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Camera

Started by WoodenBat, October 29, 2017, 06:45:34 pm

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WoodenBat

So my wife is wanting a camera for Christmas... any suggestions?  We have 4 kids and she's wanting a good camera.  Brands? Types?

Longfellow

It all depends on what kind of photography she wants to do and how much you want to spend

PrivateLesson

There's a guy on Twitter I follow who takes some beautiful pics with a Nikon and some really like a Cannon.   It just depends on what and how much you are wanting to spend.  Maybe you could go to a camera store and ask for help.   I don't know a lot about cameras.  I'm lucky to figure out the camera on my iphone. 

Longfellow

I personally prefer Nikon over Canon. They have better lenses. But for more casual photography, a Canon will do just fine

sevenof400

As PrivateLesson noted above, a visit to a camera store (NOT a Best Buy) might be you best place to start.  Not knowing where you are located, Bedford Camera would be a good place to start if you want to see and handle a large number of cameras.  But the most important question to ask / answer is what Longfellow touches on - how does your wife want to use the camera? 

These days, most cameras come with a decent lens for most photos but you may want to invest in a good telephoto lens too.  The nice thing about lens' is you can always buy one later if you discover you're missing shots that such a lens would bring in range - and lens' are NOT cheap (well, good ones anyway).

But my bottom line suggestion is this - if your wife has a decent cell phone, has she learned to use all the tools that came with that camera?  Many cell phones have a solid camera in them and one can take some nice photos with their cell phone camera.  The other big advantage of using your cell phone camera is that it is more likely to be with you when a photo op comes your way.  So let's start there - what kind of cell phone is your wife carrying? 


WoodenBat

IPhone 6. All kids are active in sports.

sevenof400

Quote from: WoodenBat on October 30, 2017, 09:05:06 pm
IPhone 6. All kids are active in sports.

That's sort of what I thought you might say - it is a familiar story in our household as well with our kids.  You can do a lot with an Apple phone's camera, but action shots are really not among a cell phone's strengths. 

I can tell you that we purchased a Nikon D3200 a few years ago (even then, it was NOT the newest camera available) and it served us well.  Of course, that was when we remembered to bring it......  >:( >:( >:(    Don't think you have to buy the newest, latest and greatest camera - there are some very solid (older) cameras (still new - I am NOT suggesting buying used but rather a bit behind the current edge) that will do a fine job.  The lenses will matter the most. 

Are you near a good sized city, WoodenBat?  Is a visit to a Bedford location possible? 

If not (or, if you want more info), drop by your local library and check out recent issues of Consumer Reports.  They are about as unbiased as advice can be these days.  They (CR) does make some info available online at https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/digital-cameras.htm
but sometimes the printed articles give more info and are worth reading. 

The camera category of SuperZoom is one you might want to check out at: https://www.consumerreports.org/products/superzoom-point-and-shoot-camera/ratings-overview/

Best of luck with this and let us know how it turns out.

olemissjacket99

I am shopping too............thanks for the great details and advice!!

boogercat

Does anyone have one of those door bell cameras? If so how do you like it? Pros and cons to it? I been thinking about getting one for awhile.

AirWarren

Quote from: boogercat on December 27, 2018, 12:31:45 pm
Does anyone have one of those door bell cameras? If so how do you like it? Pros and cons to it? I been thinking about getting one for awhile.

I have two ARLO brand cameras. Works off of WIFI and an APP for your phone. Once movement is triggered, it sends a notification to your phone that the camera has detected movement. It also has an alarm built into it that you can trigger from your app and you can talk through the app to your camera.

I works well for the price. It isn't a 1500$+ custom security system, but I like having the ability to pick up on people around my door and other areas of the yard. We got ours at Best Buy.

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/

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