what to look for - dig camera?

Sput2001

f1charlie wrote: »

You can get cheaper than that:

Nikon D40 for £299:

http://www.jessops.com/Store/s47076/0/Digital-SLRs/Nikon/D40-Black-+-AF-S-DX-18-55mm-Lens/details.aspx?ovc=

Definitely worth looking at, although it only has an 18-55mm lens. I'd recommend spending an extra £130 or so for a 55-200mm lens, which will come in pretty handy on a safari.

donnajunkie

i'm surprised no-one has mentioned megapixel yet. you can get compacts with as much as 12 megapixels or even more now. i wouldnt rely on a digital camera if you want decent video. if you want decent video just get a camcorder. if you arent bothered about video then dont worry about that as a feature.

f1charlie

donnajunkie wrote: »

i'm surprised no-one has mentioned megapixel yet.

That's probably because megapixels should not be considered as the most important factor in choosing a camera. Lens quality and the quality of the in-camera processing are more important.

ormus

cameras are like houses. only 3 things matter. lens lens lens.
forget the bloody megapixels.
my canon G2 is only! 4mp. but unless i wanna enlarge a piccy up to billboard size, it does very high quality photos.
and yes you can get a slr for 300 quid now and say a canon (ie) a550/560 for about 75 quid.
ok so the slr wont have a huge zoom lens, but id rather have the 2 cameras.

agnes_2

why don't you look on the shopping channels? they have some fantastic cameras at low prices? Ideal shopping? Bid TV?

pavlovs_dog

i dont claim to be an expert, but for easy to use cameras that produces great photos you could do a lot worse than a sony cybershot.

its all well and good spending a fair whack of dosh on a high spec camera, but unless you are interested in/prepared to learn more about photography and how to get the most from the equipment you've got, is there really any point? i can understand you wanting your honeymoon pics to be special, but at the same time, i doubt you intend to spend half your time behind the camera battling to get it to work.

the other plus point to a good quality no bells and whistles camera is that they normally function adequately as a video camera, giving you extra choice and value for your money.

on a final note, i know people who are very much enaoured with their SLR camera and are great amateur photographers. they have three main complaints about their equiptment:

1. you cant just chuck the camera in the bag and be off. you need this lens, than lens, and the other lens just in case. oh and batteries, and so the list goes on.

2. the constant worry about losing/damaging your equipment

3. there is difficulty in finding companies that can develop the photos to a sufficient standard that demonstrates the quality of the camera (SLRs seem to traditionally come in with high megapixel ratings, and a lot of developers cannot do the level of detail in the photo justice). and when you do find a company that can, you have to pay for it, and pay well.

good luck whatever you decide, and have a fab wedding and honeymoon

BillScarab

Modern SLR's are not that difficult to use, the cheaper consumer ones all have fully automatic settings so you can use them just like a point and shoot and then learn about the manual controls gradually.

The biggest problem is the cost and for photographing wildlife you'll need a decent zoom lens which bumps the cost up considerably.

For a budget of £300 I would look at the SLR style bridge cameras with long zooms. One of those would cover everything the OP needs.

Edinburghlass_2

f1charlie wrote: »

You can get cheaper than that:

Nikon D40 for £299:

http://www.jessops.com/Store/s47076/0/Digital-SLRs/Nikon/D40-Black-+-AF-S-DX-18-55mm-Lens/details.aspx?ovc=

If you are looking at Jessops, don't forget to check the Voucher Discount Finder...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discountfinder/

[Deleted User]

I thought i'd throw in a link to a decent priced Panasonic FZ18. I've got the FZ5, a few years old but still going very strong. It was a perfect example of a bridge camera. I'd worry about my lenses and bits with an SLR - with my camera I can just carry it in one small bag. It's got great optical stabalisation which means you can use it without a tripod (most the time)

http://www.purelygadgets.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=8473&wysiwyg=9

isofa

For compacts I'd recommend the Canon Powershot G9, it's a very advanced compact, and the G range has been excellent for many years.

For a good current starting point, but highly capable digital SLR, the Canon EOS-400D is hard to beat and gets rave reviews.

However, you'll get more or a bargain price on the recently superseded EOS-350D which is an excellent camera, it only misses a couple of features from the 400d. But I think this is a gem of a digital SLR, I actually prefer it to the 400d, which lacks the all important secondary LCD display showing settings.

(If you are really into photography, you'll find the bundled "kit" lenses with the 350 and 400d a little soft, but for a general user it's not really noticable.)

Do not get swayed by megapixels, it's not that important especially for general users. It's just a marketing tool. A cheap and nasty no-brand shopping channel camera with 10 megapixels, will produce a very poor image when compare to that of say a 6 megapixel camera from a quality brand with a top notch lens and sensor.

To find the best price, use www.camerapricebuster.co.uk