Hello one and all ,I am thinking of upgrading my camera ,I like taking fotos of wildlife ,birds ,scenery ,ect and the camera i have is good for taking everyday type fotos ,i want something better. It does not have to be high end camera ,Would it be better to get a middle range body and a more advanced lens for instance .What have you people got .Is it easy to use for a non professional ,not to many bells and whistles .How much did you pay for it ,Maybe post a foto of it.
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Atherton tableland Nth Queensland. Currently have a Crusader Manhatton ,But in april 2017 will be trading it in on a Retreat Brampton.
I use a Pentax DSLR, bought about 15 years ago. One of the main reasons was to keep my old film camera lenses which were Pentax K fitting. If you have an existing film SLR camera this could be taken into account.
Nowadays if I was in the market I would look at either Canon or Nikon, as Pentax seems to not be as popular anymore. If there is a second hand camera shop in your area could be worth a look at the lenses on offer as could represent a saving on comparable lenses.
Wildlife and birds would, to me, indicate a long lens. Generally a fixed focal length lens will give better results than a telephoto, although these days the differences are not as pronounced, and the telephoto is generally more flexible.
Sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs but you don't indicate your level of expertise.
Hi cruisaderhilton, I have a Canon EOS 550D SLR camera with a 18/55mm and a 55/250mm zoom - it is a simple camera to use and has all the functions that you would ever need for amateur photography. I bought it in 2012 prior to a trip to the top end including the carry bag, spare battery, memory card, filter etc. for around $1100 from the Good Guys. Prior to that I was using a Canon EOS 5000 (film version) with a 25/56mm and a Sigma 75/300mm zoom which I bought mainly to film wildlife in the game parks of Southern Africa. Both cameras have given fantastic results and the best thing is that the lenses are interchangeable so I can now use the lenses from the old film camera on the newer digital one. Don't know if you can still buy the 550D model but you can definitely get a newer version of it. Best value I found when I bought the 550 was to buy a package that included both of the Canon lenses rather than buy the camera and the extra zoom lens separately. Don't get a bigger lens than a 300mm unless you also buy a tripod to go with it as its too hard to keep them steady. I believe that the similar model Nikon is also quite a good camera.
Current Canon is the 750D I think, I have a 700D with Tamron 18-270 Lens (a popular combination) and it's very good, but I consider myself a "person that takes pictures" rather than a Photographer, and probably would do just as well with one of the better point and shoot cameras.
I'm a Nikon fan. Over time I have bought several lenses, all Nikon. A couple of years ago I purchased a 28-300 which is on the camera most of the time, and saves a lot of lens swapping while travelling. Recently I bought a 150-600mm Sigma lens for capturing the birds and animals we spot in our travels. A great lens. I had intended to buy a Nikon 600mm but I was talked into the zoom. I'm not sorry. So much more versatile, and it saved me about 10 grand!! Whatever you choose I'm sure you'll be happy. Canon/Nikon are both great products. Here are a few pictures taken with the new lens.... Happy snapping!
Saw a new Nikon camera being advertised last week on that TV channel TVSN which sell alsorts of stuff . Looked like a good one . Sorry can't remember the model but it had just been released and for sale from them for $650.00 plus freight . One of its many new features ,including a super fast shutter speed , is that when you take a photo it is instantly transferred and downloaded to your iPad or tablet . Dhutime
-- Edited by Dhutime on Saturday 22nd of October 2016 09:28:54 PM
-- Edited by Dhutime on Saturday 22nd of October 2016 09:30:01 PM
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I recently purchased the Canon 700D, I need to do a photographic course badly I think, there is so much this camera can do the problem is the operator lol, wish me luck is all I can say. Happy clicking :), anyone else have this same camera?
All responces so far are for SLR camera's which are excellent cameras and I have owned a couple, my requirements for a camera with a reasonably recent purchase of a camera that I now put in my jeans pocket,
its a small camera, the Sony dsc hx60v delivers photos with equivalent quality to top end SLR's,
It comes with 24 megapixle and 30 times optical zoom and another 30 times digital zoom, wifi and delivers panoramic shots that most photographers dream about, also shoots good video.
I have just used this camera over the last 4 months taking a substantial number of excellent photos in Europe and three duds where I accidentally pressed the video button when walking along with one turning out ok showing the cobble stone square in Rome.
This camera also operates without using the flash in very low light. I paid under $300 for mine by shopping around and I am obviously very impressed with the quality of photos this compact camera delivers, its well worth considering.
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Life was meant to be enjoyed Australia was meant to be explored
Happily doing both to the Max.
Life is like a camera, focus on what's important & you will capture it every Time
