Can anyone recommend a good camera please?

[nightowl57]

I have been taking pictures with a cheap digital camera, I don't know too much about cameras, but am looking to invest in a camera with a better zoom lens. I am a beginner at photographing birds, and so therefore would not like a too complicated one, has anyone got any recommendations of a camera for a first timer?

[Jim Ford]

Have a look through this thread:

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...tml#post364140

'Squishy' asked a similar question to yourself and is pleased with the camera he bought on the advice given.

Jim

[pammosley]

Hi, I have a Nikon D40X. I was bought it at the start of the year as a package with a 200m lens. I find it easy to use, though I play safe & have it on Auto! I believe they are down in price now. My daughter has a fujifinepix which is also great, especially for close up shots. As Jim says there have been several threads on here, have a mooch & see what other peole are saying. Welcome to WAB by the way
Pam

[ron1863]

Check out the deals at your local camera shop, where they should allow you to handle different brands. Buy one that feels right and that you are comfortable with.
They are not too complicated but as pammosley says, you can use it on auto until you gain confidence to try different settings. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus etc. all manufacture cameras in various price ranges.

Good Luck

[squishy]

you cant go wrong with the fuji S9600! (as jim said) i recently bought one, and i'm very pleased with it.

the lens is a 28-300mm (35mm equivalent), and if you go above that on a compact or bridge type camera, you will get serious loss of sharpness and heavy purple fringing.

its a brilliant camera, though, without buying a DSLR and a large zoom lens (you are then looking at upwards of £1000 total cost) you are going to have to get quite close to get good results. (i have been photographing birds at full zoom, and it is very good)

it really depends on how much you are willing to pay, if you are willing to go up to around £400 you could look at the fuji s100fs, which has absolutely phenominal specs, but if you want to stay sub £300, i think the fujifilm s9600 is your best bet.

maybe have a look at panasonics as well, their bridge types get good reviews.

one particually good thing about the S9600, is that it has alot of features you will appreciate alot more as you develop your skills, it has a barrel twist zoom, and a manual focus ring. both give excelent results. it also features a 2inch folding out screen, its not that big, but its got good resolution, and the folding out feature is very good for shooting at awkward angles.

have i mentioned how good the S9600 is yet? i have? shame. its absolutely fabulous !

[nytecam]

Compact digicam cameras are just that and very convenient and pocketable. I've used Fuji over the years.

DSLR are the next step up and extremely versatile and contrary, to a poster here, don't need to cost £1000 Take a look at the Sony 200A and 350A and Canon 1000 and Olympus 420 - all available for ~third that sum with standard kit lens.

Good luck

[squishy]

yes, but for doing photography of birds, you'd want a decent at least 300mm lens to go with it.

which *ahem* is already attached to the fuji S9600 obviously, because it costs less, it wont be as sharp as a sigma, canon or tamron sperate 300mm or 500mm, but it only costs £200, so its fantastic value, plus it can also go down to 1cm focusing in super-macro at the touch of a button, which you cant do with a large zoom attached to a DSLR (unless you pay alot more for one with good macro ability)
it has a very good aperture range to, WA f2.8/11, at 300mm, about f4.9/11

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by nytecam

Compact digicam cameras are just that and very convenient and pocketable. I've used Fuji over the years.

DSLR are the next step up and extremely versatile and contrary, to a poster here, don't need to cost £1000 Take a look at the Sony 200A and 350A and Canon 1000 and Olympus 420 - all available for ~third that sum with standard kit lens.

Good luck

Whilst it cannot be denied that a perfectly good DLSR with kit lens can be had for less around £350.00, It must also be borne in mind, that to be able to effectively compete with bridge cameras such as the Fuji Finepix S9600 (£200.00 ish), and the Fuji Finepix S100FS (£375.00 ish), the DLSR owner also has to purchase separate macro and telephoto lenses which would add several hundred pounds to the cost of his/her original purchase.

These "Superzoom" bridge cameras, offer the beginner and intermediate level photographer, virtually all of the benefits of DSLR systems in a stand alone piece of equipment. i.e the S9600 has the equivalent of a 28 -300mm 35mm lens, and a 1:2 macro. (The S100FS has an even longer 28-400mm 35mm lens equivalent).

Yes a DSLR will have a larger sensor, and yes, when scrutinised very closely, the resulting image quality from a DSLR will be better. But the quality of today's bridge camera results, combined with their ease of use, and very competitive pricing, leaves very little to be desired by the target user base.

I would go as far as suggesting that it might even be foolhardy for an out and out novice, to jump straight into the DSLR realm, when it would be much easier to learn the basics of good photography with a stand alone bridge camera - Almost all of the DSLR benefits, with the great advantage of carrying only one item around with you.

Regards
Mike.

[Jim Ford]

Without quoting it all, I endorse what 'Lancashire Lad' states above. It's spot on good advice for a beginner photographer!

Jim

[squishy]

hmm... i dont think the S9600 or S100fs fit into the conventional 'super-zoom' category... i think they sort of stand alone in a 'almost DSLR' category

most super-zooms seem to me to just be slightly elaborated point-and-shooter's, but the fuji S____ range seems to give you more then that...

LOL i sound like a fujifilm advert but they are very good cameras