beginner dslr for a 12 year old

Harvey_nikon

Harvey_nikon

Messages
3,749
Edit My Images
Yes
My little brother wants a DSLR after recently using mine.

Got his birthday coming up so he is getting the book "Understanding Exposure" from me, as for a DSLR, my mum is going to spend £300 MAX on one as an xmas present.

Having a nikon D60 myself I was thinking of suggesting a D40/D40x, but my understanding is that these are difficult to get new now, never mind by xmas. This way he can borrow kit from me if he needs it as he progresses, although handing a £200 lens to a 12 year old doesn't fill me with confidence :)

One of the lads at work has suggested we look at Olympus as they are very user friendly and great for beginners. Another suggested Sony as supposedly they are just a remake of an older slr (minolta i think he said) and that means you can get older lenses to fit newer sony DSLRs quite cheap.

As he is 12 he wont be able to afford a lot, if anything.

Suggestions?
 
I had no problem getting hold of a D40, and my friend has a D40x. Seems like a good choice to me, especially as you'll be able to help him learn how to use it.
 
I'd suggest a secondhand D50, purely because it has the AF motor built in so you're not stuck with buying AF-s lenses, any AF lens made in the last 30 years will work on it.

The D40 is also a good choice because of the size, it'll fit a child's hands nicely.
 
I'd go with Nikon unless you want to keep him away from your stuff which I know some parents would. There are new Nikons now like the 5000 and I would expect the D60's to drop in price, or even buy the D40/x whilst you can still get it. The internal motor argument is a consideration (i.e D50 or D70) but there are now loads of lenses new and secondhand that have their own motors built in and if you have a D60 then you won't have a motor anyway.
 
I'm 14 and I bought my first DSLR when I was 13 (March 08). I bought a Nikon D60 and think it's a great camera.
 
heidfirst said:
it makes sense for you both to be Nikon http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/ViewPr...FS+DX+Refurbished&CAT_CODE=23&SUBCAT_CODE=149

or you could wait until nearer Xmas & see what is available then.
Click to expand...

I'd urge caution with the current batch of "refurbished" Nikons - I I've had three of them recently (two by choice and one because the seller tried to pull a fast one :nono:) and all three were knackered. JP Solutions, who do the work for Nikon, seem to consider giving the camera a quick once-over and wipe down with a damp cloth as refurbishing...

The D40x is long gone and the D40 will be too by Christmas, although by then the D60 prices might have started to come back down to a sensible level.

If you're not bothered about being able to share lenses then a Sony A200 would be a good option- keep an eye on Jessops' website for special offers on Sony gear, they had some cracking deals going not that long ago..
 
Depending on finanaces what about you upgrading to a D90 (or whatever else) and selling the D60 to your mum for the present :shrug:
 
Well, I do love the D60 but do feel rather limited by the lack of in-body motor so I would consider an upgrade and after looking around I have decided 2nd hand may be the best option.

Can people have a look at this at tell me what they think?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D90-Dig...34.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301:1|293:1|294:30

Yes, I am aware that a lot of the stuff that comes with it is going to be cheapy but as I upgrade I can hand it to my little bro. Although, I may email them and ask how much for just the body and standard kit (battery charger etc) and then I can get extra lenses myself.
 
I will say that he used my D60 all day on my wedding day and produced some nice images. He didn't seem to have any issues with handling it :)
 
this is the kinda thinking that lands people in trouble, but you could always upgrade your camera to a D90 or similar and hand down your D60 to him? :P

second hand d40 is probably a good bet though, if you can afford a bit more, get him a tele lens as well as the kit lens, or the 18-70 instead of the kit lens - you can get body only d40s for under 150iirc s/h, and the 18-70 for 100 - 120.
 
When I was 12, my dad bought me a Nikon EM to replace the 35mm Russian Smena Symbol I'd been using for the previous few years. It was on the small side for an SLR, but I appreciated the relatively simple controls. I loved having something that looked and acted like a 'proper' camera. The first accessory I bought for it was a £40 motor wind giving a massive 2 frames/sec. I didn't use it on full auto very much, but I loved that 'REEE' noise whenever I took a shot. I could tell grown adults around me were thinking 'what's that kid doing with that camera?'. The Nikon EM was the lowest of the Nikon SLR stable, but I certainly wouldn't have appreciated a second-hand camera, and I can imagine that would go for most kids. I disagree that you couldn't trust a 12 year old with a £200 lens. Some 12 year olds are responsible and treat their things with respect. Some are not, of course. That's your call. I was perfectly happy with the f1.8 50mm pancake lens that came with mine. If I were 12 again, I'd probably love a D40x with a 35mm 1.8G lens. I think I would appreciate the low light ability more than having a cheap kit zoom. 12 year olds don't mind running around a little to get the best angle. They're probably more likely to want to take group shots than individual portraits. A prime is a good lens to learn on. It makes you really consider your shots, and I think you develop an 'eye' more quickly where a zoom would spoil you for choice. Sometimes less is more. OK, so I'm talking £500 here, but anything worth having costs.
 
When I was 12 years old I had a Brownie 127 film camera. Digital cameras /watches etc wern't even invented.

Realspeed
 
Hi, new member here.

As it happens I picked up a Nikon D40 refurb from CameraWorld's Wells St branch yesterday (£199.99). While I was a little nervous of buying a refurb I took some comfort from the fact that the box carried an unbroken Nikon seal. However, Flash In The Pan's comment below has got me worried:

Flash In The Pan said:
I'd urge caution with the current batch of "refurbished" Nikons - I I've had three of them recently (two by choice and one because the seller tried to pull a fast one :nono:) and all three were knackered. JP Solutions, who do the work for Nikon, seem to consider giving the camera a quick once-over and wipe down with a damp cloth as refurbishing...
Click to expand...

I've not had any kind of DSR for 25 years and I've long forgotten whatever I knew. I've given the D40 a modest workout, though, and all the obvious features seem to work OK. It's always possible I've missed something more subtle, however.

Flash In The Pan — Could you enlarge on the kind of faults you discovered on the refurbs, please?

Harvey_nikon — Sorry if I'm taking your thread OT but this may be of interest to people thinking about a refurb.

Joe
 
BirderOzzie said:
I wouldn't go Sony as Nikon has a much wider range of lenses.
Click to expand...
go on then I'll bite - what don't they have that you would really use/want?
You do realise that there are more lenses available that will AF properly on a Sony than for your D60?
 
D40 + 18-55 is £246 in argos at the moment :shrug: I do think as he has used yours, that the best probable way, and an excuse for you to upgrade is let him have yours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top