Which is a good camera for a newbie starting out?


Status
Not open for further replies.
Jan 31, 2010
196
0
16
Hello,

I'm a newbie and as photography is one area in technology I'm total nuts about, I am keen to learn more. I have been camping around the forums but not really posting much so this is my first post :)

Basically I have been reading up about photography techniques, only to realise the compacts I have do not give room for much adjustment. At most I can toy with white balance and exposure, and get used to reading histograms, but that's about it. No aperture settings, No shutter speed settings.

Even toggling the scene modes don't really allows me to learn the skills and intuition needed to compose good photographs manually. It still does nice photos, but I feel I don't learn much (or rather, I don't apply what I learn).

Thus I'm thinking of getting either a Panasonic LX-3, Panasonic FZ-38, or a Canon G11. Of course my budget would be <$700 if possible.

Which of the above (or any other models) is good for me to start off with?

Thanks in advance for all your inputs !
 

Last edited:
From your short posting, still can't really understand you well enough to recommend you which one is more suitable for you.
But I can teach you a method to decide.
It's hard to decide when you have many possible choices.
Try to just focus on 2 models first.
Look at just LX3 and DMC-FZ38. Google to find out the main differences. (eg. http://snapsort.com/compare/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-FZ38-vs-Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-LX3)

Then look at the differences and decide which factors are more important for you. eg. Zoom might be important to person A, but not to person B.

Then when you have decided on the model you prefer, compare with G11. Google, look at main differences, and decide again.

Finally, when you have decided on the model, google again for reviews, expecially bad reviews.

Then spend a few more days googling and googling. Post on facebook and tell the world word you have decided to get model xxx, and see whether there's any strong objections.

If still can't decide, look at the marketplace and look at the resale value of the camera. Just in case you change your mind and want to sell it off :p
 

But its the canon G11 that just strikes. ahaha.
 

yeah.. i spent weeks googling about the camera i wanted to get. by the time i reach the shop, i just ask for it and pay and left.

after that its hands on learning. googling can only let you know what OTHERS feel about that particular camera. find out what they say and like what Axedeee said, especially the bad reviews. know the bad points are just as important cos there's no perfect cam.
 

Whichever TS likes !!! They can all take nice pictures !!!

Post more nice pictures for the rest once you have taken them !!

Happy shooting !!
 

Maybe get a digicam that allows manual functions? Or get a really cheap resale DSLR like 300D for Canon or D70 for Nikon and a kit lens.
 

Basically I have been reading up about photography techniques, only to realise the compacts I have do not give room for much adjustment. At most I can toy with white balance and exposure, and get used to reading histograms, but that's about it. No aperture settings, No shutter speed settings.

if you have a very tight budget, canon a series (older ones) all have manual settings.

btw, all cameras you have mentioned are good cameras - if you want to learn, all these will allow you to learn.

mentality > equipment. all equipment, there is something to learn from using it, even lomography cameras. the difference is the attitude in the person. do you take the equipment with the mentality that you will snap anyhow, and that all your work is art? then doesn't matter what you use. if you have the equipment, you have the drive and the push - you want to learn, and you will work for it.. then all equipment.... will be useful in this journey of learning. cheers.
 

Hello,

I'm a newbie and as photography is one area in technology I'm total nuts about, I am keen to learn more. I have been camping around the forums but not really posting much so this is my first post :)

Basically I have been reading up about photography techniques, only to realise the compacts I have do not give room for much adjustment. At most I can toy with white balance and exposure, and get used to reading histograms, but that's about it. No aperture settings, No shutter speed settings.

Even toggling the scene modes don't really allows me to learn the skills and intuition needed to compose good photographs manually. It still does nice photos, but I feel I don't learn much (or rather, I don't apply what I learn).

Thus I'm thinking of getting either a Panasonic LX-3, Panasonic FZ-38, or a Canon G11. Of course my budget would be <$700 if possible.

Which of the above (or any other models) is good for me to start off with?

Thanks in advance for all your inputs !
take a piece of paper and write down what you want your camera to be able to do.

find the models that fit the bill and then see if budget can afford the model you want.

if cannot afford, save up rather then go for a model that dont have the feature you want.
 

The advanced compacts you mentioned are all good.
Just take note that on these small sensor cameras the effective DOF is still very large (~10x that of an APS-C camera), so you may not get as much shallow DOF as you'd like. Also take note of the smallest aperture the lens can stop down to.
 

Hi, Wait for Suntec Road Show, 11-14th march 2010
 

Hi, Wait for Suntec Road Show, 11-14th march 2010

road shows are generally not an extremely good time to buy cameras, contrary to popular belief. there is the occasional wonderful offer, but rare and few and far between.

unless of course, you want lousy tripod, funny freebies.... then yes, you can go road show to buy. i have limited space in my house, don't need that sort of thing.
 

Hi, Wait for Suntec Road Show, 11-14th march 2010

Don't think u can get any cam stuff any cheaper in IT show then those in regular shops like MS, CP and TK etc.. :)
 

If you are particular about depth-of-field and want a larger aperture, then the LX3 and maybe S90 will be the more obvious choices among the compacts.

But if you place a higher value for ergonomics and a decent zoom range, get the G11. The G11 one of the largest cameras with a compact sensor around that I know of, but I like the ergonomics and the dials which allow me to change the settings on the fly without having to navigate through various menus. It helps that the dials contribute to the design also, although this is of course, subjective.

And, some people may not give a hoot about this, but I'll just say it anyway. The LX3 has been on the market for quite a while now, so you may want to take that into consideration. If you're the type that will feel gutted if you bought a tech product and a couple of months down the road a new, updated version comes along onto the market, then have a think. But if you're not one of those types, then you can ignore this entire paragraph.
 

That's mainly what's withholding me as well... the fact LX3 has been around for some time...

I think i'll go down to take a look at the cameras for myself and see if any nice shop would kindly let me try them out first...
 

If you wanna try the Canon, visit the Canon Link ... it is Canon's showroom at VivoCity, just next to the GV theater on level 2.

For Panasonic, hmmm ... any electronics retailer with this camera would allow you to try. If can, bring your own SD card to test, so you can bring home the pics to see for yourself the differences.

HTH.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.