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[tickmike]

Hello all, hope you are all well.
Not on in the daytime much as still doing DIY projects while we are having mild weather.
 
I'm looking for Idea's For A Digital SLR Camera for my Daughter for xmas/birthday.
What do you recommend and any links please.

[tuftedduck]

In broad terms, anything from the big names will do........Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus.

Do you have a budget ?

Does daughter have any slr experience......does she want simplicity or creativity ?

Is it a camera for general use or does daughter have specific interests.....macro, wildlife, fashion, portraits.

How big are daughters hands......some digi slrs are quite big and heavy, some small and light.

[renluop]

Has it got to be a SLR? Some of the bridge cameras have extremely long lens ranges and generous megapixel count.

You may like to look at these links on the format
http://www.which.co.uk/technology/photography/reviews/bridge-cameras/

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/advice/501485/what-is-the-best-bridge-camera-2011-our-top-5-superzooms-of-the-year.html

One possible thing to consider carefully with bridges is lag. 

[broadstairs]

Another consideration is the use of the camera. Does she currently have a camera? What kind of photography does she / is she likely to do?

I have both types of camera and can see the pros and cons of both. My main problem with my bridge camera is manual focussing, true it has a manual setting but requires you to fiddle with buttons and not simply turn the lens. So for situations where I need to use manual focussing I tend to take the DSLR. Main advantage of the bridge is that it is small and light compared to my (admittedly old) DSLR, that's the main reason I got it so it is easy to carry especially when busy with he grandchildren.

One more comment is that there is very little lag with my Canon bridge camera, newer models have significantly improved in his area.

Stuart

[roseway]

One thing I would add is that you shouldn't be seduced by a very high megapixel value. Camera manufacturers like to highlight this figure, because it's easy to understand and looks good in the specifications, but if it's over about 10 Mp then other factors start to become more important.

[UncleUB]

Has it got to be a SLR? Some of the bridge cameras have extremely long lens ranges

The one thing to remember with long fixed lenses is the stability when shooting.Some of these cameras have up to 36x zoom which is quite a length when fully extended.

I myself have a Sony A200 and have been very happy with it(its the twin lens version)

[tickmike]

Has it got to be a SLR? Some of the bridge cameras have extremely long lens ranges and generous megapixel count.

You may like to look at these links on the format





One possible thing to consider carefully with bridges is lag.

Your links do not work 

[tickmike]

In broad terms, anything from the big names will do........Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus.

Do you have a budget ?

Does daughter have any slr experience......does she want simplicity or creativity ?

Is it a camera for general use or does daughter have specific interests.....macro, wildlife, fashion, portraits.

How big are daughters hands......some digi slrs are quite big and heavy, some small and light.

Re.. "budget " say £ 200 - £250  will we get anything decent  for that ?.

   "any slr experience." none only compact !.

   "does she want simplicity"  yes.

  "Is it a camera for general use " Yes with some macro, wildlife, She is doing photography for part of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award 'Gold'.

   "How big are daughters hands" small and weak 

----------------------------------------------------------
'Bridge cameras'  What's a bridge camera ?  bring back the brownie box camera 

What megapixel value should we look for ?.

[roseway]

A bridge camera is a sort of half-way house between a digital SLR and a point and shoot camera. It has a fixed lens, usually with a very wide zoom range, so they're often referred to as superzooms.

There's an enormous range at all prices (see Amazon's list) but if I had to pick one within your budget it would be this one.

[tuftedduck]

I am afraid that you will not get a new digi slr within your budget........at least I cannot find one.
You will be looking at about £400 or so for a budget one.

For something small and light, easy to use, a wide choice of specialist lenses for macro/wildlife etc., good results and a good colour rendition.... something like the Pentax K-r may be of interest  ......  http://www.parkcameras.com/16964/Pentax-K-r---18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-SMC-DA-AL---White.html


A bridge camera is a half-way house between a compact and an slr.......no interchangeable lenses but rather a built in zoom lens. The upside is that they are very much cheaper than slrs......and the one linked to by roseway is very good.

For home printing up to say 5x7, 6 megapixel is enough......however most budget slrs come in at about 10/12 Mps and that will meet all your needs.

[renluop]

And they weren't the right ones!

Now corrected

[UncleUB]

Re.. "budget " say £ 200 - £250  will we get anything decent  for that ?.

 

I don't think you will get anything in that price range never mind decent.As TD as stated yo really need to increase your budget to around £400 (as a starting point)

If that is too much you might be better considering a bridging camera(halfway house between a compact and a DSLR).The downside is that usually it has a fixed lens,so you can't buy/add extra lenses.

Argos have a nice Nikon briding camera for half price at present and it has a decent spec. £129.99

Nikon COOLPIX L120 14MP Digital Bridge Camera.

The freedom to capture stunning photos and high-definition movies just got even easier thanks to the COOLPIX L120. Optimized to create stunning images, it boasts an impressive 21x zoom Nikkor lens that offers precise wide-angle to super-telephoto coverage. Four different anti-blur functions automatically deliver sharp results, and the camera features a side zoom control that helps you move smoothly throughout the 21x range. A dedicated movie-record button makes it easy to switch to capturing the action, and a large, high resolution LCD monitor makes it a joy to compose and review shots, even in bright sunlight.

14.1 megapixels.
CCD sensor.
Focal length 25-525mm.
21 x optical zoom.
4 x digital zoom.
3in screen.
LCD screen with Live View.
Minimum ISO rating 80 and maximum ISO rating 6400.
Shutter speed 1/4000 to 4sec.
Image stabilisation system.
Dual digital and optical anti-blur.
25mm wide angle lens.
Continuous shooting 1fps.
Memory card compatibility: SD, SDHC, SDXC.
17 scene modes.
Full auto settings.
Built-in flash.
720p HD recording .
Video capture with sound and video playback with sound.
PictBridge compatible.
Accessories included: strap, AV cable USB cable.
Requires 4 x AA batteries (included).
Size H7.65, W10.99, D7.84cm.
Weight 431g.
EAN/MPN/UPC/ISBN: 1820892087

http://tinyurl.com/6hb66zv


There are quite a few bridging cameras on their website....If I was to buy a bridging camera my own personal choice would be one of the Panasonic Lumix range.A bit more expensive than the Nikon though.

[UncleUB]

Just found the Nikon D3000 DSLR for under £300 which is a very good price

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D3000-Digital-Camera-18-55/dp/B002J9GIAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320482718&sr=8-1

Thinks I would consider as a must have......viewfinder......It very hard in sunlight to look at just an LCD screen.

and Image stabilisation.....Very good if your hands aren't too steady.

Anything around 10MP up to 14MP is good,imo it isn't necessary for the average photographer to have anything more.

Optical zoom is more important than digital zoom when considering zoom length.

[renluop]

Links to articles on picture sizes vs magapixels and megapixels and sensor size.  I hope OP will find them informative.
http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/print_better_photos/tips/print-size.html

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/camera-ccd-sensor-size-megapixels/

[tickmike]

Re... "I don't think you will get anything in that price range never mind decent.As TD as stated yo really need to increase your budget to around £400 (as a starting point)"

OMG
Maybe I did not mean a DSLR !?.

I think I've got to spend a lot more time on this (A good project for these darker nights now )
These 'Bridge' camera's look the part, I am way out of date with camera's now and to think it was once my hobby and I had a dark-room set up and I would print all my own photo's and then came along 'Digital' 
Thanks for the comments/links etc.
Keep them coming please as they are very useful   .