Budget DSLR for someone wanting to get into photography

ThyJones

ThyJones

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Hi there,

I'm posting this on behalf of one of my friends. Her daughter is just getting into photography/wanting to get into photography, and basically has been considering buying a digital slr. The budget is approximately £200.

She has seen a camera which I think they are considering purchasing, which is the Fujifilm S4000. A brief spec is posted at the bottom of my post.

Any comments on this please, there are good reviews on this camera, any suggestions for a dslr that would fit the budget? The camera would be for her daughters birthday so would like new if she can.

* 14 Megapixel CCD
* 24mm wide-angle -super zoom lens
* Dual Image Stabilisation
* 3.0" LCD screen (460K dot resolution on the S4000 and 230K dot on the S3200)
* EVF (200K dot resolution)
* Full HD stills and 720p HD movie capture (30 fps)
* HDMI port for easy image display on any HDTV
* Up to ISO6400 (at reduced resolution)
* Easy web upload to Facebook and YouTube
* Face Detection with Blink detection and Smile and shoot mode
* Face Recognition technology
* SR Auto (Scene Recognition Auto)
* Full Manual Controls
* Tracking AF
* Motion Panorama mode
* Intelligent Flash
* Image Search function with Photobook assistant
* Auto Rotate
* 4 x AA batteries

Thanks for the help
 
That camera isnt a DSLR, its a bridge. Fine if thats what she wants, but if she wants a DSLR, thats not it.

You wont get a brand new DSLR for £200.
 
I know thats not a dslr, but was just wondering if anyone could suggest one, or the pros/cons of paying a bit extra and getting a dslr over what she currently wants. Whats the cheapest decentest dslr out there?or is it always going to be 2nd hand with that budget?

Thanks
 
Its going to be second hand, and even thats pushing it.

You'd get a Nikon D50 just about in budget, but of course you need lenses too.
You might find a Canon 350D around there too.

No bridge camera can currently match a DSLR for image quality, speed of use and manual controls, but those things come at a price.

If she is happy with a bridge, then fine, there is no problem there, they can still take good photos, but you dont get the same Depth of Field control, they dont tend to be great in low light, High ISO is usually very poor, the viewfinders arent great, the time to actually turn the camera on, focus and shoot and usualy over a second, which means action shots are out of the window, and thier focus systems in general are very slow.

Even an older DSLR will out perform the latest Bridge in terms of speed.
I just think £200 is a very tight budget for a DSLR. Dont forget you will also need a
memory card or two, spare battery, a bag, and of course at least one lens.

Maybe best to buy a bridge now, see how she gets on with it and reconsider next year. She might find the bridge suits her perfectly.
 
You can get a Nikon D40 + 18-55 kit lens within that budget, and probably the equivalent Canon 350D + 18-55 kit (used, of course, but in good condition). Many people learnt the basics on those two DSLRs, and even now many people use them either as their primary shooter or as a secondary backup shooter, because they can still produce great results.
 
Or you could get a professional quality old 35mm film camera, as good as new, with a lens (or two) at that price. Yup, that's a serious suggestion. Think about it, but of course you've then got to take into account film development prices etc. Still an old film camera is a FANTASTIC buy for someone wanting to get into "real" photography. A great way to get to grips with huge apertures without having to pay £££ andthe other technical elements that make up photography.

Otherwise, I suggest you push the budget a little bit and go for a nice Nikon 3100 or similar. It's a fantastic camera and available at a good price too - just over £300.
 
I know these aren't dslr, but you may find it useful as a read...?
Top Point n Shoots with Manual Controls

Alternatively have a browse through DP Review


Depends how much control and how much to spend. You should ask in store about any interest free options they may have (doesn't hurt to ask).


If you/they do decide to go dslr, second hand, get them to handle the current models on entry to mid range (d3100, d5100, d90 for example) and to try as many brands as you can. Lens wise, well lets say its pricy, but the beginner can start with a kit lens. 3-6 months later you'll have more of an idea which type of pics and what lens to invest in.


I believe there are meets with tp people going on regularly, so keep an eye out for one in your area, bring your point n shoot or dslr along and have a chat with other members? They may allong handling of the cameras or offer hints n tips for all photographers (and not just dslrs) plus lots of ideas for different shots.

:D be warned tho - if the bug bites it can be pricey!! ;)

Oh and if you dont mind manual controls, m42 adapter on entry models can give you a cheap way into (sometimes) decent lenses. Search flickr for pics?
 
All worth considering. FWIW, I've seen fantastic photography using the old Canon 300D - which started the run of affordable, entry level, DSLRs - the 350D and the Nikon D40. They will outperform a bridge camera and won't hold you back for quite a while, particularly if you add a better lens or two in time.
 
tinite said:
Or you could get a professional quality old 35mm film camera, as good as new, with a lens (or two) at that price. Yup, that's a serious suggestion. Think about it, but of course you've then got to take into account film development prices etc. Still an old film camera is a FANTASTIC buy for someone wanting to get into "real" photography. A great way to get to grips with huge apertures without having to pay £££ andthe other technical elements that make up photography.
Click to expand...

I would actually argue against doing this, as seeing the results of your exposure settings in real time is extremely useful when learning. The other thing is, unless you are shooting slides, most B&W and colour negative film has so much exposure latitude that you wouldn't even know that your exposures were incorrectly chosen. Additionally, you would have to be 100% sure that the camera you were using wouldn't be at fault for any of those exposure problems, which is difficult unless you get it serviced at additional cost.

Canon: 350D, 400D, 1000D
Nikon: D40, D40x, D60, D3000

all very good beginner DSLRs.
 
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In addition to the Nikon/Canon options mentioned above there are some excellent cheap Sony DSLRs , often with the kit lens available around that price. Jessops often have refurbished entry level Sony DSLR + lens kits for £200 or less, complete with a 1 year guarantee....
 
I'd recommend going with the bridge camera but if you can manage the extra then I'd go with the Finepix HS20, which you can currently get new for £270.

The reason I'd recommend starting with the bridge camera is because the latest 'Super' bridge cameras give you the same functionality as a DSLR along with the same focal length that it would cost a fortune to try out with a proper DSLR and lenses.

For example, the HS20 has a 24mm to 720mm equivalent lens. To cover that range with a DSLR and lenses you're talking many, many hundreds of pounds if not thousands.

As a beginner most people don't have a good idea of the kind of pictures they are most interested in taking. So they do not know if they will be better off with a 500mm lens or a 24mm lens, or if they will want a fast continuous shooting speed or not, etc.

By learning on the HS20 you can find out what it is you like to shoot and then if you decide you want to take it further and it comes to spending serious money on DSLR gear, at least you will know what kind of lenses you want and what features you will require of the camera.

Last reason of all is that the HS20 may well be enough for you and, so long as you're not wanting to produce massive prints or doing commercial work, you may not need to upgrade to a DSLR.

EDIT: Just thought of one more reason to choose a bridge camera, weight. BIG difference in what you need to carry with a DSLR kit compared to a bridge camera.
 
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Mark.A said:
I'd recommend going with the bridge camera but if you can manage the extra then I'd go with the Finepix HS20, which you can currently get new for £270.

The reason I'd recommend starting with the bridge camera is because the latest 'Super' bridge cameras give you the same functionality as a DSLR along with the same focal length that it would cost a fortune to try out with a proper DSLR and lenses.

For example, the HS20 has a 24mm to 720mm equivalent lens. To cover that range with a DSLR and lenses you're talking many, many hundreds of pounds if not thousands.
Click to expand...


The key word there is equivalent, all a bridge camera does to produce a "zoom" of 720mm is crop the image, so if you're starting with a (tiny) 12mp sensor then what the camera does is just use a minute section of the centre of the image to give the effective field of view of a 720mm lens.

It's certainly not the same as bolting a big lens onto a dslr.......
 
Mark.A said:
EDIT: Just thought of one more reason to choose a bridge camera, weight. BIG difference in what you need to carry with a DSLR kit compared to a bridge camera.
Click to expand...

The Fuji HS20 EXR is 730g including battery.

The Nikon D40 is 524g including battery, and with the 18-55 kit lens (203g) means the combo comes up to 727g.

Yes, the Fuji will have far more zoom range, but the D40 will have a proper single lens reflex viewfinder, a larger sensor, interchangeable lenses, and just about all the other features that made single lens reflex cameras the de facto standard for most people getting serious.
 
I'm no expert but them but might the Canon powershot and Nikon Coolpics hybrids be the best way to go? they seem to offer the most in the way of SLR style manual controls and if you buy a used one 1-2 generations back I'd guess they could be had for £200.
 
:plusone: for the d40 and the kit lens option.great camera and as said many still use it as a backup :thumbs:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
The key word there is equivalent, all a bridge camera does to produce a "zoom" of 720mm is crop the image, so if you're starting with a (tiny) 12mp sensor then what the camera does is just use a minute section of the centre of the image to give the effective field of view of a 720mm lens.

It's certainly not the same as bolting a big lens onto a dslr.......
Click to expand...

The HS20's zoom is optical not the 'digital' zoom which is where they just crop the image. The image quality is about the same throughout the zoom range.

The difference in image quality compared to DSLR is down to better quality lenses and the larger sensor, as you said.

The Fuji HS20 EXR is 730g including battery.

The Nikon D40 is 524g including battery, and with the 18-55 kit lens (203g) means the combo comes up to 727g.

Yes, the Fuji will have far more zoom range, but the D40 will have a proper single lens reflex viewfinder, a larger sensor, interchangeable lenses, and just about all the other features that made single lens reflex cameras the de facto standard for most people getting serious.
Click to expand...
I know, I was referring to the weight of the DSLR kit required to cover a similar focal range that the HS20 covers.

e.g. -
D40
18-50MM
50-150MM
150-500MM

It's not just the zoom range that puts the HS20 ahead of something like the D40. It can also shoot at 8 frames per second at 16 megapixel and 11 frames per second if you drop to 8 megapixel. It also has the articulated 3" LCD and full 1080p video.

I agree, DSLR's are the standard for 'serious', i.e. - professional photographers. We're talking about a beginner though, who may never become professional.
 
Okay, since we're talking about all in one zooms, say the 18-200 which is 560g. That puts it at 1.08kg, which isn't even that much more than the (remarkably heavy) HS20. Besides, all in one zooms are hardly known for their optical performance, whereas people have got pretty stunning results out of DSLR kit lenses.

If you are wanting to get into the serious basics of photography, you don't need 8fps! Or 11fps! The only people who truly need that are sports photographers, who will be using seriously fast equipment anyway.

These threads do inevitably become a justification of people's preferences and purchases (I'll fully disclose that I learnt the basics on a D40), something I tend to warn people of early in threads since it always turns out to be the case :)

Bridge cameras bridge the gap between compacts and DSLRs, but I regard them as being closer to compacts than DSLRs. Besides, the requirements are wanting to purchase a digital SLR anyway. And, price wise, the HS20 is £275 and a Nikon D3000 is £299, a very small bridge between the two :)
 
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Bridge cameras are fine for someone wanting to do one but trust me as i did i bought one in august last year loved it then went and got a digital slr for christmas and now ive just purchursed my first and not last L lens, when you get hooked on photography the bug hits hard and she will probabley thinking like i did why didnt i buy a digital slr straight away.
 
The bridge will provide 75% of the capability 100% of the time.

The cheap dslr with kit lens will provide 90% of the capability 20% of the time and any increase in this performance/availability ratio will need a fairly hefty cash injection.

(by time I obviously mean each time you think you'd like to take a photo but couldn't with a dslr & kit lens as it's too short, not macro, not fast enough fps etc.)
 
The DSLR will open up far more opportunity to learn about creative use of depth of field and lenses, and provide better image quality. I started with a Sony a200 and that can be found 2nd hand with the basic 18-70mm lens for £200.00 with no problems. You might even find one of the newer models for that. However, if you can find one used, a Canon 1000D with kit lens would also fit into that budget and provide liveview and better access to used lenses.
 
Have look at the Pentax Kr its an excellent entry level DSLR, tho you are looking at £350-£400 for one new with an 18-55mm kit lens.
 
I would go for the DSLR , when I got bitten I originally bought a Panasonic fz38 bridge camera; sold it after 9 months to buy a Canon 1000D (which was such a big step up); sold that 9 months later for the 40D (ergonomic & body size reasons) and have subsequently added a 50mm prime & 24-105L & a few other accessories!

I personally found it impossible to be creative using a bridge camera (probably down to my lack of knowledge at the time),

I would suggest a cheap DSLR & a good book on exposure as a starting point
 
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