IN-FOCUS Photography Digital Cameras

Camera Needs

My daughter needs a camera to start an A' Level photography course, what camera should I get her?

This is her first course, and she has no experience, I do not want to spend a fortune, but am at a loss as to what to get her. Digital or film, the type of model, secondhand or new? Any ideas or guidence would be really great.

Talk to the teacher and ask about the syllabus and for any recommendations.

If the course is only about the picture as an art form then digital should be ok, but if it includes traditional film processing and darkroom techniques (as many do) then it will have to be 35mm film.

Whether digital or film I suggest an SLR, since she will almost certainly need interchangeable lenses to explore everything from close-up (macro), Wide Angle (landscape), portrait (medium telephoto), wildlife (long telephoto).

You will have a dilemma if told the course includes both darkroom work and digital processing. The ideal solution if you have the cash is both digtal and 35mm Film Camera bodies and lenses that are interchangeable between the two but obviously this is expensive. If push comes to shove remember you can always digitise a film image to explore what can be done with it on a computer, but you cannot turn a digital image into a negative (without a lot of very complex and expensive kit) and certainly not into an unexposed negative to explore development techniques.

I suspect a college course will also look at black and white photography which again leads to 35 mm and the darkroom.

It would also be worth seeking out second year students or graduates of the course and asking their advice. They may also be willing to sell on their student kit. Ask to test it before purchase as you would a second hand car. Take a roll of film and just rattle it off taking pics of anything and get it speed developed and a set of contact prints made.

If you are more comfortable buying new then Praktica make a pretty competent range of entry-level Slr Kit.

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