Looking for Decent Camera for Partner to Start with

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  [Deactivated] on 06/06/2018 - 11:11

  at that price point, I'd stick with the Sony RX100 series

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    poohduck on 06/06/2018 - 11:43

    Yes, recent deals are the best they've been since Nov last year. EVF - kind of essential if you want to see what you're doing outdoors. The LX10 looks good too, but no EVF. It would be nice to be able to place the focus point where you want so as not to affect the overall light setting.

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  AutomationGuy on 06/06/2018 - 11:34

  +2

  Would you consider a used DSLR set up?

  I have bought most of my gear used over the years and it is a fantastic way to build up a really good kit that suits your needs.

  I like Canon, they have the best selection (by far) of quality, affordable lenses and have generally sold more meaning the are more to choose from.

  I would look at a 60D at minimum (~$300) with and 18-55mm IS as a very basic lens to start (~$60). If you have a little more the 70D and 80D are both great steps up, or you could move to the smaller 700/750D (although you have a bit less practical creative control with these). Moving up to the 7D, 6D, 5D etc would be better served when she has some experience and knows what she likes.

  If you wanted a better every day lens I would recommend the 17-85mm for ~$150 or the newer 15-85mm for ~$300.

  What you MUST do if she wants to be creative is get a prime lens. This is a lens that doesn’t zoom, and gives you the dreamy sharp subject with out of focus background that you normally spend thousands on lenses to get.

  You can get a 50mm 1.8 II or 50mm 1.8 STM for $80-120 used (or as little as $150 new), or a ‘Pancake’ 40mm 2.8 for ~$120 used or around $160 new. Spending a bit more will get you a much nicer 50mm 1.4 USM for about $270 used.

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    knobbs on 06/06/2018 - 12:26

    I wouldn't mind used gear, second hand certainly is an option. Thanks for the input, I will have to check on what the differences are between all those models.

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  Allan on 06/06/2018 - 11:35

  Also have a look at Canon G7X for a step up from phone cameras without the bulk of DSLR - great for holidaying pictures

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  dcep on 06/06/2018 - 12:03

  scouting gift on camera deals 8 months ahead ??? Geezz .. just wait till boxing day

  also $700 is kind of awkward range, some candidates maybe g7Xmk2 or RX100s (not so much of a landscape shooter but rather a great memory capture of daily life)

  if you want something memorable that she'll keep forever and won't need to upgrade at all, then get a used 5dmk2 body + cheap 100 bux EF50mm f1.8 to boot with then slowly add more lens over the years (Eg. a used EF20mm f2.8 for wide landscape sunset/sunrise or sigma 14mm f1.8 for shooting stars)

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  poohduck on 06/06/2018 - 12:21

  +1

  My partner expressed an interest in photography. I recommended an outfit at the time, micro 4/3s because she's tiny. She never used it, never took it out. Her learning curve only went so far and that was the end of her allotted interest in that subject. Now, she has a nikon compact that I bought on an incredible special, it has a great lens, and she uses it. The thing is, although she doesn't really consider depth of field or the rule of thirds, she does get some good pictures, artistically speaking. About the most technical she gets is, I put the focus point in the middle and showed her how to lock focus with half press on whatever it is that she wants the focus point to be on, then re frame the shot. It's not ideal for light but that's it :) This is just to say, DSLR may not be the way to go. Really the drive and interest to learn has to come from her. If she's really interested, she'll know what she wants because she'll research it in her own way. And bigger isn't necessarily better

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    knobbs on 06/06/2018 - 12:25

    She is absolutely horrible with tech, so this is a worry for me. Trying to teach her much in the way of tech is difficult and overwhelms her

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  Fiximol on 06/06/2018 - 12:54

  +1

  You can absolutely get a decent camera/kit for $700.

  All the suggestions here seem great, but my go to for anyone wanting to get into photography is actually a canon S90/S95/s100. A second hand one on eBay will set you back $100. It might be old, but it has all the features you need to learn (Raw capture, full manual control, decent apeture at the wide end). It will give you maybe 70-80% of the RX100 (except video) at 10-20% the price. Because it is old however low light suffers a bit.

  The most appropriate choice also depends a lot on what she likes to shoot. For street photography, bulky DSLRs could be a minus. If she likes to shoot strangers/people then a smaller camera could be less "threatening" and more appropriate. If she likes shooting landscape or architecture or indoors then by all means go for a DSLR or a Sony.

  Don't worry too much about the sensor or brand etc. You don't need the latest and greatest to shoot great photos. Get something that she is happy with.

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    knobbs on 06/06/2018 - 13:13

    Currently I don't think she would be shooting anything other than landscape. I will have to look into the RX100 as video is just about forgotten at this point.

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  TheBilly on 06/06/2018 - 13:33

  +1

  Nikon D3400? Look it up, not a bad rig.

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  poohduck on 06/06/2018 - 13:45

  Any of the compact digitals will shoot landscape because their lenses start at the wide end (around 24mm). EVF (electronic view finder) is the go for outdoors. Another advantage of using evf is that instead of holding the camera away from your face, you can lock it against your face (I actually put my hand against my face and hold it there solid). This makes the camera much more steady, meaning less camera shake. It's good technique and easy to understand. Fiximol mentioned RAW; there is a huge advantage to this, even at the simplest, easiest level. Compact cameras have modes - vibrant, outdoors, portrait - that sort of thing. When you shoot jpg, you have to make these decisions before hand ie which mode do I want to use. With raw, you can leave the camera on program, let it choose correct light and shutter speed etc. Using the software that comes with the camera, you are able to choose any of those modes AFTER taking the picture. That is the software, on your computer, can make those changes to a raw photo. It also means there's less to think about when you're taking the picture; just focus and compose. Then you have the luxury of checking out the different modes with your software - you can see what each one looks like just by clicking on a mode and seeing what the result is. Generally it's not a good idea to work on jpg because they lose quality each time you do.

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  Ryanek on 06/06/2018 - 14:22

  Olympus E-M10 Mark III