Some people have asked me to suggest them a DSLR for taking photographs of their family and day to day life.
These people are not interested in learning photography. It seems they are under an impression that a DSLR will automatically take great photographs.
Budget is $453.
Kit lens will disappoint them, I think. Prime lens will be problematic for them due to the lack of zoom? (Just my guess)
What should be recommended for such people? Will it be sane to recommend them something other than a DSLR?
Answer
Some people have asked me to suggest them a DSLR for taking photographs of their family and day to day life.
These people are not interested in learning photography. It seems they are under an impression that a DSLR will automatically take great photographs.
I'm going to go against the flow and disagree with many here in that I see absolutely no reason someone -- including a non-photographer -- can't use a DSLR for family and day-to-day life photography and be satisfied. My experience is that a non-photographer (or beginning photographer) looking for a DSLR is likely doing so because of the image quality difference they see. And, really, you can't blame them -- the image quality of a large-sensor DSLR is notably better than the photos they usually look at taken by their phone.
Similarly, think about when somebody tells you "wow, you must have a really nice camera!" It doesn't take a professional to recognize the quality difference over a phone camera.
Hand the non-photographer a DSLR (or other large-sensor camera), set it on auto mode, and let them start taking photos and I bet they'll be happy in many cases. Sharper photos, better color, smoother tones. And, click over to scene modes and they might be able to get good results in other more difficult situations, such as taking photos of their kid playing soccer.
Of course, that's not to say that I would just tell everyone to buy a DSLR and point them at an entry-level kit and be done. I remember, for example, speaking with someone who didn't really want to learn about photography but did want to take photos "where only the face is in focus" (thin DOF). She was thrilled to use my camera for a few minutes and take these very photos instantly and easily, so what was I shooting with because she was ready to go buy it! Well, wait... I actually chose the big aperture on purpose, selected an AF mode that I knew would achieve lock easily, had previously metered and set exposure, and really just handed the $5k in camera and lens over to her to press the shutter. I knew she didn't really want to hear the details but I quickly spoke about aperture size and cost. Clearly a DSLR kit with an 18-55 was not going to do what she wanted, and I wouldn't recommend it.
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