Are you thinking of taking some classes at the local Jr. College, learn stuff on line so that you can flip the dial on the camera to manual settings and shoot like a pro?
Or do you want a camera that will take great shots of your grandkids? Are you looking for something that’s easy to learn and functions easily too?
You must ask yourself these questions before I can answer your question. Let me go into a bit more detail on this.
I have a friend who had a little extra available cash on hand. She wanted to take good photos of her kids, her family and friends. She buys a Canon Rebel Xsi. It’s about $800. It never leaves the automatic setting, and every time I see her, she says “gosh I wish you’d show me how to use this thing. It has so many buttons and I don’t know what any of them do.” Believe me she has buyer’s remorse.
I understand wanting a camera with some sack. I understand you don’t want a little dinky point and shoot camera. You want something that looks impressive, that has impressive features but is simple to operate. Well they do exists!
Here is a couple of suggestions that I recently gave to someone the camera question...
The Sony Cyber Shot DSC-HX200V
This little baby feels good in your hands, has a rechargeable battery, which is awesome so you’re not constantly buying batteries for the camera! Has 18.2 Megapixel for picture clarity. Features several different scene modes which includes shooting in snow, on the beach, gourmet (for those food shots). It has sweep panorama HR mode for landscape shots. White balance controls, built in 5 mode flash, auto focus, multi card slot, HD movie mode, image stabilization, optical zoom capabilities, and 3 inch lcd screen. My sister has this camera, and she loves it! I usually leave her in charge of the family photos at gatherings. It gives me a bit of a rest and I know this camera will take great shots! All of this for around $450!
One of my personal favs is this baby….
The Canon Powershot SX40 HS
Again, this one feels significant in your hand. Not a flimsy point and shoot. This one has a great lens, image stabilization, 12.1 Megapixel for picture clarity and reduced noise and blur. It performs well in low light, colors are vibrant and white balance is true to life. The optic zoom works with when shooting near or far. It features a 2.7 inch LCD screen that is vari-angled. That means it swivels out. It’s an articulated screen people! You can take shots holding the camera overhead, or down low without getting on the ground, the grandkids will love being able to see themselves when they take a self portrait. All for the price of around $400!
Now, If you just have your heart set on changing lenses, you can look into the Canon Rebel T3.
It’s a great SLR for beginners, but be prepared for lots of buttons and functions. In the end, the results will be very similar to the camera’s listed above, unless you’re willing to flip that dial to “M” and start learning to be a photographer. It has an 18-55 lens, which is the standard lens that comes with most basic SLR cameras. It runs about $500.
I absolutely would not recommend anything more expensive, or bigger for the casual user. You want to take pictures of family and grandkids, the 3 cameras listed above are all you’ll ever need!
Remember, just because it costs more doesn’t mean it’s easier to use, in fact it usually costs more because it has specific features that photographers are looking for. It has features that photographers will learn in-depth, every function and setting.
So again, my question back to you is, what do you want to do with your new camera?
