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Any thoughts for a first DSLR for A level photography? My niece is supposed to be sending me some ideas from her course which I'll post up when I have it, but up to say £400, would do second hand for the same budget if it made a great difference, etc. The course says:
The first year of the course starts with an Introduction to Photography. The introduction is designed to support students who are new to the subject and well as stretching and challenging those who have greater experience in the subject. We cover cameraless photography techniques, pinhole cameras, image analysis, manual camera settings and much more.
After the Introduction, you will move into a module programme exploring the three key areas of the subject. Darkroom Photography, Digital Photography and Studio Photography. The aim of exploring these areas is to give you a range of opportunities and skills that you can use when you move into your second year on the course. This includes black and white film processing and printing, studio lighting, Photoshop and InDesign skills.
During your first year you will also study, Photography and Communication, Professional Futures (Jobs and Photography) and photographing The Henley Royal Regatta
so I assume a general purpose set up.
Then - where's good to go to look at a few and see what you like? Is there a London area with a few shops, or any mega shops that have a selection, etc.
So has she done any photography before A levels? It seems odd that she needs a camera now.
We have an older Finepix that looks like a midget SLR but with a fixed (non-interchangeable) lens (forget the term for these). The good bit with it is it's light, easy to use, allows a little more creative fiddling about than a camera phone and has an optical zoom.
It is responsible for the 1.2m X 1m canvas that has adorned our dining room wall for over a decade. It's not even got that many MP.
My son has a Canon DSLR and takes some beautiful pictures especially when with grandad who has a serious camera habit. Weighs a ton and my heart sinks a bit when he wants (me) to carry it on the hills 😐
Phone is my usual go to and some of the modes produce good results. This was a night mode shot in very low light.
I like the format of the old Finepix we have for a little more flexibility without the bulk.
All that said once you get to photographing things that are far away the DSLR knocks socks off the others but at a cost and I cannot deny my son's better pictures are lovely.
Wish I hadn't re-read north of the border 's post and zoomed in on my picture 😭
oh couple of things i missed:
* bridge camera only works well for wildlife in good conditions, good light, not too uncooperative subject etc
* DLSR very very heavy and bulky
* fancy mirrorless worse than DSLR in some important ways - focus is slow, and the focus points are very large. This is a problem when the subject is obscured (eg bird in a bush) - the DSLR (on spot focus mode) would focus on eaxctly what it was pointing at, so you could pick out the subject. Mirrorless will stubbornly focus on the leaf or whatever
* you only get the good shots out of the fancy kit by pressing all the buttons and using all the settings, bloody hard work and takes ages to learn
focus is slow, and the focus points are very large
Mirrorless will stubbornly focus on the leaf or whatever
That's not true
Learn how to make light work for you (studio photographers tend to set a 1/125 and f5.6 on the camera/lens and then do everything else with the lighting rig).
In the past I have seen articles where the likes of Lichfield and Bailey achieved astounding results in a photo-me booth by playing with the light sources.
After that it's down to your eye and how many images that you take.
i loved the cheapest one. small and light so it went everywhere with me
The best camera is the one you have with you. I adored my IXUS, it lived in a coat pocket during pre-cameraphone days.
That third shot you've got there is ace, nice shooting Tex.
Any thoughts for a first DSLR for A level photography?
From the blurb there, perhaps what you really want is a 35mm SLR without the 'd' bit?
Generally, glass is more important than the camera body. Consider, you're buying into an ecosystem, the Big Two have their strengths and weaknesses but really it boils down to UI. Coming from an IXUS I found a Canon dSLR to be intuitive, a similar Nikon made no sense whatsoever to me. Someone else may say the opposite. A third person may say "what about Sony / Pentax / a host of others?" There's little substitute for going to a camera shop and frobbing about with a few to see (excuse me) what clicks.
Oh yeah, and,
This is one of the single best purchases you can make for/as a budding photomatographer, it's the bible:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-Fourth-Photographs-Camera/dp/1607748509
but really it boils down to UI.
Or not, as the case may be. I don't really care about the UI of a DSLR as it is all just settings menu's which are not much different from each other but then I use Windows at work and either Mac at home in one room and Chromebook in another room so maybe I am not a good use case...
One real benefit of a DSLR is that the UI is not really needed much after initial setup as there should be a button or wheel for 99% of the most used functions. I don't even have the rear screen turned on.
I’d love to start taking more photos of nature, animals and landscapes.
i don’t want to spend too much, budget up to 200, so probably a used dslr
Going back to the original brief my recommendation would be to buy a used compact and see how you get on. It will cover nature and landscapes but not animals and will give you a good idea on the basic concepts of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. You can then trade up if you take to it but hold onto the compact as it comes in handy for things like street photography, holidays etc where you don't mind if anything happens to it.
So has she done any photography before A levels? It seems odd that she needs a camera now.
Some as part of GCSE Art but always on school cameras. Never had a proper one of her own.
Ahh okay - I’d suggest she gets the same manufacturer as the ones she’s used in school then - she’ll be familiar with the controls.
The best camera is the one you have with you
Is a half truth. I always have my phone with me but rarely reach for it if I have a camera I want to have with me.
One way or another these have all taken a "better" photo than any phone I have used.
Forgive the reflection... 
This was taken on the first camera it's an image captured and the moment was gone. No checking, no safety shots. Just a happy moment of a happy dog captured.
The focussing issue was an accident due to a bodged film roll the wrong size for the camera. Still love it though.
Ahh okay – I’d suggest she gets the same manufacturer as the ones she’s used in school then – she’ll be familiar with the controls.
Thanks for taking time to give advice and at the risk of 'Give me some advice - no not that advice' - but really?
On the basis of half a term's experience x 2-3 hours per week, and that being just about the only proper camera ever handled you'd suggest sticking to that brand and dropping up to £400 on it?
Surely some advice on what's good for around that mark either new or secondhand and if that means learning a new set of controls, so be it?
What do others think?
I’m interested to learn about photography, this thread has already made me look at other features within my phone’s camera.
Check out one of the specialist photography apps, particularly Halide. They give you a much wider range of controls, much like you’d find on an SLR. There are others, but Halide is one that’s most often mentioned.
Surely some advice on what’s good for around that mark either new or secondhand and if that means learning a new set of controls, so be it?
Agree. Learning a new set of controls may be hard for the aged people on this forum, for a kid it will takes a few minutes. I am aged and it only takes me a few minutes as I was a serial camera swapper a few years ago (workman/tools)
As mentioned previously the main advancements over the last 15 years have been better ISO performance (less grainy low light photos or ability to use faster shutter speeds in less than ideal daylight) and video (along with live view - not having to look through viewfinder).
The mirrorless aspect is nether here nor there for picture quality or how the camera is to use but it will make the camera smaller/lighter.
So you need to decide which of those are the priority.
Will they be interested in video, do they want a light camera, do they need good high ISO performance and are they actually going to do wildlife photography (sitting around for hours and waiting for that shot)
Presumably can buy used? Browse through MPB and get a DSLR body for around 150 (i.e. D7000 for £130) and then a 70-300 less and maybe a 35 or 50 lens. Would be a good usable set of equipment for around £300. It won't be up to date and it won't be the best lenses but it will be £300.
Surely some advice on what’s good for around that mark either new or secondhand and if that means learning a new set of controls, so be it?
But the school will undoubtedly be using decent-enough cameras though - nobody is going to go wrong by choosing to use the same camera/brand they have some experience of. The difference in quality between any of the main players' DSLRs is next to nothing until you get to the higher end.
nobody is going to go wrong by choosing to use the same camera/brand they have some experience of.
This is clearly a struggle for you, fair enough, but many people are not going to care. How you control various things on a DSLR is mainly on buttons so if the button is in a different place why is that should a big deal.
The camera I have enjoyed using the most is an X100 which is nothing like a DSLR in controls but I could switch between the two without any issues.
This is clearly a struggle for you, fair enough, but many people are not going to care. How you control various things on a DSLR is mainly on buttons so if the button is in a different place why is that should a big deal.
It's not a big deal at all. Conversely, it's not a big deal to choose a, say, Nikon over a Canon because the person has experience (albeit limited) of using Nikon so doesn't have to learn new controls just because someone on the interweb says that a Canon is a better choice than a Nikon.
But having to learn new controls is not a big deal so not really seeing your point here but fine, don't want to take the thread off in a stupid direction. You clearly do care about the control placement otherwise you wouldn't even mention it but others don't. Maybe ask the person who is going to be using the camera and leave it at that.
Are you having a bad day Kerley?