A friend is taking a basic photo class and needs a decent camera. she is thinking like one with the different settings for macro, scenery, night shots, portrait, etc. No need for interchangeable lenses.
suggestions, please?
Budget is about $250, preferably less.
thanks!
Hi Sandy, You could probably find a used Canon G9 for about that. Nice thing is that it shoots RAW files, so you can also be learning the post processing part of photography.
My GF and I use a Panasonic DMC-Zs1. Its a great little 10mp camera - that offers wide angle as well as 12 optical zoom. It has plenty of custom shooting modes (no macro though) and really takes a nice picture. The only major negative is that it doesn't have a RAW shooting option. I endorse this camera and it sells for right around $250. I hope this helps. Michael
I'm going to go really cheap on you Sandy. I went looking for a very small pocket camera that combined a 10MP or better sensor, optical-only zoom, macro, portrait and landscape settings. I set an arbitrary limit of $150. This was to be a "play" camera that I could keep in a pocket for informal shooting while getting at least decent picture quality. No pretense of being a main-line camera with RAW files and all that. I wanted unburdened from weight, bulk, and worries about ruining or losing it while traveling.
I picked up a Fuji J10 plus a spare battery and a 2gb SD card within my $150 budget, and I'm sincerely blown away with photo quality. It's no bigger than a deck of cards or a cassette tape. I "lost" it to my 10-year old granddaughter before Christmas, when she took it over completely and shot it a lot. I ended up shooting alongside her with my D2X, often the same subjects, giving me the perfect opportunity for a little more objective look at results. The big differences I notice in the kind of casual shooting we did were slower focus, and innate difficulty in making critical DOF decisions in some settings. Other than that, results were surprisingly close while I was shooting jpegs. Okay, truth time. She's already got a better artistic eye than mine, plus she's got a much bigger sense of wonder and curiosity. I'll readily admit that some of her shots were better than mine. They were certainly more interesting!
The good news for me (and your friend) is that I retrieved my J10 on Christmas day when I gave my granddaughter a camera of her own. The good news for your friend is that the J10 is no longer available, but the successor J28 I bought is even cheaper.
No pretense that this is a replacement for a DSLR, but it's a really convenient camera giving decent results. Heck, I've spent more for large polarizing filters than I spent on it! And now it's my constant companion.
Posted by Andreas Resch on January 11, 2010 at 3:53 AM
Hi!
I've recently done some research for a friend and stumbled over the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. Although "only" 10MP it seems to shine in every other aspect - at least for the nice price.
Posted by John Tobias on January 11, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Hi Sandy, a couple years ago I picked up the Canon SX110 IS, 9.0. this camera does not use a viewfinder just the screen on the back. I find it a great little camera, no RAW, but if your friend is looking for a $200.00 camera it would seem like they don't need RAW. This camera has a great range from wide angle to telephoto. It also will focus very close. A new version is out which I think is 10 mp. I find using the screen to be very helpful at my age, as far as being able to monitor focus. In fact after using it I decided to upgrade my Rebel just to get the live view function on my DSLR.
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 13, 2010 at 9:29 PM
I have the Lumix DMC-ZS3 and it's a great little pt-n-shoot. But as soon as you say that your friend is taking a "photo class and needs a decent camera," I don't think of pt-n-shoots. Canon's GX series might come the closests because of the manual settings or the Panasonic equivalent that shoots RAW and manual.
Any "basic" photography class that I can think of - and I've taught some - at a minimum talk about manual settings, choosing various apertures, shutter speeds etc. With most pt-n-shoot cameras, you can't choose those settings. Yes, you can set EV compensation and you can set them to "sports," "portrait," "landscape," etc. etc. My panasonic even has a "starry night" setting. I guess my point is that I think it would be more difficult to learn and improve one's photography without first understanding all those basics.
You might want to find out more about the photo class before you make your recommendation. But certainly there are gobs of pt-n-shoots to pick from.
I agree with Lon's last remark regarding finding out more about the requirements of the class.
Many basic photography classes are geared toward using a camera in manual mode so that the student can learn and appreciate the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, along with how lenses of differing focal length change the angle of view and perspective in a photograph. Also, many classes require a manual film camera and B&W film so that the student can learn traditional negative development and printmaking processes.
If this is the case, there many fine camers and lenses that can bo obtained at very low prices from KEH.com, and other places.
Absolutely! Reconfirm the class requirements. But if it's like many recent classes, don't overburden yourself with camera features or cost.
The most popular entry level photo classes I've taught recently, and have the most requests for repeat offerings, don't use any manual camera controls at all. They're all about composition, capturing the "moment," overcoming back-lighting, and minimal image processing to match the intended use of the photo- i.e., downsizing for the web, working with local print labs, and a tiny bit on home printing with standard printers (i.e., matching paper types and what's best for photos).
Students are intent on learning how to use their existing pocket cameras well, and only if they develop a strong interest in photography and want to "move up," do they sign up for "more advanced" basic classes. It's a clear trend I see in today's market for classes. And being a smart marketer, I'm off my soap box for more advanced gear and photo techniques when the people don't want them.
If that matches the criteria for Sandy's friend's class, $250 is likely waaaaay more than needs to be spent.
Come to think of it, the single most formative pro class I ever took (Santa Fe Workshops- "Cameras Don't Take Pictures, People Do") REQUIRED that we put our cameras on fully automatic and leave them that way. It was all about seeing and feeling, and spontaneously shooting to capture that. Priceless.
Discussion
8 repliessuggestions, please?
Budget is about $250, preferably less.
thanks!
Sandy r
My GF and I use a Panasonic DMC-Zs1. Its a great little 10mp camera - that offers wide angle as well as 12 optical zoom. It has plenty of custom shooting modes (no macro though) and really takes a nice picture. The only major negative is that it doesn't have a RAW shooting option. I endorse this camera and it sells for right around $250. I hope this helps. Michael
I picked up a Fuji J10 plus a spare battery and a 2gb SD card within my $150 budget, and I'm sincerely blown away with photo quality. It's no bigger than a deck of cards or a cassette tape. I "lost" it to my 10-year old granddaughter before Christmas, when she took it over completely and shot it a lot. I ended up shooting alongside her with my D2X, often the same subjects, giving me the perfect opportunity for a little more objective look at results. The big differences I notice in the kind of casual shooting we did were slower focus, and innate difficulty in making critical DOF decisions in some settings. Other than that, results were surprisingly close while I was shooting jpegs. Okay, truth time. She's already got a better artistic eye than mine, plus she's got a much bigger sense of wonder and curiosity. I'll readily admit that some of her shots were better than mine. They were certainly more interesting!
The good news for me (and your friend) is that I retrieved my J10 on Christmas day when I gave my granddaughter a camera of her own. The good news for your friend is that the J10 is no longer available, but the successor J28 I bought is even cheaper.
No pretense that this is a replacement for a DSLR, but it's a really convenient camera giving decent results. Heck, I've spent more for large polarizing filters than I spent on it! And now it's my constant companion.
I've recently done some research for a friend and stumbled over the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. Although "only" 10MP it seems to shine in every other aspect - at least for the nice price.
Any "basic" photography class that I can think of - and I've taught some - at a minimum talk about manual settings, choosing various apertures, shutter speeds etc. With most pt-n-shoot cameras, you can't choose those settings. Yes, you can set EV compensation and you can set them to "sports," "portrait," "landscape," etc. etc. My panasonic even has a "starry night" setting. I guess my point is that I think it would be more difficult to learn and improve one's photography without first understanding all those basics.
You might want to find out more about the photo class before you make your recommendation. But certainly there are gobs of pt-n-shoots to pick from.
Lon
Many basic photography classes are geared toward using a camera in manual mode so that the student can learn and appreciate the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, along with how lenses of differing focal length change the angle of view and perspective in a photograph. Also, many classes require a manual film camera and B&W film so that the student can learn traditional negative development and printmaking processes.
If this is the case, there many fine camers and lenses that can bo obtained at very low prices from KEH.com, and other places.
--P
The most popular entry level photo classes I've taught recently, and have the most requests for repeat offerings, don't use any manual camera controls at all. They're all about composition, capturing the "moment," overcoming back-lighting, and minimal image processing to match the intended use of the photo- i.e., downsizing for the web, working with local print labs, and a tiny bit on home printing with standard printers (i.e., matching paper types and what's best for photos).
Students are intent on learning how to use their existing pocket cameras well, and only if they develop a strong interest in photography and want to "move up," do they sign up for "more advanced" basic classes. It's a clear trend I see in today's market for classes. And being a smart marketer, I'm off my soap box for more advanced gear and photo techniques when the people don't want them.
If that matches the criteria for Sandy's friend's class, $250 is likely waaaaay more than needs to be spent.
Come to think of it, the single most formative pro class I ever took (Santa Fe Workshops- "Cameras Don't Take Pictures, People Do") REQUIRED that we put our cameras on fully automatic and leave them that way. It was all about seeing and feeling, and spontaneously shooting to capture that. Priceless.