Need Help Buying a Camera

[Tinker]

How do you start looking for a camera?

[Ruin]

First, decide how much you're willing to spend. Realize that future-proofing, getting the higher MPs, and getting the latest and greatest is going to be more expensive. Also, from what I've been told, digital cameras are more expensive in the UK. Maybe if you have a buddy you trust in the US, get them to order it for you and then mail it to you.

Then decide what's important to you in a camera. Image quality? Size? Battery life? Ability to add-on/upgrade? Interchangeable lenses? Digital Media (I got a DSLR with SD memory, gave me lots of left-over memory from my previous cameras)? How long do you plan on having it before upgrading again?

What will you use it for? Day to day things, like events with family, going to a big sporting event, basically record-keeping of your life? Or are you going to delve into amateur photography? Do you want more control and less automation with your camera?

Answer some of these questions, and then we can work from there.

Oh, any brand preference? I am a die-hard Nikon fan. I have 3 Nikon Cameras, two Nikon lenses, and one very old Nikon flash. The only deviance I have from this is my budget Bower flash, and my Quantaray lens that used to be my primary lens, until I got my Nikon.

[Guest]

Most importantly, pick a brand and stick with it. Basically everything Ruin said, just wanted to emphasize that. Find out what you want out of this first, then start looking at cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/

a good site to go to once you start looking.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

This part of the site should help you alot if you know a little on what you want. Otherwise, it should at least educate you a bit on what you need to be looking for.

And, if you're wanting to get into amateur photography, the most important thing to remember is that a camera is just a tool, and won't give you squat if you don't know how to get the most out of it.

[ROCO*AFZ*]

Get a card reader also... Like one of those 12 in one's from sandisk.

That way your not wasting your camera battery and installing annoying software to transfer.

Go for a name brand like Nikon for example. (as durka pointed out ab ove) Note the name brand should be one for camera's not like samsung who does everything.

Decide if you want other lenses. My nikon cool pix 990 (yes it's old) has a lens kit that has one's for reducing uv, reflection and others.

Read the reviews at a site like pricegrabber. People are honest, salemen may not be.

Test it if you can in the store. That way you see how long it takes for the picture to go after you push a button.

Go for the highest optical zoom you can afford. Digital zoom frankly sucks so ignore it's specs

Oh and don't get one with a proprietary battery or a special memory stick (like sony does)

Buy rechargeable batterys and a charger. At least double the batteries of what your camera requires as the flash can eat them up.

[dporter]

Oh and don't get one with a proprietary battery or a special memory stick (like sony does)

Hmmm, must be certain models. Our Sony takes standard AA and a regular SD card.

[Forrester]

by the way there's nothing special about the sony memory stick...lol

I had a sony camcorder and photocamera, very handy that you could swap the sticks....

Nowadays I use a Panasonic camera. Not a brand known for photocamera's but they use zeiss lenses and are very cheap for their quality.

My next camera will be a Nikon by the way, their mirror-reflex camera's are unsurpassed and I still have some very good lenses from my old analog camera....lol

Edited March 14, 2008 by Forrester

[Tinker]

Reson for camera:

Often take photo`s using a basic phone camera. Never happy with the pictures. Have not owned a good camera before.

Willing to learn a few basic techniques, tips and ticks. Have no idea about what i am looking for, something all round i guess.

No real budget, but realistically, no more than £250 for now i guess.

lol Durka. Here`s my buyer guide:

Does it need a button to press? Yes pls

Unbelievable list of things to take into account there.

Things i do want:

Rechargable batteries

Digital camera with loads of space

Pretty good zoom

Not too big and lumpy?

[Ruin]

Just briefly, I was looking around...

Nikon Coolpix P50 or Nikon Coolpix P60.

Like I said, I'm a Nikon fanboi, I think you can't go wrong with their products, especially for image quality.

Both cameras are 8MP. They seem to be the new big brother to my 8.1MP Coolpix P35 that I LOVE. Great P&S. Functionality, it seems, is the same for both P50 and P60. The change comes in the lens. The P50 has a wider angled lens, where as the P60 loses the wide angle and grabs a 5x optical. Also has some more advanced features for, what Nikon calls "the Advanced Point and Shooter." Seems like a great way to expand into some basic amateur photography before you go DSLR. It still retains the basic automated features, but has a lot of manual control built in for when you need it. Room to grow.

Both come in at about $200USD (give or take $30 depending on the website), seems to be about half what you planned on spending. This gives extra $$ for memory cards (SD is going cheap - both are SDHD compatible, which is good), a case, shipping, and batteries (get some good AA rechargeable, and you're set).

Just an initial thought. The reason I didn't give you any links is because I'll let you look it up on your own, so I'm not steering you towards any reviews. Research is half the fun of looking for one of these.

I'll look at some other models later.

[Tinker]

I had a look at the P50 & P60. Not a lot of difference there, but i do like the overall look of them both straight away.

Very nice price too overall, not much difference with UK sales.

So the P60 has a higher low ISO of 80 compared to 64 for the the P50? No idea what this means TBH.

Will do some more reading up over the weekend.

[ROCO*AFZ*]

Oh and don't get one with a proprietary battery or a special memory stick (like sony does)

Hmmm, must be certain models. Our Sony takes standard AA and a regular SD card.

Durka, got a buddy with a proprietary memory stick

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Memory-MSX-M4GS...e/dp/B000GBO9IM

Can't use them in card readers

I agree with Ruin on Nikon. they make some GREAT cameras.

The p60 has 5x optical zoom ... that is GREAT! ignore offerings of digital zoom as it sucks.

The p60 also has vibration reduction. This could help with movie clips.

It also fixes red eye within the camera and can automatically focus on faces.

Here are some tech specs

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-Digita...8573&sr=1-1

[Ruin]

I've found most newer Nikon cameras come with VR. It seems fairly standard for them now. I love the VR on my Coolpix and built in to my big honkin lens.

Biggest difference between the P50 and P60 is the lens. P50 is wideangle, P60 is more for zoom.

[Guest]

Durka, got a buddy with a proprietary memory stick

HuH, LoL....

I have to say to just get whatever you really want, because no matter what you get, you're gonna get flaming mad in 3 months when the newer, cheaper, better version comes out:) Really, the only 3 requirements you need to have are the ones below...

1. Get one with manual settings and the better optical zoom. It's best for learning how to properly use a camera, and digital zooms only manipulate the pixels, so you'll get lower quality.

2. Get a camera with a battery that you can use on an upgrade 2-3 years down the road. They're expensive, and you don't want to have to keep changing out batteries if you don't have to.

3. Memory sticks - same as above. Get something that can accept an SD or compact flash. Those will carry you further.

Everything else is gravy.

Anywho, it's interesting to see some people into photography here.

[WytchDokta]

How do you start looking for a camera?

Open your eyes?

[Tinker]

How do you start looking for a camera?

Open your eyes?

Having a few issues with that.

[Forrester]

hmm Memory sticks are supported by almost all card readers in the EU.... so I dunno what problem they would cause.

I went from a Sony with the "odd" memory stick to a Panasonic with a custom battery (not standard penlites) but the battery lasts for 400 photo's so thats not an issue, heck I don't even have a spare battery.

The Panasonic is known for the good anti-shaking method and a large zoom (12x) I don't know how many pixels they produce today but it is a small camera though it has the shape of a mirror-reflex.

I'm glad I bought it, it has easy to use menu's and more complex for those pictures not involving fast moving children..... (guess what Mode I use most...lol)

[Guest]

Forrester, I think the problem is not with the card reader, but in thinking about a next camera. Say you get a Sony with its memory stick, then a few years later you decide to get a Canon that uses CompactFlash. All that money you've invested in memorystick is down the tube unless you get another Sony.

[Papa6]

I like Both Nikon or Canon. There's a dealer here in the US at Link where they sell kits wholesale. I got a kit that would normally cost me $3,999 RETAIL but, wholesale I got the whole thing for $1,300 after adding an 8 hour battery. got 7-10 delivery and got it the next morning.

I got the Canon EOS Digital 400D (Rebel Xti in US). One popular Camera for regular joes like you and I. has all of the same features of the professional models (EOS 5 and 1 D systems.

also there in the UK, London, is a shop dedicated to JUST nikon Grays of Westminster

[Tinker]

Nikon P60 was chosen, arrived yesterday, just charging the batteries.

You think a basic carry pouch would come with these things!

[Ruin]

Good stuff! We expect a review!

You'll be pleased with Nikon. I definitely am!

[Fletch]

I perfer Canons over Nikons, the basic camera for best is the best in terms of quality and the Nikon lenses are some of the best but Nikon does not make their own Sensors. They use Sony sensors which are in my biased opinion inferior to Canons.

Edit: I use a Canon 40D and love it.

Edited March 29, 2008 by Fletch

[Tinker]

I went to take a picture this morning, and all out of space! £200 for a camera that takes 6 pictures and has no carry case.

Oki, have my eye on:This memory card.

Is this oki?

*Edit*

Further investigations reveal my image size is at 3264 x 2448 (8MB a picture)

Have reduced to 1600 x 1200 and now have nearly 50 shots available. Can reduce further in needed.

[Ruin]

You're lucky that camera even has built in memory. My $1000 Nikon has none. You need to have a memory card for any realistic amount of space. That way, you can shoot in the higher-resolutions - which I STRONGLY reccomend you do. Shoot at the 8MP level, that way you can get larger prints if you want, or you can crop parts out and make smaller prints without any distortion.

I've got a 4GB card in my D80, and I get about 500+ pics. Perfect.

[Forrester]

Forrester, I think the problem is not with the card reader, but in thinking about a next camera. Say you get a Sony with its memory stick, then a few years later you decide to get a Canon that uses CompactFlash. All that money you've invested in memorystick is down the tube unless you get another Sony.

but with the increasing size of the memory cards.... you'll want a new memory card with the new camera too dont you? my sony used 256mb memory sticks, in my panasonic I have 4 gig.....