Camera Under $200

[S1mthi]

So I want to buy a real camera. Recently I've just been using my phone, but I'd like to take better photos.

I don't know much about cameras, all I know is that the lens is very important, and that's about it.

Because I am just starting to buy my very first camera, I was wondering what the best camera would be under $200. This is just the camera that is under $200, I am fine with spending a little extra for a memory card, but if I need to buy other things besides that, It would help if the whole package is under $200. Thank you!

Also, most likely I will be using it for photos only, so video quality is not a necessity.

 

[Saga Lout]

I know I'll get slammed for posting this but I'm going to do it anyway.

A lot less than $200 would buy you a camera that would have cost over a thousand just twenty years ago. It won't be digital; it will use film but a high-quality film wll give you magnificent photos. There's even something to be said for the anticipation of waiting to finish at the reel and have it processed.

Just my £0.02 but I bought a high end Nikon for €49 (under $50) last year and if I want a photo of something immediately, I use my phone as well. The rest wait until I've filled the 36 shot film and another 24 hours to get the photos. The digital equivalent to that phone would cost a lot more than $200.

For someone starting out in photography, it's a good inexpensive way in.

[/takes cover]

 

[kenrivers]

Not going to get slammed by me. I realize in this digital age that mentioning anything remotely related to analog is the equivalent of heresy but for a beginner with a low budget a good old SLR camera might be the way to go to learn the basics of photography. I still have my Pentax K1000 that I purchased years ago. It still works as well as the day I bought it and I'm sure one like it can be purchased rather inexpensively now. The camera is completely manual which will force one to learn quite a bit about the functions of the camera. The only battery it needs is for the exposure meter.

That said, what type of photography are you going to be doing? Are you looking for a simple point and shoot or something with more features and more advanced? If you are looking for a DSLR with interchangeable lenses then you will most likely have to look for a used one.

 

[Saga Lout]

In the late Sixties, I bought a Praktika because I couldn't afford a Pentax.

 

[kenrivers]

I still have all of the original stuff that came with my Pentax including the bag, lens hood, prime lens (50mm I believe), zoom lens, UV filter, flash and the instruction book. I almost sold it once but my wife told me I would regret doing so and so I have kept it and even purchased film for it. I'm just waiting for the right situation to use it since I purchased black and white film. I know I could use color film and get the images digitized and convert them to black and white but to me it wouldn't be the same.

 

[Saga Lout]

Now we've hijacked this poster's thread we may as well keep going.

In the Sixties, our black and white film of choice at work was named 2475 which was imported from the States and never found its way to the shops.. The name was also its ASA rating so cats could no longer hide in coal cellars.

 

[kenrivers]

Maybe the poster will respond and at least answer a couple of questions. The film black and white film I have now is made by Ilford (made in England) with ratings of 50, 100, 400 and 3200. Getting black and white developed around here is nigh impossible without sending it off to a speciality lab. The local labs won't touch it. I purchased a mailer with the film to send it off for development.

 

[Saga Lout]

My old firm had very high-end darkroom facilities but I also had my own. A developing tank, three cat litter trays (developing trays from Dixons cost five times more) and the two necessary chemicals - I used vinegar and water instead of the more costly fixer. The only other equipment was the enlarger and a safe light.

I could make the camera lie back then than I can now with software. I remember putting my first wife on to a photo of a pub-sign The Nags Head in place of the horse. It was not appreciated.

 

[kenrivers]

Always wondered what it would be like to have a darkroom. When I was much much younger I wanted to be a photographer but never pursued it. The thing I like is that there are so many ways to shoot the same thing and I'm still learning. As long as it continues to be a challenge and there is something to learn I will continue to enjoy it.