All of the main brands do very good, entry level cameras, but if you could specify roughly what age he is and how much you want to spend, it would help.
If he is keen, get a good DSLR, but remember, it is only as good as the lens you put on the front.
Also take a wander into P C World, they tend to have a range of digital cameras on display.
You can pick them up, examine them and generally have a play. This was something that Jessops was good at as well, until the went belly up and closed a lot of their shops.
DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras, the larger ones with detachable lenses, tend to be heavier than compact cameras.
Compact cameras can be pocketable and carried around wherever you go.
A bridge camera is the answer. They have all kinds of special effects to play around with, but can also be used in manual mode for getting to grips with the essential principles of photography. Many are also very versatile, enabling either close-ups or long distance zoom, without the need to change lenses and risk getting dust or pollen on the sensor.
My own preference is for Panasonic Lumix, but anything along these lines would enable him to take far better shots than simple "snaps". You might want to choose one that enables shooting in RAW, as he might like to learn the principles of working with it.
I originally got a Canon 700d but returned it for a Nikon d5300 due to the fact the Canon had a lot of picture noise on low light. I cannot fault the Nikon.
I originally got a Canon 700d but returned it for a Nikon d5300 due to the fact the Canon had a lot of picture noise on low light. I cannot fault the Nikon.
They must have advanced then since I bought my Nikon D5100. It was supposed to have good low-light performance, but on any photo taken above ISO 400 the noise becomes ever more noticeable. Above ISO 800 I consider them completely unacceptable, yet the ISO range goes way beyond that.
good bargain at the moment which I just snapped up because with an adaptor (not the expensive canon one) I can use all my range of canon lenses and use it as a backup for my main body.
canon eos m £229, cheap because it's just been discontinued
A bridge camera is the answer. They have all kinds of special effects to play around with, but can also be used in manual mode for getting to grips with the essential principles of photography. Many are also very versatile, enabling either close-ups or long distance zoom, without the need to change lenses and risk getting dust or pollen on the sensor.
My own preference is for Panasonic Lumix, but anything along these lines would enable him to take far better shots than simple "snaps". You might want to choose one that enables shooting in RAW, as he might like to learn the principles of working with it.
good bargain at the moment which I just snapped up because with an adaptor (not the expensive canon one) I can use all my range of canon lenses and use it as a backup for my main body.
canon eos m £229, cheap because it's just been discontinued
I'd second this, but note you can get it for £199 in argos.
It's a fantastic little thing with the same sensor as used on some Canon dslrs. With the 22mm lens it's tiny yet is extremely capable. The only slight drawback is that it doesn't have an optical viewfinder, but this may or may not be a concern.
If you want to use a 60x zoom I'd suggest a tripod - even a mini one.
On full zoom you'll never keep it still enough for a clear picture hand held.
It has image stabilisation, which works remarkably well. I have seen a photo taken by someone with a very similar camera, showing a close-up of a buzzard in a tree that was about a quarter of a mile away. It obviously wasn't pin-sharp at that distance, but you could still pick out plenty of detail - far more than you would have thought would have been possible. My Nikon 300mm lens wouldn't have been able to get even near the same quality. It's sickening really.
Biggest limitation with regular modern compacts is the lack of a viewfinder. Trouble in relying on the Lcd, you can't see what your taking a picture of in bright sunshine conditions.
I have one of the last compacts to have both lcd and viewfinder, and if I need to buy new I will not buy anything without a viewfinder, which means spending a lot more money to get a bridge or dslr ......I think they did it in purpose to get some people to spend a lot more money. Even on mobile phones and iPads, I can't see the screen on my iPad in bright sunshine, so a lot of guess work when taking pics with it. Hopeless.
Comments
If he is keen, get a good DSLR, but remember, it is only as good as the lens you put on the front.
Have a look here (Jessops), for a start.
Then come back if you want more info.
PS. People have their favourite brands, but at entry level, they are all fine!
You can pick them up, examine them and generally have a play. This was something that Jessops was good at as well, until the went belly up and closed a lot of their shops.
DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras, the larger ones with detachable lenses, tend to be heavier than compact cameras.
Compact cameras can be pocketable and carried around wherever you go.
My own preference is for Panasonic Lumix, but anything along these lines would enable him to take far better shots than simple "snaps". You might want to choose one that enables shooting in RAW, as he might like to learn the principles of working with it.
This is an incredible bargain: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DMC-FZ72EB-K-Lumix-Bridge-Camera-Black/dp/B00E0YFOKI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1411636675&sr=8-3&keywords=panasonic+lumix
If that is too expensive, look for one of the DMC FZ series on eBay.
canon eos m £229, cheap because it's just been discontinued
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-EOS-Compact-System-Camera/dp/B008O0IAKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411756486&sr=8-1&keywords=eos+m
That truly is a bargain.... 60x optical zoom too...wow
I'd second this, but note you can get it for £199 in argos.
It's a fantastic little thing with the same sensor as used on some Canon dslrs. With the 22mm lens it's tiny yet is extremely capable. The only slight drawback is that it doesn't have an optical viewfinder, but this may or may not be a concern.
On full zoom you'll never keep it still enough for a clear picture hand held.
My son is into photography but finds using our DSLR difficult as his hands are two small for it.
I have one of the last compacts to have both lcd and viewfinder, and if I need to buy new I will not buy anything without a viewfinder, which means spending a lot more money to get a bridge or dslr ......I think they did it in purpose to get some people to spend a lot more money. Even on mobile phones and iPads, I can't see the screen on my iPad in bright sunshine, so a lot of guess work when taking pics with it. Hopeless.