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My misses wants one of these for xmas. What sort of money am i going to have to spend to get something worth having?
It's not for anything specific like riding, but for general use / hobby.
Any recommendations?
Nikon d60 here - about 350 i think.
Sony a330 (or 380) Designed for "soccer moms" - small form factor and proper live-view.
Or... an Olympus Pen-1.
they're a fad, they'll never catch on,
stick to film, she'll thank you for it.
Most of them are far too complicated for women to use anyway. 😀
and proper live-view
in this mode it stops being an SLR 🙁
in this mode it stops being an SLR
Exactly. Ideal for a new user (assuming they're from p&s).
She will be new to digital but has a fair bit of experience with film. I think she wasted a lot of her college and uni years being arty. We had to sell and give away her old camera collection the other year, loads of old fashioned stuff like super 8 cameras and box brownies.
Mind you she's due to drop rusty jr.2 in February so god knows when she thinks she'll have time to take photos. 🙂
Ideal for a new user (assuming they're from p&s).
a couple of times I've handed mine to someone to take a shot and they've complained the screen was blank. I say "look through the little hole" and it takes them [b]one second[/b] to grasp the concept.
She will be new to digital but has a fair bit of experience with film.
She might manage then 😉
Does she actually want an SLR* or would a good SLR-alike bridge camera suit her?
(i.e. has she expressly asked for an SLR)
a couple of times I've handed mine to someone to take a shot and they've complained the screen was blank. I say "look through the little hole" and it takes them one second to grasp the concept.
No liveview on mine either (and I wouldn't want it). Some people like it. It's a choice thing.
No liveview on mine either (and I wouldn't want it).
Useful [u]option[/u] on an SLR, but I wouldn't want to use it all the time.
I occasionally use live view when composing shots where the camera is at an awkward angle ie maybe very low down and where its wet and I dont want to kneel down to look through the viewfinder. And some still macro work when I want to check focus on a particular point. But 95%+ its the viewfinder for me, quicker, easier and better in most situations.
Look at Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax (or buy a samsung, same camera but cheaper). Try here for price comparisons
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/
Live view with tilting screen on my a300's great for setting up a shot where you're putting the camera down, or on a tripod, to use the timer function, where it's sometimes not that easy to look through the viewfinder. Otherwise I never, ever use it, it's a million times easier and satisfying to use the VF.
The Sony's nice and easy to use and looks a bit 'nicer' than the Canon/Nikon equivalent IMO, though probably doesn't come across as being as 'professional'.
Whilst on the subject, how much would my old Olympus OM10 be worth, with a telephoto, 2x converter and bag etc?
Whilst on the subject, how much would my old Olympus OM10 be worth, with a telephoto, 2x converter and bag etc?
Have a look on ebay completed listings. The bodies go for 99p to £6. The lens/TC may bump it up to £20-£30.
Hardly worth selling it for that, looks like it will go in the loft then.
You might also want to look at the Panasonic G1 and GH1. Pretty good cameras although they use electronic viewfinders. They are small and get really good reviews. Main problem with EVFs is they can lag in very low light but you do get a large viewfinder otherwise. Depends what type of photos it's going to be used for.
I reckon £350 should see you right. I'd go for Nikon, Canon or Sony and if you can get a 18-55mm lens and a 55-200mm with the kit. That'll be enough for most ocassions. The 18-55mm is probably the most important one though.