beginners camera...

[almostnormal]

ok. so somewhere in all the information on this site, i'm sure that this question has probably already been asked and answered, but i can't find it.

i'm looking to start doing wildlife photography a bit more seriously. i do dabble a bit, and have actually managed a couple of not too blurry shots, but my dad recently took the camera i was using (it was his) and dropped it in a river (don't laugh, the strap broke). now everything looks distinctly hazy.

can anyone reccomend a good beginners camera, with a not too hefty price tag?

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by almostnormal

ok. so somewhere in all the information on this site, i'm sure that this question has probably already been asked and answered, but i can't find it.

i'm looking to start doing wildlife photography a bit more seriously. i do dabble a bit, and have actually managed a couple of not too blurry shots, but my dad recently took the camera i was using (it was his) and dropped it in a river (don't laugh, the strap broke). now everything looks distinctly hazy.

can anyone reccomend a good beginners camera, with a not too hefty price tag?

Depends on whther you want a dslr or not but worth a forum search using 'Panasonic FZ30' as the search key words and you should find plenty of threads about this sort of thing

[almostnormal]

aha...thanks! that's pulled up LOTS of information. now i'm totally confused and think i will have to go away and read reviews of all the millions of different camera's mentioned in all these posts!

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by almostnormal

aha...thanks! that's pulled up LOTS of information. now i'm totally confused and think i will have to go away and read reviews of all the millions of different camera's mentioned in all these posts!

try typing the same key words or the other camera types into the Gallery, this should help

(PS I'm hideously FZ30 biased, I have one and love it )

[nightshade]

A very versatile camera the FZ30/50 around £300 nearest Dslr starts around
£397 Nikon D40
£480 Canon 400d
Olympus E-400 Digital Slr TWIN LENS Kit with ED 14-42mm and ED 40-150mm Lenses - WORLDS SMALLEST SLR : SLR Cameras : Olympus : Buy a Olympus E-400 Digital Slr TWIN LENS Kit with ED 14-42mm and ED 40-150mm Lenses - WORLDS SMALLEST SLR:Fotosense
All have good and bad points

[almostnormal]

Originally Posted by nightshade

A very versatile camera the FZ30/50 around £300 nearest Dslr starts around
£397 Nikon D40
£480 Canon 400d
Olympus E-400 Digital Slr TWIN LENS Kit with ED 14-42mm and ED 40-150mm Lenses - WORLDS SMALLEST SLR : SLR Cameras : Olympus : Buy a Olympus E-400 Digital Slr TWIN LENS Kit with ED 14-42mm and ED 40-150mm Lenses - WORLDS SMALLEST SLR:Fotosense
All have good and bad points

oh my god....sob....

i've just had a look at all the technical specs attached to all these cameras. i thought there would be a simple sort of 'this isn't the most advanced but it'll be good if you're just starting' answer to this question. i think it's time to bite the bullet and go to the camera shop where they give you stern stares if you go in and don't buy anything!

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by almostnormal

oh my god....sob....

i've just had a look at all the technical specs attached to all these cameras. i thought there would be a simple sort of 'this isn't the most advanced but it'll be good if you're just starting' answer to this question. i think it's time to bite the bullet and go to the camera shop where they give you stern stares if you go in and don't buy anything!

I think the panasonic fits that bill quite well - the only thing is on longer range photography it really struggles to compare to a DSLR and you can't change your lenses or anything (though you can add snap on lenses to improve close up or macro photography or a teleconvertor to get better range)
It's cheaper than a DSLR set up too and there's less to lug around (based on the absence of a range of lenses).

The Panasonic has a decent 8mp and isn't too heavy to carry all day......

[Monkster]

Originally Posted by almostnormal

oh my god....sob....

Dry your eyes mate !
Don't worry...you are not on your own....choosing a new camera is certainly not an easy business. I too am looking for something for a beginner....with excellent results....but not complicated!! (and not too expensive ..say about £150ish)
I don't think I could cope at the moment with ones with additional lenses I just want something thats ready to use with a really good zoom and a really good macro thing.
Are you the same or after something a little more advanced?
Since I started looking, which was only 2 days ago I have had a constant headache, through whizzing through the forum pages and the internet comparing and looking for things I don't know what I'm looking for!
Does this sound familiar??
Anyway, sorry I can be of no actual help ....but Good luck on your quest!!
Ps Gill , I've just had a look at a review of the panasonic one and it looks excellent , especially the cropping on camera bit.

[almostnormal]

hi. i've stopped sobbing

just been looking online and i think that i'm going to have to suck it in and buy the DSLR type camera, rather than a point and shoot, becasue i've already got one of those, and it's a bit naf for the close ups of things that are alive. they tend to fly off. i've just been sifting through all the ones out there and found this one Fuji Finepix S9600, which looks pretty good and is currently half price on one site. looks pretty nifty. might have to sweet talk my dad into getting it as an early birthday present. i can take it with me to forsinard when i go in june!

if you are stuck (and i still am) the digital camera company online was good. sells all sorts and has some pretty good package deals!

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by almostnormal

hi. i've stopped sobbing

just been looking online and i think that i'm going to have to suck it in and buy the DSLR type camera, rather than a point and shoot, becasue i've already got one of those, and it's a bit naf for the close ups of things that are alive. they tend to fly off. i've just been sifting through all the ones out there and found this one Fuji Finepix S9600, which looks pretty good and is currently half price on one site. looks pretty nifty. might have to sweet talk my dad into getting it as an early birthday present. i can take it with me to forsinard when i go in june!

if you are stuck (and i still am) the digital camera company online was good. sells all sorts and has some pretty good package deals!

Errr good camera, I think a few people on here have it (or have had something similar), but it's not a DSLR it's another 'bridge' or 'prosumer' camera like the panasonic FZ30, fairly similar beast I think actually (though I could be wrong).

These cameras give you more to play with than a point and shoot, you can still manipulate and learn about aperture / shutter speads, white balance etc with these cameras but will struggle in terms of picture quality in comparisson with the DSLRs particularly with more far off wildlife.

but yes you'll still need to get close for good macro shots but have a look at matt_xyz's Gallery - it's possible!