Gift for gf's birthday?

Nov 12, 2013
287
12
6,987
Hello guys, I hope everything is well with you. My gf's birthday is coming soon, and she told me she wanted to have a small camera to walk with, do street photography and take some pictures of her friends. She also wants the camera to have good video capabilities. All of that is just for fun and not intended to be used professionally.

I myself have Canon 5d with various L lenses (85 1.2, 70-200 2.8ii, 200 2.0 etc) but this is too heavy and inconvenient for her. I guess mirrorless cameras would be the best option but unfortunately I've never owned one and have very little knowledge regarding which camera would be the best for her purposes. Any advice on the camera and maybe a good zoom lens, please? Price is not an issue.

Thanks a lot and have a nice weekend, everybody :)
 
Perio said:
Hello guys, I hope everything is well with you. My gf's birthday is coming soon, and she told me she wanted to have a small camera to walk with, do street photography and take some pictures of her friends. She also wants the camera to have good video capabilities. All of that is just for fun and not intended to be used professionally.

I myself have Canon 5d with various L lenses (85 1.2, 70-200 2.8ii, 200 2.0 etc) but this is too heavy and inconvenient for her. I guess mirrorless cameras would be the best option but unfortunately I've never owned one and have very little knowledge regarding which camera would be the best for her purposes. Any advice on the camera and maybe a good zoom lens, please? Price is not an issue.

Thanks a lot and have a nice weekend, everybody :)
how about the sl1 its small light dose movies and paired with the 40mm pancake speacular
 
Upvote 0
What do you value? Is IQ important? Do you like your 5D3?
Would you want to venture out of Canon?

I got my wife an SL1 and she uses it daily.
I would suggest that or the EOS M3, BUT... it may have IQ that is subpar to the 5DIII because it is a crop sensor... and you will have to buy the M3 from another country (may be grey model without US warranty, but you can get a squareTrade warranty).

Outside of Canon, there is so many options from Sony & Fuji, but you may find that the IQ is better than the 5D3 and then you have a whole set of new problems...
 
Upvote 0
You need to get the definition of "Small" from your GF. Interchangeable lens cameras my be larger than what she wants. Something like a G7 might work.

My wife defines small as something she can put in here purse and have there any time. She will not carry the G1X II that I bought for her, but uses a Nikon S-9700 that I picked up last year for $110 used. I bought it because it was priced too low to pass up, and she was going to spend a week horse riding on the Pacific ocean beach, so it was expendable. It came thru the ordeal fine, and she actually likes it (I thought it was poor as far as noise at almost any ISO level). They were selling used for close to $300 at the time, so I had figured I'd sell it after her trip.

Once you know the size, then intelligent recommendations can be made.
 
Upvote 0
If you have a camera store nearby, take her there and let her define what size is appropriate, if possible. I have an SL1 and like it very much for its size and weight. It is certainly as small or smaller than many mirrorless alternatives. But certainly not "purse" size. You might also get her opinion on OVF versus EVF. If she prefers one over the other, that will also help define your choices. In the end, if you narrow down your choices, get her opinion. That's the one that matters.
 
Upvote 0