Beginner New Camera advice

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ady_zoom

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I'm looking to get new camera or a kit for my daughter, she has been using her mobile phone for couple of years which works but after sit down few times with her there seems to be sort of feeling when she hold real camera her eyes just lights up, as I have interest in most of aviation it will be handy to take some shots is well so in market maybe for both of us, she loves taking images of close ups and that could be anything from flowers to small animals, we tried taking few pictures of wild life but you just can't do that well with phone, also she likes to take pictures of landscape/clouds so is sort of everything is hard for me to say which she prefers, there is something else she is struggling with anxiety and going out exploring taking few shots seems to help her. We have old SLR sitting in bag which is Canon EOS3000v very basic but bear with me, it has EF 28-90 lens and if I'm correct this will work with some Canon DSLR? could this work with the likes of Canon 450D? I don't have set budget but I have to be realistic here don't want to spend £1000 on something that in few months it might not be used so 2nd hand market is the prefered option. Maybe just get body to work with the lens that I have for general, pick up macro lens for small and close ups and telephoto and see where this takes us.

If you have any suggestions please let me know. Thanks
 
In your shoes, I'd go body & perhaps extension tubes for macro as a cheap in, you can always add a macro lens later - that's the joy of an interchangeable lens system.
That said the 90mm is going to struggle for aviation I would have thought (even with the 1.6x apparent focal length multiplier your 28/90 becomes equivalent to 45/144 so you may need/want to add a longer telephoto?

So now you're perhaps buying a camera, lens, extension tubes to suit your lens you already have... Which means changing to another system/brand isn't that big a deal.

Ultimately the answer is probably to hold some in your (daughter's) hand and see which feels right to you - despite the hyperbole, all cameras can take decent shots - but if it doesn't feel right in the hand, you won't enjoy it as much and you'll take it out less. (I know that because I've stuck with the same brand for 30 years, I know how it works instinctively - my pal has the other one (the mad fool :)) and feels the same way about his (obviously, I think he's wrong and he thinks I am)... we can both coax a decent picture out of each other's gear, but it feels like wearing the wrong size shoes)

All reads like I'm obsessed by shoes, I'm not :LOL:
 
I'm all ears and not focused on specific brand so open to options, we have looked at more compact cameras and come to same conclusion when holding camera if you can rest one hand or hold lens with one hand is more comfortable for both of us, more bulky cameras are heavier but at the same time I'm finding they offer better grip or I am talking utter crap? I'm not to worry about the use for aviation part, I am very close to them objects I was more looking at daughter wildlife with telephoto and my eyes are spinning once I did read about the "apparent focal length" o_O
 
Fuji mirrorless with a couple of lenses. I had an X-E2 which I really rated and they can be had used for £200 or less easy.

Then you can spend most on lenses which stay with you, the bodies go dated and you change them.
 
@ady_zoom when I say "feels right" it's more about the ergonomics and controls - if I pick up a camera that is too light (feel like it's about to fly away) or too heavy (argh, my arms!) then it feels wrong. If the controls aren't where I expect them it feels wrong... The only way to test that is to hold the device in your hand... Not advocating buying the device at CEX but they usually have a few you can at least hold to see...
 
Unless your budget is very right, I wouldn't let the 28-90 dictate your choice of camera. The lens should work on something like a 450D, but the zoom range is probably more suitable for general use on a film camera or full-frame digital. The 450D, like other entry level Canon bodies, has a 'crop' sensor that's smaller than the 35mm frame by a factor of 1.6, so that lens would give you a similar angle of view to a 45-144mm zoom on film. If you decide to get a Canon, you might want to look for (e.g.) an 18-55, which can be found for under £50 and will give you a proper wide angle view when zoomed out to 18mm (about equivalent to 29mm on full frame).
 
ok so let's forget this lens that I have, I would say starting budget £300-400 with general use lens and possibly some sort of macro or telephoto if budgets allow it? I know one thing for sure, don't want something that in future you can't expand regards lenses,functionality, tripods maybe even remote. My head is just spinning, might have to go for some sort of starter kit from 2nd hand market, point shoot and see where she goes from there.
 
If Canon
- starter kit
- Canon 18-55 IS
- Canon 55-250 IS or a 70-300 (for aviation and some wildlife)
- Raynox 250 adaptor and/or extension tubes (for your daughters interest in close up / macro)
- most recent body budget permits.
- tripod / bag / memory cards.
 
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ady_zoom said:
ok so let's forget this lens that I have, I would say starting budget £300-400 with general use lens and possibly some sort of macro or telephoto if budgets allow it? I know one thing for sure, don't want something that in future you can't expand regards lenses,functionality, tripods maybe even remote. My head is just spinning, might have to go for some sort of starter kit from 2nd hand market, point shoot and see where she goes from there.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't worry about expansion - any system with interchangeable lenses can be expanded to do all the things you mention, and you can use any camera as a point and shoot in full auto mode. A starter kit with one general purpose zoom makes perfect sense; there's no need to buy everything at once. Secondhand gear can often be sold on without making much of a loss if necessary. Have a play with a few cameras in a shop to see what you like. dSLRs are better than ever, but you might prefer the lighter body and instant feedback of a mirrorless system (it helps to see how adjusting a control affects the image in the viewfinder).
 
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