What is the best beginner camera - a test!

[Dave Maciak]

Something that requires film. I don't shoot film but I did when I was a kid. When you only have twenty or thirty six shots to work with before you have to reload and when there is a real cost to every click of the shutter, it forces you to be disciplined.

I was in a camera store while a mom and daughter were purchasing a film camera for a summer course the daughter was taking. I said that it would make her a much better photographer. They looked at me incredulously. Then I made the points I just did above. I think it really sank in.

Here in Nevada UNLV and I'd guess UNR both teach their respective photo classes using film. IMHO it's simply the best way to teach. I agree with your post, 100%. It is a base, a foundation if you will, for technique, imagination, and all the things that have led us to this digital photography age---and the digital age is amazing. I bid all beginners to enjoy whatever equipment they have. My starter was an Argus C3--anybody remember that one?

 

[ac12]

Something that requires film. I don't shoot film but I did when I was a kid. When you only have twenty or thirty six shots to work with before you have to reload and when there is a real cost to every click of the shutter, it forces you to be disciplined.

I was in a camera store while a mom and daughter were purchasing a film camera for a summer course the daughter was taking. I said that it would make her a much better photographer. They looked at me incredulously. Then I made the points I just did above. I think it really sank in.

Here in Nevada UNLV and I'd guess UNR both teach their respective photo classes using film. IMHO it's simply the best way to teach. I agree with your post, 100%. It is a base, a foundation if you will, for technique, imagination, and all the things that have led us to this digital photography age---and the digital age is amazing. I bid all beginners to enjoy whatever equipment they have. My starter was an Argus C3--anybody remember that one?

Mine was a Kodak Starmite, then an Instamatic.
Then my father's Exakta . . . oooo my first 35mm SLR.

 

[Sharpshooterr]

After reading many of these replies the most important piece of equipment a beginner will need to have is a really good pair of hip waders!!! LoL
I think only once did I hear talent mentioned, all gear, gear gear!
About five years ago I finished photo school and was using a Canon 5Dmkll. Most of the students looked at it like it was the space shuttle! Most were using very entry level Canon dslr's. A dslr was a prerequisite to take classes, unless it was a film class.
Some of the more talented kids were producing amazing work with those entry level cameras. It had nothing to do with the cameras or the focus systems or the lenses! It was all talent to produce those amazing and unique images.

 

[photo1x1.com]

To be honest after reading most of the replies the best suggestion to a beginner would be: don't read forums that are mainly visited by advanced photographers.
I'm really having issues understandin what would be wrong in getting the best possible equipment for the money people are willing to spend. Everyone does the same when buying a TV, a car or even a microwave oven. Yet when it comes to cameras, some people think it is a great idea to get the worst possible piece of equipment.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

The answer is "It depends". I have students asking me this constantly and I ask:

What's the budget?
What kind of images do you want to make?
Film or Digital?
Mirror or mirrorless?

Many times, I will tell them to buy used and get the better lenses and bodies for what they would pay for a new, less expensive model. It really depends though. If I have a student who says "I want something I can photograph my friends and family with", a low end Nikon D series. If they tell me "I want something I can grow into (which is much more common)", then I might tell them to get a used D700 or if they have the budget a new, higher end Nikon. I generally recommend Nikon's because Canon now has so many different lens lines that many times, students will order via the internet and get the wrong kind of lens for their camera. And while the Z series now has a new line, I can still use my trusty 50mm F1.4 from my Nikon F on a Z body, so much more backward compatibility.

And if a student says "I want something I can go into a studio and shoot great images" I will suggest they look at a used Mamiya 645 or 645-1000s for film and an RB 67 if they want to shoot digital. Having used these and Hasselblads, I see no real difference in the overall image quality between the Mamiya and Hasselblads, and the Mamiya's are half the price.

Anyway, just my take on this question, which is an almost constant at my university. Be well one and all!

Cordially,

Mark

 

[photoflyer]

Perhaps the best first camera is a book. Yeah, a real honest to goodness book. Not sure which, but I think a bit of theory goes a long way in any pursuit before one just plunges in. Oh, and then after getting the camera, another book: the manual.

 

[ac12]

Perhaps the best first camera is a book. Yeah, a real honest to goodness book. Not sure which, but I think a bit of theory goes a long way in any pursuit before one just plunges in. Oh, and then after getting the camera, another book: the manual.

RTFM
I've banged my head against that wall with both kids and adults.
Unless they HAVE TO, many people today learn by experimentation.

So as an old timer who does read books, and have written a couple, this behavior upsets me.
We spend a lot of time and effort to write an instruction book, only to have someone tell us, "I don't have time to read, so tell me what to do."
IOW, they are too lazy to read, and want to be spoon fed.
I recall an old saying, "teach me and I will learn, tell me and I will do." What is not said, in the 2nd half is, you will do, but not learn.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Well by now you have a host of opinions, trials, and facts. None of which tells the beginner which is best for them.

Faced with this situation, I chose a Cannon T6 Rebel. It and its Nikon cousin are entry level cameras, available on the web for about $400.00.

The first thing I discovered was all the bells and whistles that came with the camera. So I turned the knob to "manual" and decided use all these features I paid good money for. Low light, action, astro, micro, telephoto, fireworks were just some of the types of photography I have been taking. The digital camera re-introduced me to Black and White (a.k.a. monochrome) and a lot of old film gear came out of retirement including and old 4x5 view camera.

My point is, any of the above areas of photo interests, may have a camera best suited for those needs but if you like to dabble in all of them, you have to resign yourself to the fact that it is up to you to get the best out of whatever camera you have at hand.

Then you can say, this is what I want in a camera.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

Perhaps the best first camera is a book. Yeah, a real honest to goodness book. Not sure which, but I think a bit of theory goes a long way in any pursuit before one just plunges in. Oh, and then after getting the camera, another book: the manual.

John Hedgecoe's "The Art of Color Photography" is excellent and I am a huge fan of Ansel Adam's series "The Camera", "The Negative", "The Print" and "Polaroid Land Photography". And even though they are a bit dated now, there is some fantastic information that is still highly relevant. If you are wanting to up your technical game, these four books are a must.

 

[choidavid]

Ironically enough, these 'entry' level cameras have the worst user interface and design ever created. They are so cumbersome and inefficient...to change the ISO you have to access the digital menu which is already too long for it to be useable! I always suggest beginners to buy semi-pro bodies at used price than buying a Canon T series or a Nikon 3000-whatever.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

choidavid,

You are correct about entry level cameras having very poor interfaces making it slow to access what you want. But when you really do not know what each features does, the slower interface issue is of less concern.

However, it can be annoying when you want to hop between a couple of features you like.

 

[marmle]

All my cameras have always been basic or "entry level" since that is all I could ever afford. I currently have a D5600, the interface is fine but I do miss the top display and the second command dial that my D80 had. The touch screen and ability to assign certain buttons makes up for that though. When/if I can afford it I have my heart set on a Z7. I love the idea of having 3 user presets...I think I would have one for night, one for normal daytime and one for high speed. I also like the fact it has a dedicated ISO button, although I have set up one of the function buttons on my D5600 to do the same job.

 

[Derrel]

If you really want the worst user interface you can pay $3,499 for a Sony a 7 series, 47 megapixel.... Universally heralded as one of the worst menu systems ever, and talk about menu diving...

 

[ac12]

@marmle, since I don't shoot video, I setup record button to be my ISO change button, coupled with the rear command dial to change the ISO.
This weekend, I have to figure out how to do that on the D5600, since that is the camera that the school is using.

I shoot enough different stuff, that I've managed to not use presets.

 

[Soocom1]

Sigh..

Again I find it ironic that "advanced camera" translates to a plastic box with a digital sensor and some fancy features.
funny how some of the most 'advanced" photographs taken used a bellows and manual lens.

having owned and currently getting into a used BMW vs a jeep patriot, I can attest that the bimmer is really really fun! But the patriot still goes from point a to point b.

And, I can out run, out maneuver and beat at various street racing people in mustangs with the patriot who have not one iota clue on how to drive.