# camera people



## Nick16 (22 Jun 2009)

hi, im looking for a decent camera as the one i have doesnt provide decent image quality (old pentax optio A10)
i think my next step may be a digital slr. so all you guys who have a decent camera and can take those amazing shots, what camera do you have? 
some info on these would be champion   

*Features  
Image Quality  
Value  
Overall  *


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## Jase (22 Jun 2009)

What is your budget? Canon 450Dis a great entry DSLR camera, though I'm sure someone will suggest a Nikon   and you could probably get the d60 or a used d200 for the same money


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## Nick16 (23 Jun 2009)

well, i dont want to spend more than 300 but neaer to 200 is better. cheaper the better really but not cheap and cheerful if you get me.


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## Dan Crawford (23 Jun 2009)

I had a Canon 350D and got some good results with it, Graeme Edwards has one and his results speak for themselves! You could no doubt find one of them, if you got a 450D for that money then you'd be doing real well.


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## aaronnorth (23 Jun 2009)

it isnt a DSLR, but i use a Fuji Finepix S5700 which cost me Â£88 brand new  It is a bridge camera (the next step up between a compact & SLR)
my pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anorth1/

Nikon D40's are around Â£200-Â£250 depending on where you look.


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## Nick16 (23 Jun 2009)

is 7 million pixels better than 10 mega pixels? i think it is but im unsure?


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## fish.com1 (23 Jun 2009)

I am also looking to buy a new camera (birthday in 2 weeks  ), and at the minute I am looking at the super zoom bridge cameras, which like Aaron said, are halfway between the compact's and the slr's. I am liking the look of the fujifilm finepix camera's, such as the Fujifilm finepix s8100fd - http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/consumer/digital/digital-cameras/d-slr-long-zoom/finepix-s8100fd-119771 ,and they aren't too expensive either, so they could be an option.

Hope this helps.


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## Nick16 (23 Jun 2009)

i havent a clue what all the technical specs are! the fuji cameras look good but i cant tell if one is better than another. all i know is that having more pixels is good


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## BigTom (23 Jun 2009)

For that sort of money, superzooms are probably your best bet, as fish.com said. DSLRs get very expensive once you start factoring in specialist lenses etc.


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## Nick16 (23 Jun 2009)

yeah i see. i just get so confused, i dont know what 99% of the stuff means. i just want a camera that can take really nice shots of my fish tank and use it in day to day life. but i dont want to spend a bomb!


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## Dave Spencer (23 Jun 2009)

More megapixels is something of a myth.

Buy an entry level DSLR from one of the main manufacturers and you will be fine.

Dave.


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## Nick16 (23 Jun 2009)

ahh right ok, see i dont know these things and if you dont ask......   

cheers for that info. i think i might go for around 10 million pixels. but i will consult some camera fans in my family and then decide which one is best for me.


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## aaronnorth (23 Jun 2009)

megapixels doesnt really matter, unless you are going for large prints which i doubt you will. lenses are more important than the camera (to some degree.)
just some basic terms:

aperture (f/) - a larger aperture (smaller number!) for example f/3.5 will minimize the depth of field, and because it is a large opening in the lense, it gives you a quicker shutter speed due to more light being allowed in. A small aperture (big number) like f/22 will give you a greater depth of field., but slower shutter speed
SO for macro shots, and lurring the background f.3.5 will be used most of the time, although you start to experiment once you get used to it.

ISO - camera's sensitivity too light. a low ISO (ISO100) is better, as it reduced noise (little dots on pictures) but it also gives you a slower shutter speed so not always ideal for taking fish pictures, unless you have a load of light over the subject, hence why people on here have studio lighting, 
A high ISO (ISO1600) will give you a quicker shutter speed, but may induce noise on the image, but on better camera's they can handle higher ISO's better. I can remeber seeing one of George's shot with ISO 12800  

Shutter speed - this is how fast the shutter closes. 1/125sec is quick enough for most fish. Trying to achieve this is a combination of the above.

I use aperture priority, This means you set the f/ and the ISO and the camera chooses a suitable shutter speed to get the correctly exposed image. eg i set it too f/3.5 and ISO400 and i get a shutter speed of about 1/60th sec. If i go any higher on the ISO i get considerable noise.
thanks.


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## Nick16 (23 Jun 2009)

thanks for the info mate. It is much appreciated. as said before  i like the prices of the fuji's, it seems hard to find a camera that *seems* to have as much for the same price.


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## oldwhitewood (25 Jun 2009)

You could maybe pick up a second hand Nikon D40 with the kit lens for quite cheap I reckon.


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## Nick16 (25 Jun 2009)

any links or good sites?


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## Dan Crawford (25 Jun 2009)

oldwhitewood said:
			
		

> You could maybe pick up a second hand Nikon D40 with the kit lens for quite cheap I reckon.


Thats similar to what i was trying to say, the D40 and 350D are very alike in that they are bot an entry level SLR and you can get great results from both.


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## Nick16 (25 Jun 2009)

i havent a clue where to start hunting for a second hand camera....


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## Mark Evans (25 Jun 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> hunting for a second hand camera....



try LCE AKA London camera exchange. you may find some good stuff. it's all a gamble


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## Mark Evans (25 Jun 2009)

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/

sorry


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## davidcmadrid (27 Jun 2009)

Nick16 said:
			
		

> is 7 million pixels better than 10 mega pixels? i think it is but im unsure?



Unless you intend to blow the pics up to a large size no. If its for close up ( aqaurium shots ) best spend the money on good lens  at the front rather than high pixels on the back. Check out Jessops refurbished, i think they list what they have on their website , often what is labelled refurbished is actually ex demo in the shop and their   rating  system is " honest " , they clean all lenses before shipping. Just to get back to the aquarium ( if thats what its for get a macro lens ). Neither area are where you need to spend a lot of money here, the challenge in aqaurium photography is the light especially if you have _mixed_ colour temperature flourescents then its the macro lens.  Id hazard an educated guess and say that a 350d with the right lens on front ( macro ) would beat the latest and greatest non macro on the market at the moment , its all about light and lenses and less about the body these days , hope that helps.

Close up or Macro is a little bit of a sideshow in photograhpy so you probably wont get it in Dixons and while some of the terms can be a bit daunting a little perseverance in choosing the kit that suits your budget and comes in spec will pay big dividends in terms of being able to produce stunning photographs of your tank. A decent macro lens starts at about 80 pounds ( again Jessops may have something second hand ). If i recall correctly ring Jessops switch and ask for David Ryan, used to deal with him a lot and hes a real gent.


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## Mark Evans (27 Jun 2009)

This....

http://www.nextag.co.uk/Sigma-70-300mm- ... rices-html

it's the exact same lens for this image.

with something like a 350D and some good lighting should give you the ability to give you this...






whether it's a 350d, 450 or a 5D at smaller size images the difference wouldn't be that huge.


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## Sye Davies (27 Jun 2009)

taken with a canon 350D with a canon 100mm macro lens using the pre set camera macro settings.


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## BigTom (27 Jun 2009)

www.talkphotography.co.uk have a great used equipment section for people who use the forum. Generally pretty trustworthy folk too. www.avforums.com has a camera section too. 

(I hope linking to other forums is OK?!)


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## skinz180189 (27 Jun 2009)

Try photography on the net (POTN) for second hand camera equipment. I have a Nikon D40, which is a great beginner DSLR, but I've outgrown it. My main gripe with it is shooting in low light and the poor choice of auto focus lenses. Unfortunately I can't afford to step up to a D90, and there's no point in getting a D60 as there's not much difference lol.


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## Nick16 (29 Jun 2009)

i have been looking on various forums but not much going at the mo. had a look on fleabay but they are wayy beyond my budget.


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## Nick16 (24 Jul 2009)

removed my post, my question is sorted,


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