Getting started in digital photography

wildman

wildman

wildman

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I am just getting started in the world of digital photography and the first thing I need to do is to get a new digital camera. The current one I have has seen better days and it the best part of 4 to 5 years old and was only a 2 megapixel one with little to no other features.

I am probably looking at spending around 150 quid but I am not sure what sort of camera I should be looking at. I would prefer one that gives you manual control on exposure time, shutter speed etc rather than just having a load of auto presets as this gives you a lot more options further down the line whe you get more experience.
 
wildman said:
I am just getting started in the world of digital photography and the first thing I need to do is to get a new digital camera. The current one I have has seen better days and it the best part of 4 to 5 years old and was only a 2 megapixel one with little to no other features.

I am probably looking at spending around 150 quid but I am not sure what sort of camera I should be looking at. I would prefer one that gives you manual control on exposure time, shutter speed etc rather than just having a load of auto presets as this gives you a lot more options further down the line whe you get more experience.
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Would probably recommend a 'bridge' camera such as the Fuji S5700. I used to have the S5600 which was an awesome piece of kit and a great introduction into the world of photography (my photos can be found here www.flickr.com/photos/martinturner, only the last 6 were taken with the Nikon D40, previous ones were with the Fuji S5600). I had the camera for a year and very recently have upgraded to a Nikon D40 DSLR. I am sure that others may suggest cameras which may cost a bit more or are a step up from the S5700, but I honestly think this is a lot of kit for little monies and will mean you do not outlay a lot of cash if/when you decide a DSLR is for you.
 
I'm not sure that you are going to get a lot of manual control within your budget. Just been having a quick look and you might be able to get a second hand Nikon D50 which i think is a very nice DSLR.

I also have a Kodak v810 which i found really good. No manual shutter controll but a lot of presets, fairly fast for a non DSLR. You might be able to pick one of them up second hand as well. Also it does 10X optical zoom
 
buzzby said:
I'm not sure that you are going to get a lot of manual control within your budget. Just been having a quick look and you might be able to get a second hand Nikon D50 which i think is a very nice DSLR.

I also have a Kodak v810 which i found really good. No manual shutter controll but a lot of presets, fairly fast for a non DSLR. You might be able to pick one of them up second hand as well. Also it does 10X optical zoom
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Having just bought a D40, I looked at the second hand route and tbh, the second hand D50's were coming in around the low-mid 200's. I would definately say go for the bridge if you are totally unsure or a D40 if you can stretch.
 
If you really wanted to get started in photography - possibly go into a film SLR before digital to teach yourself?

That will allow you to pick up a cheap SLR but also learn - I know it isn't digital like you asked but it'll help you learn!

Rich
 
If you can stretch that budget a little go for the Fuji S6500fd. I'm sure I won't be alone in recommending this excellent camera.

Check out my flickr page for some examples taken with the S6500fd.
 
NorthstaNder said:
If you can stretch that budget a little go for the Fuji S6500fd. I'm sure I won't be alone in recommending this excellent camera.

Check out my flickr page for some examples taken with the S6500fd.
Click to expand...

I did a bit of research and read loads of the threads here and looked at your flickr gallery as part of that reading yesterday. Went to my local photography store and actually tried out the s5700 and the s6500fd and in the end I bought the s6500fd as it was the one I liked the most and was most comfortable using, so I extended my budget out a bit.

Now I just need to read the manual and start experimenting, hopefully I'll have some pictures to share with you all in a few days time. Hopefully I can do this bit of kit some justice and take some interesting shots.

Thanks to everyone who posted some advice
 
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