Kamike

Hello

Im looking for a good digital camera, one capable of the kind of pics in the photo compationon on here. Any advice or pointers in the right direction would be great. Im a complete novice when it comes to photagraphy so I need one thats quite simple to use until I get more experianced. Budget is around the £200 mark maybe a little higher.

Thanks

wirralphil

do you want new or second hand?

Compact or SLR??

Kamike

New would be nice and I have heard good things about SLR but tbh im not sure

wirralphil

Well a New D40 Slr camera is around 300-340. 2nd hand you maybe able to get one for £200

Kamike

What about something like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-Zo...2037515&sr=1-3

Its a D40 slr like you said but its £250

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

One thing to consider is that with DSLR, you'll need to be ready to spend some money on other bits. The kits mostly come with an 18-55 lens and I was amazed (being no more than a hobby photographer), now quickly I found the limits of that lens. The lens I want next is a 70-300 and entry level Canon 70-300 is around £400.

If you want to point/shoot, you may be better with a good digital compact, unless you are ready to spend a bit of money.

Kamike

Cheers for the advice Christian, what kind of spec shouldd I look for in a compact then?

wirralphil

I have a Samsung NV-20 it's a good cam for what i want, either point and shoot or with the other functions.

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

I think it was Red16 that linked to a Panasonic Lumix TZ5 the other day. It's just under £200 and looks a corking camera. That or the TZ4. I think I will end up buying one of those as I miss the versatility of a compact and a DSLR is hardly something you can take everywhere.

foreigneRS

you don't need a good camera to take a good picture, just a good eye

for that budget i would be looking at a 'bridge' camera. look like an slr but have a fixed lensso don't have the cost of changing lenses etc. not the flexibility or quality of lenses either. but overall a good compromise for a beginner.

something like

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fujifilm-Fin...2042144&sr=1-7

GARETH T

i would get the d60 myself, as it will be able to grow with you, where as a bridge your sort of stuck with the lens

have a read of this
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cameras.htm

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

A mate of mine who's a manager of a camera shop recommends olympus. The new 7000 is supposed to be very good.

Gavin E-Cos

Try this review site http://www.dpreview.com/

I have a Nikon D200 digital SLR, and I would say if you can go for a digital SLR if you can, I had a D70 before, and it was way better than compact cameras.
Although compacts have come a long way and there are a few decent ones about.

Good luck.
Gav

Fil

yep it was

https://passionford.com/forum/genera...ct-camera.html

95 fiesta si

Sony cybershot are very good !

Muska

The thing with compacts is the sensors are tiny compared to DSLR's. Results will almost always look better from a DSLR. All entry level models come with an AUTO mode so you can just snap away and as has been mentioned 'learn and grow with it'.

To whoever was going on about their next lens, look at the sigma 70-300 APO macro, it's about £180 new and goes on ebay for under £100! Bargain and it performs very well for it's price. There is no real need to spend a fortune on glass unless you're making a living from it.

If you really do insist on going for a compact over a DSLR (i'm just going to say discount bridge camera's completly) then make sure it has a decent OPTICAL zoom as opposed to a 'digital' one as the camera just 'makes up' what the scene should look like then.

Also, don't think more megapixels is better, it's not really the case and anything 6mp will print up to A4, ask yourself if you'll ever print larger than that, if at all.

For reference here is a shot from my old Nikon D50, a 6mp dslr with the kit lens:



Matt.

Kamike

Now thats the kind of picture I want to be able to take

RANJ

canon ixus range

foreigneRS

unless small size is very important to you, i would avoid a compact. i have a panasonic tz3 that has the 'same' 28-280mm range lens as my fuji bridge camera, but as the lens (and possibly the ccd) is that much smaller it doesn't take anywhere near as good a picture.

obviously if budget is bigger then dslr is the way to go as it will allow future upgrades, but i would say that it will take you a couple of years to outgrow the features of a good bridge camera if you play around with the settings and don't just use auto mode.

GARETH T

i dont see the point of buying a bridge when you can get a d40 for 250 quid! and a 55-200mm af-s lens for 130 quid!

pete mcrash

iTrader: (1)

point n shoot...TZ5.....my uncle's a photographer and he had a go of my Lumix and was amazed at the quality.....think i payed just over £200 with a 16g shd memory card and case.........

foreigneRS

because if you only have £200, you only have £200. that is double the budget and still only gets you up to a 200mm lens when you can get a bridge with 500mm equivalent in budget. learn all the techniques and settings for a few years whilst saving for a dslr, and then get a better setup, not just the base model as you would probably end up wanting to upgrade that anyway.

GARETH T

ya fair point LOL

Muska

Just remember that a bridge camera's sensor is much smaller then a DSLR one.

Consider buying a second hand DSLR if budget is an issue, you'll get a bargain.