Hi all, i was wandering if anyone was into photography and could give me some advice.
I dont know much about the vast range of cameras on the market today,i am thinking of taking up photography as a hobby,and am confused as to which camera to get.
Taking into consideration numb fingers an sometimes shakey hands whats best camera to get, having looked on line i think an SLR would be best as you dont have to work to hard with them.
If anyone has any recomendations i would be graitfull, im looking forward to going into a new phase in my life and dont want to make a costly mistake.
Barbara.xx
Hi Barbara, I am a DSLR user and wouldn’t be without mine, if shakey hands are an issue, what about a tripod and shutter release. I have both and, although my hands seem to be ok, I like the fact that I can set it up and fire, also great with low light issues or photography. My shutter release is a wired one and cost a handfull of pounds, the tripod was relatively cheap though the camera is not but Ebay is great for bargains.
It would be great if you knew someone who has a DSLR who could let you see how you got on with it. Depending on how you get about, there are some great clamps for chairs if you are a wheelie.
Best of luck
Willie
HI Barbara, I’ve been using a digital compact camera for about 4 years now. I joined a local camera club and was thinking of upgrading to a bridge camera, but that’s all on hold now since dx in Nov. I kind of feel that it’s all too much effort these days - my limited energy gets used up with work / home! Having said that, I’ve recently reduced my hours at work, so may get back into photography at some stage. My compact is a Samsung and I’ve been very pleased with it - it has lots of pre-set options, also the option to manually set things like aperture priority, shutter priority etc. Canon, Olympus, Nikon are also popular makes. A bridge camera does a lot more than a compact - more settings, greater zoom options and so on. A DSLR gives the option to change lenses, and probably lots of other things but I haven’t looked at that option myself so can’t really advise. Have you looked to see if there is a camera club in your area, because the folk there are enthusiasts and usually willing to share their knowledge and probably go through the features on their own camera. I would say take your time to look at what’s available, start small (maybe with a compact) and go from there. If I can be of any further help, please do message me. Hope it won’t be long before you’re taking great pics! 
Hazel
I have been a keen amateur photographer for many many years. I use compact and digital SLR. Many compacts will take as good a pictures as an SLR - it’s the photographer that makes a good shot so perhaps start with a compact and graduate to SLR. That said, I infinitely prefer using the larger SLR, but that’s the problem… It’s large and you don’t always want to carry it everywhere! It’s just the way it so nicely fits the hand - ergonomics. Really good advice already given is to see if you could borrow a compact or SLR ( preferably both ) and give them a try out - there are advantages and disadvantages to both. As for which make and model … Well there are just so many to choose from but one thing for sure is that the camera you buy today would have cost many times more 8 - 10 years ago. Technology has advanced and the cameras have improved immensely. I have a Nikon D5100. I bought it just over a year ago and now it is half the price. It has the same processor as the Nikon D7000 which is a very good camera. To get the most from an SLR you need to know a bit about shutter speeds and apertures and how to use them but all of the cameras have an Auto setting where you can just let the camera do all the thinking for you. Good luck with what you choose , it is great hobby. Roger
Hiya.
I love photography and have had many people comment on how good my pictures are. My partner has a Canon DSLR which I use sometimes but my main camera is a Canon 230 HS digital compact and I LOVE it. I have a small tripod that fits in my bag so I can use that if there is something to rest it on when I’m a bit wobbly. Very often if I don’t want camera shake I’ll use the self-timer as you then press the button and stand still (lean against something). It has loads of auto functions and lots of quite advanced settings if you like playing around with those sorts of things. The pictures are just as good as the DSLR ones. It’s got a really close Macro function and also does HD video and slow motion video which is quite good fun to play around with.
A few years ago I did a photorgraphy course at my local collage. It was really good fun and I learned a lot from it (composition, depth of field, functions of SLR cameras etc). I had to use my old film SLR for it as it included printing pictures from film and I gained the 1st level b-tec qualification from it (some of the people on the course didn’t have film a film SLR so were allowed to borrow one when needed). I’d recommend anyone interested in taking their photography a but futher, to see if there are any nightschool courses of clubs you can go to just to teach you what a camera can do. It really does make a difference to the pictures you take.
The one thing I would say is think about where and what you want to take your pics of, when deciding on a camera. Do you really need to be able to swap lenses, do you want to just have something that fits in your pocket or are you willing to carry a camera bag around. Do some research by looking at reviews on photography sites do help decide which one is right for you.
Sue
Thanks all for your replys you have given me somthing to think about i will take on board what was said about a photography course or see if i can find out if there is a local camera club, things i hadnt thought about.
Thanks sue you,ve given me things to think about too do i realy need extra lenses at the moment.
I have a lumix camera but it eats the batterys,and i find it offputting, so i want a camera that i can recharge to make life easier, and a clamp for the wheelchair will it fit a mobility scooter? thats my main mod of transport .
I will see what is out there and let you all know what i decide, thanks again for your advice.
Barbara .xx