Photography beginner.

[Jordan]

Hi, I've currently got a Sony DSC-P9 (4mp) which I've had for a few years now, got it mainly to just take family pictures. It's been ok but I find it a bit small and delicate to hold, the flash is a bit too intense even on the lowest setting, there is an annoyingly long delay between pushing the button to take a picutre and the camera actually taking it, and a lot of my pictures come out blurred (perhaps I just have shakey hands!?).

I'd like start photography as a hobby and was thinking about getting a better camera at around the £400ish mark. I'm quite interested in architecture/engineering so it would be mainly for taking photos of buildings, bridges, historical sites etc from a distance, but I'd also like to use it for general family pictures too because I think I'd sell my Sony camera.

I'm getting bogged down by the reviews online so was wondering if anyone can recommend a decent camera for what I want to use it for?

Also, is it best to learn photography from trial and error or should I get some books or magazines for reference?

Jordan

[MarkB]

Up until recently i had a Sony DSC-V3 which is superb - you can get it for about £400 online including delivery. I sold mine (for what i paid for it) to get a digital SLR, but it has plenty of manual modes as well as auto modes.
Mark

[Jordan]

What does an SLR camera have over a normal camera, I'm a bit clueless about all this as you can probably tell!

Jordan

[seany]

Well the biggest difference is you can add lenses, flash guns ect. Giving you much more scope. Faster to shoot with better sensors just simply beat compacts hands down. If you really want to get into photography then you should be looking at an DSLR like the 300D which you can get for about £500


But if you dont want to go down that route then with the type of photos you'll be taking i'd say the compact to go for is the Canon D70 which is wider then most compacts at 28mm and you can even add a lens (though no match for an slr)

If you can stretch to the canon eos300d then do. but if 400 is your max then the panasonic fz20 isn't a bad choice, with the 12x optical zoom you will be able to crop in tight to those distant architectural shots you are after. There is also a wide angle lens available for this model for close proximity shots allowing you to get the whole building in frame. It also has auto modes for point and shoot but you also get creative modes for manual overide.

As for magazines and books, there are a few out there to choose from. Digital camera magazine and digital photo are very good for beginners as they have lots of tutorials and step by step guides to creating better photos.

Hope this helps a little

Gav

[expat]

Originally Posted by Centurion

As for magazines and books, there are a few out there to choose from. Digital camera magazine and digital photo are very good for beginners as they have lots of tutorials and step by step guides to creating better photos.

Are "Digital Camera" and "Digital Photo" both available online? Google delivers many results for "digital photo", none of which seem to be a magazine.

Thanks,
expat

[Jordan]

Can't decide, can't decide! Sony DSC-V3 or Canon EOS300D

Get a bundled lense with the Canon now it seems...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...125255-5414243

[owain_thomas]

definitely get the SLR, they are a different world to compact digitals. If you are interested in getting into photography as a hobby they are the best way to go. I got my nikon D70 a month or so ago and absolutely love it, it has been even better than I expected, I've learnt loads that I just never understood or got to experiment with using my old canon digital Ixus. I know several people with a 300D and they all love it.

[seany]

300D all the way. You're going to want a wide angle lens for the type of shots you like at some point, but the kit lens is 18-55mm which is wide enough but its a starter lens (quality wise) but still very good for the money . It will serve you well (as it has on my 20D) until you get a better lens

[mjw123]

Just to address the balance mate their seems a lot of 'snobbery' over DSLR's and I for one am still to be convinced !

I think the FZ20 is a better proposition for you.

DSLR's are expensive, heavy, need extra lenses and 90% of the time you'll get just as good results with an FZ20. The ability to use much higher ISO is a big + for the DSLR though.

We did a macro comp at work and the results were staggering.

5th Place EOS300D with no macro lens - useless result
4th Place EOS300D with Macro - good result but for the cost of everything dissapointing
3rd place Pan FZ3 - Excellent sharp result
2nd place Oly 765 - Just edged the FZ3 on detail
1st Oly Mju 410 - Unbelieve result from a £149 point and shoot in super macro

OK this is just one example but just proves a thousand pounds worth of kit doesn't always beat 150 quids worth

Rhardaker from the forum will confirm these test results if you don't believe me.

[Johndm]

Originally Posted by mjw123

Just to address the balance mate their seems a lot of 'snobbery' over DSLR's and I for one am still to be convinced !

I think the FZ20 is a better proposition for you.

DSLR's are expensive, heavy, need extra lenses and 90% of the time you'll get just as good results with an FZ20. The ability to use much higher ISO is a big + for the DSLR though.

We did a macro comp at work and the results were staggering.

5th Place EOS300D with no macro lens - useless result
4th Place EOS300D with Macro - good result but for the cost of everything dissapointing
3rd place Pan FZ3 - Excellent sharp result
2nd place Oly 765 - Just edged the FZ3 on detail
1st Oly Mju 410 - Unbelieve result from a £149 point and shoot in super macro

OK this is just one example but just proves a thousand pounds worth of kit doesn't always beat 150 quids worth

Rhardaker from the forum will confirm these test results if you don't believe me.

Compact Camera/Beko TV/Mini HI FI/Ford Focus = Mr Average
Digital SLR/Plasma TV/AV HI Seperates/American V8 = Mr Enthusiast

[mjw123]

What a load of cr@p - I take pictures every day, just because I don't have the urge to lug around a heavy DSLR doesn't mean I'm not an enthuisast

Look at the winning photo from the Feb photo of the month comp - yep taken on a poxy Olympus 765....probably one of the cheapest cameras that entered

You've just proved my point - 'I own a DSLR so i'm a better photagrapher than you'........snobbery.

[Johndm]

Originally Posted by mjw123

What a load of cr@p - I take pictures every day, just because I don't have the urge to lug around a heavy DSLR doesn't mean I'm not an enthuisast

Look at the winning photo from the Feb photo of the month comp - yep taken on a poxy Olympus 765....probably one of the cheapest cameras that entered

You've just proved my point - 'I own a DSLR so i'm a better photagrapher than you'........snobbery.

Everyone to their own.........if you and your compact are happy toghther, what's your problem.

No need to slang people who have higher spec equipment now is there?

If I was a 'snob' surely I'd have ordered a 350D by now..............

[mjw123]

I'm extremely happy with my £200 invesment mate that does everything (and well)

I get concerned when people ask for advice and and straight away it's get a DSLR......why ?

Yes they are very good cameras but you need all the extra's and to get the best from them you need to know what you're doing. So it's quite an outlay up front.

Look at the thread title 'Photography beginner' - is a DSLR really what a beginner needs ?

Jordan - go for the all singing all dancing FZ20 for now (approx £300) and grow into it. If you feel the camera is not giving you everything you need then try a DSLR once you've honed your technique & knowledge. I'll be surprised if you do feel the urge to move from the FZ20.

[RobertP]

Many years ago I started with an SLR camera and a couple of lenses. Using an SLR camera helps you understand the relationships between shutter speed and aperture, depth of field, ISO etc etc.

I then moved on to an early Kodak digital with minimal manual options. It took good pictures but was frustrating. After that I bought a Olympus 5MP c5050. That had full manual options allowing me to have similar control to my old SLR film camera. If I had never had the SLR experience I would probably not have understood what the advantage of using manual modes in certain situations would be. It was still lacking in feedback - you don't get to look through the lens and see the shot as it happens and that restricts your creativity.

My brother in law has bought various expensive compact digital cameras and has used them all on full auto because he does not understand what f stops etc mean.

The original post said about developing a photographic hobby. My suggestion would be library books on basic photograpy (not necessarily digital) and borrow or buy used off ebay a FILM SLR and shoot a few rolls of film (you can return/ sell the camera afterwards). For £25 invested in film+developing you will find out if you like what SLR gives you and learn a lot even if you decide to stay with compact cameras.

For me DSLR is a dream come true. I have a camera type that I grew up with and no developing costs + instant feedback.