Which Camera

[aussiebob]

OK'
Looking to buy a new digital SLR camera for my wife for march next year so I am starting early to get info on Brands ETC
She had an old Cannon SLR film and it was not the best.
So you guys what do you recommend
Camera Brands
Lenses say 35mm to 80mm not sure plus a long distance lens
Where to buy at the best price
All info will be appreciated a lot
PS
My wife loves photography but she is not a professional so the camera needs to be
EASY TO USE
Look forward to your replies
Thanks in advance
Bob

[ving]

all current DSLRs are capable of producing great shots in the right hands. your best bet is to go to a shop and see what feels comfortable to use, but it and learn learn learn...

you can often pick up twin lens kits which include a 18-55mm and a 55-200mm and these are fine to start with. in fact they may be all you'll ever need depending on where you want to go with your photography.

I'd go for one of the big 2 personally (nikon and canon) but any of the other brands are just as good. the reason I'd go for those 2 is because of the lens range available

[ving]

oh and what's your price range? thats pretty important!

[kiwi]

Nikon d5000 & 18-200



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[OzzieTraveller]

G'day AussieBob

Firstly, welcome to the Forum ... it's a great place to exchange information & learn lots & lots of other stuff

You will receive many very useful answers from forum members, and the most important person here is your wife - as recipient of the camera, she is #1 to be considered ... does she know that a new camera is in the wind? - is it a surprise purchase? If so, then please, please get it right

Let me offer some other, non-camera-brand info
I travel eastern Oz running Learn Digital Photography workshops, in conjunction with camera shops in rural & outback towns. In my recently completed tour of Qld, NSW & Vic, there was several occasions where I had students who had been given (by their well-meaning spouses) dSLR cameras that were very good camera systems, but which were hopelessy too complex for them as individuals

I had one woman almost in tears - her hubby had asked his golfing mate (a semi-pro photoographer) for a list of "suitable kit" ... she ended up with an $8000 camera bag with a full-frame camera + 3 beautiful lenses + flash + tripod etc etc ~ and the camera with its "standard" lens was too heavy for her to carry around and hold to her eye for long enough to focus & shoot.

Although it was a system that others on this forum would love to have, it was the worst possible system for that particular person

In my workshops I find that about 1/2 those attending have dSLR cameras, and the other 1/2 have either slip-in-the-pocket mini-compact cameras, or the mid-range cameras called Ultra Zooms ... fixed lens cameras but which have a reasonable-sized zoom lens, and most of the knobs & buttons of dSLR cameras

I'm not going to go into the +/- of various cameras here - I'll let a few others have their 2-bob's worth and come back with more later on

Regards, Phil

[pod3009]

Hi AussieBob,

Last year I got my wife back into photography. We got her a Canon 450D (12 mega pixels) and now are collecting a few lenses along the way. We started with the 18-55mm kit lens and now she uses the 18-135mm Canon lens. She loves it and is taking great photos. This tax time we may well look for a nice long telephoto zoom lens (say 70 to maybe 300mm) - depending on how generous the gov't is with its refund.

The 450D and similar (500D and 550D) are great cameras if you don't like the weight (and expense) of the bigger dSLR cameras such as the 50D, 7D and 5DMk2, and they take terrific pictures. This may be a good way of starting.

I'm sure Nikon would have cameras similar to the Canon range in terms of what they offer - size and weight wise.

Happy hunting.

[OzzieTraveller]

G'day AussieBob

Haven't heard from you for a while ~ I hope you're still with us

The majority of photographers on this site are primarily dSLR people - and they are very, very keen on their photography
Should your beloved follow their example, then a dSLR will be an excellent choice
(but she really needs to have input in its selection .... just like a pair of shoes, the wearer needs to check out the fit & comfort).
However, if your beloved is NOT wanting to get into the interchangeable-lens camera brigade, I suggest that you consider a fixed-lens "Super-Zoom" camera - from the same batch of companies who make the SLR cameras .... Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, Fuji etc etc

Many of them have nearly all the knobs and buttons of a SLR (should she ever wish to use them) but the best part of such a camera is its weight (all-up about the weight of a SLR without its lens) and a price somewhere between $350 & $650

Should you consider this style of camera as an option, then again, she needs to view and select it (shoes again) ...
From my personal examination - and use of - these cameras, some are easy to look thru the eyepiece; some [Canon] have crappy electronic viewfinders, others [Panasonic] are excellent; some are easy on the fingers [Olympus & Fuji] others are "knobbly" [Canon again] and hard to get your fingers around their controls

Hope this helps a bit - and please come back with further queries
Regards, Phil