Camera for the average Family

reynazackphotography · November 20, 2012

Hello,

My sister wants to buy her husband a camera for his birthday.
They are parents in their late 30's. They have an average knowledge of technology (not highly advanced).

They want a great camera that will be able to capture photos of their children (ie a high shutter speed) but that is also able to set in manual mode (apparently my brother in law knows how to shoot in manual).

I think they're open to a DSLR OR a NICE point-and-shoot.
Budget is $500 or less

Any suggestions?

ziggy53 · November 20, 2012

Do they have a need for sports and/or low-light (high-ISO) photography? (I define low-light as indoors, without flash, for example.)

reynazackphotography · November 20, 2012

Yes, I think they have both those needs.

ziggy53 · November 20, 2012

reynazackphotography wrote: »

Yes, I think they have both those needs.

A $500USD budget will probably not be sufficient.

If they want high quality results, and if they want a consistent percentage of "keepers", they need to budget considerably more. I suggest that they budget for at least $2000, and then start with a used, mid-level Canon or Nikon dSLR, plus a couple of good used lenses.

At the very least, I suggest either a Canon 40D or Nikon D90 body, and then a decent standard zoom lens plus a decent telephoto zoom lens. Add a good TTL flash with a focus-assist light, and a couple of DIY modifiers, and they should be pretty good to go.

For the standard zoom I suggest the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF. While it's not perfect, it's good enough for many professional purposes, without the cost of the top-tier manufacturer lenses.

For the telephoto zoom I suggest either the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro or the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM. The Tamron is a little higher image quality, but a little slower focus. The Sigma is faster to focus, but a bit less image quality.

For the flash I suggest either a Sigma EF-610 DG Super flash (in the correct Canon or Nikon mount), or a used Canon 550EX flash or Nikon SB-600 flash, respectively.

KEH.com has most of these items available used, and they currently have the best warranty on used equipment.

Either a Canon 40D system or a Nikon D90 system should be able to provide most of what they want to do, especially if they follow my recommendations above. They don't have to buy it all at once, but one of those bodies, plus the standard zoom lens, plus the flash and DIY flash modifiers is where I recommend they start.

reynazackphotography · November 20, 2012

While these are great suggestions (many of these products are ones I personally use!), it is just way over their budget.
They are not pro photographers. So I think a 40D system with flash and multiple lenses would overwhelm them.
What about a point-and-shoot option instead of a DSLR? There must be an option under $500.

ziggy53 · November 20, 2012

There are certainly cameras which you can purchase for $500 and less. I can not recommend them for the purpose of high-quality images in the conditions of low-light (indoors) or sports.

For outdoor, daytime use, with the built-in flash as fill, many cameras will do, especially with static subjects. Unfortunately, indoor images with the built-in flash will deliver the usual "snapshot" looking images, and the shutter lag will mean many missed opportunities.

Trying to shoot sports with a typical digicam is a similar lesson in futility. (Shutter lag issues plus poor high-ISO performance limiting fast shutter speeds.)

A larger sensor and bigger, large aperture lenses, with minimal lag, and a decent flash, used properly, can all add up to the quality images they probably expect. I haven't seen any shortcuts to image quality.

natesphotos · November 20, 2012

Try the Canon G12.
My sister's having the same problem. I told her to get the Canon G12. You can get RAW files without having to get a DSLR.

reynazackphotography wrote: »

Hello,

My sister wants to buy her husband a camera for his birthday.
They are parents in their late 30's. They have an average knowledge of technology (not highly advanced).

They want a great camera that will be able to capture photos of their children (ie a high shutter speed) but that is also able to set in manual mode (apparently my brother in law knows how to shoot in manual).

I think they're open to a DSLR OR a NICE point-and-shoot.
Budget is $500 or less

Any suggestions?

natesphotos · November 20, 2012

The pictures come out great with a Canon G12 and she doesn't have to learn settings or mess with lenses.

Nathan
http://nathanpetty.com

NikonsandVstroms · November 21, 2012

I'd also look at the Nikon 1 series, they are cheap (as low as 275 for a refurb J1 right now with kit lens on Adorama, 400 brand new) and the kit lens is a 28-80mm equivalent. Right now the system is just starting but by the time they get it there will be a 28mm equivalent F2.8 pancake, and 50mm equivalent F1.8 which will cover the low light end of things. And a telephoto which is 81-297mm equivalent, and all 3 of these additional lenses are in the 180-250 dollar price range.

The reason I suggest the Nikon 1 is the sensor is a bigger than point and shoots so it will do better in low light. And even more importantly it has phase detection built into the sensor which will make for much faster AF (it's as fast as any DSLR combo I've used) which will be key to get photos of kids in focus as they run around.

Snowgirl · November 21, 2012

And, if you want a decent quality P&S that has manual capability too, check out the Canon S series. I have an S95 that lives in my pocket or purse and I LOVE IT! Can even do a bit of video. I am used to a 1DMKIV so the shutter lag on the S95 is noticeable - but for most people, it's actually very good. I've had it a few years; not sure what the current model would be.

jmphotocraft · November 22, 2012

Sony NEX-5N? $478 with 18-55mm lens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW9alBidf3w

tenoverthenose · November 22, 2012

Canon S seriers or a Fuji X10 come to mind in the P&S world. Maybe a m4/3 camera. Those are all in the price range.

JamesonNorth · November 22, 2012

Any modern DSLR with a 50mm 1.8 lens should be sufficient. There's no need to invest in a camera capable of perfect ISO 6400 shots with professional zoom lenses. If they are considering an advanced point and shoot, this would be way overkill.

Get a Nikon D3100 or used D5000/D90, SB-400, and a 50mm 1.8 AF-S or AF-D depending on which camera you get, and you'll be happy with your photos for years.

cmason · November 22, 2012

If a point and shoot is what you think they really want, I can highly recommend the Canon Powershot ELPH 300 HS. Yep, its a standard P&S, and no, it isn't the lauded S95/100, nor the G series, but its one excellent camera. In fact, it outrated the S95 in Consumer Reports. Now that likely doesn't mean much for most photographers, but for the 'average family', its probably meaningful. https://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_elph_300_hs_silver

There is also a new 310 HS, and 320 HS for a bit more, and a higher end 5x0 HS.
https://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras

I bought this camera for my daughter, to use on a family trip. I found it on sale at Best Buy, and ratings were good. But I now take this camera with me on business travel where I can not take my DSLR. The images are fantastic, and the control is really very good, offering a very functional Manual mode. In fact, the Automatic mode is much more capable than putting the camera in some of the configured settings, that you, the human, are certain is correct for the current conditions.

Here are some images taken with the camera. These were taken by my 13 yr old daughter, so I would classify this as 'average'. These were taken in either Auto or whatever setting she had the camera in and forgot about. There is also a movie, taken in a dark church (Vatican), so you can see how it performs in a dark area. Quite a bit of noise when she pans over to very dark areas, but frankly, neither she nor the rest of the family noticed or complained about it later. Overall, its pretty darn good, and with care, images could be even better.

Here is a sample:

And this one, taken directly facing the sun, which the camera handles pretty well:

Anyway, check out the images, not bad for a ~$200 camera!

SteveF · November 23, 2012

I was going to suggest a nex5 or 7 with the 18-55 to start, but someone beat me to it.

Bigger sensor, great features, expandability with longer / faster lenses as desired, fully manual controls if desired, pocketable, etc.

Shima · November 24, 2012

I just got the Sony RX 100 for my South Africa trip next month (we're going the entire month and I didn't want to lug my heavy gear around). This camera is seriously amazing, but a little over the $500 budget... runs about $650 currently. I'll post some sample pics I've taken with it here in the US later.

JAmadoPhotography · November 29, 2012

For $500 I would get a fancy point and shoot. That's how I got started with learning manual adjustments. Good luck!

zoomer · November 29, 2012

Look at the Olympus EPL1.

Wiren · November 30, 2012

Mike is right... you are going to be hard pressed to limit yourself to a $500 budget and get everything that they want... try an Oly EPL-1.... http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Interchangeable-Digital-14-42mm-40-150mm/dp/B0046L558G/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1354305843&sr=8-10&keywords=olympus+pen+e-pl1 cam, and 2 lenses there is just over the budget..., huge focal range and options for what they want... are there better bridge compacts.... sure, but at more than the budget allows. Many folks lament or don't care for Olympus gear, but it does work quite well and this would be a good start up for your family's needs.

Good luck and happy holidays.

roakey · November 30, 2012

I'm always a broken record when I hear requests like this. For what they want to do, I'd recommend a bridge camera like the Canon SX50. It's similar to a full-fledged SLR, allows you to fully control the exposure like an SLR, can generate RAW files like an SLR but it's significantly cheaper and doesn't have interchangable lenses.

And it's within their budget.

Roak

rtbaum · November 30, 2012

The OP mentioned that the husband understands manual focus; is it possible that he may have owned an old film slr and may still own the lenses? If so, an used dslr could be picked up that may be able to use the old lenses. Just a thought.

photobug · December 4, 2012

Remember the Canon Loyalty Program option!

reynazackphotography wrote: »

Hello,
My sister wants to buy her husband a camera for his birthday. ... They want a great camera that will be able to capture photos of their children (ie a high shutter speed) but that is also able to set in manual mode (apparently my brother in law knows how to shoot in manual). I think they're open to a DSLR OR a NICE point-and-shoot.
Budget is $500 or less
Any suggestions?

I would second the suggestions for Canon Powershot G12 or G15,
or a Canon SX50 (except that the SX50 may be awkward to use in manual mode, and is pretty tiny for someone with large hands).

==> But the other option to consider is purchasing a factory-refurbished Canon DSLR with a kit lens, using the Canon Loyalty Program. Most CLP cameras/lenses are indistinguishable from new. We just got our young teenager her first DSLR as a (big) holiday gift, and we managed to do it within the budget you mentioned (in fact, it was the only way to get her a DSLR without blowing our own budget through the roof). We got a Canon T2i with 18-55mm kit lens for just $358 (+tax in CA). Or you could get a T3i + 18-55mm lens for $448. See the Canon refurb camera web page and the Canon refurb lenses web page. Canon just had a huge Cyber Week sale, so it's out of stock on some models.

You may note that the prices I just quoted are lower than the prices on that web page. That's because the unadvertised Canon Loyalty Program allows you to take 20% off the posted refurb prices. The only catches to CLP are:

You must have an old broken Canon camera to send in, in exchange (if you don't have one, they are readily available on eBay for under $10). Canon will accept *any* old Canon camera, film or digital, it just has to be not working (they just junk it when they receive it). If you have an old one, you can even break it yourself before you send it in -- take a knob off, break the battery door, crack the LCD screen, whatever.
You cannot order through the web site, you must call the direct Canon Loyalty Program phone# (1-866-443-8002, option#2) to place your order, as explained on this DGrin thread

Canon also has refurb Powershot G12's available for $349 ($280 under CLP) on this web page.

Good luck!

jziegler · December 4, 2012

Another option to throw out there:

B&H has the Panasonic G3 with kit lens for $299 through the end of the month. It's a very capable, 16MP micro four thirds camera, with a usable kit lens. The two Sigma prime lenses for micro four thirds are also discounted at the moment, $150 each, so you could get the G3 and a sharp f2.8 prime for $450. I got the G3 and 30mm Sigma and am very happy with both, and think this is just a killer deal.

jmphotocraft · December 5, 2012

Nikon D3100 is now on sale for $477 with lens until December 15:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/730210-REG/Nikon_25472_D3100_Digital_SLR_Camera.html

Grainbelt · December 7, 2012

It was mentioned once already, but the Fuji X10 is (currently) $499, and is more than capable for family use. I've been the token 'guy that better remember a camera' for all family events the last few years. Sold a capable DSLR kit with some fast lenses and use the X10 exclusively now. Other than subject isolation, it does everything well. I can hand it to a clueless relative in EXR Auto mode or shoot myself fully manual, results are reliably good. For me, there are sufficient external controls (and an optical viewfinder w/diopter) to make it feel and respond like a 'real' camera.

More than anything, the X10 renders colors and skin tones beautifully, even using automatic white balance. It is a tremendous piece of kit, IMO.

Camera for the average Family

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