Camera advice for a newbie

[jb2_86_uk]

Hi guys

I was hoping some of you knowledgeable folk might be able to steer me in the right direction. Despite putting on my CV that I enjoy photography, and considering myself able to spot a good opportunity for a snap, I have always made do with smartphones and pocket point-and-shoots. I have decided it is about time I got what I would call a 'proper camera'.

My budget is between £2-300, so I am under no illusions that I am going to be walking around the track with a posh DSLR and a rucksack full of lenses, I would like to find a decent quality bridge camera, with which I can learn about techniques and settings, then maybe my next camera I could step it up into the DSLR world!

That's enough of the boring intro, I think I have nailed it down to the following choices:
Sony HX300 - 20.4MP, 50x optical, 1/2.3" sensor (£220)
Fujifilm HS50 - 16MP, 42x optical zoom, 1/2" sensor, RAW capable (£275)

I was immediately drawn to the Sony for that zoom capability! whilst a lot of my photography will be at the track, I expect I will also be out in the garden trying to photograph planes, the moon, sunsets etc. However the more I read about the Fuji the more I am swayed.

I am conscious that "more megapixels is better" is a myth, so should picking the camera with the fewer megapixels on a larger sensor be a no-brainer? The fact that it is more expensive would lead my novice mind to think so.

The Fuji model can output raw image files too, which the Sony can't. At this stage, my editing skills stretch to the dizzy heights of cropping, however I am keen to push it much much further.

I would be very keen to hear your thoughts about the two models above, and I would welcome any advice that may be on offer, or indeed any alternative models I could consider.

Thanks in advance!
John

[Down F0rce]

I went for a bridge camera first (Fujifilm FinePix S4200), and kinda wish I hadn't. Yeah, the zoom is nice but they can have horrible shutter lag and no burst shooting mode. These drawbacks were actually pretty useful in learning about timing, but I was getting tired of only having one chance to get a photo right.

Last year I got a second hand Canon 450D with a 75-300mm zoom lens and a 18-55mm lens. The former is the one I use for motorsport photography. Total price on eBay was about £200. It's so much better than the bridge. Just as easy to use in the "sport" mode as the bridge, but offers so much more potential in the manual modes.

My advice would be to skip the bridge and get a second hand/refurbished DLSR instead. You'll thank yourself for in in the years to come when you are looking through your old photos!

[Tim Falce]

I've just bought a new Nikon DSLR and wanted to trade my old one in but was offered a pittance for it, D100 against a new D7100. I think I was offered about £120 for the camera and 70-300 lens so there are bargains to be had, check ebay out.

[andrewc]

I've not used a recent compact / bridge, but most are pretty rubbish for motorsport due to shutter lag.

A s/h dSLR with kit lens and 55-250 or 70-300 would sneak into budget.

[BertMk2]

I'd go along with the 'go for a 2nd hand dslr' opinions. My son has a bridge and it's ok - it's a good 'day out' camera purely for its convenience and smaller size but for motorsport it struggles a bit.

[jb2_86_uk]

Awesome, thanks for advice guys, I didn't even think about the second hand DSLR option! Definitey food for though.

John

[bauble]

http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/

I have no connection (except as a customer), but I found them helpful, and they have a wide range of new and used equipment, so I would reiterate the advice of several other responders. Go for good used. After that sort out a decent photo editing software and start experimenting with the options available. You can turn a mediocre image into a nice picture with experience.

Everyone has there own favourite make, and I have found Canon to work well for me. I had my 500D refurbished by Canon for a set price of £115 after several years use, and it was well worthwhile.

A 300mm Zoom lens is probably about right for the amateur, as a starting point.

If you get trackside you will need Public Liability Insurance, and you can drop me a pm if you need help with that.

Best of luck,

Bauble.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

I've just bought a new Nikon DSLR and wanted to trade my old one in but was offered a pittance for it, D100 against a new D7100. I think I was offered about £120 for the camera and 70-300 lens so there are bargains to be had, check ebay out.

Similar experience, Tim, I enquired about swapping a 350D with 250mm Zoom, and standard 50mm, lens. 500D with brand new 300mm Zoom, plus all accessories, batteries, chargers etc, against something more 'professional'.
I was offered about £75 for the lot. In part exchange!!!

I know people have to make a profit, but I am not sure comedians should be involved.

Bob.

[andrewc]

WEX photographic in Norwich also has a good secondhand selection and offers a 12 month warranty as well (I presume they all have get-out clauses, but its reassuring to know...)

Alternatively Gumtree / Ebay / freeads

A 70-300 or 55-250 lens is fine for most circuits from the spectator banks and you can get one for £ 100 ish secondhand. Its not going to worry the pros in terms of sharpness or focussing speed but it will suffice and be better than a lot of compacts, and you should be able to get a secondhand dSLR body a couple of generations old with plenty of life in it, that may come with the kit starter lens for wider / general stuff.

[Sodemo]

I currently have a D7000 which I still think is spot on for what I need it for.

Just had a quick look at ebay, they are going for around £350, so I would strongly advise you look at something along those lines.

I really wouldn't advise someone to get a bridge camera for motorsport, its the wrong tool unless the cars are going very slowly or if you like images with a high shutter speed (which you need in order to capture the car without wobble).

With a DSLR you can have full control over all of these things, so you can set a low shutter speed and still be able to track the cars in your viewfinder without camera wobble / judder.

Try and work on getting a 70-300mm lens as well which should do the job. I don't own a Canon, but their equivalent would do that job also, I can only guess that their "version" would be maybe a 7D or a D60.

A few from my D7000;

I tend to use between 1/60th and 1/125th for motorsport, depending on how fast the cars are and what kind of angle.

[GreenMachine]

Yes, better to go s/h, learn techniques you can carry forward.

Buy cheap, remember low megapixel counts are less important than sensor size, get a body with a lens say 50mm, or a zoom around that length, plus a long zoom out to 250-400. And if you are in the UK, which I see you are, think weather proofing unless you are a fair weather photographer. Cheap weather proof bodies are around, and lenses but the lenses are relatively newer/expensive, so consider the various options to protect your gear.

Buy the whole lot prepared to throw it all away after 12 months-2 years (ie don't over-invest in this experimental kit, you might get some return on it but you are trying to minimise the cost of your photographic education). By then you will have a MUCH better idea of what you want, what the trade-offs are, and be able to commit to a system that suits you and the sort of photographs you like to take.

As for where to go, I would start with the local/nearest camera club, even if it is just scanning their newsletter for the 'for sale' ads, or approaching someone who is skiting about their fancy new camera ... apart from anything else they can be good sources of advice.

Finally, ANY of the name DSLRs produced in the last 10 years (or even longer probably) will take good photos, really good photos. Don't be seduced by the bigger/newer is better, or by the brand bigots. Take all that with a very large grain of salt. You are on your 'L' plates, go slowly and smart.

Good luck!

[Woolley]

Further to that, Canon and Nikon tend to be a little more intuitive to set up and use, but the results will be largely similar. However, they will also offer a greater range of second hand lenses, particularly in the third party sector (Tamron, Sigma, etc).

Spend more on the glass than the camera. As said, any decent DSLR will produce really good images, the limiting factor will be the quality of the lens. Look for ones with better autofocus abilities (remembering that older cameras will tend to need a better minimum aperture in order to retain autofocus. Anything with a number higher than f5.6 will probably need manual focus on all but the highest spec cameras.

On that basis, you may get a decent 300mm lens, but better to go for a quality 70-200 and crop the results. You can always add a converter later to take it to 280mm. Or if buying second hand, a better lens will retain it's value and you can buy newer, or a lesser lens will drop in value so look for an older one that has already lost it's premium.

Consider also where you're taking photos. To begin with, from Wiltshire might I suggest a trip to Prescott hillclimb (Cheltenham) or Gurston Down (Salisbury) where you'll see a huge variety of cars and no catch fencing, allowing you to practice without the restrictions of a circuit. If you're coming to Prescott, message me - if I'm there I'm quite happy to discuss and introduce you to some of the regular photographers.

[ROGER JORDAN]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Further to that, Canon and Nikon tend to be a little more intuitive to set up and use, but the results will be largely similar. However, they will also offer a greater range of second hand lenses, particularly in the third party sector (Tamron, Sigma, etc).

Spend more on the glass than the camera. As said, any decent DSLR will produce really good images, the limiting factor will be the quality of the lens. Look for ones with better autofocus abilities (remembering that older cameras will tend to need a better minimum aperture in order to retain autofocus. Anything with a number higher than f5.6 will probably need manual focus on all but the highest spec cameras.

On that basis, you may get a decent 300mm lens, but better to go for a quality 70-200 and crop the results. You can always add a converter later to take it to 280mm. Or if buying second hand, a better lens will retain it's value and you can buy newer, or a lesser lens will drop in value so look for an older one that has already lost it's premium.

Consider also where you're taking photos. To begin with, from Wiltshire might I suggest a trip to Prescott hillclimb (Cheltenham) or Gurston Down (Salisbury) where you'll see a huge variety of cars and no catch fencing, allowing you to practice without the restrictions of a circuit. If you're coming to Prescott, message me - if I'm there I'm quite happy to discuss and introduce you to some of the regular photographers.

Absolutely spot on advice as per the other replies, bridge cameras are very good indeed at what they do, (I keep a Fuji S200EXR in the car and it takes superb photo`s) but motorsport or any action photography is not for them due as others have said, to the shutter lag giving a very blurred/ out of focus shot for anything moving quickly, I would suggest having a word with a reputable camera shop and see what deal can be done for a used body and lens , a company I can highly recommend is Camera Jungle, the quality of their used equipment is superb and from my own experience and talking to others the condition is always better than they state.
Very helpful and knowledgeable, check out their website, I have no connection with them other than a satisfied customer.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy your photography.

[GORDON STREETER]

Very often over the years I have been asked by people that they want to buy a camera "that will take good pictures" but don't want to get involved with manual settings, although it is possible to "sometimes" get a good shot on auto settings, overall you will need to get involved to get consistency.
I have always maintained that to get a good shot with an auto camera you need to understand a manual one in the first place.
Most of the major firms make cameras that will give similar results and people will always have their favorites, having family connections with Canon I would recommend one of their range of DSLR, I can sometimes find a good deal if you haven't already found something.