cameras

[manofhow]

well if u wanting an slr then as much as there is other makes u still have to go with canon or nikon as they are still the best.

whihc brand is personal preference, i have mates who swear by canon and others by nikon, (i personally a canon man)

 

[manofhow]

if going for an slr its actually a little easy than a comapct in the sense that, becasue slrs can change lens u dont have to really know what type of lens u will need like on a compact.


most canons and nikons have relaticley the smae features, so think the easiest way to start is work out your budget, go and hold a few, becasue when i was looking i have got big hands and i just couldnt hold some as they were to small. johnlewis is normally a good place to get info as they know what talking about in there camera department,

also start to think about what type of shots u will be taking becasue there is no point rushing out and buying loads of lens, get the camera with the lens u think will use the most adn then u can expand your lens range over time.

 

[singlespeed]

I have a Nikon D300, so you would expect me to be biased towards Nikon...

Certinly get into a camera shop and see which ones feel best in your hand, as theres not much point getting 'the best' if you can't easily get to the buttons and use it. Also, ask yourself if your realy going to be carying it? I take more pics with my phone as the camera on that is reasonable and nearly always in my pocket, whilst the camera bag is at home.

Beware, it's an expensive hobby if the bug bites.

 

[manofhow]

Beware, it's an expensive hobby if the bug bites.

very very true

 

[Daveyb133]

i'm using a panasonic hybrid, its an FZ28. I love it and got it for a bargain price at the time. i thought it was the best compromise between a compact and an SLR

My Grandad has a Lumix G1, that thing is amazing, i would recommend it to anyone.

My best advice would be to buy last years model of what ever camera u decide to get, will get them at a much better price

 

[Mr_Ben]

Get a bridge camera best of both worlds. Easy to use and small possibilities to change lenses without breaking the bank.

THEN if you still want to jump in to the money pit then look into DSLR's.

 

[Kelly_GT]

I bought a Nikon D3100 and its my first SLR .. so easy to use and takes great photos .. perfect camera for someone whos looking to start photography

 

[GhostZ]

Got a Panasonic DMC-FT3 waterproof up to 12 meters and make video's in full HD best camera i ever had you can challenge anything with it but if you want something more professional i think some other ppl can help you with that

 

[ECG1000]

Canon

 

[manofhow]

canon all the way


i am not bias becasue i have one just becasue they the best

 

[gavin-h]

I'd recommend Olympus - their lens quality is second to none.

 

[jra3d]

Canon ftw

 

[singlespeed]

Canon ftw

:? :lol:

 

[jra3d]

Canon for the win, karls rubbing off on me!

 

[singlespeed]

Nope. It still doesn't make any sence.

 

[Daveyb133]

Sorry but u have to get a Panasonic. Wont find a better camera for the money, guarantee that

 

[jra3d]

Ha probably won't ever if I picked it up from Karl

But joking aside a canon is the way forward compact or DSLR

 

[singlespeed]

Ha probably won't ever if I picked it up from Karl

But joking aside a canon is the way forward compact or DSLR

:lol: I knew exactly what you were meaning but one brand being the best is rather subjective and dependent on the price bracket your looking at.
Lenses
Canon do (or at least used to) a hefty discount for the likes of journalists, so their grey L series lenses get good coverage on the TV at press shots etc, which means they must be the best :?

Canon has some great lenses in the L (luxury) series. Despite the high prices, they are worth it due to them being constructed from better materials, having good weather sealing and holding their value well for second hand resale versus the cheaper lenses... but priced against the non L series, they are simply not worth it to most people.

Nikon don't have a luxury series as such but the top line lenses have a gold line around them. And the same goes here as the Canon L's.

For the same length and aparture, Sony lenses are generaly cheaper than equivalent Nikon or Canon lenses, as the lens is simpler in design. Having the image stabilisation built into the camera body, means theres no need to build it into each lens.



DSLR Bodies
Having huge amounts of Mega Pixels must be good? Pixels are what gives detail to a picture... If there was only one pixel on the sensor, all the detail from a landscape would be stored as one grey/green block of colour. But, the averaged colour would be absolutely perfect as the size of the sensor would mean it could be optimised to correctly record the billions of photons which hit it. Now imagine splitting up a postage stamp into 12million parts (12 Mega Pixels). Each one representing a pixel which must collect any photons which strike it. As the sensors are so small, the outputs are amplified and any error in recording the information is also amplified. Hence you start to get noise... Especialy when the conditions are dark and the sensor is active for a longer time as more errors mean more noise.

For years, Canon had the upper hand in the Mp numbers game, but, Nikon made huge advances when the D3S came out as the sensor was much better at recording the information with minimal noise, even when amplified for dark conditions or high speed action shots. The sensor development and new hardware/software means that camera bodies will always be superceded by a new model every two years (ish). Unless your going to be printing pictures to A3 size or bigger, then 12MP or more is probably wasted. Hence why buying good glass is more worth while than a top of the range new body but get one which feels comfortable and makes sence when using the buttons.


Compacts
My choice would be the Panasonic LX3 or its new replacement, the LX5 as it just fits into a pocket but has a brilliant lens built into it and a good sensor with a paltry 10.1Mp. You are talking DSLR money here but image quality to rival a DSLR. This is the flagship model which shares the body, lens and sensor with the equivalent Leica camera and anyone into cameras will know that Leica wouldn't pur their red dot onto rubbish. Yes the Leica has different software and circuitry plus the red dot but the price difference makes the Panasonic much better value. I have been so close to putting my camera gear on ebay and getting one instead of my DSLR...

Tough compacts. Olympus tough series wins hands down for me

 

[Mr_Ben]

Truthfully it all comes down to what you feel comfortable the whole Canon vs Nikon is as bad as Mac vs PC both are good both have their fanboys.

I'd say find a company that rents cameras and lenses out (there are plenty) hire the two that are in the same price bracket that you'd buy, use them over a weekend and make your decision that way.

 

[MovingShadow]

I'm actually intrested in a camera as well but I'm totally not up to date anymore.

I used the study Image, Sound & Editing because I loved recording and editing movies (it takes alot of patience creating a nice movie and thats what I have)

I quit that study but I still love doing it.. recently seen those movies of LorenHD (thx yotah) and it made the bugs bite again.

I used to own a very nice (and expensive camcorder) from Canon until my brother dropped it on the ground.. Had it fixed like 3 times but it kept breaking down. The mechanism on the inside was completely FUBAR'd.

I'm not looking for a camcorder anymore, instead I'm looking for something semi-proffesional for taking pictures but is great for recording as well.

Anyone got some suggestions?