Newbie starting, basic questions.

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David
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My daughter has just started taking an interest in photography and Id like to encourage her. At the moment all she has to work with is an old Olympus CAMEDIA C-3040ZOOM I got years ago.

She is mainly interested in taking nature pictures, wildlife, animals, bugs and the like. I don't even know what features she needs and what might be a good camera for her.

So basically I'm asking what kind of camera and lens you would recommend for her. Budget is limited at the moment so pre owned might be a way to go but I'm searcing in the wilderness for something I don't even know the shape of.

Also I'd like to take pictures as well, mainly old buildings and landscapes and the like so if it's good for those sort of things as well that would be a bonus, but thats reaslly secondary.

Thanks for all and any help.
 
Ok - well a good place to start is an SLR (entry level might be a Canon 1000D - £330. Secondhand 400D would be £200).

Len-wise I'd recommend a general purpose zoom like the Tamron 17-50 for around £270 - this has a fast-ish f/2.8 aperture meaning you can learn more about controlling depth of field (what is and isn't in focus - lenses with smaller maximum apertures and cameras with smaller sensors like point & shoots tend to have most of the scene in focus in every shot - selectively focussing on the subject often makes for a more interesting shot). Also good for lower light shooting.

A macro lens is the best option for bugs & smaller flowers. The cheap alternative is a close-up lens, but a macro will give better quality. Canon do a 50mm macro which you can pick up secondhand for about £150, or go with a Sigma 105mm which is more like £200-250.

Lighting macro can be tough as you often shade the subject from the light. You also want lots of light to ensure enough of the subject is in focus. Ultimately you might want to consider a seperate flashgun to light you bugs etc as the built-in one will be near useless for this purpose. You could buy a standard flash and hold it off camera on cord, or go the whole hog and buy a macro flash (£150-£500 depending on manufacturer).

HTH

Phil
 
You don't mention how old your daughter is. When entertaining my nephews (now 12 and 10) over the last few years I've let them have a go with pretty much everything in the kitbag on the day, from SLR (40D) to a ten year old digital compact. Generally they've got the best results with the compact, probably because I've allowed them far less supervision when using that one, it's lighter and easier to use.

If your daughter is technically minded I'd say go with a secondhand interchangeable lens camera*, a general purpose lens and a macro lens. However, if she's just wanting to take a nice photograph and is less concerned about the technicalities of exposure I'd suggest a good quality compact (Panasonic, Canon, Nikon, Fuji) and focussing on the composition to produce a pleasing image and letting the camera take care of the exposure and lighting. To give enough headroom for learning exposure as well, one of the top-end compacts like the Canon G-series with manual controls and a hot-shoe flash could be a good choice.


* possibly a DSLR from Canon or Nikon, but the smaller format m4/3rds type cameras are looking increasingly appealing. The first generations of these models are now available at very reasonable prices new.
 
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