Spec me a camera please!

Naan_H

Naan_H

Naan_H

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Hi all, im leaving for australia in the next 2-3 weeks for my cousins wedding and so my brother and I have decided to get a decent camera for the ocassion. At the moment we have a compact canon 5-7mp camera (im not sure!) but want to spend approx £400 (could stretch to £500) for a decent camera.

I assume DSLR is the way to go?

Just looking to take nice pictures from the wedding as well as any sight seeing we do.

We are real noobs when it comes to cameras and so i just want to get whats best for the money!

Someone suggested a Sony nex-c3 which is £400 but i have no idea if its good or not. I have always thought canon was the way to go when it came to cameras!

Please pardon my ignorance but any advice would be much appreciated!
 
canon eos 500d with two lens can be pick up for under the £500 mark. so can a sony alpha a55 with 18-55m.

now you can pick up a canon eos 1100d with 18-55mm dc len, canon 50mm f/1.8 mk2, 18-55mm, camera bag, lcd protector, uv filters for both lens for £469.95. now i would say this isn't a bad deal to get, to start you off in dslr. the canon 50mm f/1.8 mk2 len is very good prime lens and would serve you well. plus if you decide to upgrade at some point and stay with canon you can use the lens you alreadly got with the new camera. so you only readly need to buy is the camera body.
 
Many people will recommend Canon and Nikon SLR cameras because they are advertised heavily and are very popular. They are great cameras, but they don't autofocus well in video, so if you want to do that then forget SLR cameras. No SLR can do fast autofocus in video due to limitations of the technology.

To overcome that problem I recommend a camera such as the Sony A55 which you should be able to get for about £500 with one or two zoom lenses. The pictures will be just as good as any Canon SLR costing the same price but the Sony has many more features including very fast autofocus in video. Also it has a built in GPS that will give you the location of every picture you take, which is a nice feature to have especially for travel. I like the size of it as well. It is smaller and lighter than SLR cameras, another advantage for travel.

The Sony nex-c3 has similar advantages but the lenses for that are very expensive.
 
Personally I'd recomend stearing clear of SLR's and compact systems etc.

Based on your OP you want to take some nice pictures on holiday and some at the wedding I'd get yourself a high end compact like the Canon S100 or the Olmpus X-1. They will give you great photos and videos without the weight and hassle of an SLR.

Unless you really want to get into photography I think you'll have much more fun and get better results from an always ready pocketable camera.
 
Alex makes a good point, however I've taken lately to recommending a cheap second hand body and a small 50mm lens, sure you have to move in and out rather than zooming, but it's almost as small as a compact but will take a much better photo and gives you a path into photography in the future as you already have the body. Most consumer SLRs have auto and program modes much the same as point and shoots too.

I recently grabbed myself a Nikon D70 as a backup camera for ~£100, and a 50mm 1.8 AF-D lens will set you back around £80. The Nikon D50 is a good bet too, as like the D70 it's cheap and has an autofocus motor built in so you have more lenses to choose from in the future if you do become more interested.

If you really want to go nuts and spend £500, then grab a cheap body like the D50/70 and get some decent lenses as they'll not only last longer than any body ever will, but are also more important in terms of image quality. I recommend taking a look at a Tokina 28-70 2.8 for around £220 second hand, although anything by Tokina is quality.
 
Thanks for the input guys, very much appreciated.

I guess i need to sit down with my brother and decide what we really want. A part of me wants to get into photography but knowing myself i probably wont get the time to do it properly.

Any links to the deals above?
 
I'd suggest not to go the DSLR route... simply purchasing a DSLR to be able to take great photos is a common misconception; unfortunately there is a big learning curve for those that aren't familiar with photography. I'd recommend a high-end compact or a micro four-thirds camera for you. I have both a DSLR and a high-end compact (LX3), and am pleased with all the photos produced from them.

Weddings are a whole different ball game. The equipment I take to weddings to cope with low light easily adds up to 2k. A high-end compact should be sufficient to take nice group shots.

I recently wrote a blog about "which camera should I buy"... have links for pricing and samples of my photos from the different cameras I own. Hope you find it useful. :)
 
ShakenNstirred said:
a good bridge camera i'd go for
i wouldnt want to hump around a DSLR and lens on a trip like that
Click to expand...

A 'bridge' camera is the worst of both worlds IMO, not much smaller then the small DSLR's/CSCs (i.e. still bulky enough) and with a small sensor, it's compromised in performance.

I'd say a Nex 5N seems a popular CSC, decent enough 16MP sensor, the 18-55 kit lens is small enough and from the grey import places it can be had for £420

I personally have a DSLR and a pocketable superzoom.. there are times you need something pocketable, then other times you want the flexibilty and extra performance..

Good pocketable cams include the Sony HX9V for 'superzoom'/fun features/video, or Canon S95 for small zoom + better photographic features..

DSLR wise,
D3100
EOS1100
and
A55 are all worth consideration.

It might be worth getting the kit lens, but then looking at the cheapest 35mm fast lens, I picked up the Sony 35 f/1.8 (£120) expecting it to be tat (feels plasticky) but the lens is actually pretty much OK and reviews back that up.. same goes for the Canon/Nikon equivalents.
 
Hi guys, have decided to with the sony nex 5N - dont think we are ready to go DSLR yet.

what type of memory card shall i get for it? i would prefer SDHC to memory stick, does it have to be a class 10 card?
 
I'd recommend the Sandisk Extreme Video HD 16GB. ~£15 from the rainforest and they're the best brand to go for, for SD (and CF) cards. Great performance and reliability.
 
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