Inexpensive Camera

[mrsboz]

My 19 year old daughter has taken an interest in photography. I would like to buy her a camera for her birthday but am not interested in spending more than $200. I’m not sure that this interest will continue. Any ideas on a good camera?

 

[hsmamato2]

you mean a point and shoot,or dlsr type? b/c the average newer iphone shoots as well as or better than the cheap little point an shoot models....

 

[MrsPete]

For $200 you won't get a DSLR (unless you buy used), so you're looking at a point-and-shoot, which is a pretty good choice for a 19-year old who may or may not "stick to" this hobby -- it'll fit in her purse and will offer a good introduction to photography. What's the difference? A point-and-shoot will give you good pictures of things that stand still (or fairly still); that is, your daughter will be able to take good pictures of her friends, landscapes, etc. -- but a point-and-shoot is no good for sports pictures. Why? a DSLR has a much faster shutter speed and can "capture" a picture faster /can recover and be prepared for the next picture faster. A DSLR also has a distinct advantage when it comes to zoom lenses; a typical point-and-shoot will have only a small zoom. Still, a point-and-shoot will make a good introduction to photography, and IF it turns out to be a passion, you can think about a DSLR later.

When it comes to point-and-shoots, I like Canon Power Shots, though I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Nikon CoolPix. This is a situation in which you get what you pay for -- you can get a point-and-shoot for less than$100, but a $200 camera will be better, and a $400 camera will be better still. The #1 feature I'd want for a beginner is image stabilization, which helps prevent blurriness.

Extras for which to budget: I like to choose cameras that aren't black or silver; this means they don't "blend in", and your daughter will always know it's hers. Be sure to include an SD card (they aren't all alike -- get a pro-speed card or fast-speed card). Even inexpensive cameras usually come with a battery and a charger; a second battery is nice, and you can buy them from ebay. And get a case to protect the camera.

Once you have a camera, encourage her to find some online lessons in composition. Pinterest is full of good tutorials. A point-and-shoot user who understands lighting, rule of thirds, and other basics will take pictures just as good as a DSLR user who just points-and-shoots. The biggest mistake I see my students making: they try to get good pictures by punching the button over and over and over, mistakenly thinking it's about catching the expression -- if they stop, think and compose a picture, they'll come up with a greater number of good pictures.

Last thought: I disagree with the above poster about phones taking pictures as well as inexpensive point-and-shoots. (Well, okay, I have an Android, not an iPhone, but I doubt the difference is great.) Phones are convenient (and "always handy" has a value), but they're not going to match the quality of a $200 point-and-shoot. For starters, they're more cumbersome to hold, so that affects quality. And the lenses just aren't the same quality, especially if you're going to enlarge images.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree and how you plan to use the camera will determine which features are most important. Sports photography (think of high shuttle speeds to freeze the action or specific types of lens) is different from nature or portrait photography. Cell phones are mostly good for snapshots or postage size images you might post online. I would assume those fancy commercials for some phones are done using professional photographers and there is no magic associated with any type of cell phone. DSLR is the better choice for anyone doing serious photography.

Best to check around online at stores selling photographic equipment to get a sense of what is available and at what price.

 

[afan]

Once you have a camera, encourage her to find some online lessons in composition. Pinterest is full of good tutorials. A point-and-shoot user who understands lighting, rule of thirds, and other basics will take pictures just as good as a DSLR user who just points-and-shoots. The biggest mistake I see my students making: they try to get good pictures by punching the button over and over and over, mistakenly thinking it's about catching the expression -- if they stop, think and compose a picture, they'll come up with a greater number of good pictures.

I agree on this. You can spend $1k on a camera but if you don't actually know what you're doing you'll never get a good photo. I have a dslr and I enjoy it but don't know as much about it as I should. But I spent a bit under $200 for a point and shoot a couple years ago to replace my old like 3 megapixel I'd gotten in 01. And it takes just as good of pictures as my dslr does, but I still miss the viewfinder and really wish they still put it on even the point and shoot. I get why they don't but they are there for a reason.

I'll take one of my camera's when I go on vacation somewhere I haven't been and may want to do more with the pictures, though I will still use my phone. I need to learn my settings better on the cameras, but my phone takes way better pics at night than either camera set on night mode. But if I'm going to wdw again, I just use my phone. Most of these pictures are for my scrapbook or online and we use photopass so there's nothing lost by using my phone. And I think android's also take good pictures.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

My son is taking a class at the community college, he bought a eos rebel , they have them at walmart but we bought ours in ebay. Its a nice camera and she can buy more stuff in the future if she likes it.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

When my husband became more interested in photography, he bought a refurbished Nikon on ebay. I'm a point n shoot girl myself and have to admit I was blown away by the quality. What a difference in portrait-like photos compared to mine. He didn't want to spend $1000+ on a nice camera so the refurb was good enough for him. He had no problems with it not working properly. We don't normally buy refurbished products so I can't say if we just got lucky this time or if that is how it usually is for refurbs.

eta: Sorry, I just re-read OP. I first was thinking the teen would be taking a class. If she is just taking an interest, I'd get a point n shoot. I was given one for Christmas as a teen (back in the 80s) and I took so many pictures that my parents would have been annoyed about if I had used their camera. (Remember film developing at Fotomat?)
Now, all of these years later, so many photos of loved ones who have passed away were ones I took once I got my own camera. I always take a lot of pics at family gatherings, weddings, showers, vacations, etc. and recent years have only made me glad that I do.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I have a Canon Rebel also and like it a lot for ease of use and good quality photos. It's a nice starter DSLR.

For the $200 range (used), the Sony RX100 series is a high quality point and shoot. Saw a few recommendations for it, and have been very happy with mine, which I got because it is much more portable than the DSLR - fits in pockets so you don't have to use the ride lockers at Universal.

 

[RamblingMad]

I’m looking to get into landscape photography since I’m always hiking. I landed on a FujiFilm camera since I can build a light kit with an image size large enough that I can blow up my photos. And one of my friends who does photography part time when he’s not teaching swears by them. The lens alone is going to set me back $1k.

You’re going to have to pay up if you want better results than an iPhone. Point and shoot has been pretty much killed by Android and iPhones.

Check out the Tony & Chelsea Northrop YouTube channel.

If she is only pointing and shooting, I’d get her an iPhone 11 Pro with the additional lens. If she wants to shoot video, you can get a Canon M series camera at Costco for less than $1K. But you’re going to need a lens adapter due to the limited choices for that model.

The two big movers now are Sony and FujiFilm. You might get deals on a used Sony camera.

 

[RoseGold]

You can get a refurbished Canon Rebel T6 on amazon right now for $300. This model is a couple years old, but it is a BEAST and can stand up to some abuse. It's a legit professional camera and about as good as you will get until you spend over 2K. It has all the settings and options she needs to actually follow the professional classes, which is the important part. The classes are what will put her to the next level.

Source: own 6 DSLRs and have shot professionally

 

[mrp4352]

You might consider getting her an on-line class in iPhone photography. I know that for my level of interested (higher than casual, but not high enough to warrant expensive equipment, I found a good online course for about $80 that gave me some basics not only in how to use my phone for pics, but in how to better frame pictures.

 

[RamblingMad]

Here’s another idea. Get Lightroom for your mobile phone and shoot raw on your phone. It’s free. I use it on my iPhone.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This will help you get better pictures with any camera:

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Fourth-Photographs-Camera/dp/1607748509

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Something else to consider:

https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm
People know cars don't drive themselves, typewriters don't write novels by themselves and that Rembrandt's brushes didn't paint by themselves. So why do some otherwise intelligent people think cameras drive around and make pictures all by themselves? The most advanced, exotic and expensive car can't even stay in the same lane on the freeway by itself, much less drive you home. No matter how advanced your camera you still need to be responsible for getting it to the right place at the right time and pointing it in the right direction to get the photo you want. Every camera requires you to make manual adjustments now and then as well, regardless of how advanced it is. Never blame a camera for not knowing everything or making a wrong exposure or fuzzy image

I met Phil Collins at a screening in December 2003. It came out that people always recognize his sound when they hear it. Some folks decided to play his drums when he walked away during a session, and guess what? It didn't sound like him. Likewise, on a hired kit (or "rented drum set" as we say in the USA) Phil still sounds like Phil. So do you still think it's his drums that give him his sound?

A good photographer can eek out beautiful images on almost any camera. Investing time in learning to take good pictures will be the real payoff, not the camera, necessarily.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I was thinking of this thread the other day when I was driving along and pulled over (well, actually turned around) to take some pictures of a scene I found very beautiful. If I see good light, it’s hard to pass up taking some photos. This was shot with my iPhone 8Plus.

 

[StageTek]

I noticed mrsboz hasn't responded here in almost 3 weeks.

That is an amazing example Pea-n-Me. A creative eye is far more important than the camera. My advice (thought I don't think mrsboz is interested) is to encourage her 19 years old to buy her own camera. Buying a simple point-and-shoot like the Canon PowerShot ELPH or the Nikon CoolPix ($120 to $160) os a great camera to learn with. If she continues her interest after 6 months then maybe help her buy a nice DSLR in the $400 range.

Until then, just look at what can be done with an iPhone!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I noticed mrsboz hasn't responded here in almost 3 weeks.

That is an amazing example Pea-n-Me. A creative eye is far more important than the camera. My advice (thought I don't think mrsboz is interested) is to encourage her 19 years old to buy her own camera. Buying a simple point-and-shoot like the Canon PowerShot ELPH or the Nikon CoolPix ($120 to $160) os a great camera to learn with. If she continues her interest after 6 months then maybe help her buy a nice DSLR in the $400 range.

Until then, just look at what can be done with an iPhone!

Thank you. I agree! I sometimes see peoples' photos and I'm not even sure what the subject is! The photos are too "vague". This is part of what I was talking about above in that taking good pictures has a lot to do with learning some basic principles of photography, regardless of the camera you have. So much fun can be had, and so many emotions evoked, when you take a nice photo. This photo makes me feel happy because I love flowers and I love great light and the effect of water mixed with light, etc.

 

[PollyannaMom]

...though I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Nikon CoolPix.

I definitely like mine! I still take a lot pics on my iPhone, just because it's super convenient (and some do come out great) but when I'm being "serious" or need an optical zoom instead of digital, I do pull out the Nikon. The buttons are pretty intuitive, and the range of presets suits me.

But I agree that the photographer's eye is more important than the camera. (One of my favorite pics I ever took was on a cheep 110!)