beanboy89 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 As the title suggests, I'm in the market for a new camera. For the past four and ha half years, I've had a Canon Powershot A560. As a point-and-shoot, it got the job done, but almost as soon as I got it back in the summer of 2007, I was a bit disappointed. I hadn't done any research and was left with a basic point-and-shoot. The camera had absolutely no manual controls aside from being able to choose the ISO settings. I was unable to select aperture or shutter speed for any shots aside from a few pre-set modes, like night scenes. After I had taken a photography class in high school, I became well-versed in the use of standard, old-school film SLRs. I became accustomed to all the available settings on these cameras, and when I got my Canon, I was thoroughly disappointed that I couldn't adjust basic things like shutter speed. Back in October, I lost the Canon camera (still looking for it), and ever since I've been using my phone (a Nexus One) which isn't a bad substitute for a very basic point-and-shoot. Anyway, I'm now looking for a new camera. Ideally, I'd love to have an entry-level DSLR, but the prices of even entry-level ones are a bit steep for my liking. I'm looking for a camera that has a lot of similar features to a DSLR, but I can make some compromises. For instance, I'm not too picky about having an interchangable lens. As long as I can have a good general-purpose lens with a good optical zoom, I'm fine, Also, I'd like to be able to obviously adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO like I would on a standard SLR. I've been missing these features for the past four years. Also, I really like the style of HDR images; being able to take them would be nice. Does anyone have any suggestions of a camera that would suite my needs? I don't really want to spend more than about $250-$350. I know that any DSLRs are out of that range unless I buy second-hand. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanboy89 Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 I've been doing some looking around, and I think I've come across something of a compromise. Micro Four Thirds cameras. They have interchangeable lenses with manual focus like DSLRs and they also have censors larger than most point-and-shoots, but they're compact and don't have optical viewfinders. One camera that has really caught my eye is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2, which fits right into the upper-end of my price range. Anyone have any experience with this camera or any similar ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Gru Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Get a Sony NEX 3 if you can find it ... they are much better than the Micro 4/3s ad lens selection as of a few months is awesome. I think lots of iriginal NEX3 owners upgraded to the new cameras that were released this last few months so finding a good used one shouldnt be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a1ien Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 The GF2 is seriously cheap ~$345 on Amazon since it's discontinued. For that price, it's probably the best camera. It has a DSLR sized sensor, so no compact camera in that price range comes close in quality. I say go for it, it's a great value. Big sensors are much better than the tiny ones. The cheapest Canon model that's any good is the Rebel T2i, and it's at least $550 refurb with a crappy lens... I don't see the point unless you want to spend a-lot moar. That Nex 3 sounds good too, its ~380 on Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argote Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Either a NEX series camera or a M4/3 camera will serve you well. The NEX series has better Image Quality but the M4/3s have a wider variety of native lenses available right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanboy89 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 I think I'm going to go with the Lumix GF2. I like that Micro Four Thirds is a more mature technology and that a wider variety of lenses are available for it at the moment. The sensor size isn't too important for me; this is just a starter camera. Most importantly, the price is right. If I really get into photography, I can see myself getting a proper DSLR down the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey_richie Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 You can also get a micro 4/3 to regular 4/3 adapter ring to make use of the older Zuiko lenses used on the Olympus Evolt series too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanboy89 Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Got the camera today. Playing around with it, and already loving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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