Camera Advice Please!

EmptyPockets

Evening all

I've come here on the look-out for some advice. I'm posting on behalf of my husband, who is looking to get into photography, but he's unsure which camera/type of camera he should go for...

Basically, he needs to know what the difference is between bridge cameras, SLR cameras, and 'compact' cameras, etc... and preferably the pros and cons for the different types.

His preferred subject will be wildlife photography, animals, etc, if that makes any difference to choice?

He has a budget of about £500, maybe a little more if necessary.

Can anyone point us in the direction of an ideal camera for a beginner who doesn't want/won't be able, to afford to swap and change once he's invested - this camera will have to be good for a beginner, yet have all the features necessary for more advanced photography as he learns and grows in the hobby. It'll have to last a while, as this budget is a one-off!

Any ideas..?

Shimrod

With wildlife, I would suggest that a DSLR would be the choice to go, but with the budget specified you would be unlikely to get a big enough lens. Also, with a DSLR, expect the camera purchase to only be the start of a potentially quite expensive hobby!

What sort of wildlife does he want to photograph? Is it large animals or birds?
How does he feel about lugging a camera and couple of lenses around? Would he prefer a camera he can stick in his pocket?

It might be worth him just looking at the best buys in each of the camera sections at the top of this website http://www.cameralabs.com/ That should give him an idea of the sort of features he might feel are important, and then it will be possible to help make some suggestions on cameras/camera types.

EmptyPockets

Well our initial budget of £500 (maybe upto £600) is to ideally set him up with everything he'll need for quite a while, hence us asking for advice!

I guess he's wanting something which will be an 'all-rounder' really - good for photographing insects, birds, larger animals, scenery and people. He's not fussed about having to carry stuff around with him.

Thanks for the link, I've just had a brief look myself and he'll have a proper look through them all also.

toastydave

Hello!

So;

EmptyPockets wrote: »

Basically, he needs to know what the difference is between bridge cameras, SLR cameras, and 'compact' cameras, etc... and preferably the pros and cons for the different types.

An SLR is the most traditional camera and in my opinion the best. you take a picture by looking through the camera, actually through the lens, this gives you a very clear picture (as its real, not a tv screen) as to what your taking.

Pros, a large sensor, so very clear picture in low light, even without flash. changeable lens, so you can get a better lens when you can afford it, very versatile, lots of manual controls.

Cons, expensive! (the camera body is the cheapest part even at £599) a really good lens could cost £2500, quite large, so you may leave it at home

Compact,

Pros, Small so you will always have it with you, easy to use, many auto settings.

Cons. You can not be creative, everything is auto, the screen is difficult to see in the sun, when you take a picture its not very steady due to the way you have to hold the camera, poor low light performance. will be obsolete in 12 months

Bridge,

its kind of halfway between the two, hence "bridge"

Pros, Cheap, good lens range (zoom) versatile, lots of manual controls

Cons, as with the compact the screen is difficult to see in the sun, when you take a picture its not very steady due to the way you have to hold the camera, poor low light performance. will be obsolete in two years., you can not change or upgrade the lens

ukcarper

I’d agree the best type of camera for wildlife would be a DSLR but getting all you need would not be possible for £500

Something like this would get you started but for bird photography you really need a longer lens 300mm or higher also the lenses are not the the best quality (bird photography can get very expensive but it is possible to get good results with less expensive equipment with patience and field craft)

http://www.castlecameras.co.uk/nikon-d3100-18-55vr-55-200vr

　

Here is a buyers guide to DSLRs and the site is very good and has a good forum.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/9566705626/buying-a-digital-slr

[Deleted User]

Here's a list of 'super zooms' that might be ok (but he will one day want to trade it in and get an SLR with a big zoom)

http://snapsort.com/roundups/best-super-zoom-digital-cameras

toastydave

As for animal photography,

I took this with a Canon 500D and a 55 -250 Canon zoom lens

LadyMorticia

I agree that an SLR would be the most suitable for what your DH wants to achieve but with DSLRs there is no point spending hundreds on an SLR body but then buying a rubbish lens, as it's the glass in the lens that gives photo quality.

It is going to be extremely difficult to get everything your DH needs for £500.

There are also cameras like the Olympus PEN E-PL1 which are 3/4 cameras. They are small like a compact but have interchangeable lenses. However, the downside is that the Olympus PEN doesn't have a viewfinder so you're looking at the LCD and even the PEN lenses can be expensive.

Big_Ed

You can pick up a refurb 550D + 18-55mm IS (which will be like new with a years warranty) for £380. This should be more than enough for him to get started.

You can also pick up a basic Canon 75-300mm lens for about £100. The total will be under your £500 limit and still be very usable for all types of photography.

Usually for things like bird photography people use a longer lens and bodies with more crosstype AF points but I really think the 550D will be great to start with. After all people used far worse cameras in the past and managed to get amazing shots.

The image quality on the 550D is indistinguishable from even the top of the line crop DSLR's.

edit: Link to camera HERE. I've ordered from these guys before and had good experiences.

Shimrod

Big_Ed wrote: »

You can pick up a refurb 550D + 18-55mm IS (which will be like new with a years warranty) for £380. This should be more than enough for him to get started.

That would be my suggestion for the DSLR as well, from the Canon outlet on ebay. But rather than the 75-300mm lens which does not get very good reviews, wait for the 55-250mm lens to come back again at the Canon outlet. It has much better image quality and image stability - when in stock it is normally £120, (around £50 off new price).

To save a bit of cash on the camera, consider the Canon EOS 1100, or spend slightly more and get a Canon 600d (very similar in spec to the 550d, but has a foldout screen).

Turkishdreamer

Not sure if this is right thread, but hope so.

My OH is just purchased a Nikon D3100, he also purchased a 32gb SDHD Memory card. The memory card works fine in the camera, but does not work in our printer (HP Photosmart C3180 admit it is a bit ancient now, but works fine).

My question is this do we, a) buy a new printer, if so which is best or b) if we get a different memory card, which do we need.

Also will this memory card be compatible with our laptop. Can't try it, as we are needing a USB cable first.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.