best compact camera for "bokeh"?

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thislittlemum

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Hello all

I am a total newbie so please forgive any blunders or stupidity on my part.

I am interested in getting into photography but have a limited budget (say £200 - £250) and want a compact camera to get me started to see how I get on before I dive in to a DSLR some time down the line.

I am specifically interested in achieving the affect of a sharp in focus subject and a blurred background (I read somewhere this is referred to as bokeh?). I think (but please feel free to correct me) that I therefore need a camera with a large sensor? Or is it another feature that will help me achieve this?

Which camera would people recommend which is particularly suited to achieving this effect?

Many thanks in advance :)
 
ps something which is also suited to taking photos of a baby who refuses to stay still would be an added bonus!
 
There is no compact in your range that can do that, except a film one. The sensors in low price digital compacts are too small to do it with anything but a really small subject practically touching the lens.

You could possibly get yourself an older secondhand CSC/Mirrorless camera for your budget which when coupled with an old cheap manual fast lens will be able to get the desired effect, but it would require much more effort than a 'proper' setup.
 
I would suggest a used DSLR and a 50 1.8 lens. £70 for the lens, £130 for the body (and you may get an 18-55 as part of that for general use)

Saves the step of the compact to see how you get on and if you don't get on then sell it for very little loss.

A compact will not give the shallow depth of field you are after, nor will it keep up with fast moving subjects.
 
Compact cameras can do decent bokeh...
But you need to use the long end of the lens and get the subject pretty close.
Here's a Google search for relevant images on the Fuji X10 (I have one so am going from personal experience).
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...6NuTS0QXohoGICw&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1103&bih=930

However....
Without question, you will get better shallow depth of field and bokeh from a DSLR.
The DSLR will also be miles better for getting frame filling shots of wriggling little speedsters. The latest mirrorless offerings are getting better, but the auto focus is no match for even an entry level DSLR.
 
thanks so much for the responses all!

I have definitely been persuaded to go down the second hand digital slr route.

ukaskew - thanks for the specific recommendation - I'll take a look at the panasonic. If anyone wants to recommend a make/model which would suit me second hand, please feel do let me know.

thanks again! :-)
 
With your budget, I would suggest a used Canon 400d + kit lens (£160ish) and a Canon 50mm f1.8 lens (£50ish).

Nice size and easy to use.
 
Compacts can do bokeh to some extent, eg these are from the Olympus XZ-1 which is a nice little camera and can be picked up for £229 new or £199 ex demo at SRS: http://www.flickr.com/groups/xz1/discuss/72157626263186143/

If you wanted to go down the micro four thirds route, the 14mm while cheap and a nice little lens is very wide for general use.

You could get the Panasonic G3 which is quite a nice step up from the GF3, with a viewfinder, swivel screen, rear thumb wheel control and 16mp sensor - for £270 after cashback (with 14-42 lens): http://www.abc-digital-cameras.co.uk/Panasonic-DMC-G3-with-14-42mm-Black-Olympic-Single.html

Some pictures with that lens here:
http://www.mu-43.com/f80/panasonic-14-42mm-f-3-5-5-6-image-thread-7608/

But, yes if bokeh is a priority and you are okay with the extra size and weight of a dslr then a used dsrl with a fast lens like a 50mm 1.8 or a 35mm 1.8 would make sense and you should be able to find something within your budget like the Canon 400d + 50mm f1.8 lens suggested above.

If you are worried about buying used cameras from ebay etc then a camera shop will usually offer a 6 month warranty on used gear - a quick look at Harrison cameras shows they have a 400d body for £175 with a 12 month warranty, which would leave you £75 from your £250 budget for a 50mm 1.8 lens and you can get those brand new on amazon for £78:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...r&tag=1567&=electronics&qid=1354631310&sr=1-1 so only £3 over budget :D

You can also try Ffordes, MPB etc for used cameras and lenses.
 
thislittlemum said:
I am interested in getting into photography but have a limited budget (say £200 - £250) and want a compact camera...

I am specifically interested in achieving the affect of a sharp in focus subject and a blurred background (I read somewhere this is referred to as bokeh?). I think (but please feel free to correct me) that I therefore need a camera with a large sensor? Or is it another feature that will help me achieve this?

Which camera would people recommend which is particularly suited to achieving this effect?
Click to expand...

As has been said, to get this effect with a compact camera you need to use a long zoom, a wide aperture and have the object close to the camera. Some compacts can do it but it's much easier with a camera with a different sort of lens to those normally fitted to "compacts."

Some cameras such as the Sony Nex 5 can do bokeh very well with the correct lens fitted but they'll blow your budget. One way of getting nice bokeh cheaply is to go for something like a used Micro Four Thirds Panasonic G1 or G2 and a used manual lens such as a 50mm f1.8. You could get a camera and lens combination like this for something like £120-£150. For example I have a G1 and you can get them for around £100, I often use a Minolta 55mm f1.7 and adapter on it and together the lens and adapter cost £19. I later added a 28mm f2.8 lens which again was a bargain. You could very probably get a G1 + 50MM F1.8 and a 28mm f2.8 for well under £200.

You could go for a used APS-C DSLR and a 50mm f1.8 and you'd get both within budget but a used DSLR + lens, Nex + lens or Micro Four thirds camera + lens aren't truly comapact in the way that a "compact" camera is compact. they'd get you nice bokeh though.
 
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