Cameras and Photography

Now i know there are some folk on here who are really into photography and im not just talking about taking pictures on hols etc. Ive got a Nikon Coolpix point n shoot job, however im looking to get something a little better, with more manual functions however i wasnt looking to go as far as the dslr route. For those in the know, is it worth me going for the prosumer large zoom slr like bodied cameras which are coming in at the high end of digi cams?

Hi Rob,

Difficult to say without knowing what your budget is and which cameras you have in mind. Share the details!

It also totally depends what you will use it for. Myself, I'm a 'trying to go pro' and have a canon dslr, which is awesome, takes superb pics, and has a huge range of lenses to choose from (not many of which I own, unfortunately!) and that works for me, but if you just want your everyday snapshots to be better quality, a smaller format camera would be better. My camera bag weighs in at abou 5 kilos, so if you want to take pics of your mates in the pub, forget it!
Sorry, bit of a ramble, but give us some idea what you will use it for, and how much moolah you have to blow on it, and I'll try and be more specific!

I had (still have) an Olympus C5050Zoom



Which has taken great pictures, but you can't beat the combination of the quality optics (lenses), quality CCD and large image size that a DSLR offers. And cameras like the D350 are now about the same price as the other ones you're looking at.

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If you want to 'play' more with the more creative side of photography there are many fixed lens cameras out there that offer this ability with an astounding zoom range. These cameras tend to resembl a small SLR and are all pretty much of similar spec. Lots of pixels and a short sensitivity range (due to small sensor size).

If you really want to play then the DSLR is the way, they are about the same price as some of the above but have a shorter zoom lens as standard.

The Nikon D70 although expensive is in the process of being relaced by a higher spec D80 so expect prices to fall on the D70 (a cracking DSLR that I've used for the last three years for many.. err. jobs). Don't be fooled by the number of pixels, the higher sensitivity of a DSLR sensor over the fixed lens cameras means that you have to use flash far less also and there is a lot less noise.

Buying from new it would be hard to choose between the Canon 350D (probably about to be replaced) and the Nikon D50 IMHO a better kit with a far superior kit lens.

My money (if I had some) would go on the new D80.

Good luck!

Remember though that it's the glass in front of the sensor that is the most important thing and not the number if pixels.

Canon have always been close to number 1 products and were highly recommended when I last looked about - 2 months ago. I met a good sales guy and walked out with a camcorder instead - Canon though - which also takes good digi pics. I also have a coolpix so couldnt justify another but wanted something to take small vids as well.

Oh forgot, personally I still use film using my rangefinder cameras for my personal work. Leica, Bronica and Voigtlander stuff. The pixels earn the money though, faster workflow.

OK I'm a luddite

yeah, sorry didnt really go into any specifics. The coolpix is fine for capturing a moment etc but im looking at something which will produce quality pics. I like landscape photography and find myself having a go at that. If i set myself a budget of £200-£300 would i be allowing enough for a decent cam? Panasonic DMC FZ7? Fujifilm S5600? The Panasonic has a Leica lens

I picked a canon d30 up of ebay for £265.00 ,its like new... i have 2 lenses a 28-70-mm and a 70-220mm,a good mixture as i like going to my local track and getting some nice action shots of the bikes thrashing round,try to go for a digital slr,u can pick one up real cheap now,and just experiment..some times i get good shots sometimes not.just delete the one's which are cack thats the beauty of diggy stuff.

I just got the new Pentax K100D that has shake reduction technology and great low noise ability. I tried the Canon 350D and that felt like a toy in my hands and i found too many faults with it. A friend got the Nikon D50 and that was a better camera than the Canon but it is now a year old and i wanted something different. So i got the Pentax....which has sold out in Japan! This camera will put Pentax dslr's on the map once again as they finally improved on the jpeg quality which has been a bit of a prob on previous dslr's from them.

Not everyone wants to carry lenses and stuff around and so i got a Canon A540 too which has good manual controls and 4 x zoom and is compact but you could also have a look at the A700 with its bigger zoom. There are just too many choices to choose from so i suggest having a look on www.dpreview.com and have a look at the forums on there as a lot ask the same question as u and there is a wealth of knowledge on there

Originally Posted by robchester

yeah, sorry didnt really go into any specifics. The coolpix is fine for capturing a moment etc but im looking at something which will produce quality pics. I like landscape photography and find myself having a go at that. If i set myself a budget of £200-£300 would i be allowing enough for a decent cam? Panasonic DMC FZ7? Fujifilm S5600? The Panasonic has a Leica lens

I think there is a new Fuji replacing that one and i also think Panasonic produce noisy images (like film grain) at high iso settings. Dslr's (well most) produce much cleaner images at high iso settings so much better low light ability. Check that link out and u will find the camera for you from reading posts and asking questions on there