It all depends on the type of camera - a pocket one, a bridge camera, or a DSLR where you can change lenses...
Bilbo.
Bilbo.
Camera advice
- Thread starter Kurt.
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ForeverBlue92
Player Valuation: £80m
DSLR's are probably the best option although they can be a bit pricey.
Cant go wrong with Nikon but might be worth looking for a second hand one as a lot of the "better" cameras tend to be in excess of £300.00.
In all honesty dont pay over the odds if its just for a hobby you don't need high spec.
Honestly I have absolutely no idea where to start, it’s for a total novice who wants to take photos of the outdoors, I appreciate £300 is not a great budget but I’m sure I could get something adequate in that price category, also I would prefer to buy new rather than second hand although I do appreciate that limits me a little.
At that price point, a bridge camera maybe your best option, something like this
www.currys.co.uk
PANASONIC Lumix DC-FZ82EB-K Bridge Camera - Black
18.9 megapixels; Sensor type: 1/2.3
www.currys.co.uk
I've got a Nikon D3400, which is an almost identical spec to the D3500 but cheaper as it is an older model. I got mine from an auction place near Bedford for £150 in 2019. They were retailing for around £300 at the time.
The camera was still boxed and unopened (from Dixons) and has been absolutely perfect. It might be worth checking out local auction places, the one I've mentioned has an auction every Saturday and issues a full listing online in advance so you can see exactly what is being sold and make checks in advance to get an idea of what a good purchase price would be.
It is a bit like buying someone a jumper ,I would tell them what you want to do and let them pick .Go on review sites and see what people who know think of any prospective purchase ,normally as said above buying an older model but still new would be my advice as you would/should get it for a better price .
I know very little about photography but had a Nikon many years ago and it was so hard to work it all out especially because it was a film camera and all mistakes came back to haunt me two weeks later .Now I use an old Canon and my phone .
Ask the friend how they use the camera on their phone and see how they handle the settings etc. It might give an idea .
I know very little about photography but had a Nikon many years ago and it was so hard to work it all out especially because it was a film camera and all mistakes came back to haunt me two weeks later .Now I use an old Canon and my phone .
Ask the friend how they use the camera on their phone and see how they handle the settings etc. It might give an idea .
If it is for a novice photographer who is interested in the outdoors, you might actually want to think about a good compact camera like the Panasonic DMC TZ80/81. It has a decent zoom and video capabilities and they can fiddle about with non-auto aperture, speed and ISO controls when they want to get a little more into it. (I've used this one and earlier versions for web work for many years.) Only drawback for me is that it doesn't have an inbuilt ND filter.
In that type of camera, I would actually highly recommend the Sony RX100 V or VA secondhand (or the newer ZV1) as it is a fabulous little piece of equipment and does great video as well as all the camera stuff. (The main advantage is the tremendous lens, which has some great technical aspects which I won't go into here!). But I can appreciate you might not want to give a used piece of equipment as a present, though.
As far as 'traditional' digital cameras go, I had to pick up a Nikon (D7100) to replace my aged analogue camera. I've always found Nikon very reliable at that end, although they are now out of fashion, and the 3500 someone mentioned earlier would certainly do the job. The only thing I would suggest they strongly consider is the difference between lugging camera and three lenses around outdoors compared to slipping a compact in your pocket. I probably use a compact 90% (or more) of the time for exactly that reason.
What you also might want to do is get them a course from someone like Digital Photogaphy School - something like the 31 Days to Becoming a Better Photographer. And find a good Youtube channel. Mark Denney is very good for outdoor photography and Thomas Alex Norman is excellent for beginner outdoor and travel video, as is the guy at Learn Online Video (although he mostly concentrates on smartphone video, most of the principles are the same). It is also worth picking up a good manual for the camera written by a photographer.
Added: ...but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what they get, the main thing is getting out there and using it most days and seeing what works and what doesn't when it comes to things like framing, composition, etc. Which is why looking at the courses and YT stuff is recommended above.
In that type of camera, I would actually highly recommend the Sony RX100 V or VA secondhand (or the newer ZV1) as it is a fabulous little piece of equipment and does great video as well as all the camera stuff. (The main advantage is the tremendous lens, which has some great technical aspects which I won't go into here!). But I can appreciate you might not want to give a used piece of equipment as a present, though.
As far as 'traditional' digital cameras go, I had to pick up a Nikon (D7100) to replace my aged analogue camera. I've always found Nikon very reliable at that end, although they are now out of fashion, and the 3500 someone mentioned earlier would certainly do the job. The only thing I would suggest they strongly consider is the difference between lugging camera and three lenses around outdoors compared to slipping a compact in your pocket. I probably use a compact 90% (or more) of the time for exactly that reason.
What you also might want to do is get them a course from someone like Digital Photogaphy School - something like the 31 Days to Becoming a Better Photographer. And find a good Youtube channel. Mark Denney is very good for outdoor photography and Thomas Alex Norman is excellent for beginner outdoor and travel video, as is the guy at Learn Online Video (although he mostly concentrates on smartphone video, most of the principles are the same). It is also worth picking up a good manual for the camera written by a photographer.
Added: ...but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what they get, the main thing is getting out there and using it most days and seeing what works and what doesn't when it comes to things like framing, composition, etc. Which is why looking at the courses and YT stuff is recommended above.
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