You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
One of our daughters enjoys art and photography and has asked for a camera for Christmas. She's used my ageing Canon EOS DSLR but it has a teenie screen and no connectivity. As she has an iPad, I'd like something that she can easily share to it then use for school art projects etc. I'd like to get her a new DSLR but they are just too expensive so what would be suitable for around the £175 to £200 mark? Happy for it to be more than a simple point and shoot (in fact she would prefer it) and it would be good for her to learn a bit about apertures, depth of field etc as art/creativity is her thing and it would be good for her to start understanding the underlying science behind how cameras work so she can explore/experiment more.
Thank you!
A newer used Canon DSLR body that takes the same lenses...
Used could be an option if it wasn't for a Christmas present – as an 11 yr old she would like to get something new. (She wiped down the second-hand bike she got for Christmas as a 3 yr old with Wet Wipes and complained it was dirty) LOL.
Up to you mate.. she's 11.. so give her the budget find some alternatives and pro's and con's.
We got our 11yo son a used Panasonic GX7 from MPB last year. Vastly smaller than a DSLR, but still has all the functionality and ability to switch lenses. MPB often sell stuff in excellent condition with the box, so she'll never know! And if she complains, send it back 😉
Excellent condition, with original packaging, £184. Throw in a kit or nifty-fifty lens to taste.
It's a difficult price point if you're looking at new and want something with more to it.
Would it not be an idea to buy whatever cables you need to plug your old camera into the ipad? Or plug the SD card in? And maybe buy her a new 35mm lens (assuming your Canon is a crop sensor) to giver her the old film camera 'nifty fifty' feel?
New cameras at that sort of price seem to be more point and click. My gig camera's a good case in point, it's a neat little Sony HX80 with a cracking 30* zoom but comes in at around £250 (so over budget) and although it's possible to play with the settings it's far too fiddly to mess about with much. An old DLSR is a much better toy to learn about photography.
Flash Air SD card will sort the connectivity.
Canon G15 or G16
I have the former, my brother has the latter. Fully manual settings available, takes RAW images has a reasonable screen and an optical viewfinder, 28-140mm equivalent and, as my brother demonstrated by leaving on the roof of his car and driving off, tough.
I have a Pentax DSLR, and find that I will pick up the G15 more often unless for specific purposes that require a longer, faster focusing lens, such as at an airshow
We got our 11yo son a used Panasonic GX7 from MPB last year. Vastly smaller than a DSLR, but still has all the functionality and ability to switch lenses. MPB often sell stuff in excellent condition with the box, so she’ll never know! And if she complains, send it back
+1 to this. A small M4/3 camera would be ideal IMO. GX800 is a nice little simple camera and can be got for not much
Does she "enjoy photography" in so far as she likes taking photos, or does she want to actually learn photography? If the latter then as others have said she'd be far better served with a used dSLR. If the former I'd get an IXUS.
Excellent condition, with original packaging, £184. Throw in a kit or nifty-fifty lens to taste.
I have an older version of that camera, GF2 I think? Plus the pancake lens and a big zoom. Cost like £600 new and it's been used maybe twice, I bought it as a present for my ex and she had zero interest in it. Assuming I can find it (I'm moving house and my entire life is in boxes) I'd probably part with it for £200.
Does she “enjoy photography” in so far as she likes taking photos, or does she want to actually learn photography? If the latter then as others have said she’d be far better served with a used dSLR. If the former I’d get an IXUS.
I used to teach photography, to 6th formers, we were always asked about the need for a DSLR, and whilst they have some advantages, if she is interested in photography it is not the most important thing.An understanding of composition which can be learned with even a simple camera is as important as being aware of the relationship between depth of field and aperture for example.As long as the camera can have manual adjustment, the ability to change lenses or shoot 20 frames a second is not vital
I used to teach photography, to 6th formers, we were always asked about the need for a DSLR, and whilst they have some advantages, if she is interested in photography it is not the most important thing. An understanding of composition which can be learned with even a simple camera is as important as being aware of the relationship between depth of field and aperture for example.
I agree, but she can take pictures with her phone so I am just trying to work out what would be a significant step up – and although she doesn't *need* to understand lots, having a decent amount of control over what she can do would be useful.