minipie
22-03-11, 06:47 PM
Hello all - hoping you can help me!
My husband and I are not avid photographers, in fact we very rarely take photos except on holiday, though would like to take more in future.
We're looking to make the upgrade from a compact (fairly elderly Sony Cybershot) to something which will produce much better quality pictures (something we would actually want to frame).
Our immediate need is for a safari holiday in April, but after that it's likely to be mainly photos of friends and family (we are planning to have children soon ...) plus some holiday shots.
We've looked at DSLRs and are tempted by the Nikon D90 or Canon 550D but being honest I know we simply will not spend the time to get to know all the features and settings. Plus I find them very big and heavy to hold, and suspect we won't bother to take it many places which would be counterproductive.
So I am looking for something that gives most of the quality of a DSLR, but which is more "user friendly" for the uninitiated (and lazy :D). I've been looking at hybrid cameras (probably the Sony given we are familiar with the Cybershot) or possibly advanced compacts.
Any recommendations as to brand/model? Are hybrids easier to get to know and use than a DSLR? Will they give us good enough image quality (we're not looking for the best of the best, but want a real difference from a compact). What lenses should we get?
Would be very grateful for your thoughts.
Thanks :)
My husband and I are not avid photographers, in fact we very rarely take photos except on holiday, though would like to take more in future.
We're looking to make the upgrade from a compact (fairly elderly Sony Cybershot) to something which will produce much better quality pictures (something we would actually want to frame).
Our immediate need is for a safari holiday in April, but after that it's likely to be mainly photos of friends and family (we are planning to have children soon ...) plus some holiday shots.
We've looked at DSLRs and are tempted by the Nikon D90 or Canon 550D but being honest I know we simply will not spend the time to get to know all the features and settings. Plus I find them very big and heavy to hold, and suspect we won't bother to take it many places which would be counterproductive.
So I am looking for something that gives most of the quality of a DSLR, but which is more "user friendly" for the uninitiated (and lazy :D). I've been looking at hybrid cameras (probably the Sony given we are familiar with the Cybershot) or possibly advanced compacts.
Any recommendations as to brand/model? Are hybrids easier to get to know and use than a DSLR? Will they give us good enough image quality (we're not looking for the best of the best, but want a real difference from a compact). What lenses should we get?
Would be very grateful for your thoughts.
Thanks :)