Can anyone recommend a good camera for a newbie?

teddansonsface

teddansonsface

Suspended / Banned
Messages
3
Name
Leo
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm going to New York in June for a holiday so looking to get a new camera. The only camera I've owned in the past has either been one on my phone so my experience is pretty limited.

Set a budget to spend about £250 max on a decent camera. Looked at the Sony Hyperzoom H400 but not sure if it's any good.

Anybody recommend a good camera to get? I'm leaning towards a bridge camera and preferably I'd like to buy new as opposed to second hand.
 
Kind of depends on your photo ambitions.

If you want good quality holiday photos, then suggest a compact type camera. I have a Canon Sureshot 260x for something similar. Costs are well with your budget, the camera fits in a pocket, quality is good. Easy to use, and has many bells and whistles. Not so good for speciality photography, as its limited to the installed lens etc.

If you want macros, star/moon shots then you might go up to a DSLR. Again I use a Olympus epl5, good camera, but so much more complicated than the compact. Tend to need aother lens's and tripods, thus the budget needs to expand. Results are no better than the compact if you just want holiday shots etc.

I am not particularly recommending what I use, but there are many versions of the same. Suggest a visit to a good camera shop, and get your hands on the goodies. If you buy good quality, ie Nikon, Canon Olympus, Lumix, Panasonic, Pentax or Sony, you won't go far wrong. Suggest you avoid the lesser known makes.

Good luck
MJ
 
Any particular reason why you would prefer a bridge camera over a more compact form factor, especially as it's intended for travel?

If you're looking at superzoom cameras, the Panasonic TZ range are well-respected. The flagship TZ60 can be had for a good price now the TZ70 has been announced,
Don't forget to budget for an SD card (get a decent brand from a trustworthy source) and a case.
 
You might save a lot of money if you buy it here. I mean in the U.S. Where I am. There is a site call canon price watch that has extremely good prices and another site called greentoe that you make offers and they except or decline the offer. The price watch page is mostly canon but greentoe has other brands. You could really save a lot if that was something that you could work out.
 
Be wary of Sony bridge cameras and stick to fujifilm or panasonic. The IQ on Sony bridges are far worse than the competitors and they have a nasty tendency to get oil on the sensors, Panasonic will outlast you. You have a few options, I second @Llamaman's recommendation for a Panasonic TZ series compact, the iAuto setting is wizardry, then there are the latest fujifilm bridge cameras which are excellent, and also you might want to look at the X20 pro-compact as it's within your budget and you won't outgrow it if you want to go deeper into photography.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top