Re: Going digital at last!

Do you have a proper camera shop near you to get advice from? I find PC world/Curry's are only interested in the sales and selling insurance.

Re: Going digital at last!

Hello again!

I've spent ages Surfing t'Net & YT, and come to a decision - I will get some sort of cheap - to - mid priced compact camera for these reasons -

DSLRs & bridge cameras are quite bulky; it was hard enough carrying my old Pentax ME Super, but these are even bigger
If you want to take discrete/low key/candid shots, they are quite intimidating

For my level, a compact has all the features I need and can understand, for the moment; when & if I find a limit or problem I'm quite willing to buy a DSLR or something. All compacts now have a macro option and a screen, thus avoiding parallax, which was one of the main reasons for getting an SLR
A compact will be quite good enough to teach me the digital/computer stuff, where I am a complete beginner
And it's better to have a compact in your shirt pocket than a DSLR in your bag; and even if I did get a DSLR or Bridge I'd still have to get a compact for backpacking

So I'm considering mostly Canon cameras - ISUS 185, 190, 285; SX620

There are 3 local shops - Argos, PC World, and Wilkinsons, which is a proper camera shop
I've experienced PC World in the past (nuff said), so I'll be going to Wilkinsons this afternoon. They have various bundles on offer, or I'm sure they could make up something. I've already had a browse round their shop, and the staff are pleasant & helpful

There comes a point when you have to say that Messrs Canon, Nikon, etc are quite capable of making a camera for the likes of me, and just do it

Re: Going digital at last!

That is exactly what I did. I bought a Kodak camera only 2 megapixel as I wanted to see what all this digital stuff was about. I like you didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I didn't understand and not sure about.

However it didn't take me long to realise the limitations this Kodak camera had So I got a Nikon D70s my first proper DSLR camera.

Now this is where you might avoid my mistakes and going for the next model up in the range, and did it again and again. Each time I upgraded there was a small financial loss. Why did i do it ? I found Ii had I felt outgrown the previous model . one had short battery life, another not enough definition due to number of megapixels and other various reasons.

This is why I say if you do go in for a DSLR camera get one way above your present needs and save on doing upgrades

Re: Going digital at last!

Thanks

Well, I'm going for a compact anyway, as I have no intention of backpacking with a DSLR or Bridge

If I find I need A DSLR in future I'll be able to buy one with a bit more knowledge & experience

Re: Going digital at last!

Well, I've been and gone and done it!

I braved the snow, thunder & lightning to go to Wilkinsons
I now have a Lumix TZ70. It's a bit bigger than those I mentioned, but can still fit in a pocket easily. It also has some manual control/override, and an eye viewfinder as well as a screen

I got accessories like a bag, spare battery & cards; and a discount

Thanks for all your advice

Re: Going digital at last!

My opinion it is a far better choice than in your original post . I was a little worried about that one you first mentioned, I felt it was a lot of money for very little.
just looked up the spec on the one you bought and it shoots in RAW as well which you will find allows more control in editing when and if you do any
Also glad you went to a proper camera shop for genuine advice against a sales persons pitch.

Well done and an excellent choice

can't wait to see some pictures and maybe? a video as well

Out of interest which memory cards did you get? I only ask because they are just as important to get the right ones as getting the right camera

get one with a slow MB/s and with burst shooting( stills in rapid succession) and the camera could stall while the card catches up.

My own personal choice is this one class 10 and 95MB/s and32GB

yes you could get a larger GB card the only problem i can see with that is if you want to shoot one lot as stills and another as video it all goes on the one card.
My opinion ,for what it is worth, is to have one card for still and another for video making it easier to sort out and find in a computer.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Ext...6122093&sr=1-4

You can get a card reader which saves having to use the camera to put pictures on a computer if your computer doesn't have an SD slot that is.

So in this respect can I highly recommend this one


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lexar-Profe...ar+card+reader

yes it is dual slot I know BUT with this one the card goes in a long way before it hits the contacts which prevents the contacts being bent as with some other types. others the card may go in crooked and then you have problems


Just one other thing I believe is worth a mention is one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hama-Mini...UAAOSwNuxXaUVM

I have one and great for putting on a table .keeps the camera still while videoing. keeps the camera out of the dirt and dust on the ground. great bit of kit for a couple of quid

Re: Going digital at last!

Yes, I'm glad I went to Wilkinsons.
I was served by someone who was middle aged or over, and we took our time
He had been brought up with film, and suggested this camera as it would be a good choice for moving from 35mm to digital, mainly for the spec but also the other IXUS etc models were rather small & fiddly
You can see from the spec. that there are various manual settings as well as auto; a way of doing a reasonable standard of photography without going to the bulk or expense of a DSLR or a very expensive 'super compact'
Now I have all the fun of finding out how to use it

I bought it at 4 o'clock, and took it to my evening class at 6; the lecturer was quite impressed with it

The deal I got was -

Panasonic Lumix TZ70 camera, which included a small book, CD, wrist cord; USB cord; battery charging mains adapter & Panasonic battery

Hama C10 16 GB memory card
Sandisk Ultra C10 16 GB memory card
Ansman generic, spare, battery
Hama belt pouch
3 years insurance
Unlimited time membership of Wilkinsons VIP Club, which provides free lectures & demonstrations, though I would have to go to Preston for that

Total cost £ 282 - 49

You can only charge the battery in camera, that, it seems, is the latest trend. There is a mains adapter to charge via the USB cable

It has a digital eye level wiewfinder, so even on closeups it is ttl, hence no parallax. It is automatic, you don't have to switch between screen & viewfinder; it senses when you're looking and switches on the viewfinder
This, apparently is another recent innovation, and he's expecting Canon, Nikon, etc will follow

About a week ago I bought a copy of 'Digital Photography for Seniors', so away I go!

My first project is 'Close Ups', which should be OK as this camera has both manual and automatic macro. Basically you just move in or zoom, and the camera carries on doing focusing & exposure. I filled the screen with a £1 coin and it was sharp & correctly exposed, all on auto

This is a beginners class, and it was interesting to see that some members who had splashed out on DSLRs were having just as much trouble sorting out how they worked as I was

Unfortunately I won't be able to post pictures on here yet as I don't know how to; that is one of the main reasons I decided to go digital, to post pictures on this and other forums

Video - what's that?!

A card reader, tripod and other bits & pieces will come as & when

Re: Going digital at last!

Sorry, my mistake, I've re - read the fine print

The free lectures & demos are tied in with the insurance. You only get them as long as your insurance is valid
Once it expires, after 12 months, or 3 years as in my case, you no longer get the freebies
Part of the discount offer was to get 3 years for the price of 12 months - £10
Considering the time spent and excellent advice I got, it seemed churlish to turn it down

Re: Going digital at last!

Do you really need RAW mode? Isn't that really for people who want to mess with photoshop or similar.

Re: Going digital at last!

Unless it takes standard batteries (AAA, AA, etc) always buy another battery so you have a fully charged one on standby and available at all times.

That has never failed me yet.