenting the world around you for your friends on Facebook then pretty much any point and shoot will do just fine. If you think you would like to make photographs from a more artistic viewpoint then it gets complicated

What's your goal with the photos you plan to take?

[Bambi]

Hi INFJ,
Iggy gives some good advice. However, if you are completely new then a good P&S will allow you to learn about Composition and some basics without the big investment in learning a dSLR

[INFJ]

thanks for the replies.

I'm going for artistic but I'm unsure if investing on top notch gears is wise for a beginner.

[Iguanasan]

thanks for the replies.

I'm going for artistic but I'm unsure if investing on top notch gears is wise for a beginner.

It doesn't have to be top notch but I would recommend you at least get a DSLR. A friend of mine bought a Canon G10 which is a very good camera but he's running into limitations that he could have avoided if he had just put a few more dollars into getting a basic DSLR.

Of course, finances plays a big role and Bambi makes a good point that you can learn to take some wonderful images with a low cost point and shoot.