Upgrade camera for Xmas

[kaytronika]

Have bought second hand from mpb before who offer six months warranty.

[jen10]

It all depends upon what type of photography she likes to do, portrait or landscapes, does she need a zoom lens or a good macro lens? will she be shooting in low light often? Depending on what type of photography she does will dictate the type of camera you buy

[DisneyDaffodil]

Thank you Jen, she takes a lot of wildlife photography. She also takes views and sunsets.

She uses her macro mode on her current camera for close ups of insects on plants or seeds etc. At the moment she only has her built in zoom but I know she is keen to use different lenses to zoom for taking photos of birds in trees near our home for example. She also enjoys messing with different effects to create mood. Don't know if any of my explanations make sense, I know very little about photography so excuse my ignorance 😊. But our daughter really enjoys it and seems to have an eye for taking good photos.

[gl20]

Based on the above, of you we're going for a new DSLR starter kit which will normally come with an 18-55 lens (means it has a fairly middle of the road focal length with a bit of zoom) then the second lens you would want would be best if longer focal length / more zoom for wildlife, something like a 70-300. The 18-55 will be fine for sunsets. What you would need to do without (unless you buy a third or fourth lens) is being able to take a wide landscape shot or a macro shot. But that's how it goes with SLRs. Better quality, less compromised but not all in one. If you're DD sticks with the hobby she can then buy more lenses in the future. This is what we did having started with the lenses above (then got to appreciate benefits of a portrait prime so got one of those next, wide will be next etc)

Something like this would be good although I appreciate is a bit over budget

dronesforless/digit...yABEgJNqfD_BwE

If it wasn't for photobucket blocking photos etc I'd add a link to a trip report that shows you what sort of photos she might be able to take!

One other thing. If you go ahead and others in your family are looking for ideas for what to buy her too... Photoshop elements or similar is a great package for photo editing. About £70. Not essential when starting out but definitely a good upgrade and something she'd probably want eventually anyway.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Thank you gl20 that is a great help. That package looks a great deal for all you get, may have to get DH to get more overtime in 😀
We realise that there will be some compromises with lens but as you say, new lens can be birthday and Xmas gifts as her interest grows.
My other concern is the weight of a DSLR compared to her current Coolpix. She constantly wears her camera with a neckstrap when she goes anywhere where there is a photo opportunity and never complains about the weight. Obviously this can mean long days wearing it in Florida for example. Would a DSLR be much heavier or around the same weight? I have checked a few specs and they seem to be the same or slightly lighter but will the lens add much more to them? Thanks for the help 😊

[BucksBugsy]

I think £400 should buy a pretty decent DSLR. I used to have (and still do) and Olympus DSLR which is about 10 years old but I really love it. Built like a tank ad with a really good choice of lenses.

I do agree with your DD that DSLRs are generally better than compacts for several reasons - including

1) They often have a better choice of non-auto modes
2) If you have a zoom lens on one then optical zoom beats digital zoom any day in my opinion
3) You can change the lenses
4) They are often better built than compacts (but some higher end compacts can be pretty good)
5) You can add an external flash gun which (depending on model) allows you to do bounce flash. This is very important to me because two things I detested when I had a compact camera were red-eye and shadows. Thankfully most compacts have modes to reduce red-eye now

[DisneyDaffodil]

Thanks BB, that is really helpful. You are right about needing to be sturdy. My DD was scrambling over slippery rocks on a Cornish beach a couple of years ago to take photos of rock pool creatures, and slipped. She went flying, I panicked in case she had hit her head on rocks or sprained/broken her ankle, and she was only worried about if she had damaged her camera 😀. Luckily both DD and camera only had a few scrapes.

[BucksBugsy]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

Thanks BB, that is really helpful. You are right about needing to be sturdy. My DD was scrambling over slippery rocks on a Cornish beach a couple of years ago to take photos of rock pool creatures, and slipped. She went flying, I panicked in case she had hit her head on rocks or sprained/broken her ankle, and she was only worried about if she had damaged her camera 😀. Luckily both DD and camera only had a few scrapes.

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No problem - happy to help. Let us know what you choose in the end (please)

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by BerkshireBugsy

No problem - happy to help. Let us know what you choose in the end (please)

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Yes, I will. We are planning on buying in December, make full use of the warranty.

[gl20]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

Thank you gl20 that is a great help. That package looks a great deal for all you get, may have to get DH to get more overtime in 😀
We realise that there will be some compromises with lens but as you say, new lens can be birthday and Xmas gifts as her interest grows.
My other concern is the weight of a DSLR compared to her current Coolpix. She constantly wears her camera with a neckstrap when she goes anywhere where there is a photo opportunity and never complains about the weight. Obviously this can mean long days wearing it in Florida for example. Would a DSLR be much heavier or around the same weight? I have checked a few specs and they seem to be the same or slightly lighter but will the lens add much more to them? Thanks for the help 😊

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No problem. On the weight question. Yes, bound to be heavier than a compact although at this price an SLR will be a crop sensor meaning smaller lenses and a plastic body. I've not gone full frame/sensor (yet!) and have always just used the neck strap. A lot of people will advise a sling strap as a worthwhile investment / replacement for the strap that will come with the camera. Can't comment personally but definitely worth a look. Seem to be around £40. More expense but, again, a gift from someone else?