Originally Posted by
mindforge
I got mine for that. I also picked up a new Kodak printer after some research on ink and all that -- I love the new printer. I get a lot of high quality prints from it. When I thought, I have about a thousand bucks I want to get a new D-SLR. I did research and it brought me to the final decision on the a200, extra lens, printer, etc. I still spent less than $1k and I have a great camera to learn on and some gear to play with. I wouldn't drop 1k for a body and a single lens with no supporting gear like a tripod, some sort of case, extra memory... I wouldn't just think about the camera...
My views are all from an amateur's perspective though, as I am an amateur. But, I am hungry for learning and I want to do so without worrying about a $1k camera body. By the way, my used zoom was $60, and you can get it on ebay for 1/2 that but I like the camera shop and the feeling you get when you talk to pros. The guys in the shop know what I want and they know that I don't want top of the line, I want used and I want to learn on it. Once I am better and have learned then I will pick up that high end full frame. Mind you, I could have got a Canon 5D (which is what I think I will go to when I am done with this Sony) right off the bat. I don't want to worry about my camera while I am learning, I want to experiment, I want to be able to fumble around and get a little more crazy than I would with a several thousand dollar camera body.