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Bronze Member Username: DurskiPost Number: 75 Registered: Nov-06 | Looking to get my mother a new digital camera for christmas, But I don't know hardly anything about the features of the digital cameras that are currently on the market. Would some ecoustics members be nice enough to school me? What is SLP? What are good specs for: Zoom? Image stabilization? Shutter lag? Flash recycle time? My mother was very into photography a few years ago, Then she got a sony mavica digital camera (1.5 megapixels was top of the line at the time)and has since been disappointed with digital photography. Please help me get her a gift that will help her find her love for photography again. Budget under $1000 |
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Silver Member Username: SerniterPiscataway, New Jersey USA Post Number: 191 Registered: Mar-06 | With a budget around $1000, you are probably looking at SLR cameras. With SLR cameras, the factors listed above are not necessarily the primary concern. SLR stands for 'single lens reflex' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_single_lens_reflex SLR cameras have certain advantages over 'point-and-shoot' cameras: - The view through the viewfinder is exactly what the lens 'sees'. - Sensors are larger resulting in better images. http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Camera_System/sensor_sizes_01.htm - Faster performance. Shutter lag and flash recycle time may be shorter. - Ability to use wide variety of lenses depending on subject (wide angle and zoom). Buying an SLR camera can be a daunting exercise for the uninitiated because of the options available. A professional photographer typically knows his usage and purchases lenses accordingly. The camera body itself is secondary. I've only been looking at budget SLRs the past few days. I came up with Nikon D40 with 18-55mm lens ($500) Nikon 55-200 AF-S VR lens ($200) The D40 is a 6 megapixel camera. There is a 10 megapixel version called D40x that also comes with 18-55mm lens and costs $700. The 18-55mm lens is for low zoom situations and the 55-200 for high zoom. Between these two lenses you should have zoom and image stabilization covered. I'm no professional and these recommendations are just to get you started. Advanced users can guide you through a more elaborate selection process. This is a very passive forum when it comes to digital cameras. You might want to google search for other forums. If you want to read about camera review sites, try: http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/ratings.php?ratingsGroup=SLR http://www.dpreview.com/ |
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Bronze Member Username: CanuckinapickleTorontoCanada Post Number: 96 Registered: Jan-05 | I'd highly recommend looking at the Olympus E-510. It has Image Stabilizing (sensor shift so it's good on all lenses) fantastic olympus colour and it has great ergonomics and a nice straight-forward interface. I use an older DSLR model from Olympus and I have no problems with it. I've used the E-510 a little bit and I'm tempted to upgrade to it, I just have to find a way to justify it! |
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Bronze Member Username: CanuckinapickleTorontoCanada Post Number: 97 Registered: Jan-05 | P.S. A lot of stores have this on sale for Christmas with two lens kits for under $1000 too. It is a real bargain. |