First camera

[belinda]

Hi everyone, hope you've all had a good Christmas

I was just wondering if anyone could give me any tips on a first camera? I'm just using my Iphone at the minute and better quality photos is definitely what i am after.

any advice would be great

cheers!

 

[HughieD]

I'd go for an entry level DSLR.

If your budget is up to £300 go for either a Nikon D3300 or a Canon D1200. If you can stretch to the £500 mark then you're looking at the Nikon D5500 or the Canon EOS D750. Either way you are looking at the eternal Nikon v Canon decision.

The alternative is a good digital compact. Not really up to speed with that as I'm a DSLR man.

 

[UrbanX]

Id echo that, an entry level SLR will see you fine for years.
You'll have so much more control over your photos, i.e how much is in focus, or how bright / dark you wantit to be.
When you get bored of it you can keep the body and just get more lenses!

 

[belinda]

Ah ok, see I've been looking at bridge cameras, and my budget is way under £300 right now. More like £100. I honestly don't have much knowledge on cameras at all though. I was looking at the Nikon coolpix l340, it's a 20mp camera with a 28x optical zoom lense.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[belinda]

What does a DSLR have over a bridge camera?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mookster]

What does a DSLR have over a bridge camera?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

More settings, better image quality, a proper manual mode, interchangeable lenses, the list goes on. I had a bridge camera for less than a year before I moved on to a DSLR

 

[HughieD]

What Mookster said. End of the day....you get what you pay for. Take the plunge and go for a DSLR.

 

[Bones out]

Ah ok, see I've been looking at bridge cameras, and my budget is way under £300 right now. More like £100. I honestly don't have much knowledge on cameras at all though. I was looking at the Nikon coolpix l340, it's a 20mp camera with a 28x optical zoom lense.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If the budget is tight a good bridge camera would be a canon G9 - G11 type for the price? Good overall fixed lens and many functions of a dslr. Nice and cheap on second hand and auction sites. Good build quality and solid construction.

Canon PowerShot G11: Digital Photography Review
Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera | eBay

 

[Sam Haltin]

For an entry level camera I would go for the G9. Okay its second-hand but its cheap and it will do you until you step up to the £300-£500 bracket. But its your choice. The higher the MP (mega-pixels) the better quality the photos will be but you will pay more. Good luck...

 

[belinda]

For an entry level camera I would go for the G9. Okay its second-hand but its cheap and it will do you until you step up to the £300-£500 bracket. But its your choice. The higher the MP (mega-pixels) the better quality the photos will be but you will pay more. Good luck...

Yeah that's what I was thinking (high megapixels) so I went with the 20mp Nikon. Thanks for the info people. I'll upload some pics from it soon


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BikinGlynn]

All I have is an olympus 770sw digital, am sure u could pick these up for 100! Although I crave a dslr I think my pics just about hold their own (have a look at my posts for yourself). The big advantage is they r pretty much unbreakable & fully water proof ;-)

 

[bouncy]

Just out of intrest talking about using iPhone camera. Has anyone ever used stick on lenses you can buy for smartphones

 

[Jingles]

I would echo any suggestions of an entry level dSLR.
Spend your money on lenses, not camera body as higher quality lenses can always give better images.
I would also suggest Nikon or Canon systems as they have more lens range that God or your budget can afford - hence can grow into either system if you develop as a photographer.

 

[SlimJim]

The zoom on digital compacts/bridge cameras might be 20x + but it's terrible quality when you go beyond the optical zoom capabilities. If you're urbexing you won't need much in the way of zoom anyway (most of the time). I started with a bridge and they're ok (particularly the more pricey ones), but 6 months down the line I was wanting more control and bigger, better quality shots. You'll get a lot more from a dSLR in terms of manual control, options and bits you can add to it like flashguns, lenses, shutter releases, filters, etc. Much more creative. Also speed! The shutter speed and reactions of my particular bridge was horrible! Not good when you're flustered and want to blast off shots before you're nabbed by secca! Could get a D3100 or something - all good amateur cameras in that line.