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£140 to spend... What to buy?

post #1 of 10
9/17/12 at 6:12am
Thread Starter 
Next month on my birthday I will have £140 to spend on a camera. Obviously I won't be able to buy a top of the range (or even a decent camera) with this money but I was hoping for recommendations because I know that this forum is the best for it tongue.gif I mainly want the camera for taking macro shots, because I've always been fascinated with taking close-up photos and seeing the result. I also would like a good zoom if that's possible - but I'll see what you can recommend. The camera I have seen is this one:
http://www.ebuyer.com/342202-finepix-s4200-14mp-24x-uk-p10nc06640a
I was going to just order it for my birthday but I thought I'd check here first. What are your thoughts and is there a better one for that price?
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post #2 of 10
9/17/12 at 6:36pm
Hey Krazta.

Cameras like the one you linked are OK, (Don't know much about that one in particular) It will have a macro mode and some optical zoom capability. Probably the typical group of preset exposure groups. (Macro, landscape, portrait, action, aperture priority, shutter priorty, etc.) It will have a slow lens probably F 5.6 max aperture size. The biggest issues I have with all these point-and-shoot cameras is a lack of an optical viewfinder and interchangable lenses.

If you can find an entry level DSLR with a good middle range zoom lens. You will be able to build up from there, instead of being stuck with a camera that cannot be improved. As time goes along you can add to your collection of lenses, then move up to a better body when you can afford it. There are plenty of good used DSLR's available, and some of the less expensive lenses are pretty good. And, once you look through the optical viewfinder of a DSLR there is no going back.

I have owned a few fixed lens point and shoot cameras, and have many good photos saved from using them. (Both film, and digital.) But once I got my first interchangable lens 35mm SLR, that was it! I still keep building up my collection of gear after over 30 years of shooting. It never gets old.
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post #3 of 10
9/17/12 at 6:48pm
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First of all, thanks a lot for taking your time to respond to my post.

I understand that but unfortunately I honestly cannot spend much money since it's for my birthday and we don't own a lot of money. I can maybe put an extra £30 towards it though, therefore raising my budget to £170. I would eventually love to purchase a DSLR camera but they all seem to be too expensive, and I simply do not have the money for it. Many thanks though, I do plan to purchase one eventually.

So basically I cannot afford a proper DSLR camera at least until I have more money tongue.gif but thanks anyway! If anybody could let me know what they think of the camera I linked, then that'd be great and if anybody could suggest alternatives which are better and around the same price, it'd be greatly appreciated!
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post #4 of 10
9/17/12 at 6:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Barney View Post

The biggest issues I have with all these point-and-shoot cameras is a lack of an optical viewfinder and interchangable lenses.

sorry i stopped reading here.

the whole point of a P&S is to be small. you really arent going to get interchangeable lenses and optical VF and expect the camera to be really tiny. nothing wrong with an EVF.

honestly there is nothing wrong with the camera you lined in OP. its a camera that will get the job done. you want to take pictures? it takes pictures plain and simple lol

for that price a DSLR is not an option so get yourself a nice P&S. i dont have any suggestions as i dont know much about the current P&S cameras out there but they all take pictures. thats the main thing tongue.gif
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post #5 of 10
9/17/12 at 6:51pm
Thread Starter 
@Conspiracy

Haha well thank you I suppose. Hoping somebody will come along and suggest something I'm missing, like a better camera for the same price or flaws with this one. From the photos of this one which I've seen, it seems decent enough.
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post #6 of 10
9/17/12 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krazta View Post

First of all, thanks a lot for taking your time to respond to my post.
I understand that but unfortunately I honestly cannot spend much money since it's for my birthday and we don't own a lot of money. I can maybe put an extra £30 towards it though, therefore raising my budget to £170. I would eventually love to purchase a DSLR camera but they all seem to be too expensive, and I simply do not have the money for it. Many thanks though, I do plan to purchase one eventually.
So basically I cannot afford a proper DSLR camera at least until I have more money tongue.gif but thanks anyway! If anybody could let me know what they think of the camera I linked, then that'd be great and if anybody could suggest alternatives which are better and around the same price, it'd be greatly appreciated!

Reading the specs of the camera, and the user comments. I think that camera will do you just fine. As I said before, I have many saved photos taken with p&s cameras. I also suspect that they are much improved over the models I had over 10 years ago.
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post #7 of 10
9/18/12 at 4:18am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Barney View Post

Reading the specs of the camera, and the user comments. I think that camera will do you just fine. As I said before, I have many saved photos taken with p&s cameras. I also suspect that they are much improved over the models I had over 10 years ago.

Alright, thanks a lot. smile.gif
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post #8 of 10
9/18/12 at 4:27am
I'd keep an eye out for something like this, there has to be a couple used of these in your budget range

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EOS-400D-Digital-Camera-plus-extras-excellent-condition-hardly-used-/300780256097?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item4607e67b61
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post #9 of 10
9/18/12 at 4:30am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stoffie View Post

I'd keep an eye out for something like this, there has to be a couple used of these in your budget range
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EOS-400D-Digital-Camera-plus-extras-excellent-condition-hardly-used-/300780256097?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item4607e67b61

Unfortunately I've always have bad luck when it comes to auctions but I'll keep an eye peeled anyway, thanks.
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post #10 of 10
9/19/12 at 6:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krazta View Post

Unfortunately I've always have bad luck when it comes to auctions but I'll keep an eye peeled anyway, thanks.

I know what you are saying. That will probably go up quite a bit before it ends. Look around though, there are many fixed price cameras available. With the used digital cameras the prices drop so fast. The older cameras may not have as many megapixels or features as the new ones do, but you may be able to get a higher quality camera that falls in your budget.

Example: I bought a Nikon D200 DSLR body for $1,700 (USD) back in '05. I just bought a new camera body to replace it. The D200 is in perfect condition, but will probably fetch less than $500-$600. The camera is still quite capable of producing stunning images. On another note: Lenses like my 70-200 F2.8 AFS will hold 90% or more of their value forever. Wheras the cheaper lenses loose their value quickly. Buying used makes sense. (As long as you find an honest seller.) Many good used P&S cameras can be found. I would not be suprised if you found a good deal on a Nikon, Cannon, or Sony.

Also, do you have any camera stores nearby? Not the big-box variety, A store that photography is their main business. They can be very helpful with selecting new or used gear.
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