I apologize in advance for my stupid questions. I tried to google search the forum's history for a good response, but didn't find anything that was exactly what I need.
First, I have no skills or experience. Using a basic point and shoot is all I've ever done. At some point in the future, I DO want to learn everything about photography, but my problem is that I'm going on a tour of France and the UK in a couple of weeks, and I simply don't have the time to learn anything more than basics. Therefore, a nice camera is intimidating right now, and I'd like to not spend much on a camera that will do what I need for my current trip; under $250. I've been using a Samsung S5 camera phone for a few years, but it seems to have problems focusing, so I want to try something new.
During my trip, I'll mostly photograph outdoor monuments, indoor museums, and hopefully some pictures of the night sky. Due to my lack of experience, probably a fixed lens is best. I've watched some of the intro-to-photography youtube videos linked from this site, so I have a VERY rudimentary knowledge of aperture, iso, etc, but not enough to understand more than a basic camera.
First, I have no skills or experience. Using a basic point and shoot is all I've ever done. At some point in the future, I DO want to learn everything about photography, but my problem is that I'm going on a tour of France and the UK in a couple of weeks, and I simply don't have the time to learn anything more than basics. Therefore, a nice camera is intimidating right now, and I'd like to not spend much on a camera that will do what I need for my current trip; under $250. I've been using a Samsung S5 camera phone for a few years, but it seems to have problems focusing, so I want to try something new.
During my trip, I'll mostly photograph outdoor monuments, indoor museums, and hopefully some pictures of the night sky. Due to my lack of experience, probably a fixed lens is best. I've watched some of the intro-to-photography youtube videos linked from this site, so I have a VERY rudimentary knowledge of aperture, iso, etc, but not enough to understand more than a basic camera.