Equipment Question:

[WolfeMan]

Curious - my wife and I are in the market for a DSLR camera and I would like the option to shoot some wildlife photos - so a decent zoom is important.

What's a reasonable zoom lens for field use?

I'd imagine most folks split into two groups - Canon or Nikon - which are you? What model?

[Ring King]

The best advice that I can give you is to buy a decent body but spend the bulk of your money on good glass. For example, I'm a Canon shooter and I'm using a Rebel Xti. However, my most used lens for birds, wildlife, and my eight year olds football games is a Canon 100-400 F4-5.6L IS USM. The lens is easily twice the price I paid for the body when it was new. Any decent Nikon or Camera DSLR body is capable of taking fantastic pictures, but only if you have capable glass mounted to it.

In today's world of digital photography the important things are quality glass, using the camera functions (ie. Not on the auto setting), and post processing. That last one has the highest learning curve and is more often than not the most critical! It's the difference in an okay picture and one that is magazine worthy!!

Examples from my setup
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii148/ringkingsc/Alaska%20wildlife/marmot1.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii148/ringkingsc/Alaska%20wildlife/lesseralbatross.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii148/ringkingsc/Alaska%20wildlife/1s.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii148/ringkingsc/Alaska%20wildlife/IMG_5900.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii148/ringkingsc/duck%20hunting/Guanaduckhunt024.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii148/ringkingsc/duck%20hunting/Evan.jpg

These are all in jpeg format so there is some quality lost in compression.

[tailfisher17t]

I shoot I Nikon D3000 and love it!! The DSLR bodies are all great (i think) but where you want to focus on for "Great" pics is your lenses.

Ring King I see that Pee Roe :-P

[Ron Smith]

I currently have in my procession (thanks in some part to a loan from my sister) a Nikon D80, D700, Canon s3is and SX20 and a Fuji something or other (which I love) , 500mm Nikor, 200mm Nikor, 135mm and several macro and 55mm’s. All of this means nothing until you know what a good photo is. Your primary camera is your eyes. I have some very good pix from 9 years ago that were taken with a 2mp pocket camera. If you are going to take photos of dead ducks on the tailgate of your truck after a hunt…any camera will do….unless you want to shoot a tailgate pic in HDR. :) No amount of camera equipment will correct bad composition. It is pretty hard to make a “mistake” purchasing a Nikon or Canon sub $1000 DSLR. If you are like most of us you will purchase a camera…and then want the next one.

[Ring King]

If you are like most of us you will purchase a camera…and then want the next one.


No doubt!!! I've been saving my pennies for quite a while looking forward to the day I can buy myself a Canon 1D Mark IIn, and the 24-70 f2.8L IS USM!!! Just need to hit a $3500 scratch off jackpot and it will be coming home with me!!

[Ross R]

if you are mostly interested in wildlife.... I think canon might have better glass for that(that's affordable). You can always go for the 3rd party lenses which are good as well but I just cant put my finger on the right one. I really wish Nikon would update their 80-400 VR.... it is a dog. The Canon 100-400 seems to be a nice lens.

I started with a D40 and quickly upgraded cameras because it just wasnt fast enough for what I wanted to do. I now have a D300s and and very happy. Like Ron said, I would start off with an entry level SLR.

[DEADEYE DICK]

This is a pretty good group of guys.
I have learned alot over here the last couple years after I thought I was genius with my PNS camera and then got a DSLR and relized the more I learned the dumber I got

http://www.wildlifesouth.com/Photography/Nature_Photography.html

[Ron Smith]

Thanks for the web site DD. I copied this from their web site..."It's the photographer behind the camera and not the equipment that makes an image interesting."
Start there...working on the photograher... and any camera will produce great hunting pix.

[Vee Bow]

I just bought a Nikon D50 primarily for taking pictures of a new baby but wanted to see what size lens to buy for taking duck pictures. Is there a good book I can get that will help with learning to use the functions instead of the auto mode? DSLR for dummies or something. I only have the 35-70mm it came with and was going to get a second lens any suggestions on make and size for flying duck shots and other wildlife applications? Also I have seen the fisheye and telefoto multipliers are those worth getting? Or just stick with the standard set-ups.

Thanks

[Ring King]

The dummies book series has books for most cameras, post processing programs, and photography techniques. There are plenty of options for books just check out your local book store.

[DEADEYE DICK]

..."It's the photographer behind the camera and not the equipment that makes an image interesting."


I think being an hunter/fisherman/outdoors person has helped me tremendously at the art of taking pictures.To me it is like hunting with a camera,you sit still and look for oppotunities.

And Ron you can roll your mouse over the box to the left of the screen that sez nature photography and other info boxes pop up

.http://www.wildlifesouth.com/Photography/Nature_Photography.html

[DEADEYE DICK]

When I first got into this "hunting with a camera" I knew very little.
Most of the guys on the other hunting sites that took good pictures talked about shooting in AV mode so that is what I started doing.Best thing I can tell you to do is start googling and save info in a favorites folder so you can go back to it.

Also,we arent buying film or paying to have pictures developed so shoot away/fire at will/etc. take lots of pictures ....learn from and delete the ones you don't like.It is nothing for me to go out on a Sunday morning and take 120 pictures only to like 3 of them


http://www.alpenoutdoor.com/html/2_4_2008.html

Here,this should keep you busy for a while

http://digitalbirdphotography.com/windows/contents.html

And you can learn alot just by looking at someone else's pic and see what others said about it.

http://www.wildlifesouth.net/forums/