Camera recommendations

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honda

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Hi there folks, first post and all..

I should make it clear I know nothing about cameras, heh... but it's coming up to my fiancee's birthday and she has always had a passion for photography and I've always told her she has an eye for a good shot - without her ever taking it seriously or having a really awesome, great camera. I mean, she has a 12 megapixel digital camera and that does the trick.

But really, I want to buy her a professional camera... from the vague research I've done I believe they're called digital slr's? I want to get a professional camera like the pros use - so she can take awesome pictures and make her own portfolio.

So guys - tips for what I should get? My budget is about 300-350 pounds.

I hope you can help!! Thanks in advance.
 
has your fiance ever used a dslr? A lot of people find it a lot to get their head around! If she is just used to using a point and shoot digital camera, you may be best getting her a bridge camera! This type of camera is somewhere in between a normal point and shoot and a dslr. It has some of the funtionality of a dslr but isnt as 'confusing'.

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/709...KEIW6Sb1HYwEwZkkqIkt9aODdL4x+Dz9XC39AFS9RVA==

What im trying to say is a lot of people go from point and shoot and dont have the time or patience to figure out how a dslr works, quite a lot of people give up or just use the camera in the typical 'portrait or landscape' modes, which aint going to get the best out of the camera at all.

at a price range of 300-350 you would be looking probably at sony if you want new... i dont really know sony all that well but the song a390l seems to be your budget, cant tell you how great it is tho!! If you can strech to 400 you can get a new canon 1100d with a lens. Used you should definatly be able to pick up a 450d or a 500d...

hope this helps at all, sory i cant just give you an answer but cameras can be a very individual thing! good luck!
 
Hello there...

If you're thinking of buying new the budget is pretty much entry level but will get you a DSLR and a basic kit lens.

You could go to a store and let her choose and this might well be a good idea but if you want to prepare a bit or want this purchase to be a big surprise you could look at the best sellers at places like this...

http://www.jessops.com/Directory/catalogue.ashx/categoriesLT;jessops_1/categoriesLT;jessops_1_10

or Amazon. Basically I doubt that you can go wrong with any make of DSLR and I can't think of anything that you should avoid and whilst you might not initially know what you are looking at on these sites a careful look at what's popular and a bit of Googling should soon give you a few clues.

If she's new to SLR's please be aware that getting the best from them takes practice and probably a bit of effort in post capture processing whilst compact cameras often give great results straight out of the camera.
 
I know its not much of a surprise but it would be better to get something that she might want to use and feel comfortable with.

A trip to a big jessops, try aout all the dslr (nikon, canon, pentax, sony) the Evil cameras (these are pretty new tho - but its just to try them all).

Find which feels better in the hand weight wise, bear in mind lenses and what photography she prefers to shoot.

Also handle the low end pro models - d300s, d7000, the canon equivalents.
As a comparison, check the bridge type cameras. Usually light, bulky but have a good zoom range.

For types of photos, if its not full frame (usually expensive) then portraits are usualy either 30/35mm or 50mm (they should have some in the store to try). Landscape is wider so either ultra wide (10-20 / 11-16) or moderately wide (18-..?).
If she likes shooting wildlife, you need a zoom, so somewhere around the 100-300/70-300/200-400/80-400.

All the above cost serious dosh (in most cases).

Listen to the sales pitch, and unless there is something brilliant in there, walk away (oh but take notes of favourites).

Then post back here with your choices of new cameras, and we can suggest older models in teh second hand market that may be in the price range you mentioned. They should have similar feels to the newer versions.

Or you take your list to a second hand camera dealer see what they have.

Its a very expensive hobby btw! :)
 
Cheers for all the help guys! I think I'm going for the sony a290 from Jessops for 330 squid
 
honda said:
Cheers for all the help guys! I think I'm going for the sony a290 from Jessops for 330 squid
Click to expand...

Has she held it to see how it teels in hand?

For most it is the individual ergomics of an individual SLR than can make it a pleasure or a pain to use.

As an example - I had fully sold myself the idea of a Canon 350D as my first digital SLR in 2006 until I held it in hand and the left grip was just all wrong for my smallish hands, I then picked up a D70s and Ive never looked back - the Nikon just fitted :)

It is sooooo important :thumbs:
 
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