Buying a camera: Quandry City?? I am going to buy a camera. Last camera I bought was 20 years ago. I'm 79 and I used to shoot black and white Minolta SLR and a trusting friend loaned...

Zario Loc: sacramento, CA

Quandry City?? I am going to buy a camera. Last camera I bought was 20 years ago. I'm 79 and I used to shoot black and white Minolta SLR and a trusting friend loaned me his Leica M3 for a couple of years. My budget is about $600. I know nothing about the new equipment. Comparing everything on the internet is exhausting and time consuming, but still doing it. Feel like a beginner. HELP PLEASE. THANKS.
Zario

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

Right off the bat, you have to decide if you want a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. I'm old school, so I prefer the DSLR. I always look for refurbished bodies first. They are as good as new, but possibly have a shorter warranty. Next, I would look at used, but I would want to know the shutter count. Stick with established sellers. If someone is offering a low price, stay away. Manufacturers control pricing.

Good dealers -
Adorama, Amazon, B&H, Cameta, Costco, Crutchfield, Hunt’s, Robert’s

DSLR vs Mirrorless -
https://www.lightstalking.com/considerations-mirrorless-cameras/
http://www.lightstalking.com/mirrorless-vs-dslr/
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/dslr-vs-mirrorless-cameras,news-17736.html
https://www.lightstalking.com/six-points-consider-transition-mirrorless-system/
http://www.diyphotography.net/love-breaks-sold-mirrorless-camera/
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-the-switch-from-dslr-to-mirrorless-changed-how-i-edit-photos/

Camera comparison sites -
Read comparisons and specs, and decide what features are important to you.
Comparison sites -
(Reviews) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameraStoreTV/videos
http://www.cameradecision.com/
http://cameras.reviewed.com/
http://camerasize.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://snapsort.com/compare
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

Zario Loc: sacramento, CA

Wow. Thank you jerryc41 for your quick and great reply. Great information. As you probably assume I am also old school. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

If you haven't been keeping up with digital cameras the last 20 years, you have a lot of catching up to do. I'm also old-school and prefer DSLR cameras. Good luck.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I'm old (school) too. And I am 72 and a half. I've abandoned film, SLRs, DSLRs and darkroom chemistry. I have embraced smaller micro four thirds mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Olympus.

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

I
Hi Zario, in your shoes (forget the age) I would start with questions:

1. How large PRINTS I am going to do?

2. Am I going to expand the camera system in the future? Extra lenses are expensive.

3. Do I want to take photos of wild animals?

4. Do I want to carry the camera in a pocket?

If you feel happy with print size about 16"x20" and you do NOT need to carry the camera in your pocket, you will be more than comfortable living with a compact, practical (one piece, no lens changing) fixed 25-600mm zoom camera and a 1" sensor, 20 megapixels, JPEG & RAW fileing system, electronic view finder (EVF) and a tilted screen.
All that under $600.00
Panasonic (FZ 1000 and newer models), Canon, Nikon and Sony lines of models would be where to look first. If you need to save money, look also for some Adorama or B&H refurbished cameras - as Jerry suggests.

Good Luck!

LXK0930 Loc: Souh Jersey

I am about your age, and have been playing with cameras for about 60 years. My advice:
(1) How much size/weight are you willing to endure? No camera is much good if it sits in the closet because it is too big/heavy.
(2) What are you going to use the camera for? Pictures of the (great) grandkids, travel, special interest (birding, sports, etc).
(3) How much image quality do you need? Obviously, vacation memories probably don't need the quality of professional assignments.
(4) How much expertise do you already have, and how much learning time are you willing to invest? Most modern cameras have pretty good AUTO (or SCENE) capabilities.
(5) After you answer these basic questions, check out the advice given on this site.

Have fun, and don't break your back or the bank!!

Zario Loc: sacramento, CA

Thank you. Good questions. I'm beginning to look for answers to those now. My camera fantasies woke me up at 1:15 AM this morning. DSLR vs Mirrorless; used vs new; fujifilm vs Nikon or Sony. I need some sleep.
Thank you.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

bsprague wrote:

I'm old (school) too. And I am 72 and a half. I've abandoned film, SLRs, DSLRs and darkroom chemistry. I have embraced smaller micro four thirds mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Olympus.

I'm sure that is a great insight. I'm wondering if he knows what"smaller four-thirds cameras are? What are they??

Zario Loc: sacramento, CA

I have no idea what a four/thirds camera is?? Thanks

jrw_mdus Loc: Elk River Basin, Cecil County MD, USA

I am 88, all else aside I have gone to a bridge camera (new term, a bridge between the pocket camera and the SLR) Shoot mostly full auto, with up to 65x zoom (35mm equ 21 to 1365 mm optical and up to 5400 mm electronic) you can look 1/2 mile away and see what a person is wearing. Do birds, sunsets, ships etc. The purest here will say I am wrong, but look at my pictures and you decide

Cyber Digest

Canon Rebel SL2 is what I would buy you need two lenses an 18-135mm and a 55-250mm many wil come with the 18-55mm which will work to get you started and keep you at around $600.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

You need to know what is indeed what you want. There are dSLR bodies and mirrorless cameras similar to rangefinder cameras of the past. If there is a store near by having those cameras in your hands begin to give you an idea of what type of camera feels more comfortable to use.
If you do not need something too fancy an entry level camera could be exactly what you need. I am a Nikon shooter but Canon and Pentax also have very good bodies and lenses. On the mirrorless side I use Olympus.
A bridge camera does not offer interchangeable lenses and it could be a very practical camera.

ncribble Loc: Albuquerque, NM

It is all about QTR! If you are serious about making photography a hobby; you want to learn to take excellent photos; you want to keep an organized system of your photographs. The go for the best you can reasonably afford. If your thoughts on photography are just casual then any old thing will work, heck use you iPhone.

You haven't 20 years to learn, develop, and upgrade gear, so go for broke now. Purchase excellence and then acquire the skills to make it all worthwhile. I too, started about your age and WOW what a ride the last 7 years have been. It is all about QTR so be zealous with yours. Quality Time Remaining.

sergiohm

Zario wrote:

Quandry City?? I am going to buy a camera. Last camera I bought was 20 years ago. I'm 79 and I used to shoot black and white Minolta SLR and a trusting friend loaned me his Leica M3 for a couple of years. My budget is about $600. I know nothing about the new equipment. Comparing everything on the internet is exhausting and time consuming, but still doing it. Feel like a beginner. HELP PLEASE. THANKS.
Zario

My father is 82, I recommended the Olympus M10 Mark III and he loves the camera !