Looking to buy

Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
I am going to France in June to Le Mans for the 24 hours and I want a good, decent camera to take with me rather than just my phone and the pos digital we have now.

I do not know the first thing about cameras or photography for that matter, so it will be a case of whatever you guys say goes. As it stands I have around £250-300 for everything, and I mean everything. I can go slightly above this if necessary, but keeping it around that figure would be greatly appreciated.

What information will you guys need to offer some advice?
 
PCunicorn

PCunicorn

Active Member
In that price range i would get a bridge camera. The sony hx200v is nice, and the Nikon P510. I have heard extremley good things about the cannon bridge cameras, so look at the Cannon SX series for sure, like the SX50 HS.
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
Hey Aastii!

I imagine you will want to be taking shots of the cars going past if you're going to a Le Mans event, so for that reason I'd recommend you buy a superzoom. Something like this Nikon would be great http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-COOLP...3M56/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362931629&sr=8-2 a 42x zoom is just about the biggest zoom you can get right now (Canon have a superzoom with 50x zoom but not only is it overkill it's also expensive).

Other makes to look at are Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus, Sony and Canon. They all make superzooms. I own a Nikon D3200 D-SLR and love it, and I also own a Fuji S4000 bridge/super zoom. The picture quality of the Fuji is OK but often photos come out a bit under-saturated. The zoom on it is good though (30x, but the Nikon I linked to has 42x). I used my Fuji at a BRM racing event in Bourne last October and was able to get some got good shots of the F1 cars as they went past. I would imagine the Nikon will also be fine for your F1 cars. Also owned a Panasonic superzoom in the past (DMC-FZ8, old model from about 2007), it was good - not sure what their newer superzoom cameras are like. They're probably also good.

You may want to go to a local photography store (too bad Jessops has gone bust, eh?) and try a few out - see which ones you like.

SD card wise, I think an 8GB SanDisk card like this will be fine http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandisk-30M...4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362931734&sr=1-4 each file from that Nikon will be about 5-10MB I reckon, so 8GB should be more than enough. I have an 8GB SD card for my Fuji S4000 and I've never come close to filling it, even when I've taken hundreds of photos on holidays.

Case wise, I always recommend LowePro so I'd say this would be good http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Sho...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362931968&sr=1-10

Whole thing comes to around £276 so it's within your £300 budget. That's all you will need.

Even if you don't go for the Nikon superzoom I'd still probably recommend that card and case.

Hope this helps.
 
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Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
Cool cool, thanks guys :)

It will mostly be motion shots yes, however having friends in all the right places means we will also be pit side, so up close still shots as well. I imagine just about any will be good for that though so not as important. Why is superzoom necessary, or at least advisable, for moving targets?

Also how would that stand up to low light/night shooting too? With night events, night practice and for the night parts of the race, I would still like to take a few then before my quick early hours nap :D

Finally bare in mind I will be carrying this around for the whole week and during the 24 hours for a good portion of the day. When I am sleeping it will likely be in the car, but as I won't have the keys, there is every chance it will be about in the tent with me too, as well as around and about when I am sat out and walking and, as this is Le Mans in June, there is a likelihood of rain at some point over the week. With that taken into account, how rugged is the camera? Will it stand up to a few inevitable knocks and bumps? I don't plan on throwing down or anything, but it will get the odd knock when I am out and about
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
The zoom will be good for getting shots of the cars when they are quite a long way away, which depending where you are may be useful. It's still good to have some zoom anyway, you never know what may crop up in the future.

For low light shooting without a tripod, it will probably be OK, but nowhere near as good as what you'll get from a D-SLR. Your night shots when it's pitch black without a tripod will probably be a bit grainy due to the 'not so good' ISO handling all bridge cameras have. With a tripod though, they'll be OK - and you can always use the flash (it may not be the most ideal solution but it will mean you don't get a grainy shot). At sunset/twilight, it should be fine without a tripod. If there's a lot of light in the scene you're trying to shoot it'll also be OK I should imagine.

The LowePro bag/case I recommended is an AW model, which means all weather, so it should be fairly waterproof (my LowePro AW bag is certainly waterproof, was out in the rain with it yesterday). You should also be able to use your camera in light rain and it should be tough enough to withstand the odd knock here and there. These cameras tend to be quite well-built. Just be careful you try not to get water on the lens if you use it out in the rain. If you do, a lens cleaning cloth should remove it (I used one for my D-SLR when the lens got wet and it's fine - a cloth for cleaning glasses may even work).
 
Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
Are there any D-SLR body + Lens combo's or full sets out there in budget, or even something to look out for in a used camera, which would match/better the bridge camera? Failing that, alternatives to the camera posted just for options?
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
The cheapest D-SLR on the market is the Canon 1100D and with the 18-55 lens it costs £320. It's really cheap and plasticy anyway.

You could always get some better stuff used probably. I'll have a look on eBay in a bit and see what I can find used.

Some cheaper alternatives to the Nikon I found:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-D...WTSU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362942731&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-L...NXYG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1362942757&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fujifilm-Fi...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362942788&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fujifilm-Fi...9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362942788&sr=1-9 (this one comes with a case and a memory card bundled)

Those are just a few. All good. I'd probably lean towards the Panasonics though. My experience with Fuji is that they are cheap and well-built, but the image quality isn't always great. My experience with Panasonic is that they are more expensive and just as well-built, but the image quality is often better.
 
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spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
If you're interested in something second hand you could get something like this used Canon 400D http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EOS...Cameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item53f5652553 with the money left over you may be able to buy a zoom lens (probably second hand too) and an SD card and a case/bag, but be aware that the zoom on this 18-55mm lens is going to be nothing like the massive zooms you'll get on the superzooms (the 18-55 lens is about 3.5x or maybe 4x zoom).

That D-SLR will be better in low light than the superzooms though.

There seems to be quite a lot of relatively cheap 400Ds on eBay, so take a look and see if anything else grabs your fancy. If you want a Nikon, you're probably looking at maybe a D40X.
 
Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
What is the difference and advantage/disadvantage to bridge vs D-SLR? I have heard of D-SLR's but not bridge cameras. I will take a wild stab in the dark that they are meant to be a "bridge" between point and shoot digital cameras and D-SLR's, but what does that difference mean in the real world?

If I was to go for the Canon what sort of lens would I be looking at? It comes with 18-55 (what does this mean btw?) lens, but you say I could get another zoom lens. How much would this be setting me back? With the camera + bag + SD card, that would be up to £80 left, roughly, which doesn't seem enough for 90% of the lenses out there.

thank you very muchly for your help btw :)
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
Yes you are right about the definition of bridge cameras. They offer more 'toys'/features over what your typical compact/point and shoot camera has to offer (usually they have manual modes, macro modes and big zooms) but they don't have the ISO performance that a D-SLR has (basically meaning in the dark they produce grainy pictures unless you use a tripod) and you cannot change the lenses. D-SLRs offer much better image quality because of the way the camera works, but they are a lot more expensive and heavier than the bridge cameras.

OK so the 18-55 lens basically means you have a minimum of 18mm focal length, and a maximum of 55mm focal length. The lower the number, the 'wider' the shot (ie, the more stuff you can get in the shot). The higher the number, the bigger the zoom or the tighter the shot. If you want a zoom lens for the Canon you'd probably want a 55-200 or a 70-300 or something like that (that's about 12x zoom). Sadly though, those lenses are expensive and even second hand, yeah £80 isn't enough. :(

I think for your budget your best bet would be to get a bridge/superzoom camera and a case and card. I'd probably get a Panasonic or a Nikon myself, or a Canon if you can find one cheap - the SX500 fits into your budget http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Power...KH5I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362948402&sr=8-2
 
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Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
I know i have asked a lot of questions and i am very grateful for the help. Hopefully last 3 questions then now:

This will be my first but certainly not last Le Mans experience, so if it isn't perfect in the way of photography this time, there is always next time. Because of the better quality and versatility of D-SLR's that is first choice if i can fit it in budget right now, so if i said low budget, but not limited as it was before:

1. How much would used camera + lens and accessories be?

2. The same as 1 but with new

3. Will a different carry case be needed to accommodate the additional lens(es) now and in future
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
1 - Depends really, but your budget of £300 for everything is low, even buying used it seems. If your budget was £400, you could probably get something decent used and you may even be able to get a D-SLR with a few lenses and a case and memory card bundled (people tend to sell everything when they upgrade), but if your budget was £500, you could get good stuff new (read below).

2 - My gear costs around £500 new, £400 or so for the Nikon D3200 with the lens, then £100 or so worth of accessories, and I only have the 18-55 lens. I'm planning to buy a 55-200 lens soon, that's £120, so all in all it'll be over £600 if you got my D-SLR (which is a relatively cheap D-SLR), all my accessories, and the lens I'm looking at buying. You could save £100 on the camera itself though by buying a D3100 (which is older but they still sell them new).

3 - Yep. The one I recommended for a bridge camera will be too small for a D-SLR and lenses, probably even too small for a D-SLR and the kit 18-55 lens. Here is the bag/carry case I have http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowepro-Nov...A37Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363015864&sr=8-1 it's quite large, so you could get a 160 AW or a 140 AW to save money and size. Either one would be fine I reckon.
 
Justin

Justin

VIP Member
To answer #1, it depends on what you're looking for. I was browsing for used gear on Amazon for you Aastii. There are quite a few used Canon 400D's if you don't mind not shooting any video. Lowest was 165 quid.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digit...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1363016319&sr=1-1

Used Canon 55-250 so you can zoom in on the cars and track, lowest was 120 quid.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-55-25...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1363016263&sr=1-2

Sandisk SDCFX 16gb, 40 quid.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDC...8PTY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363016874&sr=8-3

Total: About 325 quid.
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
You'd need a case to carry it all in too, so add on about 30-50 quid and you're there at £355-375. So £400 would be enough to get used gear.

But if you can go up to £500, then yeah buying new would nice. Though I appreciate you may want to keep costs down, so second hand may be a good option.

These D-SLR and accessories tend to come in good condition because people look after them.
 
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Justin

Justin

VIP Member
I say go find a cheaper bag. The Lowepro's and Manfrotto's are nice but expensive. Look for brands like Apoint, they're cheaper but not terrible. Mine has great padding, can survive a light drizzle, fits 1 body and 4 lenses. Got it for around $20 which is what, 10 quid?
 
Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
I will take a better look when i get home but i *should* be able to push 400. It will only be end of April or may that i get it so will budget until then and have a better idea closer to the time

Thanks again guys :)
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
If you can do 400 that'll be awesome. You may even be able to get a brand new Nikon D3100 from Amazon and the accessories and lens for just over £400.

The bag I have (and the other LowePro Nova AWs) have waterproof covers and they work really well and keep everything dry, so I would really recommend those - especially if you're concerned about rain.
 
Aastii

Aastii

VIP Member
That is what I was thinking with the naming convention. Will see if such deals are still around in a few weeks.

So far as I can tell, we are only looking at 3-5 FPS for the two cameras mentioned. Will 45 MB/s not be enough for that?
 
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