camera

[kitkat]

i have been blown away by the photos entered into the competitions and fancy trying photography myself. What is the best sort of camera to start with digital or eh non digital? Are there any good books to read or is it just a case of getting out there and taking photos?

[G]

Digital is the only thing to buy now.

Most compacts will turn out some very good photos now if you just want a point and shoot.

A bridge camera is a very good camera if you want to start playing about abit more with the settings to get a photo a bit different.

An SLR is the way forwards if you have a good knowledge of cameras and the settings involved for different conditions, you will always get the best photo with an SLR but it will cost you.


I have a Fuji S5700 bridge camera at the moment as it was cheap and has a good range within its settings. Tesco's has them on offer at the moment at ?130 which is a damn bargain.

[kitkat]

thanx i have a cannon ixus v3 just now but its quite old (7 years) and i have not really tried to do anything other than point and click. Might get instruction booklet out if I can find it and see what I can do with it.

[K]

I bought a Panasonic DMC-FX18 Limix thing for myself for Christmas. ;)

I had a little cheapo 3mp compact thing before and it took reasonable close-up shots and OK little Mpeg movies - but I really wanted something that would pick up the detail when taking shots of my leatherwork.

I mainly chose this one as the Lumix Intelligent Auto is absolutely awesome. It makes me look good, like I know what I'm doing! ;)
I can basically point and push the button with it at the moment, but it has the capability with semi-auto and fully manual settings to stretch my skills if I ever get round to reading the manual. :oops:

Artistically, Ive got a good eye (some even say two), but I have the technical knowledge of a retarded house-brick.

Edit: Forgot to say, it's a plain digital, not an SLR (Is that a 'bridge camera'? I don't know.) I wanted to still take movies with it for the riding lessons at Uni, and you can't do that with an SLR - this was the best compromise that meant I didn't have to buy two separate bits of kit. Cost £275

[sneaky]

i recommend canon g9 or digital slr (depends on your budget).

[stewie]

I bought a Panasonic DMC-FX18 Limix thing for myself for Christmas. ;)

I had a little cheapo 3mp compact thing before and it took reasonable close-up shots and OK little Mpeg movies - but I really wanted something that would pick up the detail when taking shots of my leatherwork.

I mainly chose this one as the Lumix Intelligent Auto is absolutely awesome. It makes me look good, like I know what I'm doing! ;)
I can basically point and push the button with it at the moment, but it has the capability with semi-auto and fully manual settings to stretch my skills if I ever get round to reading the manual. :oops:

Artistically, Ive got a good eye (some even say two), but I have the technical knowledge of a retarded house-brick.

Edit: Forgot to say, it's a plain digital, not an SLR (Is that a 'bridge camera'? I don't know.) I wanted to still take movies with it for the riding lessons at Uni, and you can't do that with an SLR - this was the best compromise that meant I didn't have to buy two separate bits of kit. Cost £275

I just got bought a Panasonic lumix FZ8 for me birthday, great camera, brilliant Leica lens, then went out on bought one of these the other day http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130193802773&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=003
happy days, say cheese

[simesb]

I would recommend getting a bridge camera which can also shoot raw if you are serious about developing your skills. If you don't know, RAW is akin to the old darkroom - you can digitally develop them and have much more control over the final image than with a plain point-and-shoot.

Also, a bridge camera will have manual overrides for when you are trying to be clever and control depth of field etc

[kitkat]

who would have thought buying a camera would be so tricky

[stewie]

who would have thought buying a camera would be so tricky

Whats your budget if you dont mind me asking ?

[K]

I would recommend getting a bridge camera which can also shoot raw if you are serious about developing your skills. If you don't know, RAW is akin to the old darkroom - you can digitally develop them and have much more control over the final image than with a plain point-and-shoot.

Also, a bridge camera will have manual overrides for when you are trying to be clever and control depth of field etc

In that case mine's definately a 'Bridge Camera' cos the manual says I can do all that wangy stuff... when I gets a brian. ;)

[simesb]

dpreview (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/) has excellent and (i find) trustworthy reviews of loads of cameras. Worth a look to see what there is and what they think about them.

[fizzwheel]

As per my PM, if you have the budget and can stretch to a DSLR, then go for that. You can get a Nikon D40 now for ?299, I dont think they are much more expensive than a Bridge camera is and IMHO you get more bang for you buck.

Dont let the DSLR put you off, if you go for an entry level one like the Nikon or the canon equivalent they have full auto modes which will get you started.

[John 675]

for a complete Noob to DSLR's id recommend a canon, simply because they feel alot more sturdy than the nikon beginners range and slightly easier to get on with but beware they are quite small lol, but i wouldnt be buying the cheaper canon or nikon lens because the feel so TACKY ! ! id go with a sigma, if you wanted a good budget lens for any DSLR go for the Sigma 70-300 Apo at £149 your not going to get any better untill the £220 mark,
you can get the canon Eos 400d 10 million pixel, 3.5 frames per second for £399 now.
My Latest edition was the sigma 100 - 300 F4 APO HSM

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:0yJ20q-5SHdDPM:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419M30JW4FL._AA280_.jpg

and shortly it will be joined by the Canon Eos 450D to Start selling my pics again.
this is a few shots with the Canon Eos 350D and the sigma 70 -300
*they are abit dark because i host them on myspace and loose quality as they are compressed... seems to add contrast for some reason

http://a108.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/23/l_d03961f95910f86ea773eab49586f6e3.jpg

http://a74.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/38/l_5f16fa9aa67ad4823d99542ae306bc51.jpg

[Jabba]

I got a Fuji Finepix S5700 at Christmas.

I have a Fuji S5700 bridge camera at the moment as it was cheap and has a good range within its settings. Tesco's has them on offer at the moment at ?130 which is a damn bargain.

Agreed - a well-featured "bridge" camera now going for about ?100 at pixmania.com (http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/544476/art/fuji/finepix-s5700.html?srcid=369). Simple or complicated as you want it to be and fantastic vfm given the features.

http://pan.fotovista.com/dev/2/3/00034132/g_00034132.jpg

[kitkat]

Whats your budget if you dont mind me asking ?

budget at the moment is £0 but should have some money by the summer once flat sells thinking about spending £250 to £300

[skint]

who would have thought buying a camera would be so tricky

I found it quite an easy exercise. I went in the shop and asked "how much is that" after being advised of the cost I said "Ah, ok, I'll have that one then" :D:oops: