New to photography - what camera to buy??

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Ahrena

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Hi, I'm very new and feel a bit out of my depth as I know next to nothing about cameras!

I'm not really inspiring to become much of a photography (sorry xD) but I have 2 horses, and I love taking photos of them, but my own camera just isn't really working anymore. It takes nice enough photos, but not fast enough so my mum can never manage to get the right picture over a jump, and its just not really the best quality. The one I have is a canon powershot A430.

So basically I'm looking for a camera which can take really nice, sharp, clear pictures, particularily for outdoors, so would often be cloudy/miserable/sunny/snowy that sort of weather so won't always have ideal lighting. I'd also like a good zoom because if I'm jumping down 1 end of the arena then my mum can zoom in to take a photo if that makes sense. Most of the pictures will be action shots, and I'd love it if it had like settings so I could turn them black and white and stuff. Fairly simple to use would be a plus as neither me or my mum knows much about cameras.

Would anyone be able to recommend anything to me? I'd rather not spend anything over £500 but have got more funds than that if you think anything more expensive is ideal..

Thanks :D
 
Being a Canon boy I'd suggest a 350/400D and something like the Canon EF 90-300mm f4.5-5.6 Lens, as it's got a good reach and it'll be fine for ourdoor work.

I work with someone who uses the same lens and a 300D for the same sort of work and gets good photos.

I think that should come in under budget if you get it from Kerso, although you may have to go second hand.
 
Thanks =D

Someone else recomended a Canon Powershot G9? Would that be any good?
 
Ah no, its fine, I was just wondering :)

I'm not really too bothered by the size, as long as its not absolutly enormous, I have a small light camera already so would prefer a bigger, heavier, better quality one.

Thanks again
 
As no one has mentioned Nikon yet, i guess ill have too..

Nikon D40x/D80 both great cameras, Main difference being the D80 has an internal Auto focus motor built into the body and the D40 does not so you will need to get lenses that has an AF motor in them..

In my opinion, Nikons give much more "realistic" results than Canons, the big majority of wildlife photographers use Nikons probably for the same reason..

(y)
 
Nobody knows what images are going to be acceptable to you, this is the difficulty in many of the "which camera" threads.
And theres always this close up and zoom thing that just isn't realistic without spending some money.
Action shots require a fast shutter, fast shutter requires a lot of light = fast expensive lens.
Zoom, just how far is the other end of the arena, is it indoor or outside ? cloudy miserable days is bad lighting, the most proffessional gear will give you the best oppertunity of a nice sharp clear picture in bad conditions.
Its not a simple answer.
Do you know anyone with some good stuff you could measure performance against ?
The body I think is a toss of the coin, its the lenses you use that are far more important.
The cost of a lens that I could guess you need for semi distant action shots in poor light, will swallow up your £500 on its own.
Maybe you need to lower your expectations a little, compromise on the zoom (get your mum to stand closer).
The question really is, which lens can you afford once you've chosen a body ?
 
which ever camera you go for you're probably going to have to invest fairly in some decent lenses, IMO. As Joxby has pointed out, you need a fast lens for action shots, so you'd probably have to look at something like a 70-200 f2.8 lens (which LeeP uses on here, to shoot horses), which will set you back in the reigon of a grand+. That's not to say you won't get results with a cheaper, slower lens, the issue is that the lens might struggle in lower light conditions, such as overcast days, or indoor events.

That said, the D80 as said above is a great camera for the money... IMO

:nikon:
 
Ah I see, thanks. Sorry I didn't realise there's so much to it - like I said its all new to me lol!

Erm as for the zoom that isn't really /that/ important, at the end of the day my mum should be able to come within 20m of me, and if she can't it'd be at a big show where they have pro photographers anyway..

I'll have a look at some reviews and stuff of the ones you've mentioned. Thanks everyone :D
 
Another choice is probably a 350d with 70-200f4L probably over budget but will do a good job (will F4 be fast enough?)
 
I'D FOR SURE RECCOMEND THE CANON 350D, OVER ON EBAY. IT'S GOING FOR AROUND A STEAL PRICE OF ABOUT 275-POUNDS WITH A LENS THROWN IN AND EXTRAS LIKE AN S.D. CARD, ETC. YOU'D HAVE PLENTY LEFT OVER FOR A NICE LENS AND FLASH GUN.
 
Ahrena said:
Hi, I'm very new and feel a bit out of my depth as I know next to nothing about cameras!

I'm not really inspiring to become much of a photography (sorry xD) but I have 2 horses, and I love taking photos of them, but my own camera just isn't really working anymore. It takes nice enough photos, but not fast enough so my mum can never manage to get the right picture over a jump, and its just not really the best quality. The one I have is a canon powershot A430.

So basically I'm looking for a camera which can take really nice, sharp, clear pictures, particularily for outdoors, so would often be cloudy/miserable/sunny/snowy that sort of weather so won't always have ideal lighting. I'd also like a good zoom because if I'm jumping down 1 end of the arena then my mum can zoom in to take a photo if that makes sense. Most of the pictures will be action shots, and I'd love it if it had like settings so I could turn them black and white and stuff. Fairly simple to use would be a plus as neither me or my mum knows much about cameras.

Would anyone be able to recommend anything to me? I'd rather not spend anything over £500 but have got more funds than that if you think anything more expensive is ideal..

Thanks :D
Click to expand...

Like anything else in photography you will have to give some here to get some there.

You will obviously want to take action photos (freezing action) at least part of the time and for this reason a bigger P&S - you mentioned the G9 - will not work.

You will have a reasonable zoom range on the G9 which will cost you a bit in equivalent lenses for a DSLR.

You also ask about sharp images and a P&S (compact camera) will mostly give you sharp and print ready images off the bat.

On the DSLR you will mostly need to edit your images more as the DSLR allows you more options to tweak the pix to your liking.

To start to make some sense:bonk:

Horses move and to photograph them well you will need a fast autofocus and at least 3 frames per second.

Look for a user named Hacker (Colin) and PM him. He does a lot of work with horses and I am sure he will not mind answering your questions - great guy!

As far as your choice in Canon vs Nikon goes - they are both good but sometimes for different reasons.

Find a dealer who will let you play before you but or maybe there is a TPF member not too far from you.

The stuff is rather expensive and once you have bought you are stuck with it so you want to be sure you buy the right stuff from the start.

HTH(y)
 
:confused::confused:

Welcome to TPF!(y):welcome::welcome::welcome:
 
i echo whats already been said, maybe you should look at buying 2nd hand too?

the nikon d40x (the "x" because its a newer version of the d40 and a huge improvement)

i think moving onto the d80 would be too much of a strech by the time youve added lenses and accesories etc.



you would be best getting a couple of lenses or get one that has a good range of focal length.

the d40x can come with a kit len 18-55mm for around £400 --amazon--

then you could get another lens with more reach say a sigma 70-300 for around £100 ebay may be your best place for that.

then you will need to teach your mum how to use it!

or just stick it in auto mode
 
I'm going to descent and suggest something like the Canon SX100IS

Went to a sculpture park with my brother. I was armed with a D40 and kit lens. He had the SX100IS.

We got into a game of trying to shoot it each other as we dodged around the sculptures.

The focus speed on the Canon was impressive. The Image Quality was quite reasonable too for a compact. To be honest, in that situation, it left my D40 a little in the shade.

It has plenty of features, megapixels, zoom range and it givesplenty of creative control.
 
DoubleT said:
i echo whats already been said, maybe you should look at buying 2nd hand too?

the nikon d40x (the "x" because its a newer version of the d40 and a huge improvement)

i think moving onto the d80 would be too much of a strech by the time youve added lenses and accesories etc.



you would be best getting a couple of lenses or get one that has a good range of focal length.

the d40x can come with a kit len 18-55mm for around £400 --amazon--

then you could get another lens with more reach say a sigma 70-300 for around £100 ebay may be your best place for that.

then you will need to teach your mum how to use it!

or just stick it in auto mode
Click to expand...

I'm not sure you realise that the 70-300 sigma won't autofocus on the d40/d40x.
She'll need a HSM motor for that.
 
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