Quote:
Originally Posted by cobrakai111
Hey all, I'm sure this question has been answered but this thread is a monster and I'm just working my way through (amazing pictures throughout!)
I'll be going to Iceland and the UK this summer and am finally using this as an excuse to get a real camera. I held off buying one since I was a little nervous having another expensive gadget with me on backpacking trips, but I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable traveling now.
There are a zillion articles and reviews, just wondering if there is an optimal 'starter' camera that doesn't cost a fortune and would be appropriate for travel. Is used or refurbished the way to go?
Thanks!
Dealing with the last question first: factory refurbished or used from a dealer is safer and more expensive than used on e-bay.
Beyond that, it is hard to give meaningful specific answers to such a general question. There really is no single optimal starter camera. It all depends on your priorities, intended uses, experience and willingness to learn. If you tell us more about what you know, what you want and what you mean by a "real camera", we might be able to be more specific.
If you are going to be backpacking on this trip too, and photography is just an adjunct to the trip, then you probably want something fairly small, without a lot of spare parts. That argues more for a fixed lens camera than one that supports interchangeable lenses, but you
could get an interchangeable lens camera but just use on lens.
If you get a fixed lens camera, you will probably find one with a zoom lens more flexible to use.
Here's a list of some of the issues to consider:
Budget?
Fixed lens or interchangeable lenses?
Zoom lens or fixed focal length?
Focal length / focal length range?
Viewfinder or just LCD screen?
Sensor size?
How important is video capability?
How much will you take control of the imaging process (vs. letting the camera decide)?
Tradeoff between image quality vs. size & weight.
Tell us some more and I'll try to be more specific.
One piece of advice right now: whatever you get, buy it well before your departure date. Learn to use it before you leave.