…for a beginner.

I think Mrs SP has a latent talent for photography and would like to encourage this by treating her to something decent

Mind you, I could be wrong so don’t want to splash too much cash at this stage just something to whet her appetite. Perhaps a zoom lens too to capture some of the wildlife in our garden.

I know nothing about this sort of thing, but see there are a fair few photographers on here. Perhaps you can give me some pointers?

Budget? Not that I am that knowledgeable but a cheap SLR like Canon EOS 400D or Nikon D40x would be many people’s choices. Or something like a Canon G9/10 which is compact but with full manual control like an SLR (I think)

I only know this because I have been looking into getting a better camera.

I was thinking around the £500 mark but honestly don’t know whether this is realistic/too much.

I just picked that figure coz that is what I would spend on a bike for her if I thought she had a latent talent for cycling. Which she doesn’t

Can’t go wrong with a Nikon D40x or D60 SLR, although there are Canon/Sony equivalents that’ll probably do the job as well to all intents and purposes.

Some of the more ‘manual’ compacts may be a good starting point, but I am not sure how good they are in the long term. I bought a ‘bridge’ camera that had manual controls etc. but found after a couple of yrs, I was quite limited with what I could do with it.

Just got back from a week at CicloMontana and had the chance to fiddle with my mates D60 (I’ve got a D80) and I was pretty impressed with it.

Canon / Nikon can’t go wrong with even their basics dslr cameras.

Make sure the lens has a macro capability if she’s going to shoot stuff in the garden.

Really you need to decide if you want a compact style camera or a dSLR.

A good camera is one you take pictures with, not leave at home because its too big/heavy. For that reason I went for a Canon Powershot G10, as said above, it is very much like a dSLR with the way its setup. It’s a little bigger than most compacts, but a lot smaller and lighter than dSLR. You can use it as a point n shoot or get creative and go manual with some or all settings.

Dunno if things have changed, but if you’re a Mac user, Canon cams could be finnicky, iirc. I remember my flatmate having issues wih hers; 350D/Intel iMac. something to do with how Canon format the memory cards. Nikons seem to work without issue, with Macs. Both companies make fantastic cams though.

Sony DSLRs have won loads of awards… and are rapidly gaining more popularity..

I’m just trying to get to grips with mine.

RudeBoy nonne of that about Macs and Canons makes any sense whatsoever. Memory cards are formatted as FAT32. I am not aware of any issues in running Canon cameras with Macs. I’ve used a 300D with a Powerbook and MacPro, a 30D with a PowerBook and MacPro, and a Powershot 1000SX 100 with a MacPro. The 300D and 30D were mainly using RAW files and the Powershot, JPEG.

Go with one of the prosumer Nikons. Simple, easy to use and good image quality. In fact, so simple even my mother can use one (which takes a lot of beating).

I think one of the new ones will take HD video, but I’m guessing that will be a little pricey.

I'm going to go with the Nikon D5000 – it seems to get very good reviews and I note that there an awful lot of books dedicated to this particular camera, (or is it the same book edited for all DSLR's)

Anyway, does anybody own/use this camera that can give me a good reason not to go for it?

Some D5000 have had a recall (might even be two) over a power problem

Best have a google and see what serial numbers are affected in case you buy older stock
Not overly sure of the details, just remember seeing something when I was looking to buy a new DSLR

Went for the Canon 500D mainly because that's what suited by unusually small hands
Really would be a good idea to let your missus handle the cameras first, she is never going to enjoy using it if the handling is all wrong

I got a canon EOS 450D. My first SLR and I love it. Warehouse Express dotcom have them for about £450 with a lens kit.

A lot of people on talkphotography are raving about the Panasonic GF1. The problem many people have with DSLR's like the Nikons, Canons and Sonys mentioned above is their size and weight can make them a pain to carry around. The GF1 is small, light, and very good. There's loads on info on the thread I've linked to. If I wasn't a good way down the Nikon route myself I'd certainly consider one.

I have a Cannon G10 (although the range has now been updated to include the G11 model rather than the older G10). I'm currently somewhere rather cold, rather dusty and rather hard on more or less everything, especially delicate electronic equipment.

The G10 is performing flawlessly. I'm getting a very healthy battery life from it, I love the programmable mode and you can also control Aperature and Exposure. As a first step towards more powerful cameras I couldn't reccomend this camera enough as it is robust and easy to use. It's also possibly worth noting that alot of the controls for this camera involve tirning dials on the top of the camera rather than navigating menus within the camera itself, which is something that I really really like! Oh…and the picture quality is truly breathtaking.

If I were to criticise the camera at all it would be for the fact that it 'only' has a x5 optical zoom and you have to use Cannon's own software to convert any photographs taken in RAW mode. Beyond that it's probably the best non-bike bit of kit I've ever bought.

I'm also using a KATA case to keep it safe which is a really good mid-point between a neoprene case and a heavy duty Peli Case.

Finally I've found warehouse direct to be a very good and helpful company to buy photographic equipment from, sort of like Chain Reaction…only for cameras, and based in Norwich.

No idea when I'll be online again so all the best and hope you find the camera you're looking for!

I have a Cannon G10 (although the range has now been updated to include the G11 model rather than the older G10). I'm currently somewhere rather cold, rather dusty and rather hard on more or less everything, especially delicate electronic equipment.

The G10 is performing flawlessly. I'm getting a very healthy battery life from it, I love the programmable mode and you can also control Aperature and Exposure. As a first step towards more powerful cameras I couldn't reccomend this camera enough as it is robust and easy to use. It's also possibly worth noting that alot of the controls for this camera involve tirning dials on the top of the camera rather than navigating menus within the camera itself, which is something that I really really like! Oh…and the picture quality is truly breathtaking.

If I were to criticise the camera at all it would be for the fact that it 'only' has a x5 optical zoom and you have to use Cannon's own software to convert any photographs taken in RAW mode. Beyond that it's probably the best non-bike bit of kit I've ever bought.

I'm also using a KATA case to keep it safe which is a really good mid-point between a neoprene case and a heavy duty Peli Case.

Finally I've found warehouse direct to be a very good and helpful company to buy photographic equipment from, sort of like Chain Reaction…only for cameras, and based in Norwich.

No idea when I'll be online again so all the best and hope you find the camera you're looking for!