Which camera next?

[HST Power]

My father, who also does a fair bit of railway photography, is looking for a new camera.

He is on a budget of £150-£350 (£400 max).

Preferably, the camera will be able to take good quality photos and HD video.

My camera knowledge is thin on the ground, so rather than rifling through hundreds and hundreds of pages on the internet looking for something suitable I thought I would ask on here instead.

Any help will be very much appreciated.

 

[TGVDUDE]

If he's looking for a DSLR, not sure about any other makes for that price, but Sony Alpha's A35 is the cheapest they do at the moment i think, slightly stretching over £400 though, but I'm sure if you shop around a bit to could shave a chunk of that

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsi-body-and-1-lens/slt-a35k

I was looking at this being my next camera

Maybe look into FujiFilm's bridge camera's if you desire a cheaper price, I haven't used one properly myself but they do give good results

 

[HST Power]

I may buy this camera as a present, but does it have a fast shutter speed or will I need to mess about with the lenses?

I hope I don't sound completely stupid but I have never really understood the ins and outs of high speed photography!

 

[TGVDUDE]

you can select a shutter from 30 seconds (night shoots) through to 1/4000, more than fast enough for capturing trains at speed, i tend to use 1/800, and using 'shutter priority mode' the camera will do the rest of the work, and with also having 5 frames per second you shouldn't really miss subjects moving at speed

 

[507 001]

If he's looking for a DSLR, not sure about any other makes for that price, but Sony Alpha's A35 is the cheapest they do at the moment i think, slightly stretching over £400 though, but I'm sure if you shop around a bit to could shave a chunk of that

SLT-A35K (SLTA35K, SLTA35K.CEH) : Overview : Cameras & camcorders : Sony

I was looking at this being my next camera

Maybe look into FujiFilm's bridge camera's if you desire a cheaper price, I haven't used one properly myself but they do give good results

the A35 isn't a DSLR (Digital Single lens Reflex), its an SLT (single lens translucent), as it doesn't have a reflex mirrorand therefore has an Electronic Viewfinder.

I would avoid sony as much as possible tbh, its just my personal preference, but I have found that the build quality isn't great and this SLT system doesn't work very well.

You may be better off looking at something like the Olympus EPL-1 (i.e. a CSC, compact system camera), its an older model, but still very, very capable and can be picked up for around £250 these days from curry's.

If you want a DSLR then go for either Nikon or Canon, they're a little more expensive, but a the end of the day you get what you pay for

 

[dangie]

the A35 isn't a DSLR (Digital Single lens Reflex), its an SLT (single lens translucent), as it doesn't have a reflex mirrorand therefore has an Electronic Viewfinder.

True. But many, including myself, think that SLT viewfinders are the future. When they first appeared they were quite poor compared to optical viewfinders, but Sony have raised the bar. Look at some reviews for this camera and you will see only positive comments.

At each price point Sony are as good as any other makes. In fact the lower range Canon models do seem to me to be 'made to a price'. The middle to high range models though are excellent. If you do consider a SLR also look at the Pentax K-r. Super camera and excellent value for money. Bear in mind though, that if you do go down the SLR/SLT route, that's only the start of the spending. As mentioned consider a good bridge type camera such as those by Fuji, Canon & Panasonic.

 

[507 001]

True. But many, including myself, think that SLT viewfinders are the future. When they first appeared they were quite poor compared to optical viewfinders, but Sony have raised the bar. Look at some reviews for this camera and you will see only positive comments. I personally think that the hybrid viewfinders ala fuji X100 are the future, that way you get the best of both worlds.

At each price point Sony are as good as any other makes. In fact the lower range Canon models do seem to me to be 'made to a price'. The middle to high range models though are excellent. If you do consider a SLR also look at the Pentax K-r. Super camera and excellent value for money. Bear in mind though, that if you do go down the SLR/SLT route, that's only the start of the spending. As mentioned consider a good bridge type camera such as those by Fuji, Canon & Panasonic.

I certainly hope that EVF's are not the future! TBH I don't much care about reviews, I care about first hand experience from using the SLT's and they don't exactly get rave reviews in that sense.
EVF's may have come on considerably, although I can't see it, the EVF on an SLT-a55 behaves exactly the same way as the EVF on my 9 year old Fuji Finepix S5000, its just too slow to respond and makes you feel detached from the image your taking. Not to menton the incresed noise reduction thats required because the translucent mirror cuts 1/3rd of the light going to the sensor.
The problem with the pentax is that your quite limited with lenses, there really aren't that many decent ones.
Seriously, if you want a DSLR the only way to go is nikon or Canon.
If you want a CSC, not a bridge, then the only way to go is with micro 4/3rds, i.e. panasonic or olympus.
there's no point buying a bridge anymore, they're too limited and CSC's aren;t that much more expensive.

For just starting out you could look at;
Nikon
D3100
D5100

canon
EOS 1100D
EOS 550D

Olympus

EPL1
EPL2
EPL3
there's a few newer ones too.

or any of the panasonic G series or GH series.

http://www.warehouseexpress.com or
http://www.jacobsdigital.co.uk
or google digital rev, they are a company based in Hong Kong, which is a turn off for most people I know, but they usually have excellent prices and are uber-reliable.
I bought a lens and a battery grip for my camera from them about 8 months ago, if I had bought it from WEX then it would have cost me 1200 quid, I got it for £700 which included the postage/import fees!

 

[dangie]

I certainly hope that EVF's are not the future!

Fair enough. However I think that EVF's will become more prevalent in dSLR's in the next few years. The optical viewfinder, as good as it is, is probably as good as it's ever going to be. In fact the viewfinder on my current dSLR isn't as good as the viewfinder on my old film SLR's. The EVF though, like it or not, is still in its infancy. It has a way to go admittedly, but in the end I think it will surpass the optical viewfinder.

The problem with the pentax is that your quite limited with lenses, there really aren't that many decent ones.

Limited in the shear amount of lenses admittedly but more than enough for any enthusiast photographer whether it be Pentax own or independent by Sigma and Tamron. Pentax prime lenses are considered to be amongst the best there is.

If you want a CSC, not a bridge then the only way to go is with micro 4/3rds, i.e. panasonic or olympus.

Agree 100%

there's no point buying a bridge anymore, they're too limited and CSC's aren;t that much more expensive.

I think the bridge offers casual users who want good results without the bother and cost of a bag of lenses a perfect solution.

The bottom line though, is to sit down and think what you want from your photography. Do you want something relativity simple, almost point and shoot, or do you want more flexibility. Do you want one camera that will be a Jack of all Trades but master of none. Or a more advanced dSLR that will require extra accessories to fulfil its potential. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions...
Best regards Dave

 

[scotsman]

1000D going in Jessops for £359 and 1100D for £399 - bargain!