 Sam Britt |
Considering Buying a Nikon D50 SLR I've never used SLR cameras, but I'm considering buying a Nikon D50. My question is should I buy a camera body, and purchase a specific lens separately, or should I get one of the packages, either 1 lens pkg $699 (18-55mm ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens with 3x optical zoom, or 2 lens pkg $899 ( 18-55mm and 55-200mm ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lenses with 3x optical zoom). I'm interested in nature photography. I'd love to be able to take detailed photos of birds and butterflies, which is something my Kodak Easyshare DX7440 with 4x optical zoom isn't capable of. Is there an advanced point and shoot camera that produces quality photos that might better suit my needs. I don't want to spend over $1000.00. Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Ariel Lepor |
Hi! I just got a Fujifilm S5200 and I LOVE IT! I also enjoy nature photography. My previous two cameras had 4x and 3x zooms, and they didn't meet my needs. I, too, wanted to get high quality close-up pictures of birds and close. SLR cameras have much more manual controls and accessories available, and their pictures are generally higher quality compared to a P&S with the same number of mega pixels. But if you are not willing to pay more than $1000 for one, I don't think you can accomplish what you want. If you do, however, want to buy an SLR, you definitely will need a full range of zooms for nature photography. You will even need to go above 200mm (like around 400mm) for many bird shots. I must warn you about some things, however, if you are thinking of getting a camera like the Canon S2 IS. Both the S2 IS and the S5200 were tested on http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/. Even though the S2 IS is more expensive, the S5200 had much more accurate colors and much higher detail and sharpness. Also, the S5200 performed much better in low light. The S5200 is (I think, according to reviews) faster than the S2 IS, which is important for capturing live animals. I personally have found the S5200 to be very fast. Also, don't get swayed by the S2 IS's image stabilization. Sure, it allows for slower shutter speeds while minimizing camera shake, but the S5200 has enough features and high enough film speed to help in this area and others. Remember, there will be situations where you will need a tripod, even with the S2 IS. And the macro focus (especially with a macro lens) gets you super close to your subjects, so the 0 cm focus on the S2 IS isn't really necessary. Okay, I'm going on and on, but basically I'm saying this: for an SLR, you will need a large range of lenses, and you will need to pay more than $1000. The Fujifilm S5200 should pretty well suit your needs and is a much cheaper alternative, even with accessories. (I payed about $436 total on amazon.com for the camera, opteka lenses, filters, tripod, carrying case, and 2700mah batteries, including free 256 MB memory and a $50 rebate (which may no longer apply).) And one more thing: I AM NOT A FUJI AGENT!
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Ariel Lepor |
Ooops! Some things were cut out of the first paragraph of my response! I'll try again.
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Ariel Lepor |
Here is how the first paragraph of my response SHOULD be. Note that the first paragraph in the original response was change to two paragraphs. I won't re-write the last two paragraphs of the response. I just got a Fujifilm S5200 and I LOVE IT! I also enjoy nature photography. My previous two cameras had 4x and 3x zooms, and they didn't meet my needs. I, too, wanted to get high quality close-up pictures of birds and other animals. After doing loads of research, I decided to get the Fuji S5200, and let me tell you, it not only fits my needs and meets my expectations, IT EXCEEDS MY EXPECTATIONS! It is much cheaper than an SLR, yet is amazingly versatile (yes - it allows third-party accessories, even for the lens) and has amazing quality. It has both automatic controls for when you don't have time to set them manually, and it has a full range of features, including incredible film speed, amazing macro ability, and an aperture range of f/3.2 to f/8 (even though the widest is f/3.2, it still has amazing Depth of Field), among other things (such as being able to take wonderful videos). This camera can also be used to take great shots in many otherwise difficult circumstances (such as allowing both your subject and it's background to be properly exposed in shots where this would be near impossible with regular P&S cameras). SLR cameras still have much more manual controls and accessories available, and their pictures are generally higher quality compared to a P&S with the same number of mega pixels, but you always need to set the controls yourself and you always need to bring the proper equipment with you. Also, if you are not willing to pay more than $1000 for one, I don't think you can accomplish what you want. If you do, however, want to buy an SLR, you definitely will need a full range of zooms for nature photography. You will even need to go above 200mm (like around 400mm) for many bird shots. I can't comment on the D50 itself. The rest of my response is contained in the last two paragraphs of my first response.
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- Sherry Stricklin Boles Contact Sherry Stricklin Boles Sherry Stricklin Boles's Gallery |
I just bought the D50 at the end of February. I am very pleased with it so far. I researched lenses a lot before deciding what to buy. The main thing you need to take into consideration is what do you like to shoot...macro, wildlife, landscapes... Different lenses will be best for different shooting instances. Decide what you like to do most and buy your lenses to match. (Personally, I did not choose to buy the kit lenses. That ended up being less expensive and I got just what I wanted.)
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Scott H. |
Got a new D50 body in October along with a factory demo 18-70mm (most people say the 18-70mm is much better than the kit lens). Anyway, it is a fantastic camera for the price. Total cost for camera, lens, and sd card was about $900. So much better than a point and shoot (at least in my opinion). I also bought a very nice used 70-210mm on Ebay for $115. For nature photography, these two lenses would be a pretty nice combination. However, for real close up photos of birds you will need a lot more lens.
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Andrew Laverghetta |
Yeah, that's the problem is that what people really like to take pictures of, birds and such that are far away, to do that with good quality usually takes a lot of money. I have a 200mm lens which is around 320mm on my Canon DSLR but that's not usually close enough either. I'd have to get at least the first level teleconverter, like 1.4x or whatever it is, and then 2x would be even better though a strong tripod becomes necessary equipment. Problem is that birds are so small, it's almost impossible for anybody other than professionals to get shots they're happy with, because it's such a specialized field. For SLR cameras though, it's not normal to talk about how many "x" optical zoom since it's not usually measured that way since it's misleading to some. Notice how the two lenses that you mentioned both have 3x zoom capabilites but one is mostly wide angle moving in to the medium telephoto range. Then the other lens is medium telephoto zooming to around 300mm (effective on digital slrs). Hope this helps a little.
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Danielle E. Rutter |
I also have the D50 and absolutely love it. It was given to me as a gift but I did most of the research before (cause I knew I would buy it eventually) and also decided not to get the kit. That was because people told me a great lens (aka glass) is the most important thing and the lenses in the kit are not "great." That being said, I later realized that I couldn't afford "great" but still wanted more than my one lens and so I went out and got a Sigma 70-300mm for less than $200 which may not be great but it certainly works for me! So I would say that if the two lenses in the kit are two lenses that you think you'll use then go for it because it is a good deal, money wise. And I'm pretty sure you can get it all for under $1000. Good luck!!
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