Need your help please

[Gregguf]

Please people help me.

It has been my girlfriends dream for a while now to take up photography shes really interested in it all I would like to get her her first camera for this christmas. I have a budget of about £200 maybe little more. I would like to get her the right camera. She is a beginner and doesnt know much, I dont know anything.

She is wanting to start a photography course next year and I want to get her a suitable camera and not the wrong one or one that wont be good enough for her to go on her course.

The questions im asking are Which Camera should I get her?

Digital or SLR?

Please help all replies greatly appreciated as I only have 12 days to get a camera.

 

[Digital Matt]

Digital and SLR are not mutually exclusive anymore

If she's going to take a photography course, she will most likely need a manual film slr. You can buy an older used one for cheap. Check local camera shops that sell used equipment.

 

[ksmattfish]

She is wanting to start a photography course next year and I want to get her a suitable camera and not the wrong one or one that wont be good enough for her to go on her course.

The question im asking is What Camera? digital or SLR?

We would need more information about the course. In the class description it should say what kind of camera will be needed. More advanced classes require a camera that can be set on manual exposure. A 35mm SLR would work, as well as most DSLRs, although they would be pretty expensive. Some of the more point-n-shoot style digi-cams offer manual exposure also, and they would be cheaper.

You need to find out what the course requires, and I'd also suggest finding out whether she would prefer film or digital.

I'm a film geek, but these days I think I'd recommend digital to most beginners. It allows them to practice and experiment a lot, and they can see their results almost instantly. Then if they have an interest in film, they can explore that later.

 

[Scurra]

Yeah I would say take a look at what the course specifies and if it is film 35mm look maybe at the Canon Rebel range (3000v in the UK).

 

[Gregguf]

ok thanks for your help so far people two other thins

she doesnt know the exact course yet or has a short list she just wants to go on a beginers course.

Can anyone suggest make and/or model I could get?

 

[John Orrell]

Most people have their favourite brands, so one person will recommend brand X and the next person will recommend brand Y. Who's right? Answer: probably both of them!

If she's going on a general photography course where she'll be tought all about exposure, depth of field, zone system (do they still teach that?), etc etc and maybe end up developing her own prints, then I'd say get one of the well-known "classic" manual cameras such as:

Olympus OM1 or OM2 (well, I would say that, wouldn't I)
Nikon FM2
Pentax K1000

 

[motcon]

the pentax k1000 is good. so is the konica tc3. as well as the nikon n80. if you are looking for a more up to date camera that has the manual functions, you may want to check out the n80 (or the canon/whatever equivalents).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15238&item=3859397345&rd=1

 

[Anubis]

I got my first SLR (a Nikon F65) second hand from Jessops (UK). It cost £180 including the lens and came with a 1 year guarantee.

Three years later and I'm still shooting with it, best £180 I ever spent.

I don't think you'll find a digital SLR for anything near £200.

Bryan.

 

[motcon]

so as to not make things confusing, the nikon 'f' and the 'n' series are the same. the f series was issued in europe, the n series in the states.

 

[Artemis]

Naw you wont, and you may not want one, the course I do you cant use Digital SLR.

Personally, I suggest the 300V, Ive got one, and even though I got a D-SLR, I still love my 300V, so its worth a look and its about £200 , either that or go for 3000V (the more 0's the lower the model with the Rebel Ranges) and then buy her a few accessories with the camera.

 

[fadingaway1986]

I have a Canon 3000n...

It can do both manual and automatic, and should have everything she would need for the course...

It cost me around AU$300 (not sure what that is in pounds)... and that was with the lense...

 

[GerryDavid]

Digital and SLR are not mutually exclusive anymore

If she's going to take a photography course, she will most likely need a manual film slr. You can buy an older used one for cheap. Check local camera shops that sell used equipment.

I 2nd the film slr camera. Perhaps give her some true b&w film with it *not hte c-41 stuff that is color process* so she can develop it herself. The developing tanks might be out of the budget after the 35mm slr camera.

If you get digital, try to make sure it has manual options so she wont totally outgrow it in a year, automatic cameras dont really give you much room for creativity other than composition.

*wispers*go with canon slr*wispers*