Advice on new camera for trip to Ireland, budget ~ 500.00 (CAD :) )

seanpatrick

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Hi everyone!
I just joined the community here at Photo Forum and am looking forward to contributing as my knowledge grows. My experience level is near zero with Camera's, but did have fun with my Dad's old Pentax and all his lenses and filters back in the day. In any case I'll be off to Ireland for a couple weeks this summer and will be traveling by bicycle through most of it. I absolutely MUST have a decent camera to record my journey, but have been pretty overwhelmed with the information I've read on review sites thus far. What I've gleaned: The CMOS sensor is quite important. I'll be taking mostly shots of landscape (obviously) so I guess I should take that into account when choosing my Camera. As the title says, my budget is about 500.00. This precludes me from DSLRs (well new ones anyways) but that's just as well, as the camera will be going in my pack / pannier so can't be unruly. That's not to say I need a pocket sized camera - but somewhere in between would be great. The only other thing I'd like to have is WIFI connectivity, as I'd like to post my pictures to facebook during my trip. That being said, could I just use a micro USB cable from a non-WIFI camera and attach it to my cell phone to transfer the pictures? ( the cell phone obviously has WIFI so I wouldn't need that specification on the Camera) - if not, than WIFI is a must. I would also insist on a viewfinder. The two Camera's I've come up with having said the above are the following:

Sony RX100 Mark 1: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Digital Camera (Black) DSCRX100/B B&H
It's got a 1" CMOS sensor which review sites say is the best in its class - and that Carl Zeiss lense, which my buddy tells me is great. The only problem is this is NON-wifi. The WIFI version is the Mk ii, but that's out of my price range. If I could do the USB cable to my Cell phone trick it would be mute.

or

the Canon Powershot G16 Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot G16 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 1080p Full-HD Video: CANON: Camera & Photo
It's got the built in WIFI "upload virtually anywhere on your iOS or Android device with free download of the Canon Camera Window app" and has also got great reviews. However, the CMOS sensor isn't quite as good, and it's only 12 megapixels as compared to the Sony's 20.

I'll of course consider any other suggestions anyone has!

When I decide I'll pick one up in advance so I can do some reading on the settings and picture composition before the trip - but would really appreciate some advice in the mean time.
Thanks so much community!

Cheers,
Sean.
 
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Wow, that camera does look pretty awesome, it has WIFI, 24 Megapixels, a viewfinder, and "guide mode" that looks like it could be pretty helpful. My only concern is the size, although it does say "compact". Compact as compared to other DSLRs I guess. It will have to go in a pack (backpack or pannier) - but if it's not too big it could be do-able. Anyone else?

EDIT: There looks like there's a good deal on Amazon.ca for it too: http://www.amazon.ca/Nikon-Digital-...F8&qid=1396599204&sr=8-2&keywords=nikon+d3200

That's 522.98 new with the 18-55 lens where as Henry's has them refurbished here for 460 with the 18-55 lens "kit" .. Wonder what the "kit" means? They're asking 460 refurb, might as well pay the extra 60 and get it new from Amazon if its the same thing.
 
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Wow, that camera does look pretty awesome, it has WIFI, 24 Megapixels, a viewfinder, and "guide mode" that looks like it could be pretty helpful. My only concern is the size, although it does say "compact". Compact as compared to other DSLRs I guess. It will have to go in a pack (backpack or pannier) - but if it's not too big it could be do-able. Anyone else?

EDIT: There looks like there's a good deal on Amazon.ca for it too: http://www.amazon.ca/Nikon-Digital-...F8&qid=1396599204&sr=8-2&keywords=nikon+d3200

That's 522.98 new with the 18-55 lens where as Henry's has them refurbished here for 460 with the 18-55 lens "kit" .. Wonder what the "kit" means? They're asking 460 refurb, might as well pay the extra 60 and get it new from Amazon if its the same thing.

I'd steer clear of a refurb, epecially when there's so little savings involved. On price, Henry's isn't usually that great. Check out Aden Camera on the D3200:

Nikon D3200 (Black) w/ AFS DX 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 VR** Sale ** | Aden Camera Toronto Digital Camera Store

Search photoprice.ca for comparative pricing. It can have update issues sometimes, so it's often worth it to check individual stores' sites. Just be aware that most shops price match now, so don't be shy about asking.

"Kit" lenses are OK quality, all purpose optics that usually cover the FX/film camera range of 28-70mm or 28-80mm with a maximum variable aperture of f3.5-4.5. For the D3200, the Nikon AF-S 35/1.8G is worth looking into for a fast 50mm equivalent for available light shooting.
 
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Hey thanks for the advice! - Aden's is literally about 20 seconds away from where I work (on Elm street). I called them, and they have one left so they said they'd put it aside for me until this afternoon. AS far as the extra lens kit goes, I checked out the lens you mentioned on-line, and it's certainly has got great reviews ( thousands of 5 star ratings ). That being said, I'm at the absolute limit of what I can spend as is, as I budgeted 500. Even with the great savings at Aden's I'll hit 534.00 (with tax). I could get the body from adens for 400 + tax (452.00) and add your lens for what looks like 200 + tax ( 226.00 ) bringing me to over $700, which is actually too much of a stretch atm. They do have a deal for the body plus another lens for 589.00 plus tax, the Nikon D3200 w/ Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD lens. I have no idea what the difference would be though, 18-200 - does that mean it can take wider angle shots and has a bigger zoom? the "f" specification - the bigger the f specification the more detailed the background images are, from what I've read, correct? ... In any case that would push it to 665.67 which is a little out of my price range. Any more and I'll have a great camera but no money for my trip, lol. The great thing about the camera ( I'm sold now by the way ) is that with having the ability to change lenses it gives me the ability to grow with the hobby. The kit lens included will still be pretty good, no?

I'm glad I didn't jump at the amazon deal in my excitement last night, looks like you saved me some money friend!
 
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For the most part, the kit lens would be excellent to take around as a walk-about setup on vacation.
The D3200 is fairly small and light for a good DSLR. If you're going to be stowing it away in a back pack it would be fine. Just had to google a pannier haha, but those look plenty large enough to fit the D3200 with the lens attached as well.
As for the lens questions, the 18-200 lens you mentioned will give you a higher zoom then the kit lens. It will not be any wider, as the kit glass is 18-55mm. Basically, the lower the number, the wider zoom, the higher, the larger zoom. Being they are both 18mm, the would basically be the same when set all the way down at 18mm. The other thing to think about with the zoom lenses is they are significantly larger than the kit lens.
Do you know what you will be taking shots of typically? Just the stereotypical tourists shots of landmarks, people and such?
 
Hey thanks for the advice! - Aden's is literally about 20 seconds away from where I work (on Elm street). I called them, and they have one left so they said they'd put it aside for me until this afternoon. AS far as the extra lens kit goes, I checked out the lens you mentioned on-line, and it's certainly has got great reviews ( thousands of 5 star ratings ). That being said, I'm at the absolute limit of what I can spend as is, as I budgeted 500. Even with the great savings at Aden's I'll hit 534.00 (with tax). I could get the body from adens for 400 + tax (452.00) and add your lens for what looks like 200 + tax ( 226.00 ) bringing me to over $700, which is actually too much of a stretch atm. They do have a deal for the body plus another lens for 589.00 plus tax, the Nikon D3200 w/ Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD lens. I have no idea what the difference would be though, 18-200 - does that mean it can take wider angle shots and has a bigger zoom? the "f" specification - the bigger the f specification the more detailed the background images are, from what I've read, correct? ... In any case that would push it to 665.67 which is a little out of my price range. Any more and I'll have a great camera but no money for my trip, lol. The great thing about the camera ( I'm sold now by the way ) is that with having the ability to change lenses it gives me the ability to grow with the hobby. The kit lens included will still be pretty good, no?

I'm glad I didn't jump at the amazon deal in my excitement last night, looks like you saved me some money friend!


No worries. Frankly, I'd stick with the D3200 kit--whoever you buy from--and spend some time getting acquainted pre-trip. Yup, it's a gateway drug to GAS(Gear Aquisition Syndrome)but there's time and money to blow on that later, right? If you jump for the D3200, I'd advise getting an extra memory card or two. Bon voyage.
 
For the most part, the kit lens would be excellent to take around as a walk-about setup on vacation.
The D3200 is fairly small and light for a good DSLR. If you're going to be stowing it away in a back pack it would be fine. Just had to google a pannier haha, but those look plenty large enough to fit the D3200 with the lens attached as well.
As for the lens questions, the 18-200 lens you mentioned will give you a higher zoom then the kit lens. It will not be any wider, as the kit glass is 18-55mm. Basically, the lower the number, the wider zoom, the higher, the larger zoom. Being they are both 18mm, the would basically be the same when set all the way down at 18mm. The other thing to think about with the zoom lenses is they are significantly larger than the kit lens.
Do you know what you will be taking shots of typically? Just the stereotypical tourists shots of landmarks, people and such?

Yeah that's what I suspected the different lens mm represented. Thanks for the clarification. I'll probably be taking a lot of landscape shots, and hope to get some castles and ancient landmarks in there - so yeah, pretty stereotypical tourist stuff. That being said, I used to love camera's when I was young, and would go out with my Dad's old Pentax and snap stuff for fun with all his lenses and filters - so I suspect I'll re-kindle my passion for photography now that I've got a decent camera of my own.

Hey thanks for the advice! - Aden's is literally about 20 seconds away from where I work (on Elm street). I called them, and they have one left so they said they'd put it aside for me until this afternoon. AS far as the extra lens kit goes, I checked out the lens you mentioned on-line, and it's certainly has got great reviews ( thousands of 5 star ratings ). That being said, I'm at the absolute limit of what I can spend as is, as I budgeted 500. Even with the great savings at Aden's I'll hit 534.00 (with tax). I could get the body from adens for 400 + tax (452.00) and add your lens for what looks like 200 + tax ( 226.00 ) bringing me to over $700, which is actually too much of a stretch atm. They do have a deal for the body plus another lens for 589.00 plus tax, the Nikon D3200 w/ Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD lens. I have no idea what the difference would be though, 18-200 - does that mean it can take wider angle shots and has a bigger zoom? the "f" specification - the bigger the f specification the more detailed the background images are, from what I've read, correct? ... In any case that would push it to 665.67 which is a little out of my price range. Any more and I'll have a great camera but no money for my trip, lol. The great thing about the camera ( I'm sold now by the way ) is that with having the ability to change lenses it gives me the ability to grow with the hobby. The kit lens included will still be pretty good, no?

I'm glad I didn't jump at the amazon deal in my excitement last night, looks like you saved me some money friend!


No worries. Frankly, I'd stick with the D3200 kit--whoever you buy from--and spend some time getting acquainted pre-trip. Yup, it's a gateway drug to GAS(Gear Aquisition Syndrome)but there's time and money to blow on that later, right? If you jump for the D3200, I'd advise getting an extra memory card or two. Bon voyage.

Oh I'm well aware of GAS, - though in audio we call it "Upgraditus"... I started off early last year on AVS forums with some questions about whether I should consider new surround sound speakers, and over the course of the year somehow ended up buying a 9.2 setup of PSB speakers with 2 SVS subwoofers and a new Denon X4000... Forum's are dangerous!. This year's expenditures will be much more conservative, as my extra funds are going towards Ireland ( my first vacation since 2001, and my first time on a jet since I was 5 years old ) ... but this camera should be a great start!
 
I will advise a pentax k-30. If you can pick one up for your price. Living here in Ireland it is often very wet. a weather proof camera will see a lot more use
 
I was looking at the k-30 last year actually.. great camera. It seems to me that the 3200 has better photo quality, plus wifi which is a must-have for me, not to mention the k-30 is more expensive. Good point about the weather though, I expect it to rain, A LOT. I'll pick up one of these and suffice - for $8.25 USD it'll do me: Op/Tech 9001142 14in SLR Rainsleeve for Cameras 9001142. I also found this from a review site "At 125 x 96 x 76.5 mm, the chassis isn't too chunky, but still remains reassuringly sturdy and while Nikon makes no claims about waterproofing, the D3200 proved to be reasonably resilient to the elements when we tested it in the pouring rain." pulled from Nikon D3200 review | T3.

This site has some further tips about the D3200: Optimize Your Nikon D3200: Buying Guide from Adorama Learning Center.. for one it insists on a UV/Skylight filter to protect the lens - for 12.95 USD it seems like a good investment.
 
With respect, seanpatrick, I'm assuming you've got the Eire voltage/plug thing sorted for your D3200 battery charger? Aden might be able to help; otherwise, Nikon.ca might have some answers.
 
I pulled the trigger and picked up the D3200 from Aden's. The sales guy wasn't the best though... He was pushing this SD card on me at the time (I understand guys have to make commission) but was getting pretty frustrated with me when I pulled out my phone and started googling card prices. He was saying ' but this is the extreme version!' ... I asked him what extreme actually did and he couldn't give me a straight answer so he ended up kind of petulantly saying ' fine than, order from Amazon then or wherever'. .. I told him I wasn't trying to Nickel and dime him and would take the card anyways as I figured the camera was such a good deal. I then told him about the UV filters I saw online and asked if he had any there around the prices I was looking at, and he said ' this is a professional store, not a beginner store, so we don't have
those kind of filters'. Anyways turns out after all that the guy forgot to charge me for the ' extreme sdcard ' so I got the camera new with lens and a 32 GB card with tax for 536. Happy ending :)
 

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