Budget Camera

[Fester]

Hi

I'm looking to buy my first camera with wildlife photography in mind, I have a tight budget of £100/£150, I know this means SLRs are out of the question but that is not a huge problem as I only want a cheap camera to start with to see if I enjoy wildlife photography. I do not mind buying used equipment if it means I get more for my money, I was thinking of buying a PowerShot S3 IS but any other camera suggestions, hints and tips are most appreciated.


Robert

[eeyore]

that is indeed a tight budget - but i would suggest that you look at the panasonic FZ series bridge cameras , or the fuji S series - even then its debatable hether you will get a new one inside your budget but you might get something like a FZ7 or a S5000 second hand.

we arent allowed to post comercial links here but check out camera dealers like camtech, ffordes, T4 , and mifsuds (all of which are easily findable by google) who often have a decent stock of these camera taken in part ex against more expensive gear.

[cosmicma]

forget the compact point n shoot cameras there at best useless for wildlife you might get lucky and get one or two good photo's out of a compact but thats about it

get yourself on ebay and do searches for things like
canon 300d
nikon 50d (these tend to sell for a little more than the canon 300d )

you might just be able to pick one up within budget and it's a good starting block for the future

[ron1863]

Hi Fester and a warm welcome to WAB. If you are serious about taking up photography then why not just wait and save up for an entry level DSLR at around £300.

[Oy]

It depends what you consider "Wildlife" to be.

If you want to photograph birds etc then £150 not going to get you very far. And my recommendation would be a bridge camera like the FZ series mentioned above. Obviously 2nd hand will buy you more.

Another possibility is to concentrate on things that a cheap compact does fairly well - like flowers, macro etc. Until you can afford an entry level DSLR kit, if that's the direction you wish to go in.

[charlieb]

Originally Posted by cosmicma

forget the compact point n shoot cameras there at best useless for wildlife you might get lucky and get one or two good photo's out of a compact but thats about it

I have taken many thousands of excellent photos with "point n shoot" cameras. The quality may not be as good due to the smaller sensor size but many compacts are quite capable compared to SLR's with regards to pixels and macro-capability and zoom.

I would recommend a bridge style camera (try the Fujifilm FinePix S5800, £150) - its predecessor the S5700 is an excellent camera. Diving straight into an SLR can be a bit daunting, and bridge cameras provide an excellent stepping stone should you wish to persue photography further. It would also make a great backup camera in the future should you decide to purchase a SLR.

I wouldn't advise buying second hand except from a shop on the street - ebay sellers don't always tell the truth with regard to condition - and you will be able to test the camera out in the shop. It might be worthwhile going into a highstreet dealer such as Jessops and telling them your budget and type of camera you want - you may get lucky and get some freebies

[charlieb]

Originally Posted by Oy

If you want to photograph birds etc then £150 not going to get you very far.

And neither is £1500 ...

[Lancashire Lad]

Compact digital cameras have their uses, but they don't lend themselves to wildlife photography - If you are spending £150.00 you may as well get something tailored as nearly as possible to what your use is going to be, rather than getting something which will be passable on only some of your photographic adventures.

Likewise, I don't understand suggestions for a beginner with a tight budget being advised to go for a DSLR. Buying an entry level DSLR will gain you nothing. I say this because you will have spent twice your budget, and will then have an undoubtedly good quality camera, but with only a basic lens. Which for wildlife photography will be next to useless. Thus causing much frustration and the possibility of giving up your photography altogether because you have spent quite a lot of money, and just can't get any decent shots.

If your budget is firmly fixed at £150.00 maximum, then your only real option would be to buy an entry level Bridge camera, or a better specced but second hand Bridge camera.

As an example, and if you can stretch your budget by £30.00 or so, have a look at the Fuji finepix S2000HD - This is the sort of mid range Bridge camera that will potentially give you years of good service in a wide range of wildlife photography situations.

Cameras like this will have a good zoom range equivalent to about 400mm on a DSLR, as well as wide angle (about 28mm), and macro (usually 1:2 half life size). Importantly - all this is in one stand alone camera.

Such a camera will have a full auto mode, but will also have full manual control to allow you to learn the photography skills required - i.e. aperture and shutter priority etc. etc.

If you can find a secondhand camera such as Fuji's S9600, or S100FS within your price range - provided it was being sold with a reasonable guarantee, I would snap it up. Both of these are superbly specced Bridge cameras, and several of WAB's photographers use them.

(At this point I make the disclaimer that I have no involvement with the company Fuji - but I do have experience of their cameras. Having always found them to be great performers and value for money. I fully acknowledge that Panasonic, Nikon, and probably all of the other main camera makers will have equally good products).

Have a read of these threads for other recent comments on this topic, but in my opinion, for wildlife photography on a moderate budget, a Bridge camera is the only way to go.

The Final Choice
What SLR for wildlife photography?
Advice on new Camera

Regards
Mike.

[cosmicma]

Originally Posted by charlieb

I have taken many thousands of excellent photos with "point n shoot" cameras. The quality may not be as good due to the smaller sensor size but many compacts are quite capable compared to SLR's with regards to pixels and macro-capability and zoom.


I wouldn't advise buying second hand except from a shop on the street - ebay sellers don't always tell the truth with regard to condition - and you will be able to test the camera out in the shop. It might be worthwhile going into a highstreet dealer such as Jessops and telling them your budget and type of camera you want - you may get lucky and get some freebies

it might be all good for macro and flora but if you want to shoot birds or any kind of wild animal the reality is compacts don't really do you any favours

i see a lot of people seem to have a problem with ebay if your carefull even better if you can find something you want local you can go pick it up so you can see what your buying
i think a lot of people have "heard horror stories" rather than having their own to tell i personaly have not had a bad experience with ebay since i joined back in 2001 and have purchased some high value items from there but i'm willing to travel to pick up to make sure i don't get ripped off
i might be wrong on the horror story bit but not everybody on ebay is a crook
it's not what they say about an item on ebay it's what they don't say is the thing to look out for

not having a dig at anybody here just saying what i think

[charlieb]

Originally Posted by cosmicma

it might be all good for macro and flora but if you want to shoot birds or any kind of wild animal the reality is compacts don't really do you any favours

Thing is neither would a SLR and lens for £1000.