Recommend me a camera for

fudge

Suspended / Banned
Messages
142
Name
john
Edit My Images
Yes
Can any one offer up any recommendations for a camera that would for fill some of the following criteria .

£500 budget
Mainly for taking pictures of my baby and people
Good low light ability
Descent auto focus
Not worried about new or secondhand
Easy to change settings with out lots of button pressing

There so much choice out there that it's hard to know which way to go so any pointers would be great . Even down to dslr , csc or compact.
 
Used Canon 5D + 50mm f/1.8? Should come in at under £500.
 
Sony RX100 if you want something to put in your pocket and whip out at the opportune moment.
 
Baby X Fuji? X-20, XF-1 - either should fit the bill. XF-1 dirt cheap at Currys (if they have any left!)
 
Possibly, possibly, but I was thinking of a new 50mm - didn't make that clear. It's not exactly the most robust optic on the market; I'd be wary of a used one. Having a few bob left over would allow for a bag, spare battery, and similar stuff - things that can get forgotten.
 
Do you want an SLR or a compact type: full manual control or to just tweak auto settings: is size an issue? There are scores of cameras that would fulfil your requirements.
 
Jon, even a new nifty fifty and a 5d could be had for under 400, the 5d in the classifieds ATM is a steal at 300!

£300 is a steal! I see one has just gone for £360. You get one helluva lot of camera for that. No idea why these are so cheap. Perhaps the best buy around at the moment?
 
Jon, it's now obsolete so must be total carp! You MUST have the latest model... [/tongueincheek]
 
Agree on Sony RX100. I also use a Nikon D3s, and still the Sony rarely disappoints me. This was low light, hand-held with the Sony.

4.jpg
 
Thanks for the ideas. Size is not a major issue so dslr is fine. The sony looks great but I m wary of the control system having had a nex 3 and getting really frustrated by the lack of a physical mode dial and other menu issues . How does the rx 100 handle?
 
I had similar concerns over the Sony, and dithered for ages. Actually it's much better than I thought. There's a physical mode dial on top. Then the "aperture ring" on the front changes usage depending on the mode selected - in A it changes aperture, in scene mode it adjust preset scene selected, etc. it's also programmable. Functions can also be assigned to buttons.

For walk around the I+ mode even works well - it analyses the scene and judges which mode you should need, even down to taking multiple (I've heard four) images and blending them to optimise dynamic range, minimise noise and shake. Sounded truly horrible to me before purchase, but you can avoid it by using P, A, S, M modes, and in situations where you need it, it does a damn good job. I'm eating my pre-purchase words :-)
 
You could look at the sony a37 and Sony 35mm 1.8.
It's what I bought my wife for chasing our two year old around with. £330 second hand. It's small, decent in low light, sharp and can AF whilst shooting video
 
Back
Top