GRcade

My wife has shown interest in getting a good camera for Christmas. She's not a photographer at all but just wants a really nice camera that she can learn to use but I know nothing about anything. So who better to advise me on a good purchase than you nerds? I'm not sure how much these things cost but I'm not a tight banana split so I imagine I'd be tempted by something of higher value.

Anyone have any experience with these things and can recommend anything? Thanks

I'd go a shade above entry level, but not massively so. I'd stick to Nikon or Canon, as they still offer the best range of lenses and accessories

I have got the Nikon d3200 and it's great, includes tutorials for beginners, and is reasonably flexible. The kit lens that came with it is fine to start with while she learns the ropes.

That model is a couple of years old but it's still good, and you can now get it for 280 on Amazon. If you have more to spend, the next level up is more like 450/500.

However, I'm not some sort of brand zealot, and some people simply prefer the feel of Canons, so it's worth a trip to a shop to see. Unless it's a surprise, of course.

I am with poser on this one. Going above entry level she can learn and experience more without having to upgrade the camera a few years down the line.

Poser has it pretty much spot on tbh, the only other thing that is worth considering is looking and used gear. It might not sound great at first but I really lucked out with my camera as it turned out it was ex display and the shutter had only cycled 70 times, got it halfprice!

I would say two things to keep in mind are:

1. SLRs are large and can be a pain to carry around with you. Their two main benefits are large sensor size and more importantly, interchangeable lenses. If she is not into photography, it's not going to teach her the basics of composition any more than a point and shoot will.

2. Nikon's low and mid range cameras, the D3000 and D5000 series both lack focus motors in the body. This means you are restricted to buying their new AF-S lenses if you want autofocus (hint: you do), which means no old lens bargains on eBay. For the most part, this will be fine, as apart from the kit lens what she will most likely be after is a good standard prime, and Nikon make an excellent and very cheap (by lens standards) 35mm lens.

I would have a look at Canon's offerings as well. The 1200D is only £250 on Amazon and is the best selling SLR on there. Canon, not being cheap gits, include motors in the body so you can use practically any of their own lenses, though somewhat perversely, their 35mm costs more than the Nikon. I don't really keep up with new models though, so have a look at comparisons of it and the D3200.

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