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Ziggy

Ziggy

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Mike
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Hi,

Well I have just arrived here and have to admit that I know very little about the subject but want to learn and do some courses on it.

I need to get myself a camera and was looking for some help. I realise that it is not an easy choice but I am wanting to get myself something I can build on.

All help greatly appreciated...

One question I do have is what is the cheapest decent camera which allows for a long exposure time. Not sure if this makes sense or if it is the correct term but I have seen a lot of pictues which show still buildings with the blur from the lights of cars etc, and was wondering what is the cheapest camera which will do this.

Thanks

Michael.
 
A lot of compact P&S (Point & Shoot) camera allow you to change the shutter value, such as the Sony P200, and Fuji F30 / F31fd.

Its all down to budget - How much do you want to spend.
 
I would be happy to spend up to £600
 
£600 opens up a whole raft of possibilities.

Next Question....

Do you want a small (Compact - Pockatable) camera

A bridge camera (A sort of half-way house between a compact and a full blown DSLR) - has full manual controls as well as the usual auto and semi-auto modes

Or a DSLR camera with the possiblity of upgrading / adding extra lenses, flash guns etc - this would be the most expensive option and also the largest camera.


Sorry about all the questions, but it allows people to see where you want to go with photography and advise accordingly.
 
Howdy Ziggy :) welcome to the forums. If you want something to build upon I would recommend a starter level dslr (digital SLR) which are amazing cameras and you wont be troubled by any limitations :) and it can also be put into nice lazy mans settings for when you just want a nice simple "point and shoot" camera :)

Go for the Canon 400D in my opinion ;) (dont listen to them nasty Nikon users, that are sure to follow) :p only joking, Nikon's are also very nice cameras.
 
Yep. An entry level DSLR sounds like the best option. Canon 400d or Nikon D40X - or a second hand d50 or d70 if you want more to spend on lenses, which might be a good idea. Hope this helps.
 
I already have a compact camera, a Canon Ixus 30.

I have had it a few years and it has done the job well so far for what I needed but now want a bigger/better camera so I can take some more advanced pictures. Guess I can still take it if I want a pocket camera.

So guess it is looking like a Digital SLR is the way to go.

Do I need to buy the latest thing (Canon 400D) or could a second hand one be more than good enough for my needs ( with my limited experience) until I get into it a bit more, if a second hand one would be good then would appreciate recommendations.

Apologies for all the questions, just keen.

Michael.
 
Second hand is a possibly route. I personally am not to keen on second hand camera as you really dont know how well they have been looked after. I would rather pay more to get something I know is new and under warrenty. But don't let that put you off second hand camera, it is just me :p
 
I am probably of the same sort of opinion as you. I like to know where it came from..

Having a look on the digital depot website I am a bit confused about lenses.

The Canon comes with a 18-55 lens , the Nikon comes with a similar lens but then there is a Nikon D80 with a 18-135mm lens. Does this lens mean that you have a mich wider range and so it will cover more then the 18-55 lens??

Sorry for being stupid.
 
Yeah the numbers are in mm and refer to the focal distance of the lens, which is how far it zooms in (to keep it simple). A 10mm lens is wide angle, where as something like 300mm is quite a big zoom. So a 18-55mm lens goes from quite wide angle to a reasonable zoom. So the 18-135 zooms in a more than the 55mm of the other lenses.

The 18-55mm is a good range for a general lens though :) and I find that I keep my 18-55mm lens on most of the time, but I have other lenses that let me go from 70-300mm and one other that is 10-20mm. It sounds like a lot more faff to be carrying around more lenses. I am not sure about the quality of the 18-135 Nikon, but I am sure someone else will know :)
 
Ewan said:
You work for Olympus or something? :D
Click to expand...

No... Just like people to know that the world does not stop at Canon & Nikon, and that the new E-series are up there with the best of them, and are the only manuafacture to have deisgned a system around the digital sensor rather than the other way round.

The ZD kit lenses are way better in resolution and sharpness / contrast than the Canon / Nikon equivalents and there really is no need to change them. The standard kit lenses cover the range from 28mm to 300mm, so you only need to add lenses if you want to go longer / wider.
 
The Olympus package looks good value with the 2 lenses and I like the idea that it will pretty much be good enough for my needs with the 2 lenses for the future....

I do not see a similar Canon or Nikon package??

I see that this camera has a built-in image stabiliser.

http://www.digitaldepot.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=1_242&products_id=341455

I think I remember reading somewhere that this was important, and therefore is it worth the extra £100. I am flexible on my budget to be honest if it is going to make things far better for me.

Looking here it does look like the E510 is a serious bit of kit

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/OlympusE510/verdict.shtml
 
Chillimonster said:
No... Just like people to know that the world does not stop at Canon & Nikon, and that the new E-series are up there with the best of them, and are the only manuafacture to have deisgned a system around the digital sensor rather than the other way round.

The ZD kit lenses are way better in resolution and sharpness / contrast than the Canon / Nikon equivalents and there really is no need to change them. The standard kit lenses cover the range from 28mm to 300mm, so you only need to add lenses if you want to go longer / wider.
Click to expand...

No probs m8 I agree with you really :thumbs: People need to remember that Canon and Nikon aint the only options.
 
Ziggy said:
The Olympus package looks good value with the 2 lenses and I like the idea that it will pretty much be good enough for my needs with the 2 lenses for the future....

I do not see a similar Canon or Nikon package??

I see that this camera has a built-in image stabiliser.

http://www.digitaldepot.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=1_242&products_id=341455

I think I remember reading somewhere that this was important, and therefore is it worth the extra £100. I am flexible on my budget to be honest if it is going to make things far better for me.

Looking here it does look like the E510 is a serious bit of kit

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/OlympusE510/verdict.shtml
Click to expand...


I have the E-510 Twin lens kit. LOVE IT!! :D

The IS makes hand-holding slow shutter speed a breeze, and as it is 'Body-IS' it works with all of the ZD lenses, as opposed to the Canon & Nikon IS and VR systems that are built into the lens, thus making the lenses more expensive.

The E-Series is also the only camera with an effective dust-buster system (Not my words, but from the tests that have been carried out)

So.... my opinion, it is worth the extra £100 (less if you shop around)
 
By all means buy the camera of your choice at the cheapest reputable online source but before you do that go into a camera shop and hold some of them in your hand. You might not understand all the controls but you will know what you like the feel of and what you don't.

This forum reflects the balance of sales of cameras in a way so there will be more Nikon and Canon owners around. On the whole though it is very even handed with no 'my brand is best' posts. Liking your own camera is not a problem and you may get some enthusiastic replies... but in the end the choice is yours.
 
Don't fotget that if you want to take long exposure images you will also need a tripod, which will cost a few quid if you want a half decent one.
 
I'm not clear why a beginner would want all 10 megapixels that the D40X offers. Why not save £100+ and go for the D40 like I did? What's 4MP between friends? That money would be better spent on a second lens, a bag and decent tripod -- or perhaps even something completely unrelated to photography.
 
Fair point Humbert. I got "serious" with the Olympus 300, then up to the Canon 10D. Now moved to Nikon & Ziggy I have to say that the 18-135 kit lens on the Nikon is about the best kit lens out there. If it were me all over again I would probably have stayed with the Olympus a bit longer until I really outgrew it, then waited until I could skip the budget DSLR's onto the D80. Maybe spent more money on good lenses earliler on, as it's taken until now to work out that that's what really makes the difference.
 
After doing a bit of research I thought it would make more sense to get a cheaper camera to see if I get in to photography.

After having a look around I got a Fuji Finepix 6500FD, which looked to be pretty decent for a good price.

If I enjoy using it and get more interested then I will no doubt get a SLR as a replacement.

I am looking to try and do some long exposure shots, can anyone give me any tips on how I do it best.

Thanks

Michael.
 
Use a tripod. Use the "self-timer" to prevent camera shake. You might have to have it on manual to do long exposures (mine does 15 sec on A,S and P modes but 30 sec on M). Bridges looking down on big motorways can make good shots - at night time.
 
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