Cameras

[Daniel_Penrith]

Hi guys/gals,
Im looking into buying a new digital camera, looking at a few Nikons atm, Does anyone have any thoughts or tips on a good camera, I see alot of great herping photos so i thought i would ask everyone

Cheers, Daniel

[llasher]

Hi Daniel, I'm no expert but I am thinking along the same lines. Are you looking at a digital SLR ? There are some reviews of digital SLRs in a recent PC mag that I am probably going to help guide my decision.

[amazonian]

A Nikon D50 isn't a bad introduction to digital SLR's.
They are reasonably priced these days too.

[Daniel_Penrith]

yeah defiantely digital SLR's, which mag and issue?

[Daniel_Penrith]

Thanks amazonian, do u have 1 or had 1? If so got any info on them, im on the site now lookin at the specs, looks great for a beginner cam

[llasher]

Jan's PC User rates the Nikon D40 as the digital imaging product of the year. APC's annual edition at the end of 2007 has a full round up of sub 2500 SLRs and rates the D80, EOS 4000 Canon, Pentax K100D and Olympus E410 highly FWIW. Pretty much most PC mags (there are about 4) regularly review DSLRs or at least have a page of recommended products of all types. Although from experience I can say that buying based on a mag's recommendation can very occasionally be unsatisfactory. HTH

[Daniel_Penrith]

Ok no worries, im heading into a couple of shops today so i will have a chat to them and get some sort of price idea, Thanks everyone for all your help

[CGSwans]

I have a Panasonic DMC FZ-18. It's a very new (I got mine for my birthday in October and at that stage it had to come from overseas) model. SLR-like, with most of the functionality of an SLR without the cost of new lenses etc. The lens is a Leica 18x optical zoom that ranges from 28mm to 504mm - there's some accessories which I intend to get eventually for wide-angle and macro lenses.

I'm a newbie when it comes to cameras, but it's hard to go wrong with this one. Also, it weighs less than 500g and is perfect for travelling with.

http://www.teds.com.au/www/6/1001102..._1005965_.html

[-aspidites-]

Personally, I wouldn't touch the D40.

I'd recommend a dSLR though and Nikon are as good as any. I've owned both Canon and Nikon dSLRs and they both have their pros and cons, but these days I stick with Nikon.

I'd recommend checking out either the D50, D80 or D300, depending on your budget.

I'd also suggest not going with a compact, even if it does have Leica glass. They're just not as versatile and the depth of field is usually great, which is often not what you want, unless you're in macro modes.

[Daniel_Penrith]

Thanks CG thats very helpful, Im still trying to get my head around all of this! So different lenses allow clearer shots from different ranges?
So with SLR's you will need diff lenses for a clear image of certain length?
CG with your camera why is it that you wont need different lenses?

[Daniel_Penrith]

I was thinking of goin all out and gettin the d300 so i could sort of learn with using it

[moosenoose]

Originally Posted by -aspidites-

Personally, I wouldn't touch the D40.

I'd recommend a dSLR though and Nikon are as good as any. I've owned both Canon and Nikon dSLRs and they both have their pros and cons, but these days I stick with Nikon.

I'd recommend checking out either the D50, D80 or D300, depending on your budget.

I'd also suggest not going with a compact, even if it does have Leica glass. They're just not as versatile and the depth of field is usually great, which is often not what you want, unless you're in macro modes.

I think the D40X (not the D40 as aspidites has mentioned as it's a 6meg camera ) has the same 10.2meg pix as the D80 and naturally a few less a few features than the D80, so that might be another option. To be honest I think the D80 might be 500bucks(???) more these days and well with the money. I'm also a big Nikon fan as I think their optics are near unbeatable (in my humble opinion)

Here's a review of D40x compared to D80: http://www.letsgodigital.org/html/re...nd40x_EN4.html


Good luck, it's bedlam out there in camerasville

[CGSwans]

Originally Posted by Daniel_Penrith

Thanks CG thats very helpful, Im still trying to get my head around all of this! So different lenses allow clearer shots from different ranges?
So with SLR's you will need diff lenses for a clear image of certain length?
CG with your camera why is it that you wont need different lenses?

You won't get that sort of range on a DSLR lens. You will need to buy different lenses to do different things. My camera enables me to take both wide-angled and distance shots, as well as reasonably close shots, without needing to buy extra lenses. Also, its cheaper than a DSLR in the first place.

My brother-in-law is a serious photographer - he's not a professional as he is in the Air Force, but he has professional-quality equipment and has received offers for his photographs from various companies. He chose the camera for me and said that it was the best all-round camera for someone who is new to photography. If you are new like me, then chances are that you won't use any of the more advanced features of your DSLR within the next couple of years anyway.

Also, if you want to take it herping it's much better than most DSLRs in low-light conditions, so it's very good for taking photos in twilight, caves etc.

[Eylandt]

The new Pentax 100D is a very nice camera. I photograph severe weather for a hobby and can say that they produce very nice colours.

[amazonian]

Originally Posted by Daniel_Penrith

Thanks amazonian, do u have 1 or had 1? If so got any info on them, im on the site now lookin at the specs, looks great for a beginner cam

Yeah, I do.
I have no idea about all the different settings though, so I just use it as a point & shoot camera set on automatic.