To all the Photographers out there....Help please

[jamie2112]

I didn't intend to start a debate over which lens and which camera one should use. I would hope we could stop bickering and stick to the OP....... Come on guys and gals don't get touchy this far into the game.....

 

[jamie2112]

Thanks to all who have given me ideas so far. I am gonna research a little bit and see where that gets me..Not far because I don't know jack about cameras...LOL

 

[gus6464]

Thanks to all who have given me ideas so far. I am gonna research a little bit and see where that gets me..Not far because I don't know jack about cameras...LOL

Does your budget include lenses btw? You are mostly looking for good zooming capability right?

 

[jamie2112]

I have a 600 budget for my camera which I think may only be for the body. I am not sure what I need to spend on a good lense but I know that they are expensive to say the least....Yes Gus I want to be able to zoom in which my camera sucks at...Thanks

 

[emorphien]

I am sure he will chime in when he gets home.....

He always does!

I have a 600 budget for my camera which I think may only be for the body. I am not sure what I need to spend on a good lense but I know that they are expensive to say the least....Yes Gus I want to be able to zoom in which my camera sucks at...Thanks

For $600 you can get a camera with a kit lens, but it won't have much reach. If you want to get a telephoto lens you'll first need to decide budget and system although Canon and Nikon at least have a lot of similar lenses.

My understanding is that the 55-250 IS ($280) is a very popular and affordable tele zoom for the crop cameras like the Rebel XS or XSi. Nikon has a 55-200 VR ($210 or 220 iirc) which is a bit cheaper but doesn't have as much reach obviously. Plenty of other options though.

 

[gus6464]

I have a 600 budget for my camera which I think may only be for the body. I am not sure what I need to spend on a good lense but I know that they are expensive to say the least....Yes Gus I want to be able to zoom in which my camera sucks at...Thanks

Then this would be a good combo.

Canon XSI body only
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Rebel-Camera-Body/dp/B0012Y88QQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225224768&sr=8-2

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-300mm-4-5-6-Lens-Cameras/dp/B0007Y794O/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225226122&sr=1-18

I paid almost $600 for that lens last year and now it's ~$450. IMO no other zoom lens in this price range will give you as good of PQ unless you move up to the L version of the lens.

I took this picture with it and my Rebel XT at over 200 feet away.

 

[jamie2112]

Then this would be a good combo.

Canon XSI body only
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Rebel-Camera-Body/dp/B0012Y88QQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225224768&sr=8-2

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-300mm-4-5-6-Lens-Cameras/dp/B0007Y794O/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225226122&sr=1-18

I paid almost $600 for that lens last year and now it's ~$450. IMO no other zoom lens in this price range will give you as good of PQ unless you move up to the L version of the lens.

I took this picture with it and my Rebel XT at over 200 feet away.

Holy cow that is amazing 200ft wow I want that one .....

 

[jamie2112]

There is a used XSI for sale on my local craigslist for 350. I think it is only a couple of months old. Should I just suck it up and buy new?

 

[gus6464]

Holy cow that is amazing 200ft wow I want that one .....

Yeah it was the first time I went out to test what the new lens could do and I was floored on how good it was.

This is a good shot I took that shoes how detailed the lens can be at close range. No color correction was done after taking the shot. The left side of his face is out of focus a bit since I didn't have enough time to fully tweak the shot.

 

[jamie2112]

Damn that is great. I am getting more excited by the minute.....Must have Camera .....

 

[gus6464]

There is a used XSI for sale on my local craigslist for 350. I think it is only a couple of months old. Should I just suck it up and buy new?

I say go to best buy or a camera store first and play with the camera a bit to see how you like it. Play with changing f-stop and shutter speeds on the fly and see if you feel comfortable doing it. If it feels comfortable in your hands I say go for it. That way you save over $200 that can be used towards a zoom lens.

 

[jamie2112]

I say go to best buy or a camera store first and play with the camera a bit to see how you like it. Play with changing f-stop and shutter speeds on the fly and see if you feel comfortable doing it. If it feels comfortable in your hands I say go for it. That way you save over $200 that can be used towards a zoom lens.

That was kind of my thinking on that as well Thanks Gus....

 

[nick1000000]

My vote is for a Canon or a Nikon. I own a Nikon D50 and love it. I have been reading the post and no one has mentioned the great thing about Canons and Nikons; you can use virtually any lense they make whether it be new or from the 70s. You can find really good deals on old lenses that will work for both of those cameras. I am certain about the Nikon but pretty sure about the Canons.
Clarification: Nikon lenses for only Nikons and Canons lenses for only Canons.

 

[jamie2112]

Thanks Nick I am getting one of the 2 companies for sure...

 

[jamie2112]

Just missed a Nikon D70 for 200 on craigslist. I would guess thst was a good deal....

 

[gus6464]

Also make sure you get yourself a good flash card to go with the camera. When doing RAW pics at high megapixel the speed of the card can make a difference when going a lot of shots at a time.

I have always been biased toward the Sandisk Ultra II and faster type but they can be had for cheap nowadays.

 

[Spkr_Bldr]

I didn't intend to start a debate over which lens and which camera one should use. I would hope we could stop bickering and stick to the OP....... Come on guys and gals don't get touchy this far into the game.....

Neither did I, camera fanboys are the WORST ... seriously, it's way worse in the Nikon vs. Canon world than it is in any instance of the audio world. That's the big reason why I stopped posting on sites like dpreview long ago, because couch photogs want to try and nitpick specifications to show that brand X is superior. But Pro's like myself couldn't care less about what gear you're using, just the results.

I thought I made it pretty clear with my first point in the post that I've owned them all, and they all take equally awesome pics. But the first tiny point I make of some brand being better than another is jumped on as "nonsense".

Fanboying for some multi-national corporation of which you have NO involvement, now that's nonsense.

Like I said, they ALL take fantastic pictures ... even Pentax Just go to the store and see which one has the menus and controls that make the most sense to YOU. It doesn't matter that I think Cannon's menu system is crap, and that big menu wheel is a total pain. It only matters what you think.

I just realized I have a brand new D70s sitting in the basement that I bought about 2 years ago and never took out of the box. It was a backup camera for my pair of D200's, but never needed it. I'd sell it for $350 or something if you want it, and could throw in a thing or two.

 

[jamie2112]

Ryan, PM sent..

 

[Spkr_Bldr]

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-300mm-4-5-6-Lens-Cameras/dp/B0007Y794O/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225226122&sr=1-18

I paid almost $600 for that lens last year and now it's ~$450. IMO no other zoom lens in this price range will give you as good of PQ unless you move up to the L version of the lens.

Sigma 100-300 f/4 will beat it in sharpness and saturation/contrast. Don't argue, just go try one for yourself I have some pics on my photo server from the '06 Daytona 24 Hours using that lens. It'll walk away from the Canon/Nikon 70-300's at wide open aperature settings.

 

[jamie2112]

Ryan, PM sent..Does the megapixals being 6.1 matter that much ? I wanted a 10 or 12 megapixal camera...