Advice on camera?

Vikings

Hello,

I'm going to New York in 2.5 weeks time and need to get a new camera, last time I was there I had to borrow my brothers and that in itself wasn't great! Which you only really regret after, some of the pictures I took could have been so much better had I used a quality camera.

Now in saying that my budget won't stretch to a quality camera at the moment but I need something. I would say somewhere ranging up to either €300 if bought here or $400 if I wait until I get there.

I've been looking on this site: www.jr.com as they have shops over in Manhattan where I could buy from and from the looks of things will be a lot cheaper than here!

A couple i've seen so far (with little knowledge, bigger numbers=better kind of knowledge!):

Fuji Film S9100 FinePix 9.0 Megapixel Digital Camera - Higher end of budget

Sony DSCH7/B Cyber-shot® 8 Megapixel Digital Camera Mid range budget

Canon S3 IS Powershot 6 Megapixel Hybrid-SLR Digital Camera Lower end of budget

Keeping in mind I am a beginner at all of this, I don't need some super camera that will break the bank. I just want to be able to take some nice photographs that I can keep as well as memories of the trip!

Should I become more interested in photography as a hobby from buyer a new camera and testing it on holidays, I will more than likely use it to snap my current hobby when i'm not playing - American Football.

So bearing that in mind as well, would anybody be so kind as to recommend me a decent camera within my budget that would suit my requirements? If there is any other details you would like please let me know and i'll reply - I had a look at the other similar thread like this but his budget was a lot greater than mine so not as applicable.

Thanks!

Fionn

not so much a nudge in a specific direction but - you seem to know what you want, so I'd advise to perhaps look on Flickr - see whats the most popular of what you've identified and make that informed decision based on what other users are satisfied with
it's worth noting I suppose, that most SLR users wont have much of an opinion about P&S cameras no matter what make or model etc.

Vikings

Thanks for the reply Fionn, will check out Flickr to see if I can get a better idea.

From looking at the different cameras for sale the amount of different megapixel values is huge now, 6,7,8,9,10+ when it comes down to it is there a huge difference in quality between say a 6 megapixel camera and a 9 megapixel camera? Would I be better with a quality 6 megapixel over a lesser built 9 megapixel?

Fionn

absolutely, theres not much discernable difference between 5/6 mpix and 9/10 mpix it's the sensor size that really counts. I'd say look for extra features like movie capability, ISO selection, shooting modes or scenes, optical zoom as opposed to digital zoom. But i think the best indicator of a camera is what users say or complain of and of course the quality or otherwise of the resulting shots.

kmick

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ is your only man.

Best prices in the world and with the dollar really crap now is a good time to stretch?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/371194-REG/Canon_0206B003_EOS_Digital_Rebel_XT.html $549/Eur403
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/471716-REG/Nikon_25420_D40_SLR_Digital_Camera.html $524/Eur385

You will need a memory card for both of those models.

Address in NY is on the website. Run by Hasidic Jews so not open on Saturday.

devildriver

Hi Mustangs,

If you have even a little bit of interest in photography I would recommend getting a DSLR camera.

The ones you have listed are all good cameras but if you are into sports photography you will really benefit from a camera that allows you to change lenses.

If you could stretch your budget Canon's 350d or Digital Rebel as it's known in the US is a really good DSLR camera. Also as it's not the latest model (that's the 400d in that range) you can get a break on the price.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/371194-REG/Canon_0206B003_EOS_Digital_Rebel_XT.html#

Also as Nikon have announced 2 new highend cameras prices will start to slip on the older models.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/471716-REG/Nikon_25420_D40_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

And you can always look for ex-demo models and save a huge amount:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/501431-DEMO/Nikon__D50_Digital_Camera_Camera.html

And while all the camera manufacturers use pixel count as the major differentiator the quality of the photographs depends a lot on lens quality and other factors.

If you haven't already been to the DPReview site give it a go, theres lots of advice in the forums.

http://www.dpreview.com

hope this helps!

Vikings

Thanks for all the replies guys, helped point me in a good direction.

I've read through the reviews of both the Nikon D40 and the Canon 350D and for me anyway, as a beginner, it is a lot of information to take in and I can not find any real differences between the two. I do like the sounds of the D40 from reading about it and may be tempted to stretch my budget to land that one. Plus I also have a 2gb SD card which could be used in the Nikon but not the Canon.

Keeping in mind that I will be buying this when I get to New York, I will probably not have time to read up on the manual, techniques, settings etc. so will need to be able to take quality pictures straight from the box. For the scenery in New York would the lens that comes with the D40 (18-55mm I think) be suitable or would I need to improve on that? And also, what lens should I be looking to have if I was to use the camera for sports photography? If I do go DSLR I may as well get all the equipment while i'm there and they are available on the cheap.

Thanks.

challengemaster

tbh, DSLR isn't exactly hard to figure out settings. I got the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi (US 400D) last week or something, it took me a whole of 1hr to figure out pretty much most of the settings. just play around with the camera for a while and see what all the buttons do and its not like you have to read the 2349 page manual either. normally there's a quick-start manual thats about 1 a4 page total if even, shouldnt take long to read.

regards lenses.. you do realise that some can cost more than the camera body itself... and some are only a fraction of it.. the 18-55mm is fine, its a grand lens and you probably should be ok with that only.. unless you want to take photos of things far away, or other situations.. you'll probably see what the lenses limits are after a while of using it anyway. as for capturing sports pics.. uhm.. that would be more settings to get right, not really lenses (i think) but if you state what the main types of photography you'll be doing are there's plenty of people here who can reccomend the right gear to get. after that, then as Spyral said in another thread, It all comes down to the person behind the camera.

if you do go DSLR - then yes you probably should get stuff while you can when its cheap(for you)

although depending on how much you're willing to spend...

you should probably pick up another SD card if you can... having all your eggs in one basket.. and all that. also get lens filters.. that way if you do some minor damage with a lens filter on, you don't fux0r the lens costing you a bombshell of money to get a new one.

My $.02

CM

JMcL

Mustangs wrote:

I've read through the reviews of both the Nikon D40 and the Canon 350D and for me anyway, as a beginner, it is a lot of information to take in and I can not find any real differences between the two. I do like the sounds of the D40 from reading about it and may be tempted to stretch my budget to land that one. Plus I also have a 2gb SD card which could be used in the Nikon but not the Canon.

Mustangs, either camera is capable of fine results. Don't worry too much about the fact that the D40 has a lower megapixel count, it's still capable of producing perfect A4 sized prints. The fact that you have an SD card is a bonus, though I wouldn't worry too much about it - most DSLRs use compact flash, so if you ever upgrade, you may have to ditch your SD cards. Also 2GB CF cards can be had for £17.99 from 7DayShop, which isn't much

Mustangs wrote:

Keeping in mind that I will be buying this when I get to New York, I will probably not have time to read up on the manual, techniques, settings etc. so will need to be able to take quality pictures straight from the box. For the scenery in New York would the lens that comes with the D40 (18-55mm I think) be suitable or would I need to improve on that? And also, what lens should I be looking to have if I was to use the camera for sports photography? If I do go DSLR I may as well get all the equipment while i'm there and they are available on the cheap.

The kit lens will be fine for a general walkabout lens. They're generally not brilliant, but do a grand job while you're finding your feet. While it's not ideal to be getting your hands on a camera knowing nothing about it, and having loads of photo opertunities about, both cameras have fully automatic point and shoot modes, where the camera will do all the hard work.

Regarding the lens, on a budget, your best bet is probably the Sigma 70-300mm 3.5-5.6 APO DG (the "APO" is important - there's a non-APO version with almost the same name which is nowhere near as good). You'll probably pick it up for around $200. It's not great for tracking fast moving subject as the autofocus is quite slow, but it's quite capable of good results.

WexfordMusings

I have found when reading reviews bout cameras, and not to be negative or anything, but read a few reviews that have marked that particular camera lower than most. Then judge for yourself are the negative things that the user has found would either bother you and or if they are maybe making a mountain out of a mole hill. I am looking for a new camera too and I have chosen the SLR-hybrid level, so as for the 3 you mention, from my research the Fuji is very popular.