Camera recommendation needed for Guides unit

G

Guiding_Ponyo

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2
Name
Christina
Edit My Images
Yes
Good morning. I am brand new to this forum and have little photography experience, so please forgive me if my question seems rather naive.

I am a volunteer at a local Guides unit and we will be working on a photography project, for which we would like to purchase a camera.
The camera needs to be both digital and have the ability to change various settings manually (shutter speed, contrast, aperture settings, etc).
We have a budget of £100 - £200, though the lower end would be preferable.

I have spent about an hour online getting nowhere as none of the cameras I look at online mention whether or not you can change these settings manually, and the photography forums I have browsed don't really address this either. My local photography shop was also unable to recommend anything in particular.

It is possible that all digital cameras can do this, or that my budget is just too low. Either way, any suggestions?
Many thanks
 
A decent option would be to get an older second hand DSLR, plus a basic kit lens - gear that was once high end can now be obtained for under £200.

It might also be worth asking the parents if any of them can advise, or even have a camera they could lend you - many camera enthusiast have older gear they no longer use, but haven't sold as you can end up getting so little for it!

If you do decide to buy, take a look at MBP or London Camera Exchange, both have a good range of secondhand gear.

https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/category/used-cameras
https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Secondhand-Search/
 
Hi Christina @Guiding_Ponyo

Welcome to TP

It is a pity that your local camera shop was unable to be help with your enquiry. FWIW LCE (London Camera Exchange) are owned, managed & staffed by knowledge people who in the main should be helpful.

Having said that, have you considered contacting any local camera clubs because as @Faldrax says there are potentially members with older unused kit as well as some who would be able to offer tutoring. (NB in suggesting tutoring and as you are talking about Guides, I surmise you would be to ensure the safeguarding where & as appropriate)

Best of luck finding what you need and you & and the guides enjoying a fruitful introduction to photography.
 
Thank you all for your replies - looks like second hand cameras might be the best route. Thanks for suggesting a model too.

I did try asking parents and anyone else I knew if they could help, but surprisingly came up with nothing. The old guy at the photography shop was surprisingly unhelpful too.

We do have a local camera club - I can't remember why I didn't pursue that route, but will look into it again.

Many thanks again!
 
Guiding_Ponyo said:
Thank you all for your replies - looks like second hand cameras might be the best route. Thanks for suggesting a model too.

I did try asking parents and anyone else I knew if they could help, but surprisingly came up with nothing. The old guy at the photography shop was surprisingly unhelpful too.

We do have a local camera club - I can't remember why I didn't pursue that route, but will look into it again.

Many thanks again!
Click to expand...
In case you didn't notice there is the Beginners sub fora
www.talkphotography.co.uk

Talk Beginners

If you are new to photography, or just have a beginners question, then fire away!
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk

So do feel free to ask any questions or for guidance & pointers.
 
whatever "used"camera you get find out the shutter count first. The shutter in a digital camera (DSLR Digital Single Reflex) has an expected life span.
Bit like a car, all glossy on the outside with a clapped out engine inside. Obviously the higher the count the cheaper the camera should be. Don't get caught out.
I had the Nikon D300 and only recently P/X it. Great camera so worth lookin at. I would say an ideal camera for a person to learn on.. Don't forget to allow for the cost of SD or CF memory cards whichever it takes.
 
Nikon D300 is a great camera as long as one of you has used a camera before. The controls are mostly on buttons and switches so you don't have to worry about finding things in menus as much as more modern cameras. It does not have a fully automatic point and shoot mode (as it is a semi-pro camera) so it might be frustrating to use until they figure out how to control exposure. On the other hand, they cant "cheat" by letting the camera do all the work.
Alternatively, a Nikon D90 is the consumer version which does have automatic and "scene" modes. This used SD cards rather than CF cards. It is smaller and less robust than a D300 but costs about the same.

A Nikon 18-70 AF-S lens would be nice to go with either and let them zoom in for portraits.

Pretty much all modern DSLR cameras can change the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings. They also have various shooting modes- programme, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual which let the camera work around particular settings to get the right exposure. The consumer versions also have automatic modes where the camera guesses which settings to use and scene modes where it it told to set up for a landscape, sports or whatever.

If they only have an hour or two then I think a more consumer version would be better. If they have longer the D300 is much more capable.

You can get a decent camera and lens on your budget. It might be 15 years old but that doesn't matter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top