Beginner Camera.

[DreadAlert]

Hey guys.

I'm already interested in Photography, but I'm a bit clueless when it comes to the cameras themselves.

Could anybody recommend me a good beginner camera? And I mean a compact camera, that I can slip in and out of my pocket.

I'm considering the Lumix DMC-TZ6 at the moment, but I'm still not sure.

Keep it under £200 please.

Thanks, -DreadAlert-.

[Birdsnapper]

Welcome to the forum, DreadAlert.

Here's a link to a group test - the ZS1 and TZ6 are the same camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q209grouplongzoom/

[DreadAlert]

So you're saying I'd be better off with the Olympus Mju 9000 or the Canon SX200 IS?

I might be able to afford the Olympus, but not the Canon.

[DreadAlert]

The Lumix scored higher than both of them on www.cnet.co.uk and is cheaper.. Could you let me know why you think the Olympus would be better?

Thanks.

[postcardcv]

Originally Posted by DreadAlert

So you're saying I'd be better off with the Olympus Mju 9000 or the Canon SX200 IS?

I might be able to afford the Olympus, but not the Canon.

Firstly hi and welcome to WPF.

I don't think that birdsnapper was offering a personal recomendation just pointing you in the direction of a good comparative review. I have no personal experience of any of the current models but I did use one of the older Panasonics (TZ5) and was not hugely impressed with it. My initial impressions were good - nice zoom range, excellent LCD reasonable fast AF and little shutter lag. However the images out of the camera were over over saturated and just didn't look right, the lack of manual controls left me unable to correct this issue. In the end I sold it and picked up a used Canon G9 - much less zoom range but much better images. The G series have full manual controls so you can decide how a shot with look. You might be able to pick one up for under £200 if you shop about a bit.

[DreadAlert]

Thanks for the welcoming.

Thanks too for the info about the Panasonic, I think I'll steer away from that one.

The Canon G9 sounds great, but I'll keep away from that for 2 reasons:
- Too expensive, around £250+ everywhere I look.
- Looks too chunky. I want something slim and light.

For these reasons, I'm still considering the Olympus Mju 9000. Do you have anything to say about the Olympus, or any others to recommend?

[yelvertoft]

DreadAlert, for the kind of camera you are looking to buy, I don't think there's that much to choose between models. Your ability as a photographer will make far more difference to the pictures you produce than the kit you've used.

For the price bracket you're looking at, I'd go for the Fuji F100fd. You can now get this for a smidge under £200 but I stress again, don't regard equipment as the be all and end all.

[DreadAlert]

Yeah, I know that, but I still like to get the best equipment possible.

[DreadAlert]

It looks great, but is the Fuji Finepix F70 EXR a step up from that? If so, I can afford that at £195.
http://www.camerabox.co.uk/
This is where I'm looking, so maybe you could take a look at the ones under £200 and recommend me any great ones you see?

[Birdsnapper]

DreadAlert, are you jerking us around for a bit of fun? In your original post you said that you were considering the TZ6. I linked you to a review that recommended the TZ6. You then ask why I suggested something else, which I obviously did not. If you are genuinely confused, then OK, but if this is your idea of entertainment then please do not waste members' time.