Recommend a camera with $800 budget

[setiardi]

You could shortlist the cameras before going down to the shops but then you might short change yourself to your small pool of cameras.

Go with an open mind, don't be brand specific and definitely don't listen to the salesman. Ultimately you budget is you decider.

Photography is a broad topic. After awhile you and her prefers a particular niche of photography ie, portraiture, landscape, macro, wildlife, sports,, street etc that requires more than a P,A,S,M dial on a camera.

Maybe, take a step back, read some photography books and then decide is this will be life long hobby or just a fad.

 

[lycheas]

Hmm...

It's a status thing then... just as a papa has to buy a european car, a daughter needs dslr to blended in with the circle she is running with..

Since her social circle all uses DSLR, then she really needs a DSLR to mix in. Since you already determine your upper bound to the budget you want to spent, just look at all MFT and APSC DSLR that fits within the money you are willing to throw away.

Just bring her along and just let her pick the one she wants. At the end of the day, it's not the functions and capability of the camera that's important. It's the cachet that the camera brings along that is important.

This is all about heart and nothing about head.

 

[SkimMilk]

I prefer do research first before going down cos if i go down, I can only listen to salesman but not every salesman is honest, some just want to push for higher commission models

I want to shortlist a couple before heading down to feel it

She already got 1 personal Olympus camera n we got abt 3 other cameras at home. Nope of these r cameras comes with manual settings, all r PNS. So u see, with so many cameras at home, I dun really see she takes a lot of photo except using her iPhone.

I also do not know if she will learn to change lens or not but I just thinking that if she really do picks up photography, she might wanna change lens

I know almost nuts abt photography or cameras, I do not know how to start or go about helping her get a suitable camera

like setiardi said, keep an open mind. Go down to those super stores and let your girl feel out those cameras. Go with a mindset that you are not going to make any purchase, so no salesman talk can convince you of anything. Take notes, see what you girl prefers most out of the range of cameras there.

By your description, it seems that your girl may not want a camera at all. With so many compacts at home, she still chooses her phone. That's a sign that she just wants convenience, not a good equipment. You may just invest your $ in a camera and it ends up collecting dust at home.

Bring her down, and test her out. There's nothing wrong in visiting a store and not making any purchase. Ignore those sick stares and attitudes from those sales people. The $ is in your hands, not theirs. They cannot decide for you.

And just for interest, this is something I wrote a few years back: Choosing a DSLR

 

[leinad]

I would strongly suggest an entry level DSLR too actually. Or a mirrorless camera. IF you already own PnS cameras, getting another PnS camera is still just another PnS camera. And the sensors of yesteryear on an PnS camera give comparable results to the iPhone 6 these days - even less reason to carry a PnS out with you when one can simply use a mobile phone.

Perhaps look around for an Olympus OMD EM5/10 or the slightly cheaper EPL6/7? Yes perhaps not second hand, but the Qoo10 store linked previously has some pretty decent sales. And for a start, the kit lens would suffice - the outcome from it would likely still be better than your PnS anyway, and it gives your daughter the opportunity to experiment.

/Dan

 

[otacon]

Thanks for all the suggestion, to b honest, is a little overwhelming. Still dun know if I can find a suitable camera for her or not but I b heading down to courts tampines later n take a look first

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[cpuer]

Thanks for all the suggestion, to b honest, is a little overwhelming. Still dun know if I can find a suitable camera for her or not but I b heading down to courts tampines later n take a look first

Sent from GAGT Android App

Since she already own a phone, why not intro her mobile photography? Expend the camera lens capability with eg Olloclips and more advance camera apps like Camera+, VSCO etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJGQyV1APjw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swvwrkILqOA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZTTfMBC_GA (this should interest any teenager)

 

[otacon]

Yesterday talked to her, seems like she does not really need a DSLR. She just need a camera to take good quality photo. She said her previous Olympus camera is not performing good, most of the time takes blur picture.

She wants something nice looking, probably a few colors to choose from, comes with some fun factors in it n can take selfie. I was thinking Samsung nx mini could b a good choice.

Any other suggestions?

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[Anything_Whatever]

Yesterday talked to her, seems like she does not really need a DSLR. She just need a camera to take good quality photo. She said her previous Olympus camera is not performing good, most of the time takes blur picture.

She wants something nice looking, probably a few colors to choose from, comes with some fun factors in it n can take selfie. I was thinking Samsung nx mini could b a good choice.

Any other suggestions?

Sent from GAGT Android App

I see a few keywords in your post and can only suggest one recommendation....

http://www.olympusimage.com.sg/products/dslr/epl7/

Get Olympus EPL-7.... Got a few color to choose, good for selfie, she's used to Oly UI

Get it from Olympus showroom... I believe they got trade-in and can offer you something for your current Oly cam and probably can meet your budget.

Promotions | Olympus Imaging Singapore

 

[otacon]

I see a few keywords in your post and can only suggest one recommendation....

OLYMPUS PEN Lite E-PL7 | Olympus Imaging Singapore

Get Olympus EPL-7.... Got a few color to choose, good for selfie, she's used to Oly UI

Get it from Olympus showroom... I believe they got trade-in and can offer you something for your current Oly cam and probably can meet your budget.

Promotions | Olympus Imaging Singapore

Tks for the suggestions but I not too sure if she lost confidence in Olympus camera or not. Will take a look at this camera

 

[Anything_Whatever]

I have used quite a few Canon PnS ... from IXUS 800 ... Broke down, damaged etc... But confidence not shaken. I will still buy Canon, using the broken cam to trade in.

That's why I recommend Oly trade in for you to consider.

The Oly today is much better than the Oly of yesteryear.

 

[lycheas]

Well, the head and heart then. When she says she wants good pictures, what kind of pictures? Selfies and protraits? Landscape? Close-ups? Night-photography without flash? You should go down to Funan Centre where there's a lot of choices and price range. Courts and such tends towards the official retail prices.

 

[Illusionist_85]

i still feel that no points aiming a dslr camera. kids mentality is frens have, i also want. Get a compact camera with manual option and learn the basic first.

Even if shes get tired of photography, u can still use the compact camera as leisure or holiday purposes

 

[mOomOo]

Best Selfie Digital Cameras 2014

Tks for the suggestions but I not too sure if she lost confidence in Olympus camera or not. Will take a look at this camera

 

[lycheas]

i still feel that no points aiming a dslr camera. kids mentality is frens have, i also want. Get a compact camera with manual option and learn the basic first.

Even if shes get tired of photography, u can still use the compact camera as leisure or holiday purposes

@illusionist_85. Sorry, i disagree... I see cameras as a continuum of prices rather than by the narrow bucket that the manufacturers force us into thinking of.

Example, does a LX100 which is a compact with manual function a better buy than a previous gen MFT GF5? Prices of DSLR and ILC now has price points that goes right into the heartland of compacts.

 

[otacon]

I saw this Sony α5000L at Courts today n this seems good. Anyone can comment on this?

ILCE-5000L : ILCE-5000 : Interchangeable Lens Camera : Sony Singapore

 

[setiardi]

I saw this Sony α5000L at Courts today n this seems good. Anyone can comment on this?

ILCE-5000L : ILCE-5000 : Interchangeable Lens Camera : Sony Singapore

You seems to be indecisive. In post #16 I did recommend the a5100 which is the update of a5000.

In DSLR or mirrorless world, $800 is only the beginning of you expenditure. You want good picture? Buying quality lens is as important as having a good camera body and photographic skill.

Then ask yourself question no. 1 again, do you really need a camera.

Personally I feel you don't know what you need a camera for. If you seriously do, then search at photographic websites like dpreview or clubsnap for answers. HWZ is hardly the site for in depth talk on cameras.

This my straight up advice.

 

[otacon]

You seems to be indecisive. In post #16 I did recommend the a5100 which is the update of a5000.

In DSLR or mirrorless world, $800 is only the beginning of you expenditure. You want good picture? Buying quality lens is as important as having a good camera body and photographic skill.

Then ask yourself question no. 1 again, do you really need a camera.

Personally I feel you don't know what you need a camera for. If you seriously do, then search at photographic websites like dpreview or clubsnap for answers. HWZ is hardly the site for in depth talk on cameras.

This my straight up advice.

My apologizes for missing out ur recommendation on a5100. But I dun understand what u mean if I need good picture. Who wants bad picture quality?

Whether I need a camera is not important, I just getting a gift for someone n needs suggestions

 

[guynextdoor80]

I also recommend canon g7x.

 

[otacon]

Maybe it is better you get her to attend a photography workshop. Typically, a good camera is one that you can use whenever you want, and carry it around most of the time. Given your child is a teenager, I think the best camera she has is her phone. The iPhone camera is pretty darn good, and the things you are supposed to pick up are framing, finding interesting things, etc. Which you can do with a phone camera just as well. As long as she isn't interested in photographing a bird 30 metres away to capture the catch-light in its eyes ..

The biggest thing in photography is to explore. To walk. To get close. To be smart and to capture something the person sees interesting, or thinks can become nice when presented. You also need to understand that a larger camera is not something she will be comfortable with sticking inside her bag and carrying everyday. A smaller camera, yes. What many people here are suggesting - the Sony RX100 series is nice. You can probably buy a RX100 MKII for your budget, and get a small protective case that she can slip inside the bag to carry around, and use it to take pics.

If the objective is to take selfies with friends, food pics, then a phone camera is even more convenient.

I'd go with the following criteria:

1. Small size (to enable carrying around easier and all the time)
2. Read or understand or view photographs by good photographers

You'll find ample number of cameras within your budget. Don't get one that is too complicated.

I do agree with u but nowadays kids just want something that their friend have too. Initially she wanted DSLR but I convinced her otherwise. She has a iPhone 5C already which I also told her is good enough but somehow she prefers a camera. Maybe she really wanna develop n explore the in this area, so probably I will research in what u suggested, a RX100 MKII

 

[Yo2020]

Maybe she really wanna develop n explore the in this area, so probably I will research in what u suggested, a RX100 MKII

rx100 mk2 (superseded by mk3) is an old model (jun 2013) selling at lower price than mk3. i think kids like new models la.
y not take a look at the rx100's competitor - the new kid on the blk canon g7x?
it's a brand new hot model (sep 2014), with touch-screen n within budget (~$710).
i m waiting for the promo for the end nov's Sitex.