mhdt64 wrote:
As a complete beginner in the hobby and looking to buy a decent camera to take on vacation, I am not sure I understand the advantages of full frame. Do I really need a full frame camera?
My two-cents worth: don't spend too much money. Whatever camera you buy, you'll likely be replacing it in a couple of years
For one thing, your needs may change. And if it breaks after the warranty runs out, no one can fix it. Or you might just
lose it on your vacation (heaven forbid!).
If you already have a smart phone with a camera, take that. It's never a good idea to take an unfamiliar camera into the field
(man, did I learn that the hard way!). You won't learn anything about photography, but you may get some very nice
snapshots. Forget about buying a camera and learning photography until you get back..
The size of sensor you buy depends on the biggest blow-up you plan to make, and what you plan to do with it.
My guess is that you will be sharing photos on-line, and for that a "full-frame" sensor is a waste of money, IMHO.
You'll be reducing the resolution of .jpg files in order to post them.
Beginnings would do well to learn on a manual camera with knobs and buttons, not menus. Back in the heyday of
photography (when giants walked the earth), the standard camera for photography classes was the Pentax K-1000 SLR.
It stayed in production for 21 years, until 1997, selling over 3 million units (according to Wikipedia).
I am sorry to say there are no simple, manual digital cameras (to the best of my knowlege). Even the cheapest ones
are auto-everything and *loaded* with (confusing, unncessary, and possibly buggy) features. More expensive ones
can be put in manual exposure mode, but have cursors and menus, not knobs and buttons. Only a few high-end models
support manual focus.
As far as general buying advice, I would favor a Japanese company. I own mainly Nikon, but I would avoid Nikon
for low-end cameras (they aren't bad, they just aren't anything special and you do pay for the name). Ditto Canon.
I have owned a couple of inexpensive cameras made by FujiFilm and they very satisfactory. Pentax has always made
good, affordable cameras. Models come and go, so it's hard to be more specific. "Your results may vary."