Which digital camera would you recommend for students?

Bottom line DSLR from Nikon or Canon also. They can branch from there.

P&S cameras are a pain for most serious work. "Bridge cameras" not worth the money.

You will be shocked how well a a D3100 Nikon does.
 
Nikon D3100. The Nikon (or Canon) DSLRs are awesome and an awesome value. If you want them to do it "the old fashioned way," just stick an old manual-focus 50/1.8 lens on it. This will disable the metering -- the camera doesn't know what the aperture setting is -- so you are left with just manual settings of aperture and shutter, and manual focus. You would have to eyeball the exposure, but you can look at the results on the rear screen so it is easy to adjust.

The Nikon D5100 is also awesome, a little more expensive of course.

The one problem with using manual focus lenses on the newest Nikons is that there is no split-image focusing glass.

I would forget about RAW, just use jpegs. The cameras were originally designed for jpeg output only, just the computer nerds wanted to jerk around in RAW so the camera manufacturers let them do it now. RAW is a huge pain in the butt for very minor advantages, sometimes no advantages at all unless you are a serious RAW tweaker.
 
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I've started new folks off with used DSLRs that have external aperture, shutter and exposure compensation. The rational here is that they can sell for what the spent on the purchase. I think that teaching to a fixed lens, like a 35mm on an APS-C camera forces them to see from that perspective. A good, cheap example is a friend that started with a barely used Canon D-60 and 50mm f/1.4 USM. Lens is a keeper. The camera is not, but has what is needed to get a start. Price is within a students budget...$400-$600. I'm not promoting one camera, nor even one system, just the concept. Many 2008 and later used bodies include 'live view' and that might be a more relevant modern option than the D-60 example above.
 
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bwcolor said:
True, but preferences come after trying the different options and everyone has shot P&S.
Click to expand...

Right...and I would agree with you if this was Photography 101... but the OP stated...

"I am teaching university classes that target visual literacy including image making in the context of digital technologies."

That leads me to believe this isn't about learning the technical side of photography and will go beyond photography. That's why the OP should allow them to use what they have already while offering up a preference for the equipment he'd like to see.
 
jsrockit said:
Why [require a viewfinder]? some may prefer to work that way and make good work that way. It's just another framing device that some people may actually prefer.
Click to expand...

Well, every digital camera (that I've ever heard of) has an lcd screen anyway, so if it also has a viewfinder students can choose between the two ways of framing. I don't know how new to photography those students are, but the more inexperienced they are the more possibilities/choices their cameras should offer, I think.

I do find viewfinders 'better' than lcd screens for anything except landscapes on a tripod; at the very least I think they are more practical for any subject that moves with certain speed and in bright sunlight. But your mileage may vary, of course.
 
Tompas said:
Well, every digital camera (that I've ever heard of) has an lcd screen anyway, so if it also has a viewfinder students can choose between the two ways of framing. I don't know how new to photography those students are, but the more inexperienced they are the more possibilities/choices their cameras should offer, I think.

I do find viewfinders 'better' than lcd screens for anything except landscapes on a tripod; at the very least I think they are more practical for any subject that moves with certain speed and in bright sunlight. But your mileage may vary, of course.
Click to expand...

I agree with you completely... but I know people who prefer an LCD too. That's all I meant.
 
A student camera, should provide:

- Exact composition and framing through viewfinder
- Manual control of focus, aperture and shutter speed
- Output as jpeg and RAW
- Interchangeability of lenses

so that the students could experience and learn different aspects of photography.

In my view, the older DSLRs not exceeding $300 could be ideal cameras for photography students.
 
Unlikely to be a problem for younger students, but I can't see even the modern LCDs in sunlight as my eyes don't have very good contrast.
 
Many thanks everyone for these very helpful responses, so far. I will give my students the link to this thread, so please continue to add your advice if you think of more. Much appreciated.
 
Hi,

Why not, at first, ask them to bring whatever they have? In this day and age most will have something, even if it's only in a 'phone.

That way everyone can see and hold etc a variety of them.

Regards, David
 
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