Buying a camera

[erikaa]

I'm going travelling to Australia soon and I want to buy a camera before I go. However, I know nothing about cameras! Is there anyone out there who can give me a little advice...? I'm looking to buy something not too big, easy to use, that takes amazing photos within the ?200 budget...

There are a Fujifilm FinePix SL245 and a Fujifilm FinePix HS25 for ?136 on Groupon today... does anyone know if they're any good?

Thank you!

[Sue]

You could google those models and see what reviews they've had from users and mags?

[Gidget]

Look on Amazon for recommendation/reviews as well.

[bonacara]

We got a canon ixus 1100 hs recently. Compact but amazing quality photos, good zoom. Look it up online. We got ours for &180 from ebay. ( new)

[DJKillaQueen]

You're on the right track with the fuji digital 'bridge' cameras. But you could also consider something like this.....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Superb-Fuji-FinePix-S9600-SLR-style-Digital-Camera-9-Megapixel-28-300mm-Lens-2GB-/170934620793?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item27cc7f5279

I bought the above model camera second hand from a forumite and have not been disappointed. The 28-300mm lens is very good. And reviews at the time of the S9600 considered it the best of it's range. Fuji's finepix range has produced high quality cameras for the price range. You should look at reviews by reputable photography sites for some guidance.

[lizzie]

Check out www.dpreview.com for reviews

[SarahG]

If its a compact camera you're after, go for a Canon. Spend as much as you can but stick with Canon. Ixus are smaller and lighter and Powershot are usually larger and heavier but offer more controls and settings if you like that sort of thing! Many cameras can be disappointing even compared to phone camera quality images. Consider older Canon cameras which are more likely to be discounted if you're after a bargain!

Sarah x

[BeccaL]

Worth looking in places like Computer Exchange - plenty of branches around London - these sell second-hand products like cameras, iPads, etc. We got a really nice Olympus last year there for ?25, so if you can go as high as ?200 you should get a pretty good camera.

[DJKillaQueen]

I found that the kodak easyshare range in the compact market to be extremely good on image quality. Don't be fooled into thinking a higher megapixel count equals better images either. 9 mega pixels will deliver outstanding 10x8 inch prints for example on the right camera (depending on the sensor quality).

The main disadvantage with compact cameras is being limited to jpeg picture compression. Whereas SLR 'bridge' cameras and above have RAW file options too.

[DJKillaQueen]

I found that the kodak easyshare range in the compact market to be extremely good on image quality. Don't be fooled into thinking a higher megapixel count equals better images either. 9 mega pixels will deliver outstanding 10x8 inch prints for example on the right camera (depending on the sensor quality).

The main disadvantage with compact cameras is being limited to jpeg picture compression. Whereas SLR 'bridge' cameras and above have RAW file options too. Plus if you want to get into adding filters, like UV and polarising then it has to be at least a bridge camera.

Polarising filters are particulalrly useful on digital cameras because of the lesser ability of digital formats to cope with extremes of contrast (compared to film). If you are going to Aus in the height of summer and want beautifully deep blue skies, and amazingly saturated summer landscapes....then you are going to want a polarising filter.

The downside for all digital cameras is battery consumption. Be sure to have spare batteries (including the rechargeable type that come with some compacts). And if you do go for a bridge camera....invest in decent rechargeable batteries and charger (like eneloop) for example.

[red devil]

If you're going travelling, and a novice when it comes to cameras, I think you'd be best of with a small, compact 'point and shoot' digital camera. Beware of gimmicks on cameras which you might not need or ever use. DJKQ is right about not going for highest number of megapixels, instead concentrate on lens quality if you want better quality photos. Camera buff friends swear by Canon and Nikon for the best lenses...

[Applespider]

Go for a camera with a great optical zoom when you're travelling; it's amazing how small cameras with a 10x or 20x zoom are these days and it makes a huge difference to your pictures. You can take 'candid' shots while appearing to lounge against a wall on the other side of a square.

[sazzle]

I've had the Panasonic lumix tz10 for a couple of years and have just upgraded slightly to the tz30 ?200 16mp and 20x optical zoom all on a camera which still fits in your pocket. I know loads of people with this camera and different versions of it and they all love it. It has a wide angle lens and decent zoom for travel pics. It also has intelligent auto mode, as well as a number of preset scenes like most cameras these days.

[right-clicking]

The camera is nothing but a tool. The person behind makes all the difference. flick through the options in the screen setup and enable the grid and level indicator. Change your shooting angle and heights, move around when composing a picture. Presets can help but experiment with your own settings. Keep strong light source behind you. underexpose rather than overexpose. get to know your camera and experiment (you're not gonna waste any film!!) shoot as much as possible and play around with all the settings, not a bad idea to read the manual!!

Choose a camera with the biggest Sensor chip! Pixels smitzsells! more than nine million is overkill! The chip and the lens is the top priority. My camera has a split setting that takes two images one under one over then lays the two on top of each other! (2x7MP) full dynamic range!!

Play around post processing in raw to tweak! It's a Fuji HS20EXR (newer version HS30) steep learning curve but decent results from the lens.

Bon Chance et bon Voyage

[Otta]

Just seen this

http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/london/Jessops/12580547

[Sue]

Applespider Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Go for a camera with a great optical zoom when

> you're travelling; it's amazing how small cameras

> with a 10x or 20x zoom are these days and it makes

> a huge difference to your pictures. You can take

> 'candid' shots while appearing to lounge against a

> wall on the other side of a square.

xxxxxx

I agree with this, and also agree that Canons are great.

I have a small Panasonic Lumix. I do find the zoom control rather fiddly, but the quality of the pictures it takes is excellent.

When I was travelling (before the days of digital) I lugged around a Canon SLR with a Tamron lens that went from wide angle to zoom (28 - 200? in pre-digital numbers), got some excellent pix but think I'd probably take something rather smaller if I did it again!

ETA: A polarising filter is very useful if you're going to Australia (if these things are still used?!)

ETA: Have a great time :)

[the-e-dealer]

Kodak are stopping their camera range . They are being sold off cheap at www.Morgan.co.uk I got a fantastic deal for ?30 The only drawback is some of the photo sharing services either no longer exist or are being shut down. Sad though!

[SarahG]

There's a canon ixus 75 for sale for ?35 on here which is SUCH a good deal. Why not go for it and see how you get on, you could definitely sell it on if you aren't keen. Well worth the money! :-) xx

[DJKillaQueen]

Thanks for that tip e-dealer. Want to repace my kodak compact (after wearing it out lol)........

[erikaa]

Thank you so much everyone for the useful tips! I do think I will have to buy a rather small camera and the two bridge fujifilms are probably going to be too big. I had a look at some canon ixus today and the quality of the photos seems really good - they look so small and fragile though!

will have a look at Morgan too!

Thank you again everyone, will let you know what I end up buying!

Goodnight!