Newbie,what camera? £400ish
Discussion
Hi,
I am a complete beginner at taking photos and have never been that interested in photography if truth be told, so my Canon Ixus 70 compact has been sufficient.
However we have two lovely Boxer dogs that I would like to get good photos off, and the compact is no use in capturing Action shots-the delay between pushing the button and the shot is huge.
Priority is action shots so should I be looking at an SLR or is there something else that would do the job?
Can not really justify over £400 and the more beginner friendly the better.
What do you guys/girls recommend?
Thanks in advance,
Andy
I am a complete beginner at taking photos and have never been that interested in photography if truth be told, so my Canon Ixus 70 compact has been sufficient.
However we have two lovely Boxer dogs that I would like to get good photos off, and the compact is no use in capturing Action shots-the delay between pushing the button and the shot is huge.
Priority is action shots so should I be looking at an SLR or is there something else that would do the job?
Can not really justify over £400 and the more beginner friendly the better.
What do you guys/girls recommend?
Thanks in advance,
Andy
I'm very much the amateur so I won't offer advice but I'm looking at upgrading my Canon 350D so if that's the sort of thing that would suit you I might be open to offers. I've used it mainly at Le Mans for shooting some of the racing. That would leave you with some cash for a lens or two.
Mods: Don't take this as an ad, it's just a suggestion of something that might be in his budget.
Mods: Don't take this as an ad, it's just a suggestion of something that might be in his budget.
Cheers for the advice so far guys, I have just had a look at Dslr's and they are not cheap are they, £400 was maybe being a bit optimistic.
Thanks for the offer Jock but I would prefer to buy new, if only for the warranty, lovely Exige by the way
For lightning fast pics what does acamera need to have, do I really need a DLSR or would something more basic do? As mentioned it is just for clear fast pics of the dgs playing in the water, running etc.
Thanks for the offer Jock but I would prefer to buy new, if only for the warranty, lovely Exige by the way
For lightning fast pics what does acamera need to have, do I really need a DLSR or would something more basic do? As mentioned it is just for clear fast pics of the dgs playing in the water, running etc.
R1gtr said:
Cheers for the advice so far guys, I have just had a look at Dslr's and they are not cheap are they, £400 was maybe being a bit optimistic.
Thanks for the offer Jock but I would prefer to buy new, if only for the warranty, lovely Exige by the way
For lightning fast pics what does acamera need to have, do I really need a DLSR or would something more basic do? As mentioned it is just for clear fast pics of the dgs playing in the water, running etc.
For anything where 'the moment' counts, and especially for action stuff, the focusing systems available on DSLRs will always be faster than the systems on other designs. The gap is narrowing as the years pass but, right now, I don't think there is a non-dslr that would really work for you and certainly not within the price limit you set.Thanks for the offer Jock but I would prefer to buy new, if only for the warranty, lovely Exige by the way
For lightning fast pics what does acamera need to have, do I really need a DLSR or would something more basic do? As mentioned it is just for clear fast pics of the dgs playing in the water, running etc.
That said you would probably find that almost any dslr at or around the price point will do a reasonable job. If you want to minimise the outlay you could consider something like the Canon 1000D available refurbished from Canon (Canon_outlet) on eBay for £239.99 including a useful 'Image Stabilised' version of the normal kit lens. The 1000D is not a recent model but will take perfectly good shots for your stated needs (unless the photography bug really bites and you start to want more and more ... but that's another story.)
The 1000D is, basically, a similar camera to the old model 400D and was introduced when the 400D was replaced with a later model. I have a 400D, bought refurbished about 5 years ago, and it still works fine and produces great results for the sort of shots it was intended for. If you want video, a high number of frames per second or the ability to take perfect shots of a black cat in a coal cellar you would need to look elsewhere and dig deeper into the wallet. If not something like the 1000D, or, when available, its later model the 1100D would make a good choice as would the equivalent cameras from Nikon and perhaps one or two other manufacturers.
In between that and the pocket cameras there are options like the 'Micro 4/3rds' systems which might also work for you but, buying new, I think you would need to be looking at only the most recent versions and somewhere at or slightly in excess of your budget. Might still be some good choices there though.
HTH.
LongQ said:
For anything where 'the moment' counts, and especially for action stuff, the focusing systems available on DSLRs will always be faster than the systems on other designs. The gap is narrowing as the years pass but, right now, I don't think there is a non-dslr that would really work for you and certainly not within the price limit you set.
That said you would probably find that almost any dslr at or around the price point will do a reasonable job. If you want to minimise the outlay you could consider something like the Canon 1000D available refurbished from Canon (Canon_outlet) on eBay for £239.99 including a useful 'Image Stabilised' version of the normal kit lens. The 1000D is not a recent model but will take perfectly good shots for your stated needs (unless the photography bug really bites and you start to want more and more ... but that's another story.)
The 1000D is, basically, a similar camera to the old model 400D and was introduced when the 400D was replaced with a later model. I have a 400D, bought refurbished about 5 years ago, and it still works fine and produces great results for the sort of shots it was intended for. If you want video, a high number of frames per second or the ability to take perfect shots of a black cat in a coal cellar you would need to look elsewhere and dig deeper into the wallet. If not something like the 1000D, or, when available, its later model the 1100D would make a good choice as would the equivalent cameras from Nikon and perhaps one or two other manufacturers.
In between that and the pocket cameras there are options like the 'Micro 4/3rds' systems which might also work for you but, buying new, I think you would need to be looking at only the most recent versions and somewhere at or slightly in excess of your budget. Might still be some good choices there though.
HTH.
Helps a lot, many thanks, looks like a DSLR is the way forward, I am already thinking of increasing my budget, might as well spend that bit extra for something that I won't outgrow in a few years. Living in the Highlands I will not be short of stuff to photograph That said you would probably find that almost any dslr at or around the price point will do a reasonable job. If you want to minimise the outlay you could consider something like the Canon 1000D available refurbished from Canon (Canon_outlet) on eBay for £239.99 including a useful 'Image Stabilised' version of the normal kit lens. The 1000D is not a recent model but will take perfectly good shots for your stated needs (unless the photography bug really bites and you start to want more and more ... but that's another story.)
The 1000D is, basically, a similar camera to the old model 400D and was introduced when the 400D was replaced with a later model. I have a 400D, bought refurbished about 5 years ago, and it still works fine and produces great results for the sort of shots it was intended for. If you want video, a high number of frames per second or the ability to take perfect shots of a black cat in a coal cellar you would need to look elsewhere and dig deeper into the wallet. If not something like the 1000D, or, when available, its later model the 1100D would make a good choice as would the equivalent cameras from Nikon and perhaps one or two other manufacturers.
In between that and the pocket cameras there are options like the 'Micro 4/3rds' systems which might also work for you but, buying new, I think you would need to be looking at only the most recent versions and somewhere at or slightly in excess of your budget. Might still be some good choices there though.
HTH.
R1gtr said:
Cheers for the advice so far guys, I have just had a look at Dslr's and they are not cheap are they, £400 was maybe being a bit optimistic.
Thanks for the offer Jock but I would prefer to buy new, if only for the warranty, lovely Exige by the way
For lightning fast pics what does acamera need to have, do I really need a DLSR or would something more basic do? As mentioned it is just for clear fast pics of the dgs playing in the water, running etc.
HiThanks for the offer Jock but I would prefer to buy new, if only for the warranty, lovely Exige by the way
For lightning fast pics what does acamera need to have, do I really need a DLSR or would something more basic do? As mentioned it is just for clear fast pics of the dgs playing in the water, running etc.
Well the main thing a DSLR will give you is no shutter lag. Even the best point and shoot will still give you some time between when you press the button and the pic is taken. Then there are the amount of lenses you can get for a DSLR... from 8 mm to 800 mm, so you can do anything you want.
Then there is the quality which increases the more you spend. (My current setup cost about LOTS)
On the other hand there is the size and the cost. It's your choice.
My most used camera is the Canon S95. Most of my dog pics taken with that (this yesterday)
...but it's NOT good at running jumping dogs! (Apart from anything else there is no rangefinder). If you are serious about getting good pics then a DSLR is the way to go.
Before you spend lots on new kit - are you pressing the button half-way (you'll feel it stop) so the camera can focus and prepare, then squeezing the last bit when you want the shot? Just stab it from nothing and it will take a while to set up then fire, get it ready before and it should be a fraction of a second.
Think about what you really want before jumping in to an SLR. They take great pics but be realistic - will you carry it with you, or do you really want something that can just go in a coat pocket and be pulled out when you see the right moment? Do you want a decent amount of zoom to capture things a little way away?
Something like a Canon S95 or SX240 may suit your needs better than a SLR. Just saying, from the viewpoint of someone who dived in and bought a D50 years ago, it languished in the cupboard after a big NZ trip and I sold it several months later. Not felt the need for another, because I know I'd never bother taking it with me. Better to have a slightly poorer quality photo because you took the camera, than no photo at all (or these days, a crappy one from your phone).
Think about what you really want before jumping in to an SLR. They take great pics but be realistic - will you carry it with you, or do you really want something that can just go in a coat pocket and be pulled out when you see the right moment? Do you want a decent amount of zoom to capture things a little way away?
Something like a Canon S95 or SX240 may suit your needs better than a SLR. Just saying, from the viewpoint of someone who dived in and bought a D50 years ago, it languished in the cupboard after a big NZ trip and I sold it several months later. Not felt the need for another, because I know I'd never bother taking it with me. Better to have a slightly poorer quality photo because you took the camera, than no photo at all (or these days, a crappy one from your phone).
sjg said:
Before you spend lots on new kit - are you pressing the button half-way (you'll feel it stop) so the camera can focus and prepare, then squeezing the last bit when you want the shot? Just stab it from nothing and it will take a while to set up then fire, get it ready before and it should be a fraction of a second.
I think this technique will only work for static subjects. The camera is pre focusing and then locking focus. If your subject moves (and seeing as the OP mentions action shots of dogs...) you'll end up with an out of focus shot. The other thing that most compacts (though not all) struggle with is high iso and fast shutter speeds often require high iso or again, you end up with a blurry shot due to subject movement. A DSLR really is king for this sort of thing, I'm constantly gob smacked about how quickly servo AF can track a moving subject and I'm a ham fisted idiot! I just sold a virtually new Canon 1000D for a mate very recently - it only made £155 inc shipping.
How about this :
http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/used-equipment/us...
How about this :
http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/used-equipment/us...
R1gtr said:
For lightning fast pics what does acamera need to have, do I really need a DLSR or would something more basic do?
Wouldn't knock the s/h gear too much 
Picked up a 400D (what is it with us 400D owners, everywhere) about 8 weeks ago. Put around 70k images on it in the last 3 weeks and its been rock solid. Best bit - body only cost $149 on Ebay! It's a bit long in the tooth now as DSLRs go, but it still knocks out pretty decent images.Best bit about a cheap s/h body is that you can spend the rest on glass - and it's not the body that makes good shots - it's the bit of glass you stick on the front.
Just been through buying at the same price point and went for the D5100 over the 600D (and 550D which is just as good really, just no flip screen). I put some comments at the end of the thread below why I chose the D5100, but honestly either would make a great first DSLR to learn with, the usual advice is play with them in he shop and decide which feels best to you in terms of ergonomics and using the buttons/menus etc.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
R1gtr said:
Cheers for all the advice, thinking that if I am going to spend a fair whack on a camera I may as well spend a bit more and get one that will do me for years, kind of narrowed it down to a Canon 550d or a Nikon D5100, any idea which would be the better bet?
Going to be about the same. Sounds stupid, but buy whatever your friends or family have as it's much easier to swap lenses in the future, and you have a common "what does this button do" interest. If you've ever seen a Canon and Nikon owner talk to each other - it's chalk and cheese.If you are the first though, buy Canon. Obviously
I'm in the same boat as Mr Carter these days. My most used bit of kit for a good while has been my S95. I've even used it for a trip to Santa Pod raceway and got great action pictures. I've also used it for wildlife stuff including flying birds etc. But I also agree with some of the other points that a DSLR will always come out tops in most cases.
It's trial and error as to the model. You need to go and try them. I've always been a Nikon person in terms of DSLRs but I'm not a Canon convert when it comes to compacts!
It's trial and error as to the model. You need to go and try them. I've always been a Nikon person in terms of DSLRs but I'm not a Canon convert when it comes to compacts!
Can I suggest a curve ball idea.
How about a compact system camera?
They start at around £300 use a larger sensor than a compact and you can buy different lenses for them.
I have recently purchased an Olympus E-PM1 and have been very impressed by what it is capable of.
The clincher between this and a DSLR was the size as it is actually smaller than a bridge camera and I can carry it around with a wrist strap.
How about a compact system camera?
They start at around £300 use a larger sensor than a compact and you can buy different lenses for them.
I have recently purchased an Olympus E-PM1 and have been very impressed by what it is capable of.
The clincher between this and a DSLR was the size as it is actually smaller than a bridge camera and I can carry it around with a wrist strap.
RosscoPCole said:
Can I suggest a curve ball idea.
How about a compact system camera?
They start at around £300 use a larger sensor than a compact and you can buy different lenses for them.
I have recently purchased an Olympus E-PM1 and have been very impressed by what it is capable of.
The clincher between this and a DSLR was the size as it is actually smaller than a bridge camera and I can carry it around with a wrist strap.
Indeed, I was lucky enough to grab one of these last week. Surprised they're still available at this price How about a compact system camera?
They start at around £300 use a larger sensor than a compact and you can buy different lenses for them.
I have recently purchased an Olympus E-PM1 and have been very impressed by what it is capable of.
The clincher between this and a DSLR was the size as it is actually smaller than a bridge camera and I can carry it around with a wrist strap.
http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/panasonic-lumix-dmc-g...
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