A North East mustelid fan

[wearside weasel]

Hello everyone!

Nice to be amongst fellow wildlife enthusiasts!

I am in the County Durham area and my main interest has to be the Weasel family. Ever since I can remember I have always been intrigued/fascinated by these little mammals - I blame Kenneth Grahame! Anyway I am trying to get more involved in my wildlife, so it would be nice to chat with any other mustelid appreciators!

There must be some other Weasel lovers out there??!!!!

Anyone got any tips about which Digital SLR to purchase? I am thinking about a Nikon D50. Any ideas?

cheers

[cherrybee]

Hi wearside Weasel and a very warm welcome to WAB

[JonathanOrchids]

Hi Wearside Weasel,
Welcome to WAB, good to have another mustelid fan onboard!
I too am entranced and obsessed with these marvellous mammals. In particular the Otter.
Plans are afoot to paint one or two, however, I'm a stickler for getting my own reference photos, and as yet, no opportunities have arisen. I do have a fine photo for which I paid a copyright royalty, but am rather loth to go ahead until I see what I can achieve. I have a Nikon D2x, and coupled with the Sigma 300-800mm, good shots should certainly be achievable. They're harder to see down here in Essex, and sea lochs in NW Scotland are my preferred habitat.
Regarding what DSLR? Well, if you can, a D200 of course. I sense you're on a budget though, so perhaps your options are limited. If you could stretch to a D80 you'd not regret it. I don't know what Canon has in your price range, and being in the Nikon camp, I would have no intelligent recommendations. Of course the advantage with current Nikon DSLRs is that you get the effective magnification of 1.5 whenever you stick a lens on, so it's a boon for wildlife. Go Nikon! Whatever you choose in the end, good research is essential; decide what you really want from the camera, and then try and find the model that fits your bill.
Good luck!
Jonathan

[smartie]

Welcome to WAB. I'd love to be interested in Weasels, but have not yet been fortunate enough to see either them or Otters in the flesh. Maybe you or one of the other fanciers could give us some tips on what signs to look for.

[nightshade]

Hello WWeasel,welcome to wild about ,The D50 is a fine camera add a Sigma 70-300 apo dg lense with macro and you will be off to a flying start
I came across this the d80 is almost a d200 squeezed into a d50 body
Nikon D80 vs. D200

[Alan]

Hello W Weasel, and welcome to WAB.

Plenty of mustelid fans here. You'll find quite a few threads in the mammal forum.

Alan

[FungiJohn]

Hi wearside Weasel and a very warm welcome to WAB from me too. Enjoy!
John

[Ollie]

Hello wearside Weasel, a very warm welcome to WAB from me.
Roger

[wearside weasel]

Hi all,

Thanks for the welcome and the advice on the camera's. I must stress that I am strictly amatuer when it comes to DSLR photography. I have heard some excellent reports about the D50 as a beginners camera, and that you can improve it by saving your money for a decent lense.
Photography is something I am really going to try and get into in the new year.
I am fortunate enough to have access to places where I can photograph both Badger and Fox and possibly also Otter and Stoat.
I think I'll continue this thread on the mammal forum.

thanks again for the tips!

[vinnychameleon]

Hi WW welcome to WAB.Another mustelid fan here. I love them. I am lucky enough to have a Stoat living in my garden and Weasels and Otters living nearby. Anway i am sure you will enjoy youre time on WAB.

[Deer Stalker]

Hi WW.

[lacie]

Hi wearside Weasel

[Wolfhill]

Hi WW, welcome to WAB. I have a Nikon D200 and I must say that it is a fantastic camera I couldn't fault it in any way, plus it has the 1.5x in camera magnification which is a real bonus when it comes to wildlife photography.