Need some advice on gear

[BleedingEyeballs]

Hey all, to be perfectly honest I am camera stupid which makes no big deal cause my hands shake so much can't hold one steady to begin with. Now my daughter loves photography currently all she has for a camera is her iwhatever devices, which do alright but I am not sure if they are the best for learning all the elements of photography on. what I am looking at is getting her a decent camera for Christmas she is a freshman in high school and has been looking at photography programs already. the budget I am looking at is under $200 would be good under $100 would be better and yes I realize that in this range I am not going to find anything even close to the Cannon T3i but I do want to get her the best one that I can afford. I do not know enough about cameras to be able to tell the differences in them. I do know she wants a digital camera so she can just move the pictures to her laptop and I am looking at a tripod for her as well. also what is the best photo editing software

I thank all who are willing to assist in this for your time

Have Fun

 

[CaptainNapalm]

To be honest with you, you're not going to find anything great for under $200 and for under $100 you will likely get something that takes worse photos than an iPhone. A DSLR is out of question because even if you found a refurbished entry level one for $200 you would need to spend at least another $100 or more for a refurbished entry level lens. Your best bet is to buy her what they refer to as a "bridge" camera. You can likely find a used or refurbished one for $200. These cameras take good quality photos (equivalent to the best point and shoots) while offering the user full manual control over all important settings which is great for learning photography. Both Canon and Nikon make good bridge cameras but you won't find a new one on your budget, so buy used. If you don't want used, then your only option is a point-and-shoot camera which quite frankly at your price point won't offer much more than a high end phone camera. Good luck!

 

[Patrice]

A quick ebay search of Nikon SLR's shows some d70 outfits (body and lens) in the $200 price range and about $300 and a bit for d80 kits.

 

[tecboy]

I found this. Nikon - 1 J1 Compact System Camera with 10-30mm VR Lens - Red - 27534 - Nikon J1 W/10-30mm (Red)

 

[Bulb]

I started photography with a cheap film SLR I found on eBay. It cost me $25 for the camera (with lens), $10 for a battery, and $4 for film.

You don't need to spend much to get a good camera that will help you master the basics. The same concepts that apply to an older camera also apply to a 1D X or a D4.

As Patrice mentioned, you can get an older-model DSLR or SLR on eBay or a used camera website such as KEH. Any type of DSLR will be good to learn with. The megapixels don't matter. The important part is that any DSLR will give you more control over your photos than any phone or compact camera will.

I wouldn't worry about a tripod at this point unless she often does night photography. If she does need one now then your budget may be limiting, depending on which camera you want to buy. Look for something in your price range, but pay attention to its weight capacity and what the reviews say about its reliability.

Any editing she will want to do can be done on the free program GIMP. If she wants to shoot 'RAW' photos then they can be processed in RawTherapee, another free program.

 

[BleedingEyeballs]

Thank you for your responses Captain and Patrice you just sparked a ton of questions please bear with me my wife says I have a tendency to ramble on a bit. first you mentioned manual settings what should I look for as far as this goes not quite sure what settings you might be referring to. second used is not an issue as long as it works I want her to be able to enjoy the camera and learn how to take excellent photos. Third like with looking through ebay how do I tell the difference in a point and shoot camera to a good camera with all the manual settings? when a listing for a camera says body only all that is mising in the lens? or is it just an empty shell? found a few on ebay that look good but not sure if they are P&S or a decent low end like these

Nikon Coolpix L120 14 1 MP Digital Camera Black 018208262533 | eBay

found a bunch with "Body only" for well under 100 such as the Cannon EOS Rebel found a few between $50 - $100 and a few lenses for $100-$200 thinking I could get the Body and match a lens to it in a few weeks to have it before Christmas anything I need to know about the lens? what should I look for? the one I found is this one

Canon EOS EF 28 105mm F 3 5 4 5 USM Lens for Rebel T5 T4 50D 40D 60D 7D 5D 1D 6d 082966212970 | eBay

are the "D" series cameras better than the Rebel series from Cannon? in you opinions which company makes a better camera for beginners?


again ty for your time

 

[BleedingEyeballs]

Thank You Tecboy and Bulb for your replies I was thinking a tripod for her mostly cause she has scoliosis and jarko levin syndrome with titanium rib separators in her back i was figuring the tripod would make it easier for her to use the camera since I know from looking around that good ones have a bit of heft to them and thanks for the tips on the software going to check them out now

 

[vintagesnaps]

If you aren't familiar with cameras yourself you might want to consider a reputable business like KEHI; 've bought quite a bit from them
Buy & Sell New & Used Cameras ? Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad, Leica & More - KEH.com .

The ebay listing you posted says the lens has haze; it also mentions possible restocking and cancellation fees if you needed to return it. When you're buying used on ebay you only have the seller's description to go by, and their definition of the condition might be different than what you'd be expecting. I've noticed too on ebay there seem to be sellers who just give the Wikipedia info. in their listing, and that makes me wonder if they know much about cameras.

If it says body only then it should be the camera without a lens; if it says kit it should be a camera with a lens. A Canon Rebel would use a Canon EOS lens but I don't know if all EOS lenses work with all their digital cameras (because Canon made film cameras too that used the EOS lens mount).

 

[tecboy]

Your daughter might need smaller and lightweight DSLR, and light and study tripod. Try to find a local used camera store so she can tries these out and how she feel.

 

[BleedingEyeballs]

TY I am checking out the KEH site now gonna find a local place where I can go in to see the cameras in person to find what will be good for her I do not really want to take her along as that would defeat the purpose of surprising her when she opens it though if it comes down to it I will forget about surprise and see which one she can handle better she is just under 5 foot and more than likely not going to get much taller. what would be a good beginning model of a lightweight DSLR?

 

[tecboy]

Perhaps Nikon D3100. I not familiar with nikon products, but nikon users in this forum can help you. As for tripod, you can get shorter and lightweight, and make sure you get the wider legs. It is good for windy condition, and it is not easy to tip over.