Camera suggestions

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Wasp_21

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Good Day all,

No flaming please!

My wife has indicated she wishes to try her hand at Photography. Not professionally, but to populate our house with good photos. I have thought of getting her something for xmas, but am totally in the dark (no pun intended). I have read posts reffering to SLR cameras and things i have no idea of. Could you pro's suggest a starting point, and prefferably not one of these run of the mill "cellphone" cameras. My budget is limited to R3K - R3.5K. Any suggestions are welcome.

Many thanks.
 
A dslr might be outside your budget but if you can stretch to R4100 I'd have a look at the canon S95 point and shoot.
 
For your budget it is not worth going for a SLR. You will only be able to get the standard 18-55mm kit lense and will limit you. You will then have to buy extra lenses to be able to do more.
My advise would be the Canon Powershot SX30is which is 14 megapixels, 35x Optical Zoom with an image stabelizer, and the pictures will be fairly decent.
https://www.ormsdirect.co.za/photog...and-shoot/canon/canon-pwershot-sx30-is-camera
 
I have a Nikon L110 , bought to R2999 few months back , awesome camera and takes AA batteries which i prefer as sometimes you just need to take photos of something and your litium battery which is alot lighter takes a few hours to charge. The camera is selling for R1999 at Game / Makro now
 
In my experience the DSLR kit lenses offered these days are generally more capable than the majority of people using them. 18-55 is also a pretty decent range which would cover landscapes to portraits with ease.

The only problem with a dslr is cost, the cheapest models tend to hover around the R5k and up mark.
 
bwana said:
A dslr might be outside your budget but if you can stretch to R4100 I'd have a look at the canon S95 point and shoot.
Click to expand...

Precisely what I was going to recommend, you can still get the s90's at some places which will be in your budget, and there is not much difference.
 
I'll add my voice for the Canon Powershot S95. I already have it in my Amazon basket - just waiting for payday :)
 
Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.

She is starting off, so i won't be investing in high end lenses and so -on, just yet, but i like the suggestions so far. i'll have a look at those models. Thanks again.
 
Chaps, Nikon D5000? Prices? where to buy? My choices are pretty much down to the Kodak Easyshare and the Canon Powershot Sx 30 is. Just testing for other theories. Thanks again.
 
The D5000 is unfortunately about double your price-range :D

Having gone for DSLR a year ago and loving the experience, I'd still recommend a good point-and-shoot in retrospect. Something with at least 12MP, 10x optical zoom and well-regarded image quality should fall nicely in your price range, whilst offering sufficient image settings to provide the missus with the tools she needs. I'd add my vote for the S95 though

Just as an indication for a starter SLR kit, consider the bag, additional memory, spare battery, tripod, in addition to extra lenses (the urge tends to bug you until you spend the cash). It tends to becomes an expensive hobby. If you're not planning to spend more funds within the next year, rather get a good P&S IMO.
 
Wasp_21 said:
Chaps, Nikon D5000? Prices? where to buy? My choices are pretty much down to the Kodak Easyshare and the Canon Powershot Sx 30 is. Just testing for other theories. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Check out the thread I started. Considering the canon sx 30 or sony h1, similar prices. Apparently the SX30 doesnt work well in low light conditions
 
flarkit said:
The D5000 is unfortunately about double your price-range :D

Having gone for DSLR a year ago and loving the experience, I'd still recommend a good point-and-shoot in retrospect. Something with at least 12MP, 10x optical zoom and well-regarded image quality should fall nicely in your price range, whilst offering sufficient image settings to provide the missus with the tools she needs. I'd add my vote for the S95 though

Just as an indication for a starter SLR kit, consider the bag, additional memory, spare battery, tripod, in addition to extra lenses (the urge tends to bug you until you spend the cash). It tends to becomes an expensive hobby. If you're not planning to spend more funds within the next year, rather get a good P&S IMO.
Click to expand...
Was about to ask "disregard my previous post". just seen the D5000 pricing. Very nice, but like you say, out of my range. I noticed nobody has suggested Pentax? seen Pentax X90. Can stretch my budget, and it gets a decent review? This is becoming a very interesting endeavour.
 
Wasp_21 said:
Was about to ask "disregard my previous post". just seen the D5000 pricing. Very nice, but like you say, out of my range. I noticed nobody has suggested Pentax? seen Pentax X90. Can stretch my budget, and it gets a decent review? This is becoming a very interesting endeavour.
Click to expand...

I dont't know the X90, but check out the W90 - they're waterproof. As in, you can take them diving. 6m deep. And they make decent pictures too...
 
Fujifilm S1800. Very nice! Way less than your budget, and all the features you need to start learning..
 
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