What camera to buy???.
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spyd
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Aweomse pics! So those were done using the 90mm Jordan?
Duke link said:
ya don't get me wrong.. the 90mm lens is sweet.. I wish I owned one myself, close up shots are amazing with it.. but try and get a photo of your full tank and you need to be standing 20 feet away to get it in the photo... im surprised you don't like the 50mm, i really liked it.
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If you're looking for a lens to take FTS's, then a longer macro isn't the way to go. IMO, spend the money to get a longer macro, unless you need something for all around use - then get a 50 or 60. I suggested the 70 to Bill because it would be a good mix of macro close-ups, but also for full colony shots for his website. Also, he wanted something for general use too, and a shorter to mid-length lens better fits that intended use. If you really want to take close-ups of your tank, and that is your primary purpose, I would get something in the 90 to 100 range macro, then something in the 30 to 50 range for general purpose. The Canon "Nifty Fifty" for example is a 50 mm prime lens that you can probably pick up for 100 bucks used, is sharp, and have for all around photography, including FTS's. You don't have to stand that far back to get group shots.... here is a certain someone's TOTM with the 90, I'd say standing at most maybe 4 feet back Darryl?
spyd link said:
Cant argue with that, those are really awesome photos. Just take your camera with you when lens shopping, like Jordan was saying theres no one lens that covers everything, it will come down to your shooting style and personal preference, the 90mm is a nice lens as you can see from those photos above, even the 18-55mm kit lens is good to go, its all i use most of the time.
Yes, further to what Duke is saying, think about what your budget is, your intended use is, other than just aquariums, and then go from there.
There are some lenses that claim to "do it all"; for example:
SIGMA 18-250MM DC MACRO OS CANON
http://www.henrys.com/73752-SIGMA-18-250MM-DC-MACRO-OS-CANON.aspx
$600 + tax lens that is a jack of all trades. My fear would be though that it is a master of none. But maybe such a lens would be a good all around lens for you. The nice thing about the Sigmas is that most of them come with a 10 year warranty, and is transferrable on resale with original receipt. So even if you decide to sell it, you'll do alright on resale if it isn't what you want long term.
There are some lenses that claim to "do it all"; for example:
SIGMA 18-250MM DC MACRO OS CANON
http://www.henrys.com/73752-SIGMA-18-250MM-DC-MACRO-OS-CANON.aspx
$600 + tax lens that is a jack of all trades. My fear would be though that it is a master of none. But maybe such a lens would be a good all around lens for you. The nice thing about the Sigmas is that most of them come with a 10 year warranty, and is transferrable on resale with original receipt. So even if you decide to sell it, you'll do alright on resale if it isn't what you want long term.
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That lens is ~$450 on ebay. Just fyi.
spyd
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I have 2 decent lenses that I purchased with the camera but have all ways wanted to take some nice macro shots. I am going to go pick up that Tameron. I found it used in TO for $350. I will see if I can work something out with my buddy at Henrys first though as I would prefer to buy new in case of warranty issues. Thanks for all the input and sorry for high jacking the original thread!
Darryl_V
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Just to clarify what I said a little bit......if you are looking to take nice close up macros of your aquarium the 100 or 90mm is really the best lense for the job. But like everyone says it doesnt do general photography or portrait very well so you definitely need some more lenses in your kit.
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Darryl_V link said:
Most dslr cameras come with a general purpose lens. The Canon has an 18-55mm one if I remember correctly.
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jroovers link said:
Most dslr cameras come with a general purpose lens. The Canon has an 18-55mm one if I remember correctly.
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There are various kit options with various different kit lenses.
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Probably, I bought my last 3 cameras at either best buy or future shit. They likely have the AOL version of things.
I will say that 'back in the day' I had a minolta maxxum slr. I even won a couple of awards for black and white photography. If that camera had even a quarter of the options today's dslr had, I'd likely be a world famous photographer by now. Ah my kingdom for a class on white balance
spyd
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Sign me up for a WB class as well!!!
Victoss
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Now don't laugh at me here :-[ but if your looking for something really cheap to just play around with then something like this could be an option: http://www.henrys.com/26789-RAYNOX-DCR-250-SUPER-MACRO-LENS.aspx
Now of course a dedicated macro lens will always be better but if you can't spend the few hundred then this could work till you figured out what your looking for. Better then close up filters but not quite as good as a dedicated macro lens. This is what I use right now for all my shots:
As you can see though I don't have a lot of depth with it (although that may be the camera too). Camera used is a Panasonic FZ28 with DMWLA3 lens adapter.
Now of course a dedicated macro lens will always be better but if you can't spend the few hundred then this could work till you figured out what your looking for. Better then close up filters but not quite as good as a dedicated macro lens. This is what I use right now for all my shots:
As you can see though I don't have a lot of depth with it (although that may be the camera too). Camera used is a Panasonic FZ28 with DMWLA3 lens adapter.
Nice shots victoss. I have used these before, find them to be hit or miss for working properly. Another option is extension tubes. If anyone has a Nikon dslr ands wants to give them a try for some macro, I use them with my 50mm 1.4, but you definitely need a tripod, know how to shoot in manual mode, and a shit ton of light!
Thank you everyone for your input!!!! I really appreciate it as I am not very familiar with cameras and all the options out there.....it is kind of over my head, but from reading all these responses I am much much more informed now!! I love this forum!! I would very much like to have a dslr and will probably see if I can find a good used one. I would be using it mostly for the hobby, hence why I don't have one now. It would be nice however to use it in other situations as well.....is it mostly just the lens that must be replaced in order to use it for say action sports as well or does it have to be a different camera all together? I would like to be able to capture some close up shots as well as FTS or small colonies so I think it would be beneficial for me to have a 90 to 100mm as well as a 50 to 60mm. I will be on the hunt on kijiji!!! looking to save a few bucks so if anyone sees any good deals let me know!
My wife has an older Sony cyber shot point and shoot camera that I have used on occasion but its just not doing it for me.......
Thank you again everyone!!!!
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looking to save a few bucks so if anyone sees any good deals let me know! My wife has an older Sony cyber shot point and shoot camera that I have used on occasion but its just not doing it for me.......
Thank you again everyone!!!!
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Different DSLR bodies will be better for different applications. Entry level DSLRs won't have that type of application, but will do everything okay. Definitely better then a P & S. While lenses have auto and manual focus, and you'll hear people talk about how "fast" or "slow" a lens is, it is the body's focus system, sensor, frame rate etc. that determines what it excels at. There is a myriad of information in this regard. That said, certain lenses will be better than others for different applications. I don't put my 90 mm Tamron on my camera and go for a walk through the woods with my family or go shoot birds. I use my 30 mm Sigma or my 400 mm Canon respectively.
Regarding bodies, they do have their specialties when you move from entry level to prosumer. For example, my Camera, the Canon 7D, has a 19-point auto focus system and an 8 frame per second shoot rate. This is good for shooting birds in flight, action sports, and anything that moves fast. Other bodies, like the 5D Mark II, are better suited to shooting portraits, landscapes, etc. and have better image quality. They can't shoot as fast or lock onto objects and focus as quickly (all other points held constant). My dilemma is when I upgrade, do I go to the 7D Mark II or the 5D Mark III - a pipedream at the moment, but depending on your budget, much like with tanks, you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on camera gear (or you can do alot with less expensive gear as above if you are patient and willing to learn).
Anyhow, a good way to go is get a decent body, and a good to great lens. A good lens will up your keeper rate, no doubt about it. A good forum to check out is http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ for all things camera related.
Regarding bodies, they do have their specialties when you move from entry level to prosumer. For example, my Camera, the Canon 7D, has a 19-point auto focus system and an 8 frame per second shoot rate. This is good for shooting birds in flight, action sports, and anything that moves fast. Other bodies, like the 5D Mark II, are better suited to shooting portraits, landscapes, etc. and have better image quality. They can't shoot as fast or lock onto objects and focus as quickly (all other points held constant). My dilemma is when I upgrade, do I go to the 7D Mark II or the 5D Mark III - a pipedream at the moment, but depending on your budget, much like with tanks, you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on camera gear (or you can do alot with less expensive gear as above if you are patient and willing to learn).
Anyhow, a good way to go is get a decent body, and a good to great lens. A good lens will up your keeper rate, no doubt about it. A good forum to check out is http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ for all things camera related.
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