Discussion
Hello everyone.
I'm looking to get into this digital photography malarky and I'm after some recomendations for what equipment I should be using. I don't have a massive budget, I can stretch to maybe £150.
the camera will be used mainly for taking pictures of static cars and occasionally of people.
My photograhy skills aren't the best at the minute so I just want something relitively cheap I can get started with.
An example of a recent shot ...
recommendations welcome and any links to websites selling cameras greatly recieved. thanks.
Thanks.
I'm looking to get into this digital photography malarky and I'm after some recomendations for what equipment I should be using. I don't have a massive budget, I can stretch to maybe £150.
the camera will be used mainly for taking pictures of static cars and occasionally of people.
My photograhy skills aren't the best at the minute so I just want something relitively cheap I can get started with.
An example of a recent shot ...
recommendations welcome and any links to websites selling cameras greatly recieved. thanks.
Thanks.
Have you looked on the (stickied) resources thread?
Certainly this website is a good starter for tracking down best prices!
Certainly this website is a good starter for tracking down best prices!
Well, I reckon you should get stuck in with something in your budget or significantly below your budget and get on the learning curve towards your next purchase when you have worked out what your next step up might be.
Have a gander at the alternatives in your price range from Canon, Fuji and Panasonic - you can't really go wrong with the quality of these manufacturers' products. You'll be capable of turning out good images on any of these.
Then get yourself down to a Jessops, or similar, and see if you can't handle the to see what they feel like. No good having a camera which you don't use because it's too small in your hand and the buttons and dials are too fiddly, or it seems to fragile to take out of your pocket!!!
As far as spec goes:
Megapixels - don't be fooled that a bigger number is necessarily better. Unless you want to do A3 and bigger posters, 5 or 6 megapixels is plenty adequate and, in fact, going for more can compromise on quality
Lens: you'd like a nice range 3x or 5x is good, but a bigger number would give you the option of close reach over distant objects if you can't get close enough. The simple alternative is to use your feet and get closer. Given that cars are on your agenda, you might be close so the possibility of a "wider" lens (maybe the "equivalent" of 35mm or 28mm - smaller number is better)
Lens aperture: the smaller the "f" number, the better your range of options in low light
ISO numbers - an auto setting and a range, maybe from 100 or 200 up to 800 or 1600 would be useful - the wider the range, the better
Built in flash: would be useful, even in daylight, to fill in shadows e.g. if you're photographing people in sunlight/shadows
Image Stabiliser: if you can get it for the budget is a useful addition to making sure your pictures are sharp
Ooo - and apart from the camera if you can find some free image processing software, to do a few tweaks and crops and sharpen images, that'll be a good place to learn about digital too......
Have a gander at the alternatives in your price range from Canon, Fuji and Panasonic - you can't really go wrong with the quality of these manufacturers' products. You'll be capable of turning out good images on any of these.
Then get yourself down to a Jessops, or similar, and see if you can't handle the to see what they feel like. No good having a camera which you don't use because it's too small in your hand and the buttons and dials are too fiddly, or it seems to fragile to take out of your pocket!!!
As far as spec goes:
Megapixels - don't be fooled that a bigger number is necessarily better. Unless you want to do A3 and bigger posters, 5 or 6 megapixels is plenty adequate and, in fact, going for more can compromise on quality
Lens: you'd like a nice range 3x or 5x is good, but a bigger number would give you the option of close reach over distant objects if you can't get close enough. The simple alternative is to use your feet and get closer. Given that cars are on your agenda, you might be close so the possibility of a "wider" lens (maybe the "equivalent" of 35mm or 28mm - smaller number is better)
Lens aperture: the smaller the "f" number, the better your range of options in low light
ISO numbers - an auto setting and a range, maybe from 100 or 200 up to 800 or 1600 would be useful - the wider the range, the better
Built in flash: would be useful, even in daylight, to fill in shadows e.g. if you're photographing people in sunlight/shadows
Image Stabiliser: if you can get it for the budget is a useful addition to making sure your pictures are sharp
Ooo - and apart from the camera if you can find some free image processing software, to do a few tweaks and crops and sharpen images, that'll be a good place to learn about digital too......
Look for a camera that gives you full manual control if possible.
When you spend some time on here and see effects you want to recreate, it sometimes isn't possible on lower end compacts as you can't manually control things like shutter speed and aperture.
Jim (who's currently saving for a new camera as he hadn't heard this advice before buying his own
)
When you spend some time on here and see effects you want to recreate, it sometimes isn't possible on lower end compacts as you can't manually control things like shutter speed and aperture.
Jim (who's currently saving for a new camera as he hadn't heard this advice before buying his own
)Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff