What camera to buy? Clueless!

[user84749201]

It's a minefield!

Would like to buy DW a camera for her birthday, budget £600ish.

I'm thinking mirrorless, rather than DSLR? My reading seems to suggest mirrorless are the 'future' cameras and DSLR don't have new lenses being made (I think that's right, apologies if not!)

It would mostly be used for landscapes and photos of the DC. Rarely used for videos.

She's a complete beginner, enjoys taking pictures on her iPhone and has talked on and off over the years about taking it up properly as a hobby.

Any help would be very much appreciated, I feel like I'm going round in circles.

First question - does it have to be new or would you consider secondhand? £600 won't get you a very high quality camera new, but you could get a very decent entry-level mirrorless second-hand.

Mirrorless cameras are lighter and more portable than DSLR - the main weight and bulk tends to be in the lens. You don't get a great deal of optical zoom with the supplied kit lens, but resolution in a modern camera is high enough that you can crop to get round this to an extent. Additional lenses are expensive but it does mean you can build your kit gradually. Whenever I have tried a DSLR I find it far too heavy, so I prefer mirrorless.

Another option to consider is a bridge camera - they have a built in lens with a high zoom and simpler controls for the beginner, but a much smaller range of adjustment for shutter/aperture - not usually any good for night photos - and some people think quality-wise they are not much better than a high-spec phone camera nowadays, but you do get the benefit of superzoom.

I find this site really good for camera reviews -

https://www.photographyblog.com

Just reading the reviews of different models can help you narrow down what you are looking for.

If you are prepared to go secondhand, I would look for an entry-level mirrorless. If you want new, I would look for the best spec bridge camera you can find within your budget.

I love my Nikons I have a D50 and D40, but they are now 'vintage'.... although not as old as my 35mm Ricoh SLR camera!!
I'm very out of date with cameras now, and technology moves on, but I still love my Nikons, I like the fact I can change lenses so I have several zooms, a fisheye, wide angle, micro and bog standard. I like the fact I can change settings, go automatic or manual. I still find manual better for certain photos, as automatic is still not as good as the human eye!
I also like the fact I can do slow shutter release photos, and change the aperture and film speed settings for light and speed conditions.
The only thing I would say about my Nikons, it's now very dated technology, and the highest sd card I can put in them in 2GB!!
It really does depend on what your wife wants to do. I'm an old git, so had my own photo lab in my teens, and part of the fun was seeing the photos develop! Since having dc I haven't had time to keep up with photography, and my D50 and D40 get very little exercise now!
I'd like to have a dark room again, but getting hold of black and white film has become a bit of a challenge, but I still think digital will never be as long lasting or as good quality as 35mm film!

Thank you both, definitely some food for thought!

@Sethera I would prefer to buy new but I can see that my budget isn't going to stretch very far sadly!

I would say look at either the Sony a6100 or the a6400. They are both very good cameras and Amazon currently have them on a discount at 30% off so are only just over £600 budget:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Alpha-Mirrorless-APS-C-Camera/dp/B07X69YCZQ/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Mirrorless-Autofocus-Megapixels-Recording/dp/B07MWDP1VD/

@user84749201 Try CEX if you take the secondhand route and look for 'A' items which are mint condition and will come with all original box and peripherals and 24 month warranty. You could also try any local camera specialist shops. I've had two cameras from CEX with no issues; both mine were B grade but had no glaring damage, just a few small scratches on bodywork.

I would recommend going to a camera shop and asking for advice. London Camera Exchange in Derby are excellent but there are similar shops in many places. Going second hand is a very good idea if your budget is limited. Unfortunately £600 is actually a limited budget in the camera world, suffice it to say husband just spent nearly £2000 on a second hand lens - yes, you heard that right, second hand.

Also bear in mind that with mirrorless, if you take the lens off to change it when outside, the sensor is exposed to grit, dust, rain. With a DSLR the sensor is protected.