Beginner camera

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Photonewb

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Alan
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Hi guys

First of all please forgive my ignorance relating to photography after reading through some of your great forum i realise im completely out of my depth on here...

Basically after aquiring a dog and many sunrise/sunset walks around beautiful lakes and scenery i thought it would be nice to try my hand at photography.... However not knowing anything about the subject i dont know where to start....

Im looking for something that has the capacity to take good (for a newbie) shots while still being small enough to carry and slightly resilliant due to being used during dog walks..... This led me to something like a go pro hero 4..mainly because in my ignorance its the only popular camera i always hear mentioned ....... However it seems it may be more for action videos and shots...

Is this a camera you guys would recommend for my beginner use or do you think another camera up to around the £400 range would be better suited to my needs?...
I realise there are technically better cameras on the market in the same budget after reading some other posts but are they actually the type you would want to drag round on a dog walk?

Im sticking around on here now as ive realised i have alot to learn and find the amount of info about photography on here fascinating...

Thanks in advance for any help and if i need to supply any more information please just let me know
 
A gopro does not have a zoom lens it like you would find in a smartphone and like you said is geared up for video. You have a tidy budget with lots of cameras to choose from within budget.

Do you want it to fit in your pocket?
 
Thanks for the reply! I wasnt expecting any help that fast

If i could find one that would fit in a pocket that would be nice however i get the feeling this is very hopeful on my part.....

However i suppose the ideal would be a happy medium and as small as i could go without skimping on quality and if that means something a little larger im definitely not against it aslong as its not majorly bulky.

Im definitely open to all suggestions though as your guys knowledge is way ahead of mine...

Thanks again
 
the sony rx100 will fit in your pocket and takes fantastic images, its now on the mk4 version but i think mk 1 to 3 are all within budget and all take great images
 
Thanks for that input niko.... I have to say that looks like a great suggestion. Im defintely going to look in more depth at that option

Would you say this camera is comparable in image quality to slightly larger cameras in the same budget?...
After seeing what alot of other guys are using on here im getting the feeling im kind of missing the point of photography or "limiting myself" by focussing too much on camera size over anything else...

I wouldnt want to go massive by any means but size is definitely less of an issue for me now within reason

Thanks again
 
I would recommend the Sony rx100 range too. They will fit in your pocket and great quality. The canon gx7 is similar. The lumix lx100 has a larger sensor so isn't trouser pocket size but would probably fit in a jacket pocket. It's a £100 cash back deal on which brings it within budget. There is a lot more great compacts to choose from.
 
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The rx100 is great - you'll get a ( used ) mk2 for around half of your budget and can always buy the filter adapted kit for around £20 if you want longer exposures. It just sticks to the front and you can screw filters on. I'd also recommend the grip as its a bit slippery

Just bear in mind that due to its size, it can be fiddly if you have large hands.
 
I think you may be over emphasising the tough aspect. Most digital cameras will stand up to normal wear and tear and a few drops of rain but if you want tough/waterproof the Olympus TG3 or TG4 are good rugged cameras but you compromise on the level of control you have as they do not have full manual control or manual focus. A bit bigger and possibly a bit too expensive are the Olympus EM10 and EM5 which are Micro four-thirds (MFT) systems and so have interchangeable lenses, full manual control, allow for filters, external flash etc. and will allow you much more room to progress your photography without upgrading the camera. There is a thread on here for these cameras https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...m10-e-m5-mark-2-owners-thread.395080/page-208
 
You might be surprised at what is easy to carry on a dog walk - I take my camera out almost every day for a good hour or more with my energetic collie - a big heavy DSLR with a large zoom lens weighing a good couple of kilos (7D2 with grip, normally with 100-400 ISii and 1.4x teleconverter) and barely even notice it. I really wouldn't worry too much about size.
 
he wont be able to access the classifieds yet
 
Photonewb said:
Thanks for that input niko.... I have to say that looks like a great suggestion. Im defintely going to look in more depth at that option

Would you say this camera is comparable in image quality to slightly larger cameras in the same budget?...
After seeing what alot of other guys are using on here im getting the feeling im kind of missing the point of photography or "limiting myself" by focussing too much on camera size over anything else...

I wouldnt want to go massive by any means but size is definitely less of an issue for me now within reason

Thanks again
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it would be more limiting if you didnt carry the camera at all because it was bigger than you are willing to carry. ive used various cameras for over 30 years but i find dslrs a pain to carry on a daily bases. They are great in certain circumstances but for me i use a micro four thirds system now, its is not the be all and end all of IQ but its good and i take much better pictures with it because i dont think twice about taking it with me. the image quality of the little sony is amazing for its size and if you got one 2nd hand you would resell without losing much if anything.
 
Thanks alot for all your input guys really helped me get an idea of what to look at.

After looking at the rx100 and the fact a few of you have recomended it i think thats what i will go with to get started

Now its just a matter of combing through all the rest of the forum to pick up some more tips and info..... Im honestly shocked by how much there is to learn but fascinated with the subject now.. You guys really have a great site here

Thanks again for all your help with this
 
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