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#1
18-04-2006, 03:39
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Newbie camera.
All these threads with photos has realy made me wanna learn or atleast try to learn. But the question is, if i wanna buy a somewhat cheap, newbie camera that takes OK pictures which one should i go for?
I dont know anything except the higher megapixels the better, and there are ALOT of camera's out there hehe. (Edit: Im thinking about something SEMI professional here, not a small holiday camera)
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Last edited by jimholio : 18-04-2006 at 03:41. 
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#2
18-04-2006, 04:02
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I asked myself the very same question a few months ago Jim, and after much agonising narrowed it down to either a Nikon D50 or a D70. In the end, I got a D70 just because it was a very good deal. I'm delighted with it.
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#3
18-04-2006, 04:13
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I looked them up on Pricerunner, Nikon D70 - 950Euro, kinda steep for practising, atleast for me.
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#4
18-04-2006, 04:24
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Try a D50, that was my other pick and they can be had at very reasonable money. I don't think you will get a DSLR for less.
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#6
18-04-2006, 10:29
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Are there options outside of the DSLR market for cameras that have a fully manual system but more one piece.. I realize the motto of buying the right equipment once but the DSLR market is a bit pricey to just experiment with..
I thought fuji made some point and shooters that DSLR guys were saying was a good novice buy ?? I know I love my little Sony for a point and shoot but it has nearly no manual adjustments at all..
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#7
18-04-2006, 10:41
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I use an older canon digital rebel and understand that the new xt rebel is a good camera as well. I also use a canon sd400 point and shoot "holiday camera" with good results. Any of the major brand dslr's are going to give you excellent results.
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#8
18-04-2006, 14:50
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We have been looking at the Nikon Coolpix range, my boy has caught the bug and wants his own camera, they look pretty good. I do confess to being no expert on the camera front though, and the choice out there is huge.
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#9
18-04-2006, 16:37
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I had a Nikon Coolpix 5400 before moving onto the D70 and it had full manual control. Great little camera, but just caught the bug for something a bit more flexible ie detachable lenses etc There are loads of cams out there now with manual control, in fact too many to keep up to date with, if it was me I'd just go with the main mfr's (Nikon/Canon/Fuji/Sony) and narrow it down from there
Not sure how much these sort of cameras are these days, but doubt they would be more than a few hundred quid, it's just that you get to a point where for a few dollars more you can get an entry DSLR. Jimbo, don't make the mistake of just going for MP's. The D70 has 6.1MP's, whereas a few point and shoots have a lot more. Go for a cam that has alot of features and definitely one that has full manual control, otherwise you will not have the ability to be creative with your shots. Just seen one of my old cam's on ebay going for about 1-150 UKP, so not really a big deal, and to be honest wouldn't mind picking one up for a spare.
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#10
19-04-2006, 00:18
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Yep, thinking about that I used an old HP camera before, i cant remember the name but it was 5MP and the pictures were just SUPER, well untill the camera stopped working. Then i tried a cheap one, called Avant something and it was 5MP aswell the difference was like night and day on the picture quality. Thats also why i dont wanna spend alot of money on a "Real" camera if i can get one that is equally good for less money.
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#11
19-04-2006, 02:36
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But you won't find such a camera. That's why they are more expensive! It doesn't mean you will only get good shots from a DSLR but they are so much more capable than a P&S. A P&S will always be lacking in features that are there on DSLR's. But all told, some people just do not have the need for a serious camera and the flexibility of having a camera small enough to fit in your pocket is a huge bonus. I bought a little Nikon recently, small credit card size, and I was shocked at how bad the pics were even in broad daylight. Maybe I'm a little bit spoilt with my D70. I completely lost a couple of shots that I know I would have nailed with the D70.
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#12
19-04-2006, 02:58
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You get what you pay for Jim, as with so many things in life.
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#13
19-04-2006, 03:40
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Yes, but steve, a Bang & Olufsen TV is not necessarily better in anyway then a Sony, yet it costs 2x as much. I was kinda figuring perhaps some smaller brand would make decent camera's with similiar quality. I mean Nikon is one of the big guys with camera's arent they?
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#14
19-04-2006, 05:12
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I guess so yes, Nikon are one of the big names. That said, for DSLRs you will not get cheaper than a Nikon D50. It is a fantastic camera for the price and you will not get a DSLR for less.
If you don't mind having a fixed lens then there are a gazillion options.
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#15
19-04-2006, 06:03
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Ok i will look into the D50.. If i can find a used one to practise with for a while ill get one. Buying a new one is not an option, because that would take 1 month away from my next LOS trip in May.
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#16
19-04-2006, 15:51
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Jim, I think you've got the wrong idea here. Cameras are purely functional, yes some are made to look quite snazzy, but ultimately their design is dictated by function. With a B&O TV, you are buying a tv that is much more about design, which is why they cost so much more. You can use the same comparison with many things - clothes/cars/watches etc etc.. why does a pair of Diesel jeans cost at least twice as much as a pair of Levi's? I really don't think you will find a cheap replacement for a DSLR. But, you can still take great shots with other cams that cost half as much. It's just that for me I really do like having the flexibility of having 4 or 5 lenses to use in different situations. Don't forget Canon as well. You will be able to pick up cheap secondhand 300D's for what you will probably pay for a decent brand new prosumer digicam. I've never used a Canon DSLR before, but they are easily up there with Nikon.
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#17
20-04-2006, 09:03
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I got the 5700, takes brillant pics, but too many bloody controls for my liking. I think there are as many controls and buttons as on the old classic 747's
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#18
20-04-2006, 15:44
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You really dont need anything over 3megapixels, and ideally 3x optical zoom. Forget digital zoom, its a load of bollox. All digital zoom means, is when you zoom in like on a computer everything gets "pixelised" and looks blocky. So if you are going to get a camera I would recommend 3MP with 3x Optical zoom and at least 256MB memory card. I personally think any higher quality is a waste, unless you are going to be printing out pictures at A4 paper size.
I only use a 2MP camera and thats more than enough for me, because the resolution is at 1600x1200. So my summary is, save your money on something not so high powered and get a decent medium one at 3MP and decent memory card. You will find most of the time when you buy a nice camera that the mrmory card is 16MB and you can take 10 photos. E
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#19
20-04-2006, 15:49
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The difference between a cheap digicam and a decent DSLR is like the difference between night and day in terms of the quality of results they produce.
You may be producing an OK image at 2mp, but look at the same image from a camera with a good sensor / lens and you will be amazed.
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#20
20-04-2006, 18:40
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Agree that digital zoom is a waste of time, but to say that you do not need more than 3X dig zoom and 3MP's is not true. Plenty of people buy cam's with 8-10x dig zoom, and it is very handy to have. I can;t think of a reason why it would not be a good feature. With regards to MP's, more does not necessarily mean better, the conversion of the raw data from the sensor into a jpg can be the difference between camera's, but if I was buying a digicam now, I would be going for 6 or more MP's, just for the fact of getting the higher resolution and having the option of a larger print.
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#21
21-04-2006, 04:01
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Jim. Why dont you just go for a used model from ebay. I'm guessing you only need a point and shoot digital cam and one of the older Canon Ixus ,Fuji Finepix or Nikon Coolpix cameras would fit the bill. You can pick one up for around £100/£150.
Unless you want to be serious about your photograpy then a DSLR will be of no use to you unless you can master the functions. You will still take a crap picture with a good camera unless you have a little knowledge. Checkout the quality of mine or Andymons pics on the BM on tour. All taken with a £200+ simple digi cam. They look good enough for the forum anyway.
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#22
21-04-2006, 12:10
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The way digital zoom works is exactly like on a computer. Take a photo at whatever res you want, without any digital zoom. Then put that on your computer. Then take the same photo with the digital zoom. Now if you compare them, you will see that the original photo, with "computer zoom" will be just as detailed as the one you used the Camera's digital zoom. Because all it is doing, is zooming into the "original" photo image, so you may as well take a big photo without the zoom, and when you get it on the computer zoom in yourself. As for the 3MP thing, I still think this holds true for anyone not wanting to spend a fortune on a camera, which is what he stated. 3xOptical zoom ir good, anything more is obviously better. E
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#23
21-04-2006, 15:20
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One important aspect of using digital zoom that you do not mention is that to get a nicely framed shot out of the camera is advantageous for most people as they will not post process their photographs, so using digital zoom to get that crop is a bonus. A lot of poeple these days take their memory cards to their local supermarket or high street cam shop and print straight from card, so 'zooming' in on the computer is not an option. Most of the cameras being released these days, even at the low-end, usually have more than 3MP's, so it may just not be possible to buy a new 3MP camera very soon. The MP race that has been going on looks like it might be over finally, as mfr's are now focusing more on adding features to the camera's that enable better quality shots to be taken, such as image stabilisation to cut out camera shake, and having better low light capibility.
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