What kind of camera should we buy?

Question

My sister, mother and me decides to buy a camera. For better, we don't like to buy a digital cam. What brand of camera should we buy?

Answer 1

It really depends on what you want to do with the camera. If you are just interested in taking quick snapshots then almost anything will do. The main tricks to camera selection are

Lens format - 10 mm being the smallest, and most susceptible to distortion in developing; 26 mm isn't much better; 35 mm is the industry standard; 50 mm (I think) large format cameras are the best. The larger the negative, the better the quality.

Light control - aperature (how wide the lens opens and therefore how much light is allowed to enter the camera) - shutter speed (how long the film is exposed to the image and light. Aperature flexibility is important because it allows you to focus more and to take pictures in a wide range of lighting situations. Shutter speed is important because it allows you to take action pictures without blurring the object. It also allows you to take advantage of extremely low lighting situations.

Lens magnification - the larger the magnification, the higher the potential for quality photography. The better the lens quality, the better the image quality.

Camera type - rangefinders allow you to look through a little window to compose your pictures. They can come with zoom lenses and even detachable lens systems. - SLR's allow you to compose what your camera is actually seeing. (rangefinders have what's known as a parallax error; the lens is on one plane, but the viewfinder is on another, the greater the distance, the lower the error.)

Nikon, Olympus, Canon, Pentax, Ricoh, Vivitar all make some pretty good film cameras. Kodak has switched to all digital.

Answer 2

The best brands generally are Nikon & Canon, followed by Olympus, Pentax & Minolta. Also, the more expensive Leicas. If you want a point-and-shoot, automatic type, make sure it has a guarantee and don't pay too much. For full manual control, you can get excellent quality Nikon, Canon & Pentax SLR cameras from the 1980s & 1990s like the Nikon FM, FE2 & Nikkormats, Canon F1, AE1, A1 & the Penta K1000, MX & Spotmatic cameras. All from 40-200 pounds on the internet or at some second-hand stockists. Nice 35mm manual Compact cameras are the Rollei 35, Olympus 35RD/RD cameras, Minox 35 range, and others

Answer 3

I assume you mean that you want a 35mm film camera... The choice depends what you intend to do with the camera - if you want one for basic shooting (holiday snaps etc) then one of the Nikon Zoom range are pretty good, if you want more control then there are plenty of SLR type of cameras around, lots of bargains on eBay to be had. Pretty much any semi-automatic SLR can give professional results with very little effort. I have only really used older Pentax, Ricoh, and Praktica SLR's; the Pentax has a better lens, the Ricoh is a good all-rounder cheaper alternative, the Praktica is quite different to the rest but has good lenses.
Canon and Nikon probably make the best budget film SLR cameras today.

Answer 4

Whichever format you decide on digital or film the best by far is the EOS range by Canon.

They are reasonably cheap (try e-bay) and easy to use. They are also incredibly reliable.

If you are new to photography go digital, these are idiot proof and can save you money. What I mean by that is, if you take a dodgy pic you can just delete it and not have to pay for the print. However buying a film camera improves your pic taking, mistakes are expensive! You will either learn or spend a lot of money on developing a film for the sake of 10-15 good pics, which means you are wasting upto 26 shots.

Answer 5

it would depend on what you want the camera for.
digital as its place and uses but for the best results stick with film.
people talk about the advatage of digital but for decent pics you need expensive outlay.. camera, pc software, paper, memory cards, cd's and a pc capable of running all these includind a printer.
why not buy s fil SLR the minolta dynax range is an excellent yet fairly simple range to get to grips with.. fuji velvia film is superb.
yes there is the cost of processing and film but lets face it.. 10, 15, even 20 years from now, would you like to be able to take out old albums and boxes of pics to show the next generation of family or friends..??

Answer 6

A digital camera defiantly. You can load your pics into your PC and print, save, alter, email, display them on websites, save them on disc...etc. Don't get an expensive one or one too technical tho. As already stated you'll save money in the long run. You can view your shots instantly and delete them if you wish. And even the sensibly priced digital cameras have video capture nowadays.
I've been in the photographic game for over 36 years and I didn't think I'd be converted to digital.

Answer 7

If you dont want a digital then the cannon eos are among the best,and not expensive,in fact by coincidence i have one which i would be willing to part with for a very modest 60 pounds(350.0pounds new).it has had little use and is really wasted on me ,it comes with 2 batteries,as i thought i had lost the original,and so i bought a new one . the model is the canon eos 3000f if you are interested,my email is [e-mail],if not good luck in your search.

Answer 8

you are way better off with a digital, If you are concerned about the price of a digital, don't be, they work out a lot cheaper in the long run. any of the main companies are a safe bet, Canon, Nikon, olympus. Fuji etc.

Answer 9

Any kind of digital camera should be ok. Have a look on the argos website.

Answer 10

A decent film camera is the Canon EOS Rebel K2. It will run you about $200 down at Circuit City:

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Canon_EOS_Rebel_K2_35mm_SLR_Autofocus_Camera_Kit_with_Canon_28_90mm_f_4_5_6_III_Lens,__7560999/search=EOS+Rebel+K2