SLR camera suggestions, please--JD/Mark?

[shari]

Looking into getting a better camera for fish pics (and other things) and saw some Cannon and Nikon cameras around $1000 that are interesting. What things should I specifically look for (a list of most to least important would be helpful...)

And what do you like most/least in yours?

tia

[Erik]

Hi Shari
Not mark but have been shutter bug for a long time, since 110 cameras.
Anyhow the single most important thing to look for In a SLR or DSLR is the lens quality.
Nikon has a reputation for the best lens glass in the industry. The ED glass they use is of phenominal quality.
Any of the nikon's D50,D70, D100's are great cameras. They are all 6.1 mp so the difference is in newer and faster technology in each later model.
Canon does make excellent cameras but nikon is first and foremost a camera company.
Pretty much the "eheim" of cameras.
I maybe biased but I have had nikon digicams for 6 years now. I still have them all and love them.
Here are some of my best shots as examples of a good nikon. These were taken with my 8.3 mp nikon8700
Hope this helps
Erik

[Martin Thoene]

Stunning pics Erik. What is it with you guys in Van?

Martin.

[JD]

Shari,
I would never want to discourage someone from furthering their photography hobby, but I just wanted to start by saying that Compacts may be in order here. There are a lot of high end P&Ss like Erik’s 8700 that will take great fish photos and “other things”. You need to evaluate if you want the large size and awkwardness of extra lenses. Keeping in mind the camera can only take good photos if you bring it with you:) For example, I just took most of my rig into the woods Sunday to shoot waterfalls. With the tripod, and drinking water it was 35 pounds! Yeah that’s some overkill but no exaggeration, the kits can get large.

That said, choosing a DSLR is a lot easier then a P&S. Frankly there are a lot less options to look at. I mean in that price range you can’t go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. I have a Nikon D70 and like Erik, I will stay with them. Mark’s Canon seems to be serving him well too. In my opinion, I don’t think one has any big advantage over the other but when you go SLR you are more buying into a Lens system then a Camera. Again, both companies have good systems, but once you start accumulating lenses you will then stay with that manufacturer for a long time. I would say go to the store and test drive the cameras and see what you think. Hell you are in NJ, you could come up here and test drive my D70.

Specifically now, for macro work, that’s mostly in the lens and technique. Macro is not especially challenging on the camera. For your other stuff though, that is where you may want to be more specific. A lot of sports/fast action shooting may call for a more professional camera. Let us know what else you plan on shooting and then I can say what level you need. But again, once you pick a brand, you only have a few camera choices and the decision will be easy. It is the lens choices that will drive you nuts. Do you have access to old lenses? Sometimes a friend or family member may have an old kit they want to offload. You don’t want the camera, but the lenses will probably still work, and having 3 or 4 lenses to start a kit can help you make up your mind.

You already seemed to have narrowed in on Canon or Nikon and that’s fine. It’s a toss up between them. Hold each and see what you think ergonomically. Is your current camera made by one of them? Sometime the familiarity in menus and processing will make up your mind for you.

Let us know,
JD

[Erik]

Thanks Martin:)
I am actually originally a London on the forks of the thames guy though. LOndon Ontario that is...
I used to shoot b&w lanscape ala ansel adams style as hobby and had a full darkroom at the time.
Cheers
Erik

Stunning pics Erik. What is it with you guys in Van?

Martin.

[Erik]

Actually I don't own any DSLR's, my first digi was a nikon880 3.34mp. I have the optional telefoto with a circular polarizer as well as circular polarizer for the built in lens. Still a great little camera.
My last purchase was nikon8700 which is as close to a dslr you can get with movie functionallity with sound. It is very easy to go manual or apeture or shutter priority mode. It is a solid high rez camera.
Erik:)

Shari,
I would never want to discourage someone from furthering their photography hobby, but I just wanted to start by saying that Compacts may be in order here. There are a lot of high end P&Ss like Erik’s 8700 that will take great fish photos and “other things”. You need to evaluate if you want the large size and awkwardness of extra lenses.

I mean in that price range you can’t go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. I have a Nikon D70 and like Erik, I will stay with them. Mark’s Canon seems to be serving him well too.
Let us know,
JD

[Erik]

Shari
Nikon and Canon have both discontinued their end non dslrs btw so te prices are falling fast.
The nikon 8700 uses the same lithium ion batteries so I opted to not go dsler and a new battery system so I can share batteries between them.
The nikon 8700 is very easy to use on full or part manual and is far ahead of any p&s i have looked at.

If you don't want to buy extra lenses etc that would be the most economical route to go.
If you want a lot of optical zoom (10x)go for the nikon8800 if you want it more for close up the (4x)8400 would be the ticket.
Both of these cameras are stunning quality at 8 megapixels and cheap now.
I found some on ebay for around 500 us with the extra remote which is 1oo$$ bonus.
Erik

[shari]

Thanks all

I've held both cameras and the Canon is lighter though larger...what's up with that?

I have a little 3700 Nikon coolpix right now that I enjoy alot, but am not all that good with, unfortunately. My daughter gets better shots than I do, regularly. I like the nikon's...

Ultimately the camera is really for my husband. He used to dabble in photography years ago and seeing my frustration with trying to take pics of my fish he started to think about getting back into it. But 35mm film doesn't post real well on forums.

I think he's leaning toward the Canon, but maybe he'll chime in on this later.

thanks again guys. I appreciate your input.

[Wendie]

I have a nikon d50 that I just got. I haven't done anything with the fish yet but did take one of the cat using the 300 zoom lens and standing about 10 feet away. You can see every individual hair if you zoom in with the camera.


I put the photo up so you can check it out if you'd like. It's large 1.5 mb

http://www.nashnutphoto.com/bettas/casey.jpg

[newshound]

I am a nationally award winning professional photographer...
I agree that a "point and shoot", digicam, etc... is a really great option.
I must take note about that Nikon being the best glass etc...
The sharpest SLR glass ever is one from Canon.

Nikon used to be the leader, not now, they have been following for over 15 years. eg USM motors, IS, wireless flash, full frame digi CMOS, cleaner and better colour digi files, etc...
If anything you could argue that both sides are even but I'd say that is pushing it. I don't really care to get in the who is better thingy but I would not push anyone into the Nikon camp. I wish that both sides were even it would lower the $$$$ of canon gear.

One thing I want to REALLY state is that more MP is not what one really wants. The one thing to seek out is individual pixel size. The larger the pixels the more info they capture and better at higher ISO (less noise- digi grain). Phil the person that runs dpreview is alway bitching about the prosumer cams that are like 10 meg but image quality is poorer then the less meg cameras. The companies are cramming too many meg in the small digi senors and reducing image quality. Plus with these high meg cameras storage becomes an issue.
I wish I had a six meg full frame slr (very large pixels) with super clean files.
Perhaps too much info eh?!?!

[newshound]

anyway I ment to add that you should check out dpreview.com
tons of info on digis
the internet leader expesh for prosumer cams.

[JD]

Shari,
Does your husband have anything left over from back when he was into it? Like I mentioned earlier, if there is already cheap access to a few lenses, that can be enough to make up your mind. Me, I had Minoltia equipment and switched to a DSLR before Minoltia made one. So I switched all together. Plus I had no real investment in lenses.

JD

[Mark in Vancouver]

Both Canon and Nikon offer similar products, and in all of my research, they both seem to be good tools. If you buy a Canon, get the Eos new cheap slr. I have the Rebel XT, and although I hate the name, it is a very good camera.

It's a matter of decding which system to use. Are you a Mac user, or PC? Same diff.