Thread: Recommendations for a camera please

I want to try my hand at photography as a hobby. Ideally for landscape photos.

i’ve no experience beyond point and click cameras and my phone.

looking for a recommendation for a sensible starter camera and kit and advice on getting started

Thanks!

I have a Canon EOS 600D bought 14 years ago, not cheap then either and hardly use it now, my advice is there are good second hand shops in the UK - buy a second hand one and if you don't take to it you haven't spent so much.

Rider: when the shops open again that is.

Do you have a budget in mind?

Certainly happy to buy secondhand. In terms of quality, I’d like to get a couple of shots to use as wallpaper on a feature wall in a new house. Not sure what budget that dicates.

i know nothing about cameras. With most consumer goods there’s a price/quality curve that starts to significantly fall off at a certain level. With bicycles it’s around the £2500 mark. You can spend £10000, but for most people the difference is marginal. Likewise it’s a very noticeable improvement on a £500 bike. Somewhere around that level I guess?

I have a Canon SX50 and love it. 50 X zoom (optical) and lots of settings if you want to get into it more than me.
I generally just use the automatic setting.
One more thing that I find important: Learn about the rule of thirds for your composition.

E‑M5 Mark III - System Cameras ; Micro 4/3 Cameras - OM-D - Olympus

Even a used Mark1 or 2

If you are indeed new to photography, I would recommend learning the basic principles of how a camera works and the different effects that can be produced. Mainly these revolve around aperature and speed settings, depth of field, exposure values, lens focal lengths etc. You'll find a wealth of information online, just Google. If you have a friend who's already into photography, ask them to give you a basic rundown. For camera selection, again look online for reviews and recommendations (best camera at XXXX price etc).

Once you've got a good idea of what you're looking for, try some of the 'for sale' groups in Facebook or your local sites. The market is flooded with bargains at the moment particularly amongst expats here in Thailand selling stuff. One thing to look for with secondhand lenses, because of the humidity here in Thailand, it's not unusual to find mould growing in the lens, which will be virtually impossible to remove, so check carefully.

Thanks for the advice. I bought a Panasonic lx15 for just under £400. Plenty to learn!