Need help choosing camera >£250
 

I was wondering if you could help me choose the camera that’s best for me. I would like a camera for day to day use and I am looking to spend around £250.

I am very tempted by the Canon eos 20D, but as I cannot find any new (is warranty a necessity?) I was looking at the 30D instead.

The only reason I've looked at the canon cameras is because my friends have them and they seem to have pretty amazing photos, but to tell the truth I haven't really looked at anything else. I assume I want an SLR due to the picture quality/detail that I would like?

I was also told by my other friend that Sony have recently purchased another camera company and are looking at entering the market with quality low cost cameras.


Essentially,

• Is buying a second hand camera a big risk? Do they break easily?
  
• For good, detailed pictures do I definitely need a SLR?
  
• What make or model should I look for?

Cheers,
Charlie

Do they break easily? Not really, but it's all down to the owner and how the owner treats the items in question. If you try hard enough, you can break anything. I design rugged electronics for a living, I've seen things broken that are what I would have considered as "implausible". It's not the equipment that's the issue, it's how it gets used.

Do you need an SLR? It depends what you want to do with it, how seriously you want to take your photography, whether you are prepared to lug around a relatively big camera, what kind of pictures you want to take, how you're going to view them, who's going to view them, etc., etc. Only YOU can decide.

What models and brands? Any! It's all down to you and the bit of stuff inside your skull, not the bit you hold in front of your face. YOU take the picture, NOT the camera. You can give the best bit of gear in the world to a rubbish photographer and it will still take rubbish pictures. Your mate's Canon takes good pictures because your mate is a good photographer, not because he has a Canon.

Don't get obsessed by equipment, it's no substitute for ability, talent, experience, committment, practice, hard work........and so on.

I wouldn't worry about buying secondhand if you go to a proper dealer, I've had a couple of S/H cameras over the years and never had a problem with any of them. Do you need a DSLR? If you want the best image quality you can get, the best low light performance available and the ability to add different lenses to give you more photographic options then yes you do... but they are much bigger, heavier and more expensive than compact or bridge cameras. I use a DSLR for most of my photography but have just bought a good compact for those times when I cannot have it with me (due to size/weight). Decide what you want from a camera and that should tell you what kind of camera will suit you best.

As for brands, I'm a very happy Canon user and I love the results my camera gives... but I know others who use Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax and Panasonic who are getting stunning results. As has been said any of the DSLRs on the market can deliver great results, more important is the photographer behind the camera and the lens in front of it. Lenses are the big expense with DSLRs, I'd hate to think how much I've spent on lenses over the last few years...

Hi Charlie, you need to decide what you want a camera for first. As said above, people take good pictures, not because of the camera they have but because they understand the basic principles of lighting, framing, exposure, depth of field etc and because they can apply these principles to whatever tool (camera) they have in their hands. DSLR's can be very expensive, especially their lenses, and no matter how much people spend, some will never be photographers. Nikon, Canon, Olympus,Sony, Pentax etc all make good cameras - DSLR or Compact. Decide what you want to photograph then look at various models and go to a shop where you can handle them, find out which is most comfortable and see them in action, like Jessops.

Hi.

1. At your budget, I would certainly consider s/hand. Especially if you're unsure as to whether you even want an SLR. If you don't get on with it, you can sell it on for what you paid or a very small loss. I've also never had a problem with the s/hand cameras I've bought.

2. If you're OK with the size of SLRs, then yes you do want one. There are many advantages over a compact, not least image quality.

3. A Nikon D40 is a good little SLR, and within your budget. I have a friend at work that is selling her Canon 20D, she's asked me to put it on eBay for her. I haven't seen it yet, so I can't vouch for it's condition or tell you what lens is on it. I also don't know yet how much she wants for it, but she won't get any more than the going rate for a s/h 20D.

PM me if you're interested and I'll give you more details when I've seen/used it.

Steve.