I am sorry if this is the wrong place to ask for help.
Currently I am using the most awful point-and-shoot camera which produces horribly blurry and noisy photographs and does not even give me the option to take uncompressed pics. As much as I am enjoying going out and taking a bunch of photos in new places; I feel like I could quadruple my enjoyment if the end product wasn't painful to look at due to the horrible picture quality.
So I need your help to choose a brand spankin' new camera for me to use. I am open to any suggestions; however I am preferably looking for a DSLR which is friendly for beginners, yet also has functions and modes which even pro's would be happy with, so in other words I am looking for a camera which is beginner friendly, not "too" pricey, but is also relatively future proof so I won't need to upgrade any time soon.
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[–] ImTheJanitor [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Actually I mostly try to take landscape style photos and no matter what settings and modes I use on my camera I get blur and noise. I think it is just a bad camera rather than the actual setting for it. I'm using a Fujifilm XP20. Possibly the worst camera I have ever used.
As I said above I am looking at mostly doing landscapes -I often like to take evening shots so being able to take clear low light pics would be great. My budget is very undecided at the moment, I am probably looking at around about the £200 - £250 price range; however I can always try to work overtime for a little to make up any bigger price tags (I am a student, so my budget is basically however much I am able to make on top of my recommended budget).
[–] thatguyron 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago (edited ago)
Cool, well if your current camera is that bad the good news is that almost anything would be an upgrade. Your budget is a bit limiting but you have a few options, and definitely buy used to get the most out of your money.
Given your use case, I'd recommend the Nikon D3200, which has already been discussed by others in this thread. You'll eventually want to get some other lenses other than the one that comes with it, but it may not be in your budget at first. If you can afford it, the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 is a very popular wide-angle lens. For landscapes, particularly evening landscapes as you mention, a good tripod would be very useful. Although the kit lens for the D3200 isn't particularly good for low light, a steady tripod will let you use a longer shutter speed without causing hand-shake blur (I recommend using the 2 second time delay setting so that the vibration from setting off the shutter has time to dissipate before the photo is taken).
On the other hand, if weight/portability is a concern, you may want to go with one of the Sony mirrorless cameras instead. If you could find a used a6000 in your budget that could also work well for you.
[–] ImTheJanitor [S] ago
Sounds good! I visited a photography shop today and they also recommended the D3200, and many of my friends use/recommend the D3200 so this is likely to be my choice!
[–] ThingsHappen 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Ron is right on the money, but I'd like to emphasize his second point and add that with your budgetary constraints and desires I'd lean toward mirrorless.
If you shop around a little, you can probably find a Sony NEX-5N, an adapter, legacy 50mm f/1.8 and 28mm f/2.8 for under 250 pounds.
28mm on APS-C will still be a bit tight for most landscape use but is great for walking around. And later on you can pick up a focal reducer for roughly $100 that will make the 50mm act like a 35mm t/1.2 and the 28mm act like a 19mm t/2.