January 22, 2012 - 8:01pm
My dad broke his camera (he has this weird thing about taking pictures of clouds, and a lot of them turn out pretty well; working on a portfolio website for him, actually) and basically, I don't think he wants to spend more then 300 bucks.
No DSLRs or anything (although I might buy a T3i when I get some extra cash)...
So, cameras under 300 bucks, what do you suggest?
(I'm assuming this is the right topic, but seeing its mostly photos in here; feel free to move it)
I used to have the Nikon COOLPIX L120. 14.1 MP and 21x optical zoom. The zoom is actually pretty jaw-dropping. As you can imagine, zooming in causes the image to shake a LOT, so you'll need a tripod, but the built-in stabilizers actually work pretty well for when you don't have one.
I switched over to a T3i a few weeks ago and sold my Coolpix on Ebay for $197.50 (I bought it for $260 Spring 2011). But several auctions have gone for lower than what I sold for, like $160 I saw. The most annoying thing for the camera for me was the utter lack of any kind of manual or program mode, so I just had to manipulate the existing modes. Actually, switching modes was also annoying because it relied on the menu interface. A physical dial is unbelievably simple. I didn't know what I was missing before I got the T3i, haha. But still after the switch to a T3i, what I miss the most is that awesome zoom.
But the T3i's manual modes are a breath of fresh air for me. If I could I would keep both cameras at once (mega zooms on DSLR are not cheap/practical).
Amazon Link: http://amzn.com/B004M8SVGQ
Hope this helps. :)
I'll suggest that; looks good, and since it's Amazon, I'll get a 10-20% affiliate commission :P
http://www.aridseas.net/