Camera recommendations, five levels of spending

The Canon SX260HS is a capable point and shoot camera for high school photojournalists, and it’s your best choice for less than $300.

This question comes up frequently: “I have some money to spend on photo equipment for my publication; what should I buy?”

Any answer depends on how much money you have to spend. I recently worked with a local camera dealer with this in mind and we came up with five packages of the best equipment for high school photojournalism ranging from a low end of about $300 to a top of just under $3,000. (Some of these prices include rebates that may not be current when you buy.)

The most affordable package is built around the Canon Powershot SX260 HS, a point and shoot camera that excels at the low light conditions your students will encounter covering school events. It is easy to learn and will do a decent job on sports.

Nikon SLRs are the choice if you have more money to spend. We chose Nikon equipment because of their performance and durability. We selected the Tamron f2.8 80-200 zoom lens on these packages because they offer great performance and a good price.

Each of the packages include cases, memory cards and insurance, something that I think is important when working with high school students.

My partner on this project was Dave Johnson of PhotoPro in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Even though you can save a few bucks by buying photo equipment at online superstores, a good full-service photo dealer can be competitive, and they offer advice and service you can’t get online. It’s impossible for most of us to keep current on what equipment is available now and in the near future. Dave’s advice on these packages was extremely valuable. So if you have a full-service dealer in your area, buy there; otherwise you can buy from PhotoPro online.

Package 1, $300- Canon SX260 camera: PP -278740

Package 2, $600 – Nikon 3100 Kit. PP- 278743

Package 3, $1375 – Nikon D5200 with two lenses PP- 278750

Package 4, $2,400 – Nikon D7000 with two lenses  PP- 278753

Package 5, $2,700 – Nikon D7000 with f2.8 17-50mm and f2.8 70-200mm lenses PP- 278778