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Any photographers here?
I want to buy a new digital SLR but am a bit embarrassed to go on one of these camera websites to ask cos I'm a bit fik when it comes to f's and aspect ratios and speeds and that.
Anyone recommend a good starting point/website/magazine.
I know the point and squirt ones are good these days but I am a bloke and I like to fiddle with knobs, switches and sliders.
And I want to be able to mount some scenery pictures in frames, and don't mind a bob or two for a decent camera with pin sharp resolution.
Ta
Anyone recommend a good starting point/website/magazine.
I know the point and squirt ones are good these days but I am a bloke and I like to fiddle with knobs, switches and sliders.
And I want to be able to mount some scenery pictures in frames, and don't mind a bob or two for a decent camera with pin sharp resolution.
Ta
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Comments
Pointed me in the right direction, and best of all, has a gallery section that enables you to see what each camera is capable of, and then choose what you think is best for you.
if you are spending over £500 then you are really looking at canon, nikon, sony/konica/minolta and a few others.
My thoughts were 300 quid. Now they are 500 to a grand tops. Something that will do a full automatic but can be switched to manual.
As a bit of a car nut, any suggestions for the equivalent of a 3/5 series 3 litre petrol Beemer in digital SLR cameras. ie faultless and serves 99% of the population fine. (Though I bought a Subaru).
My first pass suggests Nikon D50/70?
Any good discount sites eg Jessops?
Or is that a bit like saying go to JJB for your running shoes?
Also flick through the reviews at
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
Got the bank involved & they sorted them out - well done Smile.co.uk
If you don't want something as large as an SLR, canon does some nice cameras that you can adjust the setting, exposure, shutter time etc for various effects. I have a Canon A80 which is great although a bit dated. I'm sure the new ones are even better although an SLR is best for quality & versatility
Size is not an issue (my wife says it's fine).
Our works 4 mega wotsit point and squirt thing takes great piccies but I want more (stamps foot).
I understand shutter speed for moving shots, aperture for extra light in the hole, and pixels for more detail and that optical zoom is better than digital. But basically, I want pictures I can mount and put on the wall.
Or at least have fun trying to get there.
Have a look at Sony H1/H2, Canon S2 and Panasonic Lumix FZ 20/30.
Stunning cameras which would grow with your skills as they grow. Can do fully automatic, or fully manual, as you like.
You can get superb shots off them, such as you can mount on the wall.
I have the H1 and never cease to be amazed at how much camera you get for really, so very little money.
What are you going to use the camera for? Find a compact with a zoom that will be flexible enough for your needs and that has a manual mode but that also has well rated auto "priority" modes.
Do you really want to lug around lots of different lenes but only ever really use that one mid-range zoom?
There are some lovely looking compacts with all the whizz bangs you could ever fiddle with.
as a general rule aperture determines how much is in focus ie f2.8 - not much in focus. f28 most of what you can see in focus. length of lense can affect this to a lesser or greater extent.
speed - rule is if you are using a 50mm lense then you need a shutter speed of 1/50th second or quicker. 200mm lense you need a shutter speed of 1/200th second or quicker. again this is only a basic rule, if you have steady hands you may get away with slower speeds, if you dont have steady hands then you may need to use quicker speeds. also cameras/lenses now are being made with stabilisers, that can dramatically lessen the handshake factor.
when it comes to spending around £1000 then you have a choice to make. you really need to go to your local camera shop and try the cameras out, see which you prefeer in your hand. try the controls. look at the size of the screen and how clear it is. if jessops are the only shop near to you, then ask if you can borrow the camera for half an hour to take a few photos before viewing on their computer.
at this price point it is normally a choice between nikon and canon, due mainly to the size of accesory catalogue ie; lenses, flashes etc.
dont forget to budget for at least a 18-70mm lense (or something similar). if you can afford it, then something like a 70-210/300 lense gives you more scope.
personally i like the canon cameras - 20D/30D, however the nikon cameras you mention are good. try out BOTH makes first as you really do not want to spend a grand and then find something really niggles you about the camera. i can assure you, even the smallest thing can spoil your enjoyment.
as with running shoes, you really need to try cameras out first before you buy. once you like a particular brand, you will probably be biased towards it. it is rare for someone to switch to nikon when they have been using canon and vise versa.
I subscribe to a magazine called Photography Monthly, which is very good. Not sure how to do links, lemme see... http://www.photographymonthly.com/ Hope that works!
If you dont want to go this far then the D50 is about the best value entry level (good) digital camera ---- the D70 is very similar but has a lot mor fetures you can play with
The speed rules by SDW are a good starting point but due to the multiplying effect of most digital camera sensors (very few have full size sensors) tou can double the sopeed required for hand hold
I still haven't discovered what all the knobs, switches and sliders do, but then I'm not a bloke, so it doesn't seem so necessary.
SUPERB
easy to use, excellent quality shots
and more than enough features to keep most camera nerds happy for a few months.......
Spoke to a few professional photographers before buying it. Their general opinion was that, for their professional work, they always use some £x thousand camera, but for quick point & shoot, idiot-proof stuff, they carry a D50.
Doesn't have all the fancy tricks of the more expensive ones, but unless you REALLY know what you're doing, those are mostly things you'll never use.
Good enough for me.
I recently got a Canon Ixus 750, which is really really compact and ideal for my work, which involves at times photographing documents, macro shots of art objects, etc. Personally, I think Canon lenses are better than Nikon ones, but I'm not an expert.
I'm thinking of getting a 2nd hand digital SLR for doing some more creative stuff, because I know I wouldn't use it that often.
I'm sure there's other places I'm not aware of, though!
Also- I got my camera for £100 less on Amazon than anywhere else!!
Good luck.
As straightforward or as technical as you'd like it to be and a fantastic range of accessories (including non-canon items which fit).
I've blown pictures up to A4 size without loss of quality (I've not tried any bigger but I'm sure it'd come out OK)
An excellent all rounder.
Oh, and I've always found our local Jessops very helpful - not at all the JJB equivilant. Ask about their used selection - you never know!
Tommy.
If you buy a compact with a lens of 0.5cm in diameter, it will give you cr p pictures - even if it's a 6MP camera.
If you buy a DSLR, and stick an f1.4 fixed focal length (say a 50mm or 85mm) on the front, the 5cm diameter glass will give you an excellent picture, even if it's a 3MP camera.
I also wanted the ability to use a wider lens (f1.8 or f1.4) so that I could control the depth of field, because I take mostly portraits, and I like the background to be out of focus. So I mainly use 85mm f1.8 or 30mm f1.4 these days.