Need help buying my wife a camera

Good timing on this question for me personally. As it seems the OP has been squared away, can I pick the pro brains a little bit at the risk of a slight derail?

I'm looking to get (back) into the hobby. Will not be going pro. Will not be printing huge posters any time soon, although the idea of being able to print out up to 16x20s does have some appeal. Will be wanting to take landscapes, and dabble in astrophotography.

Without getting too lost into 'how to take the best pic' or post process (both of which I'm reading up on and learning all I can), which setup do you guys suggest on a budget to get my feet wet with? Cam/lens/tripod/head? My gut says skip crops and go full frame right from the get go. Also, I'm good to go with used and I'm good with a mirror as my hands are huge so having something to hold onto is a good thing. And size in general doesn't concern me because I'll be heading out to take pics specifically.

Thoughts?

 

I'm definitely not a pro, but feel pretty confident with these suggestions:
1. All the big brands you're probably considering are capable of taking great photos. If you're already used to the menu system of one brand, I'd probably start there. If you are starting from scratch, maybe go to a shop and scroll through the menus/settings of a few brands (or see them on youtube) to see if there's a user interface you either prefer or dislike. I use Sony, but most people who are used to a different digital camera menu system hate Sony's interface.
2. Once you have picked a brand, I'd say go with a body that's a couple of generations old and put as much $$ as you can in to a lens/lenses. When I switched to full frame (there's nothing wrong with a crop sensor IMO), I picked up a used Sony A7 body for under $500, but bought a new 24-105 lens for more than twice that cost to go with it. I've since added a 200-400 GM and a 14mm wide angle and upgraded the body, but I still use that 24-105 all the time. Good glass will always be good glass.
3. I'm not in the camp that says any tripod less than $500 is trash, but if you buy a $60 tripod from Amazon, you will end up throwing it away. My advice would be to buy one that's heavy AF and slap a good ball head on it.

I'm surely not the most experienced photographer here, but I've made enough mistakes to think that the pros would probably back up most of this advice. If you did want to start with a crop sensor body, you can do that to save some cash and have lenses that are still native to full frame bodies (for Sony I know this is the case, anyway). More important than the make and model of the body is how often you get out there and use it. Good luck!

 

Well I think you're all wrong. A Speed Graphic 4x5 is the best option, clearly. I mean, look at the resolution of a 4 inch x 5 inch sheet of film! And every "memory card" takes a whopping two photos!

Ok ok... back to reality. There is already a ton of good info in this thread, and as others have said there are several great options. I skimmed through, and there are a few general points that didn't explicitly get mentioned, so fwiw:

-At the instant the image is taken, light is passing through some glass* and is being recorded on a sensor**. Everything else about a camera is, at this level of abstraction, bells and whistles. So, most decent cameras are going to have decent sensors. What does vary more depending on brand, cost, size, and weight, is the glass the light is passing through. Point is, as McMason said just above me, my theory is to get a body that works for your cost, size, menu comfort (an excellent point he made) and put the real money into a good lens or two. I am a firm believer that you can make amazing images with any camera, but all things being equal, I'd rather have the cheapest Rebel body and a nice piece of glass on it, rather than the top of the line pro Canon body with a shitty "kit lens".

*I'll assume we aren't going to get into Holgas or pinholes for the purposes of this conversation. :-D

**I'll also assume we aren't seriously going to discuss film cameras.

-Side note to that, and again as McMason said, if you are going to buy a "crop sensor body" and a separate stand-alone lens, I would probably get one that can still work on full-frame cameras so you can have that option in the future. Crop sensor only lenses will often not work on larger cameras - will physically damage them, in some cases - while full-frame lenses should always work on the smaller cameras. The tradeoff is that full-frame lenses are generally larger, heavier, and more expensive, all other factors being equal. You can get better-quality crop-sensor-only lenses than what sometimes comes in the kit. If a (zoom) lens has a fixed aperture (like "f/4" or "f/2.8") it's probably better than one with a variable aperture (like "f/3.5 - f/6.3). It's been years since I've researched any of this though, so ymmv.

-Again, on my good lens high horse, if you do get good lenses, they tend to last longer and to hold their resale value better. Camera bodies, these days, are like computers - kinda obsolete after a couple of years. Lenses, though, are still more physical things - pieces of precision glass - that don't evolve quite as quickly. I've had some lenses that have lasted through four different bodies (Canon 20D, 450D, 5DII, now 5DIII) and some that I sold, after a couple years of use, for a decent percentage of what I paid for them. You can also use adapters to use, say, a good Canon lens on a Sony mirrorless body, if you go that route later.

-Or, ignore the last points. Get a good but cheap and small system, see how she likes it and uses it, then put real money into a great system if she grows into it. I think Rebels are good entry options, and the small Fujis and Canon mirrorless are probably great, too, but I have no direct experience.

-As I think also suggested already, in terms of small good cameras, cell phones these days are pretty great. I've got a few photos in my portfolio from iPhones and iPads (ok, I turned the images into digital negatives and made hand-made 19th-century-style prints, but still...) One option might be to get some accessories for her phone - some lens adapters, macro, a good tripod mount, etc. It would have the fun of "special equipment" but at lower cost and bulk. The best camera is the one you have with you, and most people have a pretty decent camera in their pocket all the time.

-Anyone who says "this is the BEST brand / camera / system" should be taken with a grain of salt.

Edit: apparently in my skimming of the thread I missed the little post that said you already got a camera. Ooops.

 

So, I misunderstood you apparently. I thought you were saying it came with a 16-50 but maybe that's only if you buy new? The camera arrived today with no lens. I should snag one off eBay then?

 

I believe they're sold as body only, body and 16-50, or body and both of those lenses. Sorry, it sounds like I could have been clearer. I would just pick one up from eBay, yes. I think that's a good starting point for the kinds of photography you described, and it will be super portable. You can use any lens that is E-Mount compatible, although I personally prefer to use Sony lenses with Sony bodies (I do have a Rokinon E-Mount wide angle though). When you go with outside manufacturers, you can sometimes lose functionality. In most cases that means not being able to take advantage of all the autofocus options.

 

You did it right man going used. This is so over looked. Almost all of my lenses are used as well as my body. Now just go pick up a nice lens. A 50mm is a great walk around lens in my opinion.