Camera Labs

Im into Wildlife and landscape photography and other various things, Im using a small camera and i really want too upgrade too a DLR... But there are soo meny!

So ive been seaching the web and found these...

the Sigma SD14

The Nikon D90

The Cannon EOS 500D

and the Sony Alpha 380

Witch one is best? im tottaly confused...

These are all what really seem the best out them all...(And in my price range)

Not sure if this is right thread but i want these cameras for mostly wildlife and landscapes and other various things.

So witch ones too you think are would be good for a starter in wildlife/landscape photograther like me?

Ill do a poll but do comment with pictures too
(Frist time i made a poll)

I voted for the D90. A great camera from what I hear.

You may also consider an olympus e30 or e520/620, the 4/3 sensor delivers a 2x crop which can help get you more range. For example a 300mm lens on an olympus will have a 600mm equivalent range, useful for wildlife. Although a d90 is probably a better camera in many respects.

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Canon 40D | Tokina 11-16 f2.8 | Canon 50mm f1.4

www.flickr.com/claycarey

When it comes to wildlife photography and you are serious about it you have to think about the lenses first and then choose your camera (and tripod). If you are going to shoot birds you will need glass that goes at least up to 500 mm - be it a zoom lens or a prime. One of the cheapest 500mm lenses out there is the Sigma 150-500 mm f5-5.6. It has decent build quality (unless you get one of those Sigmas made at Monday morning), but won't support teleconverters.

Another thing I would consider is frames per second (fps). Animals usually don't wait for you to get the perfect shot, which leaves you a few seconds to react. The D90's 4.5 fps is more or less the lower limit. For wildlife photography I personally prefer cameras that do at least 5 fps.

With a burst rate like that you need a reliable autofocus system - you can't focus manually at 5 fps. At the moment the best APS-C DSLRs for that job are the Nikon D300 (a real bargain right now due to its discontinuation), the Canon 7D and the Pentax K-7. For a bit less you can also get the Canon 50D, Sony A700, Nikon D90 or Olympus E-30.

From the cameras you mentiond above I'd pick the D90.

Lenses aside, the D90 is tougher, faster and has best IQ. That means nothing without decent lenses though.

I think you should consider the Canon 40d too, if you can find it.

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Graham
Flickr

one other thing to keep in mind is body design... if your gonna be out and about it should have at least minimal weather proofing and have a rugged body. Plastic bodies, for me, dont cut it for long if you're out in the wild. Get a good case/bag that will take a beating.

take into consideration if you will be spending a lot of time on the water. If so you may want to go with a hard bodied camera case instead of a bag as it will take the pounding better and they are 100% water proof. Even if you spend a lot of time on land you can rig a backpack harness to them for easy carrying on the back. They just stand up a lot better compared to a soft bag and for me that's important if you got a few grand worth of gear in it. I got chased by a moose earlier this summer and I dropped the case to get up a tree... moose stomped it... a bag would never have held up.

I've got the Canon 50D and it's awesome for me.... 90%+ of my photography is wildlife... the 15mp sensor allows for a larger crop while still giving a good pic. Paired with the 100-400mm lens its a very good all-around choice for wildlife... especially when traveling or on multi-day outings as you dont want to be lugging around a lot of gear if you can avoid it. It also shoots at over 6 frames a sec and ya cant beat that.

KPR shoots a pentax and I know he loves them.. they are one of the best weather-proofed cameras out there for the price and he takes amazing shots.

On a side note.... just got back to town last night... one month without a camera... after 2 weeks I never thought I would survive. Getting out today hopefully to take a few shots

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Canon 7D + 50D + EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Pelican // Black Rapid // Think Tank // Manfrotto // Garmin

Reflections On Canadian Wildlife
My Flickr

There are several key elements you'll want to think of when choosing a camera for wildlife photography. Among them are build quality, whether or not you want some weather sealing, speed, and, most importantly, the lens. As Wolfsong mentioned, you'll want a lens with a long reach. It helps to have a few more megapixels thrown in there so you can crop your pictures without losing too much image quality.

There is a nice summary of things to consider in a dslr for wildlife photography in this article from Outdoor Photographer magazine. It also lists a selection of cameras you might want to consider, but keep in mind that a whole host of new models have been released since the article was written, including the Nikon D5000, the Olympus e-620, the Canon 500D, the (announced) Canon 7D, the Pentax K-7 and (if I remember correctly) the Nikon D90. Reading through it should get you started.

The things I'd recommend over all others are speed, build quality and lens choice. You'll want a camera that is fast (i.e. starts up quickly, focuses quickly, and has a good continuous shooting rate) and can stand up to the elements, but you'll also need a lens that can zoom in- a lot. Wild animals just aren't easy to sneak up on, and unless you're in an area where a lot of habituation has taken place, you'll need to have a lens that can make it look like you're close, even when you're not.

The Canon 100-400mm L is a good choice. As Ernie mentioned, Sigma has the 150-500mm, which comes in different mounts to fit many brands: Pentax, Nikon, Canon, etc. Most brands have uber-expensive prime lenses, too, at long lengths (i.e. 300mm, 400mm, 500mm, 600mm, etc.) And the entry-level Olympus bodies have a crop factor of two, meaning any lens you mount will be, effectively, twice as long (e.g. a 100-300mm lens will become a 200-600mm lens), and Olympus glass is really nice.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

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Nikon D300 / 35mm f1.8 / 300mm f4 / TC-14E II
Pentax K200D / DA 18-55mm / DA 55-300mm
Flickr

A moose stomped your Pelican case?
Now how much would Pelican pay for shots of that?...LMAO!!!
I have a video trailcam in a Pelican case the bears have had at a "few" times...minor scratches on the case
they haven't discovered the glass in front of the lens...yet

I have a Pentax K200 and I'm absolutely happy with it.
Easy to use and great weatherproofing,keeping in mind my lenses are not weatherproofed and I do not push it on the camera either....much...
I spend alot of time on saltwater and the camera is never far.

Wolf, a month without a camera?
What were you thinkin

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Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-55mm,Pentax 50-200mm,Sigma 17-70mm,Sigma 70-300mm, Sigma 50-500mm

Yup.. a moose... yup.. I got too close... again!!.... yup... a shot would have been so cool but saving my butt was more important... never know with moose... it's the only animal that I've been around that I havent figured out yet to some degree... either that or I just need to realize I'm getting old and cant move as fast as I used to Guess he realized he couldnt get me and took it out on my case for a few seconds.... that's 2 runnins with moose in as many years.... moose 2... me 0

in regards to a month without a camera.... errr.. bad place closed off to the outside world... not so nice ppl in charge... and me and some friends pushing the buttons of the powers that be equals: leave camera home in case of arrest, confiscation or muggings. Sent ya a pm explaining that more

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Canon 7D + 50D + EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Pelican // Black Rapid // Think Tank // Manfrotto // Garmin

Reflections On Canadian Wildlife
My Flickr

a note on prime lenses... amazing glass and amazing shots... but very limiting.. especially when on vacation or on multi-day outings. If you carry a prime.. say 600mm... you'll definately wanna bring a few more lenses with you on multiple day outings as the prime is just too limiting... and depending on the outing... carrying around a large prime just isnt practical due to size and weight when compared to a combination of say a 100-400 or something similar and an other zoom covering from 26 or so to just over 100mm. 2 lenses in that range will cover 95% of your wildlife photography needs and can be carried somewhat easily while still carrying all the other essentials needed for long outings and vacations.

Even on short outings where you know nothing will likely happen... a camera with a 100-400 mounted on it and a second shorter zoom carried in a pair of cargo pants/shorts works great... for that matter.. cargo pants/shorts are amazingly conveniant camera bags for short safe outings

that being said.. a 600 prime is definately my next lens but I'll use it for day outings where I'm not hiking far and where I am after a specific subject.

lastly on long primes... you're gonna need a tripod without a doubt. With something like a 100-400 you can still easily freehand it under most normal circumstances. I'm really shaky and have yet to use a tripod with it under any conditions except twilight or night photography... If ya get a change have a look under the marine mammal thread and my whale pics of this year.. those were taken with the 100-400 from a kayak and me bobbing around surrounded by whales... I did get some blurry shots but most were crisp and clean. If I can shoot like that from a kayak a few kms off shore and get clean pics I dont see myself needing a tripod any time soon for normal wildlife shots on land.

Others may feel differently but anything over 400mm would need a tripod a lot more frequently.

All that being said... I do carry a manfrotto monopod with me at all times which doubles as a hiking pole so its a practical item for me on several levels although mostly as a hiking pole. Lastly... it's a last line of defence if you get too close to lets say.... a moose not that it will help.. but what the heck... seriously though.. I have used it to keep a rabid fox from biting me and it worked and I'm sure it would give you a chance... all be it a small one.. against other critters which you may get a bit too close to by mistake.

And finally... not regarding wildlife but museums and sporting events... the vast magority, if not all, venues do not allow tripods but all allow monopods. If you find one that doesnt develop a limp and say its a cane

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Canon 7D + 50D + EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Pelican // Black Rapid // Think Tank // Manfrotto // Garmin

Reflections On Canadian Wildlife
My Flickr

Rory, I was in the same postion you are at several months ago. After some research on the net and a lot of opions from this forum, and feeling the cameras at my local store, I finally went with the D90. It just felt right in my hands.

That's my vote.

I have no other hands on experience with any other dslr, but love the D90.

For some of my photos see my flickr acc. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rc2009/

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Rui

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Nikon D90 w/ Nikkor AF-S 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II DX, Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8 D, Nikkor af-s 35mm f/1.8G DX
Nikkor AF 70-300 f/4-5.6 D, Nikkor AF 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR