Camera recommendations for my teen daughter

[freediver111]

Hey gang,

I’m not a camera guy and my 14 yr old wants a camera to take wildlife/outdoor/landscape/dogs type pics.

She has a budget of $400, but her birthday is at the end of January so she can buy the camera body and mom and dad can splurge on the lens as a gift.

What are some recommendations? I’m open to used or new options. Doesn’t have to be the best of the best, but preferably a simple interface that a kid can use and learn with.

Thanks for any recommendations.


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[Camera Land]

Good afternoon

Give me a call. As a sponsor here we always do the right thing and your timing is perfect. We have a great deal on some used equipment and always do extra on new equipment. I am here today until 5:30, same with tomorrow and Wednesday. Closed Thursday

Joel
516-217-1000

 

[kodiak725]

The sony a6000 is a great mirrorless camera for learning. They are still fairly available used for around the $400 dollar mark.

 

[eamyrick]

Yep for that price point I’d go Sony. My wife is a professional photographer and the canon R series is where you want to be when she steps up to the next level.

 

[Marbles]

Mirrorless. Find a used body from B&H Photovideo or camera land, go a few models older.

Will she have someone to teach her? Lessons might be worth while rather than relying on the software to do the work.

Pick a lense system. Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Cannon, or micro four thirds (OM System or Lumix).

Lenses are the big price item in the end, and unlike bodies don't really age out. So, one you have a few, you are somewhat locked in to the system.

I got my wife an OM System, but she already does photography and was ok with the awkward OS for the smaller body size and fully sealed body and lenses.

Sony is supposed to be better for videography.

All the systems work. All have good lenses. Which makes it hard to give a hard push in one direction or another.

 

[elsb0048]

I'd get into one of the mirrorless crop sensor packages in your shoes. It's how I got into amateur photography.

I have a Sony a6500 but anything from that series a6000,6100,6200,6300,6400,6500,6600 would be fine.

Works good enough as a point and shoot with auto settings but you can mess around with some other settings if you want to learn

You should also consider a years worth of adobe Lightroom as a part of the gift depending on your kids level of interest. The camera with more pixels on the sensor does about half the improvement from a cell phone but the other half can be gained by better editing methods.
I would say Lightroom + a kit lens (read cheap lens) would be better than no lightroom with a very expensive lens. I've got a lot of mileage out of the 15-50 & 55-210 Sony kit lenses.

 

[TaperPin]

For landscapes, timed photos and closeups a good tripod and ball head makes life easier.

 

[Speaks]

Sony mirrorless aspc. A6xxx series used. The sony 70-350 is a very decent wildlife lens.

 

[TaperPin]

I don’t mind a larger DSLR for general photography and they are great values.

If you only consider looking into one Nikon DSLR check out the d7000.

 

[Camera Land]

We have a GREAT 2 lens deal on a Used Olympus E-M10 MK3 with the 14-42 and 40-150mm lens. It comes with a battery, charger, strap, case and a new 128gig UHS-1 speed card. Also has all instruction books. Compact, easy to use. We are selling it in store, without the case and card for $649.99. A member here can have the complete kit listed for $549.99 shipped in the USA

Call me with any questions at 516-217-1000

Thanks for all the support and Happy New Year

Joel

 

[LCguy]

I think a Canon Rebel is really the perfect beginner body and you can get the T7 plus a lens for just north of $500 and I have seen the two lens kits for less than $700. It is simple, intuitive and punches well above its weight.

 

[Camera Land]

DO NOT get a DSLR. Every manufacturer has stopped making them. They all have switched to mirrorless. Both Nikon and Canon, the last two offering DSLR's have been discontinuing their dslr bodies as they ran out and now they only offer PRO cameras and when they run out there will NOT be replacements. They both offer nice selections of mirrorless. The lenses are going away as they run out as well. In addition both Nikon and Canon have stopped repairing them if they are more then a few years old. Everyone is behind mirrorless cameras. Mirrorless cameras have been around by OM Digital, Sony and Fuji for over 10 years. Canon and Nikon a few years less

Hope this helps

 

[TaperPin]

DSLR are fine for a student photographer. Lenses are cheap, bodies are cheap, if one craps out just buy another. Every single thing they will learn with a DSLR will transfer to any camera they upgrade to later, if they stick with it. They won’t see a single difference in their pictures by spending more on a mirror less.

 

[Camera Land]

DSLR are fine for a student photographer. Lenses are cheap, bodies are cheap, if one craps out just buy another. Every single thing they will learn with a DSLR will transfer to any camera they upgrade to later, if they stick with it. They won’t see a single difference in their pictures by spending more on a mirror less.

Not to get into a huge debate, BUT, you want to buy a camera that can get repaired if something happens. We are seeing more used mirrorless cameras being traded in as people upgrade. At very competitive prices. Why buy old technology when you can get new. FYI, mirrorless cameras have much better Bokeh due to the distance of the rear lens element and the sensor. The focusing is also faster on mirrorless and the image stabilization is far better then the older cameras where the stabilization was in the lens, not in many bodies.
The mirrorless cameras are also smaller and most have longer battery life as well. These are the facts, not opinions.
If you can get a used DSLR with a lens for under $200. Then it's worth it. Anything older then 5 years old will not be touched by Nikon or Canon and they no longer make parts for them.

As a long time sponsor here, we would not suggest investing in anything that has been phased out by an entire industry.

Feel free to call me to discuss at 516-217-1000

Joel