What DSLR?

[KeenTeen17]

I have had a Kodak Z650 for about a year and a half now and It has given me some (what I feel) are good photos. I mostly use it for flower photography as the macro mode is very good. I bought a wide angle and telephoto converters for it off ebay last year and they were no good as they resulted in blurriness and with the telephoto there was a blue shimmer to the edges of the subject. even with a high shutter speed. They were simply screw on ones. There are no actual Kodak lenses for it - so these were Opteka that said they were for Z650.

It is a big let down with bird photography though. When they are far away at the other side of a lake or garden, I can't get a good photo. So what sort of DSLR would be good for me. I would prefer it to have a good macro mode as well as have the ability to have a fat long lens on it. Is there any recommendations in the price range £350-500? With a lens as well?

Also, it would be desireable to have a good battery life and not conk out after 10 photos.

thanks for any advice

[Lancashire Lad]

Prepare yourself for a barrage of responses indicating that a Canon, a Nikon, or an Olympus XYZ is the best. - From people who happen to be afficionados of that particular camera/system.

I would suggest that you have a look at what's available from all of the leading manufacturers within your price range, narrow it down to two or three choices, and then get a decent hands on test at you local camera shop.

You will probably already appreciate that you're not going to get a 500mm prime (or anything near it) for your budget, so the best that you can realistically hope for is maybe a DSLR body with a 70-300 f4-5.6 and then add to that with a 1.4 or 2x teleconverter etc. when more funds become available. (Some of the twin lens kit offers might be within your budget).

I wouldn't want to say that any of the leading manufacturers are better or worse than any other.

I'm currently using a Nikon D80 - prices for which have recently been dropping considerably. I like it, and it produces excellent results - but so would any other decent DSLR. Just remember that the lens quality, is probably a more important factor than the camera body itself.

Best of luck
Mike.

[nightshade]

I love my D80 but like all the DSLR's it takes a long time to get to know it "throughly" then there is the size............
I find myself missing interesting stuff and often leave it behind in favour of Binoculars and my little Sony DSC-W50

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

I bought a wide angle and telephoto converters for it off ebay last year and they were no good as they resulted in blurriness and with the telephoto there was a blue shimmer to the edges of the subject. even with a high shutter speed.

The 'blue shimmer' has nothing to do with shutter speed - it's called 'chromatic aberation' and is the result of using a cheap single lens. The lens doesn't bring all coloured rays to the same focus and acts like a prism. Better quality lenses use combinations of different glasses to overcome this problem.

Stop daydreaming about 'The Great Outdoors' at school - pay more attention in your physics class!
;^)

Jim

[Ollie]

Hi KeenTeen
I'm not going to try and persuade you to buy any particular brand as all the entry level DSLR's are capable of good photographs regardless of make.

As Mike pointed out it's the lens that you use with a DSLR that has more to do with the quality than anything else.

I haven't checked up but I'm sure you would be able to get a DSLR with something like a 70-300mm zoom lens for a little under £500 but then you would need a macro lens as well which would put you over budget. You can get zoom lenses with a macro mode as well but I aren't convinced the macro quality is that great.

A 300mm lens is the shortest focal length I would recommend for birds and even then you will have to get pretty close to get a good photograph.

My advice to you would be if you are set on a DSLR to get an entry level body and the best lens you can afford to enable you to get the bird photos and keep your compact for macro work until you can see your way clear to get a good macro lens which aren't cheap.

Others will no doubt advise you otherwise and the choice is yours. If possible I would also try and get into a shop and handle the various DSLR's that are in your price range.

Battery life is good on all DSLR's as far as I'm aware anyway.

Roger

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I love my D80 but like all the DSLR's it takes a long time to get to know it "throughly" then there is the size............
I find myself missing interesting stuff and often leave it behind in favour of Binoculars and my little Sony DSC-W50

I partially agree - If I'm not going out with a particular photographic purpose in mind, I often take my Finepix S9600 - It's lightweight, does it all (well - almost all) and you don't need a bagful of lenses/accessories.

Yes, any DSLR will take time to become familiarised with, but it must be said, when you want the "best" results, (and provided you have the relevant accessories), they are in a league of their own.

I don't think Keenteen will get a D80+lens(es) within his price range but there are Nikon / Canon kits available for that sort of price that will stand him in good stead as the basis of a very good DSLR system.

Regards
Mike.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

Just remember that the lens quality, is probably a more important factor than the camera body itself.

Worth reinforcing:

A good lens on a cheap body will produce far better results than a poor lens on an expensive body. You can skimp on the body, but don't on the lens. Beware - there are some lenses out there with bad reputations, but with good names on them!

Jim

[RoseStones]

I'd just like to second Jim's comments. I've a Canon 100-400 lens that will in all honesty probably outlast me, it's that well built, and the photos it produces are lovely too. The lens will stay with me for a long time I hope, but perhaps the body will be upgraded as technology moves on.

I think, in all honesty you'll lucky to find an SLR and lens combo for the price you were talking about, brand new at any rate. I've bought lenses second hand from our favourite auction site so don't dismiss that as an option - usual rules apply though when buying in terms of making sure the seller is reputable and the item is in good condition (no scratches to the lens etc).

As you can see I'm a Canon man, purely and simply because of the lens that I mentioned which I wanted purely for Wildlife photography - at the time of purchase no other leading manufacturer made a similar lens of similar quality and versatility for the money (well, in my opinion anyway). All of the top manufacturers produce fantastic equipment these days, but DO consider what type of photography you like doing and weigh up the brand that gives you the best range of lenses that suit that type of photography - as I said you might want to change the body in the future but if you build up a few lenses of one brand then want to switch, that could be very expensive.

Have you thought about looking for a second hand or perhaps even better, refurbed camera body? Camera manufacturers bring out so many new models so quickly that the older models soon lose their premium prices. I've just had a quick look at you know where and found a second hand Canon 350D for example that looked like it would sell for less than £200. This kind of model would be an ideal introduction into SLR photography and provided you get a good deal it won't lose you much if you decide to trade-up soon after.

hope this helps a little

[KeenTeen17]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

The 'blue shimmer' has nothing to do with shutter speed - it's called 'chromatic aberation' and is the result of using a cheap single lens. The lens doesn't bring all coloured rays to the same focus and acts like a prism. Better quality lenses use combinations of different glasses to overcome this problem.

Stop daydreaming about 'The Great Outdoors' at school - pay more attention in your physics class!
;^)

Jim

I don't need to I got an A* in physics at GCSE now at college

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

I don't need to I got an A* in physics at GCSE now at college

Well done!

So why aren't you doing 'A' level Physics? (BTW, I'm a school physics technician!)
;^)

Jim