Need New Digital Camera. Budget ~ $300


Status
Not open for further replies.

fWord

Senior Member
Jun 23, 2005
3,350
0
36
41
Melbourne, Australia
Good day All!

One of my younger cousins is thinking about jumping into photography, but all she wants to spend is about $300. Exceeding this budget by a little will be alright as well. I've been tasked by her parents to hunt out something for her that's within the budget.

So far, I've shortlisted the following:

Canon PowerShot A510/520
Canon PowerShot A85 (don't know if this is still on sale)
Kodak EasyShare DX7440 (don't really like the image quality, but it's good otherwise)

ANY brand is fine, as long as you believe that it is good value and well-priced. If you wish to help, please suggest some models and the prices (and perhaps the shops) as well. I will take the time to read up reviews on your suggested models after that.

Thank you very much. Any help is much appreciated.
 

Just curious how old is she.

If she is really "jumping into SERIOUS photography", then a SLR/DSLR or prosumer might be better for learning. As she can learn to control the camera. Else it is just learning simple limited point and shoot photography where the camera control everything for u. Serious Photography is a expensive hobby. :)
 

honestly... for very beginner... Film slr offers a cheap option. You can quick up a decent 2nd hand slr with 28-70mm lens for maybe 250-400....
 

fWord said:
Good day All!

So far, I've shortlisted the following:

Canon PowerShot A510/520
Canon PowerShot A85 (don't know if this is still on sale)

Thank you very much. Any help is much appreciated.

I dun think abt $300 can get these 2 Canon cameras... unless if you hunt for used examples. Brand new Canon A series way over $300...
 

Lenovo said:
Just curious how old is she.

If she is really "jumping into SERIOUS photography", then a SLR/DSLR or prosumer might be better for learning. As she can learn to control the camera. Else it is just learning simple limited point and shoot photography where the camera control everything for u. Serious Photography is a expensive hobby. :)

She's about 15, and it's a good question...I'm not sure how keen she really is going to be in photography. But perhaps that will also be partially dependent on her first camera. She will probably need something that is easy to use and reasonably flexible so that she can grow into it over time.

If she enjoys her first cam as much as I did mine (a PowerShot A40) over two years ago, she might decide to get more serious gear. :D
 

nemesis32 said:
honestly... for very beginner... Film slr offers a cheap option. You can quick up a decent 2nd hand slr with 28-70mm lens for maybe 250-400....

Film would be a good option for the budget, but I don't think she'll enjoy having to wait for her prints to return. And since she will be experimenting in the initial stages of her hobby, she might need something that is easier to use but will allow room for growth. If she steps into film, even I won't be able to help her, unfortunately.
 

wrx_sti_22b said:
I dun think abt $300 can get these 2 Canon cameras... unless if you hunt for used examples. Brand new Canon A series way over $300...

Gosh...I thought the A series was around the $300 mark. So what would your recommendations be at this price point?
 

Snowcrash said:
up the budget to $400

I might be able to negotiate with her parents for that, but what models do you recommend for a budget up to $400?
 

fWord said:
I might be able to negotiate with her parents for that, but what models do you recommend for a budget up to $400?

at $399 a lot of models...

the Canon A series, Nikon 3700 (old model not sure still selling), olympus mju (weatherproof)

All these have EV compensation and compact, so very good for learning about composition and carry everywhere.
 

Canon A510 is cheaper and newer then A85. They run on 2 batts instead of 4. Retail price for A510 is $399 now. AP and CP may sell them at a lower price. :)
 

Good camera for beginners.No point buying or jumping into a Prosumer or DSLR/SLR..that should only come in when you have sort of mastered the basics of good composition or a balanced photo IMHO.And especially the functions and what-does-what on a simple PnS.

Better to learn and refine throug hard work and your future experiences with a more advanced camera will be exquisite. ;)
 

After buying the camera, you still need $ to buy memory card, maybe a case/bag, tripod, etc. Hopefully for $399, all these are thrown in as freebies as well.
 

Snowcrash said:
at $399 a lot of models...

the Canon A series, Nikon 3700 (old model not sure still selling), olympus mju (weatherproof)

All these have EV compensation and compact, so very good for learning about composition and carry everywhere.

Thank you for the suggestions. I looked up the Nikon 3700, and it is indeed an older model from 2003. The Olympus mju range is what my cousin seems to be interested in, but I am not sure which model she is really thinking of, or what model she can get with this budget.
 

Venom81 said:
Canon A510 is cheaper and newer then A85. They run on 2 batts instead of 4. Retail price for A510 is $399 now. AP and CP may sell them at a lower price. :)

I see. Looks like the price of that is really on the very high edge of her budget, but I'll recommend that she save up a little more pull her budget up to $400 or so.

Another option is to let her have my Canon PowerShot A40 and see how she likes it. Unfortunately I also need this camera for macro photography. But, a bit of sacrifice on my part may help her make a decision that would be better for her in the long run.
 

LazerLordz said:
Good camera for beginners.No point buying or jumping into a Prosumer or DSLR/SLR..that should only come in when you have sort of mastered the basics of good composition or a balanced photo IMHO.And especially the functions and what-does-what on a simple PnS.

Better to learn and refine throug hard work and your future experiences with a more advanced camera will be exquisite. ;)

Indeed. She should get something that has a varied learning curve...fully-auto modes, functional and fun to use, but with additional manual controls if she ever gets into more advanced stuff or long exposure photography.
 

clicknick said:
After buying the camera, you still need $ to buy memory card, maybe a case/bag, tripod, etc. Hopefully for $399, all these are thrown in as freebies as well.

Good point. Although a bag won't cost too much at this point. For the general P&S cameras, cases are cheaper. And I guess she won't be lugging a tripod around anytime soon. But she would definitely need a memory card. If she needs the CF memory cards, I am happy to supply her with one FOC. If she needs the other kinds, then I'm out of luck.
 

wait for Comex at Suntec lo, sure will hav bundle offers de. meanwhile window shop 4 a brand/model 2 guage its current price lo...
 

get her a used s40/s45. full manual modes.

lagi better if u can get a used g2, or g3 at that price, all the more power for u.

my first digi was the s45. the manual modes allowed me to learn how to control aperture and shutter, and what they were for.


or used a70/75/80 series also not bad.
 

buy my Canon A75 la :bsmilie:

your cousin pretty anot? if pretty i give discount. and how young is she? don't want kenah rotan leh.:bsmilie:

joking joking! was all in jest! don't sue me! i don't have peanuts!
 

Status
Not open for further replies.