Complete Newbie

Black_Knight

Hey all,

Im thinking of getting a decent camera. I do love taking photos and its a passion ive never really embraced too much. Ive a bit of money in the pocket now and I think its about time I buy a camera to urge on that passion.

Things that really annoy me about point and click cameras are their shocking optical zoom, I know its all to do with their size but I want a good zoom. My previous camera was terrible without a flash, unless i was looking right at the sun it would flash. Dont know is that any different with bigger lensed cameras so feel free to fill me in there.

I dont want to go breaking the bank entirely, but a few hundred would be grand.

Want a good zoom, decent pixel range. Decent battery life, video with sound recording. Anything else I should be looking out for?
Edit: Dont need video and sound recording
Cheers everybody, appreciate any input.

PS: I apologise for not knowing basically anything about cameras

Ricky91t

I dunno are you looking for an slr or a "bridge camera" but if you want video and sound you wont get a dslr with one,fuji and canon seem to make good compacts cameras maybe have a look on their sites for a the kind of specifications you need ...

Overdraft

If you can live without video and just want a good quality starter DSLR I'd go for the Nikon D40. I got one a few months ago and I love it, a beaut of a camera.

If you definitely want video I'd consider a Canon Powershot. I have the Powershot G7 (there are newer versions out - is the G9 the latest?) and the quality of photo and video is very good.

If I was you, though, I'd go for the Nikon D40 and buy a camcorder when you have the loot. Good luck.

Paulw

Black_Knight wrote: »

Want a good zoom, decent pixel range. Decent battery life, video with sound recording. Anything else I should be looking out for?

If you must have video, then you're looking for a bridge camera. There are many options out there. Check sites like DPReview.com for details and reviews.

If you want a good camera (digital) and will buy lenses, then look at the Canon 1000D, or Canon 450D. Both very good starter cameras for a decent price. They won't do any video/sound though.

You won't find a camera that does everything brilliantly. You have to compromise between video/sound and then still photos. Best of luck with your search/choice.

Black_Knight

Ok, so screw the Video, as I said im a noob, didnt know video was going to be a problem.

The D40 and the 2 canons look great... probably tipping the budget a bit too far but its giving me ideas what to look for.

Looking for a DSLR, not a bridge or compact.

Whats the optical zoom like on the canons and D40? I dont see it on the specs im looking at, or its just not obvious to me. (more examples of my noobness to follow)

By the by, it doesnt necessarilly have to be a span new camera. Older second hand, tried and tested cameras are also an option.

Paulw

Ok, sounds like you have a large learning curve ahead.

SLRs don't come with lenses (by default). The lenses are changeable, but many come with a package deal - camera body plus a lens.

The optical zoom is a misnomer. SLR cameras work with lenses of different focal length. It will depend on the camera, the lens and it's use.

A wide angle lens would tend to be under 20mm, a medium range zoom would be 70-200mm and a long range telephoto would be up to 600mm.

Try using google to find articles about focal length compared to optical zoom factor.

Lenses will very much vary in price and quality. Most beginner packages come with an 18-55mm lens, which is decent for wide angle or portraits. After that, you need to work out what you want to photograph and what lens would be more appropriate.

Black_Knight

Paulw wrote: »

Ok, sounds like you have a large learning curve ahead.

You have no idea!

Thanks for clearing some of that up. Ill get to my googling after work... im really busy at the moment.... reading about different cameras!

So am I right in thinking that for portraits ill need 1 lense, and then if im at a concert or something ill need to change to a different lense, "70-200mm"?

Paulw

In general, yes.

There is seldom a brilliant all round lens that will cover all the ranges you want.

There are so many lens options out there, for different makers.

An example (in the Canon world)

16-35mm f/2.8 lens - brilliant for wide angle and landscapes
24-70mm f/2.8 lens - brilliant for portraits/weddings
70-200mm f/2.8 - great for sport, wildlife where you need that extra reach
400mm f/2.8 - large prime lens for sport and wildlife.

You won't get a quality lens that can cover 16-400mm (though you can find some lenses that would cover that range). You have to balance the range against the quality and speed of the lens. Another thing for you to google would be about fast lenses.

Try going through the FAQ at the top of the photography section. I'm sure many of these bits would be covered there.

Ricky91t

I wouldn't go for the D40!
It will cause alot of trouble when you go to get new lens of sigma ones etc.
Either get a nikon D50 or any canon is fine
Maybe if you look into a 350D they will be fairly cheap now anjd are reliable camera's
YOu could look into a sigma 18-125 as a first lens just to get a feel of things
Then either sell it on if you want a good wide angle lens.
Or add a telephoto if you want to shoot sports or wildlife

or you coluld just get a kit lens with the body

take this for example http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANON-EOS-350D_W0QQitemZ170229938899QQihZ007QQcategoryZ31388QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and that would be roughly €360 im just guessing irish postage as it isn't listed.
But thats kit is ready made a nice wide lens on it to get you started a memory card and a flash

decimal

A good basics lesson on DSLR

I'd highly recommend a bridge camera from what you are saying though, the canon Powershot G9 is fairly cheap at the moment. I used one for over a year before buying a 40D. If I went out and bought a decent DSLR first, I'd be scratching my head trying to get through all the settings and find it annoying that I need to buy different lenses for different types of shots (= lots of money!), plus, you won't appreciate what it can do. (If a learner driver really liked driving, would you recommend them a Ferrari before buying, say a BMW?)

I learned the fundamentals of photography on the G9 and my interest grew, after I felt it was holding me back from taking the shots I wanted to take, I bought a DSLR. Plus, if you went with a decent bridge camera, you will keep it for handiness sake.

Black_Knight

Woops! Didnt see the FAQs. Ill give that a read and get to googling and check back then.

Overdraft

ricky91t wrote: »

I wouldn't go for the D40!
It will cause alot of trouble when you go to get new lens of sigma ones etc.

But no problem if you stick with those nice shiny Nikkor ones Well, most of them any way. I've a nice selection of autofocussing Nikkor lenses, when it reaches the stage when I want/need more that'll probably be the time to upgrade the camera. So for a beginner I reckon the D40's perfect. Just my humble opinion though.

Phototoxin

I wouldn't go for the D40!
It will cause alot of trouble when you go to get new lens of sigma ones etc.

I disagree. Get yourself a D40 (not the x) and the kit lens. There are enough AF-S lenses to meet your needs.