Advice on budget camera

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Donny31

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Hi all

Loooking at buying a camera for the wife to take mostly take pics of our very cute 18 month old toddler. Price range of 1.5 grand (or less if possible). Ease of use and a decent quality photo is all she needs.

Nikon L20 or Sony Cybershot or Fuji etc etc.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Many thanks

Don
 
Budget Camera

I don't think you can go too wrong with a Sony Cybershot. For a small, reliable and quality pocketable Point & Shoot camera I don't think you can do much better. Although I mostly use a 12MP Lumix, still use my 7.2MP Sony Cybershot W55 when I want to have a smaller camera with me.
 
Have a look at the Canon Powershot SD1200IS. It's a bit pricier at just under 2 grand when imported through Take2, but looks to be good spec for casual shooting.
 
dont get a Kodak. they stopped making cameras a long time ago, so its some rebranded junk.

Sony, Canon and Nikon would be only ones i look at, and buy on price comparison.
 
You can always also check to see which company owns their own fabrication
technology (sensor).
There are supposed to be only 4 sensor manufacturing companies - Panasonic, Canon,
Fuji and Sony. So in theory these are the guys who own the REAL technology.
Even Nikon uses sensors from Sony in their SDLR cameras too, with the exception
of the D1 & D2H.
Sony manufactures for others too including Nikon, Pentax and Samsung.

Years ago it was all about the lens.... these days the electronics and sensors
are just if not more important and it's these players who will probably be the long term
survivors. In the long term they are not going to provide their competitors with
the latest and greatest in sensor technology!!!
 
Id have to with the cybershot,Ive taken good pictures with it and it was only a 4mp camera,a really good point and shoot no fuss no hastle,and quick responce.

So that was 4 years ago I can only imagine how they have improved since then.
 
I wouldn't recommend getting a budget Nikon. I have a p&s S220 and for the price I paid it lacks the weight to put behind the name. You'll spend all your time photoshopping.
 
dbnnet said:
Sony manufactures for others too including Nikon, Pentax and Samsung.
Click to expand...

Off topic, the labelling on my genuine Nokia battery came off and exposed the genuine Samsung label underneath. Goes to show; what you see is rarely ever what you get. Makes being a fanboy of most brands kinda pointless.
 
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Go for a camera with the best low light performance as I suspect many shots will be indoors. Cannot remember which one but there is a FujiFilm camera out there that got high ratings specifically for it's low light performance.
 
ponder said:
Go for a camera with the best low light performance as I suspect many shots will be indoors. Cannot remember which one but there is a FujiFilm camera out there that got high ratings specifically for it's low light performance.
Click to expand...

Good advice. My old Ixus 5 used to be really bad in lowish light. Couldn't focus so it just wouldn't fire. Frustrating as all hell.
 
ponder said:
Go for a camera with the best low light performance as I suspect many shots will be indoors. Cannot remember which one but there is a FujiFilm camera out there that got high ratings specifically for it's low light performance.
Click to expand...

+1. If you are taking pics indoors and the onboard camera has to fire, a P&S without bouncing the flash, will give a very flat harsh look. Definately not what you want for a cute bundle of joy. So you want to get a cam with really good low light performance so the flash doesn't have to work hard or not at all if possible. Its a difficult ask on a P&S cuz ISO performance sux cuz of the small sensor size.

Also regardless of what cam you get, read up on tutorials using window light to create soft light. This will enhance the photos you can take of your little one, without having to buy any fancy shmancy equipment.
 
Buy the cheapest second, third, or fourth hand canon dslr you can find and slap their ridiculously inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 on it. No point and shoot available will even come close to this.

Seriously - I dont know why hospitals dont offer this setup to all new fathers.
 
Whatever you do, stay away from the Nikon L20. My sister bought one on a special from Makro and she's as frustrated as hell with it. From what I can gather, you're better off with your cellphone camera rather than one of them.
 
bwana said:
Buy the cheapest second, third, or fourth hand canon dslr you can find and slap their ridiculously inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 on it. No point and shoot available will even come close to this.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Good advice, but in this case the lens alone will consume his budget. Nevermind trying to find a dSLR made in this century for that price. The 50 is also kind of a 'nowhere' focal length on crop sensors, esp. if it is the only lens, and in this case alternative to a point and shoot which usually have wide to tele zooms. Not everyone needs a dSLR.

Ugh sorry, I'm just a bit groggy from oversleeping. :wtf:
 
bwana said:
Buy the cheapest second, third, or fourth hand canon dslr you can find and slap their ridiculously inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 on it. No point and shoot available will even come close to this.
Click to expand...

I agree but most people out there just want something small and to press a button and hey presto, out comes a photo. I would hate to give my mom or someone like that a dSLR.
 
ponder said:
I agree but most people out there just want something small and to press a button and hey presto, out comes a photo. I would hate to give my mom or someone like that a dSLR.
Click to expand...
There's a setting for full auto - it's like having a point and shoot but with real glass and a great sensor behind it. ;)

. . . unless you meant a polaroid?
francoiswnel said:
Hmm. Good advice, but in this case the lens alone will consume his budget. Nevermind trying to find a dSLR made in this century for that price. The 50 is also kind of a 'nowhere' focal length on crop sensors, esp. if it is the only lens, and in this case alternative to a point and shoot which usually have wide to tele zooms. Not everyone needs a dSLR.

Ugh sorry, I'm just a bit groggy from oversleeping. :wtf:
Click to expand...
Sorry but that makes no sense to me. I use a 50mm all the time - I've got two of them in fact so one is always on at least one of my bodies.

EDIT - and yes it might be a little bit out of the OPs price range but unless you really do like pasty looking popup flash destroying photos of your kids it's money well spent.
 
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I used to use a Sony Cybershot (not sure of the model). Very good at daylight photography. Low-light gives mixed results. However, it takes photos very quickly and the flash is decent enough.
 
bwana said:
Sorry but that makes no sense to me. I use a 50mm all the time - I've got two of them in fact so one is always on at least one of my bodies.
Click to expand...

I think you misunderstood. If you are used to point and shoots, you are used to mostly wide, with some tele reach. The 50 on a crop is a short tele. Yes, it's cheap. Yes, it's fast. Yes, it's good. Yes, I have one, although it broke in two. The 50 is an awesome lens if you know what it's limitations are. My mom/brother/sister will get frustrated as hell shooting indoors with a short tele.

I only shoot with primes. I love them. But it's not the best for everyone. Agreed, some of the best advice to new shooters is to get a nifty fifty... assuming they have a kit lens or similar already.

In this case though, I'd recommend a good compact with a moderate sensor (not more that 10 mp) and a good processor, i.e. Digic 4.
 
francoiswnel said:
I only shoot with primes. I love them. But it's not the best for everyone.
Click to expand...
I'd spend more time cleaning my sensor than I would shooting. I've got the 50mm primes and that's it - everything else is about filling the frame. 24-70, 70-200 and up. I'd like there to be an overlap at 70mm but I cant have it all I suppose.
 
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