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Good first time SLR camera?

• We are looking for a good first time SLR camera to take good quaility pics of our little girl as she grows up. I have never owned an SLR camera, but have seen what appears to be a good starter camera in Tesco for £128 in store (special offer). It is the Fuji S4240 Bridge Camera, 14mp 24 x optical zoom. I don't have much to spend and this seems a bargain. It takes an AA battery which i am unsure about. Is it a good first time SLR camera?

• Answer:

  SLR means film. DSLR is the digital equivalent - I am guessing that is what YOU are asking about. Bridge cameras are neither SLR nor DSLR, but might be a better start for you than a DSLR. Don't buy some no-name brand and make sure to do some learning and research first. Here are some tips for starters: I don't really like to give recommendations for particular cameras because there are too many choices and too many variables in what people are looking for. I find it much more useful to help you think this over, then make up your own mind. Point & Shoot cameras are wonderfully handy because of their small size. When light conditions are ideal, they even take really nice photos - all of them do. However, they all DO have limitations - they don't do very well in low light situations (i.e. noisy photos, hard to avoid blur, etc). The little onboard flash is very harsh at close range, and doesn't reach very far. Many of them have no manual functions, so you are limited to only very basic photos, you can't compensate for unusual situations, or do many fun "tricks" and special effects. P&S's also suffer from frustrating shutterlag and many of them chew through batteries rather quickly. If you're ok with all those limitations, then go ahead and pick one, most of them (the same type and same price range) are rather similar. Personally I would pick either a Canon or a Nikon, and would certainly stay away from Kodak and Vivitar. A higher end P&S will give you more manual options and better quality. Many of those even give you the option of adding a proper flash (which makes a big difference to your flash photos). Don't worry too much about megapixels - all modern cameras have plenty enough, plus there is a limit to how many pixels you can squash into a tiny P&S sensor before you actually LOSE quality rather than gain it. 6 megapixels is about the upper limit for those little sensors. Don't worry about digital zoom, in fact, don't EVER use it. It simply crops away pixels, i.e. destroys information. The only real zoom is optical. Some people ask for a camera that "doesn't take blurry photos". Blur is the photographer's problem, NOT the camera's. Even the most expensive camera will take blurry photos if the person behind it doesn't know what they're doing. Some words about special effect features such as color accent, or even just b/w or sepia: About applying any sort of effect in camera: DON'T DO IT ! Imagine if you just happen to take the best photo you ever took - surely you would want to have it in all its glory, right? Always set your camera to biggest size, best quality (and to color). That way, you start with the best possible photo as your original. Then you make a copy and edit it to your heart's content. You have much better control over any editing on your computer, even something as simple as b&w will look MUCH better when it was processed properly instead of in camera. You can do all sorts of things to it PLUS you get to keep your original. Decide which features are important to you, and look for cameras that have that feature. Then go compare a few models on www.dpreview.com . The very best thing you can do for your success is to borrow some books and learn about photography. A bit of knowledge will make a much bigger difference to your photos than your choice of P&S camera can. For what it's worth - if I was in the market for a P&S camera right now, my choice would be a Canon Powershot SX40 HS http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx40_hs#Specifications If tiny size is attractive and important in your opinion (but you still want a camera that gives you some decent options), I'd suggest looking at cameras like the Canon Powershot SX210IS or perhaps the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10. However, do keep in mind that small cameras have tiny sensors and tiny lenses, so don't ever expect miracles from any of them.