Choosing a new camera (Help!)

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Leon64

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After many years of using Canon Powershots, I'm thinking of selling my Canon G12 because I'm not happy with the sensor quality (I'd like much more detail & clarity in the pictures, especially when zooming in on photos I've taken) but I need some advice on what camera - and lens - to replace it with!

Ideally (though maybe unrealistically?) I would like to be able to shoot everything from landscapes, portraits with nice SLR quality blurry backgrounds, sports (or more likely fast moving pets!), macro (one of my favourite ways to shoot), etc, to autofocusing HD videos, with one lens (or two max.)

Unfortunately my budget is only about £400 to an absolute maximum of £600, I have an idea of a make and model that might be best, but I'm really out of my depth without any outside help and I'd like to hear what you would recommend (dp review has always been my go to site for info but I've never posted in the forums before)

Many thanks
 
Best advice is go and try out several different camera makes, find the body which you feel comfortable holding, you have no brand loyalty, so buy something that suits you. My advice is once you have found the type of camera you like, buy secondhand as you'll get more camera and lenses for your $$$$

As for the one Lens option, forget it, it doesn't exist, or does, but image quality and performance are very average to poor, hyperzooms are the budget option for holiday snaps, you're buying into a SLR system, it means a lens for different types of photography, so dedicated macro lens, landscape lens, zoom lens etc

So a decent camera body for £200-300 and a 17-50mm lens like the tamron 17-50mm f2.8 for £150-200 would get you started, then add to your gear when you can afford it. But the secondhand option will give you the best options
 
What make and model do you have in mind? At your budget, you are going to have to compromise a bit, but a two lens system is possible if you look at second hand, maybe at mirrorless or micro four thirds systems.
Mpbphotographic have some good deals generally.
I would advise you to read through the Fuji Sony and Olympus threads, there is some great advice there and examples of images.
Usually, asking which camera to buy on a forum ends up with people suggesting their own cameras.
 
If you go with a less popular brand Sony Olympus etc you loose the advantage of a vast load of accessories available .Try pricing a Olympus or fugi flash gun V YN..... Stick with Nikon or Canon.
Then should it be Nikon or Canon...canon at present are well behind Nikon in terms of sensors both in in MP and colour so for me it would be Nikon.
And you will get all you want from a 18-140 zoom . Dont go down that bag of lenses track..start at the bottom D3200 D330 D5300 and see what you can afford .. Grey market lens is about £220 and buy a body to go with it . Avoid non nikon lenses. Once you pick on a brand then its very expensive to change. I guess you will start as a Jpeg shooter so up the sharpness to +9 or you will be disapointed. If the money is extra tight Jessops have some no interest no deposit deals to stretch your money .
 
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pete.rush said:
Best advice is go and try out several different camera makes, find the body which you feel comfortable holding, you have no brand loyalty, so buy something that suits you. My advice is once you have found the type of camera you like, buy secondhand as you'll get more camera and lenses for your $$$$

As for the one Lens option, forget it, it doesn't exist, or does, but image quality and performance are very average to poor, hyperzooms are the budget option for holiday snaps, you're buying into a SLR system, it means a lens for different types of photography, so dedicated macro lens, landscape lens, zoom lens etc

So a decent camera body for £200-300 and a 17-50mm lens like the tamron 17-50mm f2.8 for £150-200 would get you started, then add to your gear when you can afford it. But the secondhand option will give you the best options
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As Pete says - go and have a play with different models / makes and see which you prefer...

1 thing to remember - if you choose Sony for example, the body has Image Stabilisation in it, so any lens you use will benefit from IS, whereas if you buy Canon or Nikon, then if you want IS, you have to buy a lens with it in...

Good luck and enjoy the process :)
 
Don't limit yourself to Nikon and Canon. There are plenty of great systems with loads of accessories available. If everybody moved to Canikon there would be less and less choice for everyone.
 
Pistnbroke said:
If you go with a less popular brand Sony Olympus etc you loose the advantage of a vast load of accessories available . Stick with Nikon or Canon.
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Sorry but that's a load of €$#%, why limit yourself to just the 2 brands, the OP needs to find a camera body he feel comfortable to use, the ergonomics of the camera, controls have to be easily accessible, this could easily be a sony or fuji, or any of the other camera makers. The OP first off, needs to go and visit a decent camera shop and spend an hour or 2 trying out which camera he feels comfortable using, but leave his wallet at home.
 
mirrorless without a viewfinder ..waste of time I tried the Oly om 10 but dont like the picture quality ..16 MP not enough somehow not sharp possibly due to strange pixel lay out.......Its like buying a DACIA and looking for cheap parts/accesories much easier with a ford.
 
Well I prefer the ones with a viewfinder. And the image quality is very good. And accessories are plentiful for micro four thirds. Weird post.
 
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allanm said:
What make and model do you have in mind? At your budget, you are going to have to compromise a bit, but a two lens system is possible if you look at second hand, maybe at mirrorless or micro four thirds systems.
Mpbphotographic have some good deals generally.
I would advise you to read through the Fuji Sony and Olympus threads, there is some great advice there and examples of images.
Usually, asking which camera to buy on a forum ends up with people suggesting their own cameras.
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I was toying with the idea of a Canon 700D, but I went into a shop and had a play last night, and I'm not entirely sure it's much of an improvement on my G12 to be honest, though I could be wrong. I'm leaning towards another Canon at the moment, but I'm willing to be talked into a Nikon if there are clear benefits. I haven't really thought much about other makes as they seem to be lesser quality? I'm definitely comfortable with Canons at the moment, but I'm looking to get more out of the photos, regardless of camera type.
Thanks everyone who has replied so far!
 
lol @ lesser quality
mid range canon and nikon isnt all that build wise

and image quality wise theres negilable difference
 
Leon64 said:
I was toying with the idea of a Canon 700D, but I went into a shop and had a play last night, and I'm not entirely sure it's much of an improvement on my G12 to be honest, though I could be wrong. I'm leaning towards another Canon at the moment, but I'm willing to be talked into a Nikon if there are clear benefits. I haven't really thought much about other makes as they seem to be lesser quality? I'm definitely comfortable with Canons at the moment, but I'm looking to get more out of the photos, regardless of camera type.
Thanks everyone who has replied so far!
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I'm not sure about non Canon or Nikon stuff being lesser quality. One of my sisters had a Samsung DSLR and it seemed to me to be quality kit, better than my Canon kit anyway. I sold all my Canon DSLR kit a while ago but if getting into DSLR's today I think I'd go Nikon as they seem to have better sensors and the potential for ultimately better image quality but these days I think that you have to push kit to the limits and look very closely to see the differences.

As for kit, I think that Peter summed it up very well and by the way the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 is a good lens. I agree with Peter that you are a little optimistic in your hopes of doing everything within budget with just one or two lenses and one thing that you could think about doing is buying some older manual lenses to add abilities whilst also keeping costs down. For example macro shooting is usually done by using manual focus so you could buy a cheaper manual focus macro lens rather than a more expensive auto focus lens. You could also buy a manual 85mm lens for portrait use.

A 17-50mm f2.8 + a couple of specialist manual lenses would keep me happy but instead of a DSLR I personally would go for a compact system camera from the likes of Panasonic, Olympus or Sony. You could also consider Fuji.

Good luck choosing.
 
Pistnbroke said:
If you go with a less popular brand Sony Olympus etc you loose the advantage of a vast load of accessories available .
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A vast load of accessories? And what accessories? :thinking:

Pistnbroke said:
Avoid non nikon lenses.
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Wow, :eek: now there's a sweeping generalisation.

Pistnbroke said:
I guess you will start as a Jpeg shooter so up the sharpness to +9 or you will be disapointed.
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I'd be very wary of telling anyone to be changing any settings in camera before actually seeing the output, especially sharpening. You can add sharpening after the fact if it needs it, but it is virtually impossible to take away the effects of over sharpening after the fact.

ianp5a said:
And in the mirrorless area you have more choice and more lenses that Canon and Nikon have.
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Do Fuji have 50+ lenses? Do Olympus have 50+ lenses? Does anyone other than Canon and Nikon have 50+ lenses? :thinking:

And I'm not talking about all the lenses you can add with an adapter btw, which for some cameras opens up all those Canon and Nikon, or whatever lenses, which adds cost, and most times loses AF.
 
Leon64 said:
Ideally (though maybe unrealistically?) I would like to be able to shoot everything from landscapes, portraits with nice SLR quality blurry backgrounds, sports (or more likely fast moving pets!), macro (one of my favourite ways to shoot), etc, to autofocusing HD videos, with one lens (or two max.)
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You are being unrealistic imho. If everyone could do what you want to do, which looks like almost everything anyone would want to do btw, ;) then there would be no cameras and lenses above your budget. ;)

Leon64 said:
Unfortunately my budget is only about £400 to an absolute maximum of £600,
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In your situation it will be about compromises, and where you make those compromises. Either fortunately, or unfortunately you have more choices than there has ever been. DSLR, CSC, go with the big two of Canon and Nikon, or go with one of the brands like Fiji, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung or Sony etc.

If sport is of any importance, then a CSC without a viewfinder is out of the equation for me straightaway. Would you be OK with an Electronic Viewfinder, especially for sports? Until you see one for yourself, then you can't 100% sure. I would tend to say no atm.

Will a CSC focus fast enough for sports? Some say some can, with certain cameras, others say no. If you take the need for sports shooting out, then the CSC are still in there, (like or dislike of EVF aside) If sport is definitely part of what you want to do, then a DSLR would probably be better atm.

You get good value for money with Pentax DSLRs, though there are some limitations when it comes to lenses, but if they have all the lenses you plan to buy, then have a look at their range. You normally get more features for your money in comparison to Canon and Nikon.

Out of Canon and Nikon, Nikon have the edge with the sensors at the moment. Go with the bottom of each range and you may get fewer frames per second and a more basic Auto Focus system. Again, those last two only become important for sports.

Good advice from pete.rush above,
So a decent camera body for £200-300 and a 17-50mm lens like the tamron 17-50mm f2.8 for £150-200 would get you started, then add to your gear when you can afford it.
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Do you go new, grey import, or 2nd hand? You get different gear/spend different amounts, depending on the route you choose.

As with any camera purchase, I would say try and handle the cameras before you buy. Harder to do with 2nd hand, but normally handling the camera that replaced, if you can, with give you an idea of the ergonomics, unless they made a total change from one model to the other.

I'm only using Nikon now because when I was buying my first DSLR, the Canon body was too small, and my knuckles rubbed the lens. Not something I could have know without handling the cameras before I made my choice.

It is a potential minefield, but take your time to make the right choice, as has was mentioned above, it becomes expensive to change.

Sorry for the waffle, but hopefully you found it a bit of help. :)
 
redhed17 said:
Do Fuji have 50+ lenses? Do Olympus have 50+ lenses? Does anyone other than Canon and Nikon have 50+ lenses? :thinking:
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Canon and Nikon don't have 50 lenses for their mirrorless cameras. The range of m43 lenses, for example, is much bigger. And growing rapidly.
 
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And mirrorless can use legacy glass really really well, even offering stabilisation if you pick the right body! That's pretty cool.

I recently handled the Sony a6000 and it felt really really good.
 
ianp5a said:
Canon and Nikon don't have 50 lenses for their mirrorless cameras. The range of m43 lenses, for example, is much bigger. And growing rapidly.
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Sorry I misinterpreted your post as there are many more lenses for mirrorless cameras than there are for DSLRs, rather than other manufacturers have more lenses for their mirrorless systems than Canon and Nikon have for their mirrorless systems.

Canon and Nikon have so far gone into the mirrorless in a half hearted way imho, and if and when they decide to push in that direction, they may have left it too late.
 
Going from a Canon G12 to a dslr is is a big step. Everything will be so much heavier and may eventually limit your useability.
Many people ( me for one) have sold all our dslr gear and gone for something smaller. My path was down the mirrorless and M43 route and I have never looked back.
You would be hard pressed to find much difference between most of the latest range of these cameras image quality and that of many top range DSLR's, including full frame.
But, do as others have said and go and handle a few cameras to get the feel of what they are like, then start a shortlist of what you like and don't like and the quality of images that you feel ok with.
Its not all always about if it can focus on and track a speeding bullet............
 
allanm said:
Going from a Canon G12 to a dslr is is a big step. Everything will be so much heavier and may eventually limit your useability.
Many people ( me for one) have sold all our dslr gear and gone for something smaller. My path was down the mirrorless and M43 route and I have never looked back.
You would be hard pressed to find much difference between most of the latest range of these cameras image quality and that of many top range DSLR's, including full frame.
But, do as others have said and go and handle a few cameras to get the feel of what they are like, then start a shortlist of what you like and don't like and the quality of images that you feel ok with.
Its not all always about if it can focus on and track a speeding bullet............
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Conversely, I know quite a few people who have sold their CSCs and gone back to DSLRs.
 
I have been looking into the Nikon 5300D, and was almost convinced, but then found the Canon G1x Mark II and I wonder if that would be a more suitable option. The sensor is still a big improvement from the G12 I currently have (unless I've got that wrong?) but it is still very easy size-wise, and I wouldn't get bogged down in having the right lenses for things......however its macro setting is only down to 5cm which puts me off a little bit. What are your thoughts?
Thanks so much for everyone's replies, you're helping me work out which bits to compromise on (which isn't easy as [as you've gathered!] I like to do a bit of everything!) and factor other things in as well :)
 
What are you worried about 5 cm macro mode, most non 1:1 macro lenses minimum focus distances are 24cm or worse. Stop reading about cameras and go and play with the #%€$ things, that's the only way you're going to find out if they meet what you want
 
Just an input from an oldie with weakening eyesight. I have a mirrorless camera -- a Fuji X10 but it also has a viewfinder which I use most of the time rather than the screen. If I had a camera that only had a screen on the back I would have to give up photography as I just can't focus that close. I mostly use an SLR so the problem doesn't arise much.

Just a thought if you are getting on a bit.
 
Also keep your Canon G12, if possible, sometimes you just don't want to lug your DSLR about. It's nice some days just to go out with youR compact, keeps your interest in photography alive.
 
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Leon64 said:
.....however its macro setting is only down to 5cm which puts me off a little bit.
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There is probably a close up lens available for the G1x.
However the G1X is quite bulky. And similar in size to some interchangeable lens cameras as well as the Panasonic LX100 and the Sony RX100.
 
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pete.rush said:
What are you worried about 5 cm macro mode, most non 1:1 macro lenses minimum focus distances are 24cm or worse. Stop reading about cameras and go and play with the #%€$ things, that's the only way you're going to find out if they meet what you want
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True, and a great way of doing it if you can, but it's not always easily accessible unfortunately.

ianp5a said:
There is probably a close up lens available for the G1x.
However the G1X is quite bulky. And similar in size to some interchangeable lens cameras as well as the Panasonic LX100 and the Sony RX100.
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I wasn't sure if a close up lens was an option, the G12 has a ring to attach but I've never used it, I can't see the same for the G1X but I could be wrong?

lightshipman said:
Also keep your Canon G12, if possible, sometimes you just don't want to lug your DSLR about. It's nice some days just to go out with youR compact, keeps your interest in photography alive.
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I wondered about that, but I think I'm going to have to sell it to be honest, to go towards the new one, hence why I'm extra concerned about getting my choice right!
 
Look up the Canon MLADC1 macro adapter for the G1x. JJC do a cheaper version too. I don't know how close it goes though.

But if you are serious about going closer than 5cm, there may be better choices than the G1x.
 
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I don't think the OP said he wanted a DSLR... I'd suggest not buying until you've tried the Olympus, Panasonic and Fuji (look at their refurb store) options in the CSC ranges. And personally I reckon a Fuji X30 would probably suit him very well; fantastic image quality for its size, great for landscapes and a macro mode down to less than a couple of cm. Is 12 MP enough? Well, maybe not if you have to crop heavily, but with a 28-112 equivalent zoom, that shouldn't be necessary often. The RX100 III (too small for comfort, for me) and LX100 are probably out of price range...
 
Yes. Personally I need a viewfinder. However some people are happy without. Especially as the camera could then be smaller or include a pop up flash instead.
Many cameras these days take a plug in viewfinder. Take it off when you want to travel light.
 
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I'm increasingly finding that the lenses have more impact on the image than I first imagined, so does anyone have any tips for choosing lenses, especially as (I imagine) you can't go into a shop and try them out like you can a camera!
Thanks agian
 
I have the G1x (the first one) and I did get a close up lens for it. If you can get a chance to try out the G1x mk II take it. I haven't tried one but the original G1x has one or 2 things that I didn't like about the camera (mine was an unexpected gift from someone).
 
Leon64 said:
I'm increasingly finding that the lenses have more impact on the image than I first imagined
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The lens is the image especially when combined with decent light. Put a rubbish lens on a top camera body, rubbish images, put a great lens on an average camera body, great images.
 
I've been able to play with the Nikon D5300 and the Canon 700D today.......I'm thinking it will have to be one of these, and I love the feel & look of the Canon, much nicer to hold etc, & I love the soft focus that seems to come so easily to it (though I'm not sure how much that has to do with the lens? They both had an 18-55mm lens on.), but there seemed to be a fair bit of noise instead of clarity, which is what I'm trying to get away from in the G12, & a dappled, purple fringing kind of quality to the photos, which the Nikon didn't have. I'm a bit nervous of making a definite switch to Nikon though & would appreciate any more comments you guys might have on the matter.
Many thanks
 
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