Which wildlife camera?? £600-850

[Stalker007]

Hi there everyone newbie here so first of all id like to say hi, and what a great site you have here. Looking forward to making the most of it!!! Im in a bit of i dilema here so ill start from the beginning.

I bought a bridge zoom camera the middle of last year fujifilm 2800hd this was my first step up from a normal point and shoot. This camera seemed great picture quality seemed amazing compared to old camera etc in normal condition (on holiday with the family) just general stuff. However ive always been into the natural world and started experimenting with my camera taking various wildlife shots (birds, insects, flowers, tress, deer foxs etc) the results were not so grand auto focus etc realy let me down with lag as it has no manual option. Macro shots also not very sucessful unles it was a flower or somthing stationary, insects again would not focus always blured. This camera is also limited in modes it offers FPS only 2 or 3 i think not good for birds etc also shutter speed max is only 8 seconds when ive been trying to make streams turn to smoke etc.

So ive realised i should have maybe bided my time and bought a dslr but i didnt have the bug like i do now so this is where im stuck which one???
I will admit id prefer nikon or cannon simply because the choice of lenses and also the way i look at it from reading magazines books web sites etc, they no there sh#t!! If i wanted a stero id buy sony not canon just the way i look at it sorry. Any way im lookin for maybe just a body at this price but if i could get body and maybe a decent zoom lense even better. Would prefer to buy new simply because i cant afford having faulty bits fixed etc and i wouldnt know what to look out for. Thanks for any advice.... Regards Greg

[wizzo]

Hi Stalker and welcome to WAB. £850 or even £650 will certainly get you off and running with a DSLR and a couple of kit lenses. You're not going to get top quality glass at that sort of price but as a beginner, will be more than adequate. Have a look at some of the bundles at stores like Jessops or Jacobs, and always 'handle' all the different options, before making your decision. By the way, there's nothing wrong with Sony cameras. May well be worth serious consideration. I wouldn't dismiss any camera until you've had a good look at them all. Good luck with your search - Wizzo

[marvin]

hi

nikon d90 new are coming down in price after the introduction of the d7000. that would be my choice of body for the money (from £520).
i popped into jessops the other day and was surprised to see d90 and 18-105mm vr for around £650. ordinarily i would suggest getting body only and a better everyday lens but for the money it seems like a very good deal.
you could then get a second hand tamron 90mm macro for around £200 which just leaves you needing a long zoom or prime which you'll probably be desperate for pretty quickly, but at least you'll be on your way.
if you are sure you just want to go for a body at this point then have a look at the d7000. its right at the top of your budget but looks very good.

good luck
tim

[Endrick]

No doubt you'll get lots of answers! Here's mine. For that price you can get a nikon 3100 and Nikon 18-200mm lens. 200mm is a bit short but on the other hand it does shoot very close up indeed for pictures of dragonflies and the like.

The fact that the Nikon 3100 is bottom of the range wouldn't worry me at all - for almost all purposes you won't notice the difference.

If I were more interested in distant shots I would buy a 70-300 and forego the close up capability.

[Lancashire Lad]

You state your top budget as £850.00. If you can stretch to £950.00, then by a little judicious searching, you can obtain (brand new) from well known high street retailers, the following: -

Nikon D90 body @ £549.95
(Very well received and highly rated camera for the price).

Nikon Fit Sigma 70-300mm F/4-5.6 APO DG Macro @ £199.95
(Received very good reviews, and also offers 1:2 macro: -
Sigma 70-300mm F/4-5.6 APO DG Macro Interchangeable Lens Review)

Nikon Fit Sigma 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5 @ £199.95
(Also received good reviews: -
Sigma 17-70mm lens for digital SLRs: Digital Photography Review).

With the above set up, you will have a very good start to a DSLR system.
Admittedly, macro might be slightly limited due to not having full 1:1 reproduction ratio, but given the budget restraint, there has to be compromise somewhere.

Also, it is worth noting that with the camera's sensor crop ratio, you would have effective focal lengths from a reasonably wide angle 26mm, all the way up to a decent 450mm at the telephoto end.

PS: Don't be put off by the thought of using Sigma lenses as opposed to Nikon. I've got both makes in my kit, and without a shadow of a doubt my favourite lenses are both Sigma. (180mm macro and 12-24mm wide angle zoom).

Regards,
Mike.

[Stalker007]

Would the d90's fps rate be ok for small birds etc i had been looking at this camera but the fps and plastic body put me off if i was out in rain etc. Ive been looking at some second hand modles such as cannon 50d and nikon d300 as these have great specs and build quality for a verry good price 500-650 pound.
What are peoples views on these cameras or other recomendations?

Thanks
Greg

[Lancashire Lad]

If I remember correctly, the D90's fastest frame rate is 4.5 frames per second. - Obviously not on a par with cameras that do 8 or 9 fps, and only you can decide whether that sort of frame rate will be enough for what you want.

Cameras such as the D300 do have a higher spec, but they cost much more to buy new. I didn't mention secondhand cameras previously, as you had stated that you would prefer to buy new.

As far as use whilst out in the rain - well I've been using a D80 for almost three years now. I've been caught out in downpours quite a few times, and the camera and lenses have, on occasion, got quite wet.

As an aside, I have no intention of upgrading from the D80 - It does everything I need, and provides superb images. (I'm not someone who always has to have the latest offering, and won't be changing bodies until such time as the D80 becomes non-operational/non-repairable).

I must admit that I don't usually continue shooting in heavy rain, and generally use an elasticated nylon cover. - It is actually a small rucksack rain cover which I use to enclose camera, lens, and top of tripod, to protect the kit if the rain really sets in.

The D80 has a plastic body, but I don't consider that to be any problem. Mine has taken quite a few knocks, including at least three occasions where the tripod has gone over, and hasn't suffered any damage to date. Yes, metal bodies will undoubtedly be stronger, but do you really need one, and is the extra cost/uncertainty of buying second hand worth it?

I would suggest that the weatherproofing of whatever lens you are using needs as much consideration as the camera body if you do intend to continue shooting in heavy rain.

I've probably raised more questions than I've answered here, but best of luck with your eventual choice.

Regards,
Mike.

[squishy]

You could get a used canon 40D and lens within that budget, which is another excellent option for wildlife.
The 50D or D300 will cost more and leave less for the lens, but will be better cameras. But a cheaper camera with a more expensive lens will give you better image quality than an expensive camera with cheaper lens.


Perhaps you should go into a shop and try out some canons and nikons, see which brand's control layout and menu system you can get along best with.

[cosmicma]

the difference ( certanly in use ) between a 40d and 50d is negligable
i know you have an extra 5 million pixels and the newer prosessor but if your filling the frame and not doing large crops you wouldn't know

the noise at higher iso levels is better on the 40d and it has a slightly faster frame rate but in use it's not really noticeable

iv'e owned both these cameras for the last couple of years and when you look at the photo's produced from either camera it's hard to tell which took the photo

if the pixel count doesn't bother you a 40d is a sound choice and would leave more money for a quality lens