Asking Which Dslr Camera Is Good

[fatheadminnow]

What is a good, reliable but relatively cheap DSLR? One that a college student can buy, Needs to be capable of taking close-up shots. (I want to get some good pictures of my fry as well).

Thanks, guys!

-FHM

 

[Truck]

Canon Es450D is a very good camera, as is the 500D was shooting with a 500D this week, and it was brilliant, great close up shots.

 

[Haych]

I have been told canons are the best (by a pro photographer) but they are not really cheap

you can get hold of Nikon D40 for cheap - I have one and love it

 

[fatheadminnow]

Thanks guys for the suggestions! I will go and check them out!

Looking forward to more!

-FHM

 

[kaivalagi]

Thanks guys for the suggestions! I will go and check them out!

Looking forward to more!

-FHM

I have a Canon 450D and it's great, combined with my new macro lens it's wicked...I have just started using this macro (still an amateur!) and some of the pics can be found amongst the slideshow linked in my sig.

If you are on a really tight budget one of the earlier rebel series canons wouldn't be a bad choice either, the 400D might be a cheap camera second hand. The 450D might also be good second hand...I forget how long it's been out...

One thing to note is that Canon are now releasing a new camera in the series too, the 550D, you'll find a good review here: http/www.dpreview.com/previews/CanonEOS550D/
No idea on price, I don't want to look...18MPixel capture though, same as the 7D! This may have help push down the 450D/500D price maybe?

 

[fatheadminnow]

The 450D is in my price range, so that is a camera that is really high on the list. I won't be able to buy one right now, but I really want to get one this summer!

I have a Minolta 35mm SLR right not, but I really want a digital camera now, as seeing how efficient DSLR's are!

I think I found my camera, lol, Thanks for every bodies input!

-FHM

 

[Davo86]

Agreed with all of the above, I have just upgraded to a 500D from the 350D and would recommend this range to anyone,
As a newcomer though, even the 350D will give you great results and can be picked up at bargain prices for both new and used models

These pics in my portfolio were all taken with a 350D
My portfolio

 

[fatheadminnow]

Agreed with all of the above, I have just upgraded to a 500D from the 350D and would recommend this range to anyone,
As a newcomer though, even the 350D will give you great results and can be picked up at bargain prices for both new and used models

These pics in my portfolio were all taken with a 350D
My portfolio

Thanks for your response!

If I not too rude, lol, are you selling the 350D?

The link did not work?

Thanks!

-FHM

 

[atuin]

The 450D is in my price range, so that is a camera that is really high on the list. I won't be able to buy one right now, but I really want to get one this summer!

I have a Minolta 35mm SLR right not, but I really want a digital camera now, as seeing how efficient DSLR's are!

I think I found my camera, lol, Thanks for every bodies input!

-FHM

If your old Minolta was Autofocus SLR and you have decent lenses for it much better choice would be looking into Sony Alpha range - Sony took over Minolta and kept compatibility with minolta AF lenses.
Check Sony A550, A500

As for Close-up photos of fish more important than camera is good Macro lens - 50mm would be minimal reasonable with 100mm being IMO probably best choice

 

[Scrotius]

any entry level Canon or Nikon will give you acceptable shots, to get close what you need to be worried about is the lens, many lenses are advertised as "macro" but only the ones that have 1:1 magnification in their specifications are true macro and will really give you the good close up results - they start at around £200
the other option is to get extension tubes to lover the minimum focussing distance of your kit lens (that comes with the camera body) - again be careful as some of the very cheap ones don't have the electrical connection inside them to allow the lens to communicate with the camera and will force the lens to default to maximum aperture and give you an image with no depth of field
any of these will do the job
http/www.bristolcameras.co.uk/c-extension-tubes.htm

these are all great macro lenses, the canon alternatives are more expensive but not hugely different, I have the 105mm with the canon tubes
http/www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/lenses/macro/macro.htm

 

[kaivalagi]

any entry level Canon or Nikon will give you acceptable shots, to get close what you need to be worried about is the lens, many lenses are advertised as "macro" but only the ones that have 1:1 magnification in their specifications are true macro and will really give you the good close up results - they start at around £200
the other option is to get extension tubes to lover the minimum focussing distance of your kit lens (that comes with the camera body) - again be careful as some of the very cheap ones don't have the electrical connection inside them to allow the lens to communicate with the camera and will force the lens to default to maximum aperture and give you an image with no depth of field
any of these will do the job
http/www.bristolca...nsion-tubes.htm

these are all great macro lenses, the canon alternatives are more expensive but not hugely different, I have the 105mm with the canon tubes
http/www.sigma-ima...macro/macro.htm

Totally agree with the lens being the most important thing, that's where money is worth being spent.

Similar to the Sigma I got myself a Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 PRO D Macro lens for around £270, can't fault it at all...the only thing I can fault is my own ability and there not being enough light
There are lots of reviews on this lens, this one is quite useful: http/www.shutterbu...ses/0106tokina/
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[Scrotius]

the only thing I can fault is my own ability and there not being enough light

hehe, yeah once youve got the hardware, thats when you realise you don't live in a parallel universe where conditions are always perfect, its not as easy as point and shoot
lack of light, bane of my life

 

[kaivalagi]

the only thing I can fault is my own ability and there not being enough light

hehe, yeah once youve got the hardware, thats when you realise you don't live in a parallel universe where conditions are always perfect, its not as easy as point and shoot
lack of light, bane of my life

I just can't get the depth of field I need most of the time when taking pics of the fish in my tank, all because the light levels are too low. I have to have the aperture wide open and a slow shutter speed to get the good shots (use shutter priority mode ranging between 1/50th and 1/20th depending on where in the tank) ...but then fish don't stay still for very long.....1 in 50 shots I'll be happy with if I'm lucky.

Forget T5 lighting for plants, I need it for photos I think. Any quick tips? I think if you have any useful tips all here would be grateful including me

 

[Scrotius]

the only thing I can fault is my own ability and there not being enough light

hehe, yeah once youve got the hardware, thats when you realise you don't live in a parallel universe where conditions are always perfect, its not as easy as point and shoot
lack of light, bane of my life

I just can't get the depth of field I need most of the time when taking pics of the fish in my tank, all because the light levels are too low. I have to have the aperture wide open and a slow shutter speed to get the good shots (use shutter priority mode ranging between 1/50th and 1/20th depending on where in the tank) ...but then fish don't stay still for very long.....1 in 50 shots I'll be happy with if I'm lucky.

Forget T5 lighting for plants, I need it for photos I think. Any quick tips? I think if you have any useful tips all here would be grateful including me

I feel your pain! I have the exact same problems,
using a tripod is a must if you're using low shutter speeds
when I took the close ups on this thread (below) i was using shutter speeds as low as 1/15 sec with the help of a tripod
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/318224-my-50g-cichlid-tank/page__fromsearch__1
another trick you can do is to use a remote shutter release (£15 or so) and position your camera aimed at where you know the fish will be - this way shutter speed is almost not an issue atall as you aren't gonna vibrate it by accident
to give you an idea of the settings, all of those shots were taken with an aperture of f/2.8 - it's ok if you arent using tubes and your fish are relatively small, not all lenses can achieve this though
ISOs were between 400 and 1600, but again, this is subject to your camera, some cameras dont go that high, and some do but make your eyes bleed when they do
experiment and see how far your hardware goes


kaivalagi, what is your lens's native aperture (widest)? are you using extension tubes? how close are you when taking the shots?

 

[kaivalagi]

kaivalagi, what is your lens's native aperture (widest)? are you using extension tubes? how close are you when taking the shots?

I am using a tripod most of the time, and have found using live view and manual focus isn't a bad combination...it helps me when there is not much depth of field acheivable to get what I want in focus nicely...but is a slower process and fish don't stand still

The lens I am using is a 100mm macro, it's mounted onto a 450D body (more than adequate), so not true 100mm but a bit higher than that because the sensor isn't full frame. No extension tubes at all.

I am taking pics fairly close to the glass, but I am not focusing to the end of the lenses capability, so I know I haven't reached the limits of the lens. It can handle focussing as close as 30cm I think. The lenses widest aperture is f/2.8, quite good...the manufacturers page for it is here: http/www.tokinalen...afl-m100-b.html. I guess for the DOF and ISO settings I would ideally want I need more light so I can close the aperture a bit, say f/5.6, and up the ISO speed to 400...shutter speeds for that will be stupidly large, I guess 1/2 second or similar

That's why I think I just need more light from inside the tank...using external light will cause all sorts of hassle with reflections I am guessing.

What sort of parameters are you dealing with, you say 1/15th slowest shutter, ISO of 400-800, but what about f-stop?

As you can see in this pic, a small change in depth and I've lost focus at the tail end of this Geo, I need a narrower aperture I think but light is a problem for that:



@fatheadminnow, sorry for changing the topics intention, I assume that you'll find this useful too though? Or will do As you can see the lens counts for far more than the camera body...what light levels a lens needs has a big bearing on what is achievable