Help me please , I'm at a loss !

Charlottefitz

Charlottefitz

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charlotte
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Hi everyone :wave: , so this is my first post.
I'm looking to upgrade my olympus FE-280 point and shoot to a camera more suited to a keen amateur photographer . I'm looking for a camera in the range of between £150-250 and have my eye on either the fujifilm finepix s2500hd or the new fujifilm finepix s2800hd. However my boyfriend has offered to chip in with my parents and buy me the olympus e-450 which is £300. I just wanted to ask people if it would pay for me to get my boyfriend to chip in the extra £100 and get me the slr when its very unlikely that I will be able to afford to buy different lenses and to be honest I do not have a clue with the different settings an slr would provide me with .
So the question really is should I be aiming more for a bridge camera or a cheap SLR ?
Help me please as I'm at a total loss of what I'm really looking for. :bang:
 
Charlottefitz said:
I do not have a clue with the different settings an slr would provide me with .
Click to expand...

an SLR would start with a full auto setting and then you can find out about and play with Aperture Priority etc as you get used to the camera , what sort of photo's do you think you would be taking ? :)
 
Second hand Nikon D80, or Pentax K10d should be in your price range.
 
Problem with 2nd hand is that you may get a bargain but it may also die anytime with no warranty to fall back on!
 
Thank you for the replys :)
I think I would be taking mostly wildlife shots and macro shots as I really love taking photos of flowers, insects and animals. The main thing I want really is an excellent image quality.
So do all SLR cameras have an auto setting ?
I was just worried that I would have to purchase a number of lenses to get excellent quality photos in macro and landscape mode.
Also one last thing , do SLR cameras have an image stabilizer?
Thanks for your help ! :)
 
Hi Charlotte :)

:welcome: to TP!

You sound like you have a lot of enthusiasm for photography and know what you like taking photos of.

I would say getting a D-SLR is the way to go. Nothing else will give you the same degree of control and flexibility over your photography.

Any entry level / mid range D-SLR will give you a full auto mode, although I'd advise getting out of the habit of using it asap ;)

Image Stabilisation differs depending on the system you choose. With Canon it's built into the lens rather than the camera, Sony (I believe) have it built into the body rather than the lens.
 
Also, don't worry about it all sounding daunting at the moment. You've joined the best photography forum on the interweb :). There are literally thousands of members here who will help and guide you through the learning process. This place is a fantastic resource :)
 
Thank you so much for your friendly and super helpful reply Grendel :D Its really great to know there are people like you who are more than willing to give me a hand on my way to taking some amazing photos :D

I have good news !
I have just come off the phone to my parents (my dad being an extremely keen ameteur himself) and they agree that a D-SLR is the way forward for me if I'm really looking to take up photography as an even bigger hobby than it is now for me and excel.

I'm so excited now !

Thank you again for all your kind words of support :D
 
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:clap:

That's great news Charlotte :D

If you've been enjoying taking photos with your P&S and feeling the need to progress, you're going to love owning a D-SLR :). Lens choice will be important and, realistically, you're going to need at least two if you want to take macro and wildlife photos. The beauty of photography as a hobby though, is that you can increase your kit as budget allows. Many of us couldn't possibly afford to buy all the gear we own now if we bought it in one go lol! You just build up as and when you can :)
 
Its buying the right camera in the first place that matters as then you are tied to it and its accessories, ie, lenses.
 
Charlottefitz said:
Thank you for the replys :)
I think I would be taking mostly wildlife shots and macro shots as I really love taking photos of flowers, insects and animals. The main thing I want really is an excellent image quality.
So do all SLR cameras have an auto setting ?
I was just worried that I would have to purchase a number of lenses to get excellent quality photos in macro and landscape mode.
Also one last thing , do SLR cameras have an image stabilizer?
Thanks for your help ! :)
Click to expand...

Just about all DSLRs have auto and programme (similar to auto). A lot of the entry/mid level ones have various scene modes too. They all have aperture/shutter speed priority and manual. This is a lot more straightforward than it sounds and you'll soon get used to it.

You will need a macro lens for very small subjects like insects, and a telephoto for wildlife, but these can come later. It's quite a good idea to get used to the camera and learn what it can, and can't do, with the kit lens (or whatever you get with it) first. You'll have a far better idea what you actually need after that.

Nikon and Canon have the vibration reduction/image stabilisation built into the lenses. Some other brands have it in the body. Stabilised lenses are more expensive than unstabilised ones, and there's controversy about which system works best, but I'm not going to get into that!
 
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