Wildlife/Outdoors DSLR

[bhc4985]

Well, here we go ...
Ive spent the past several weeks online researching DSLR cameras, and really cant come to a solid conclusion on what to buy, so hopefully you guys can help me.

Im looking for something fairly inexpensive to start with, around $800 or less including a couple of lenses (or one I suppose). The cheaper the better, since im a college student with limited income. I have no experience with SLR photography, either 35mm or digital, so ease of use is a priority. Im mostly interested in taking pictures of wildlife and outdoor ecosystems, since im studying wildlife biology. Also, because this is a field I intend to stick with, Im more interested in building a collection of lenses and accesories then in having the best possible camera body right now. The way DSLR is progressing im sure ill want a new camera in few years anyways. The other priorities are durability, low maintenance, light weight, and battery life. I often spend many days on end in the field without access to electricty or chargers, but on the reverse side, I dont want to be carrying 10lbs of AA batteries with me, both for the environmental impact and the extra weight. I also sometimes have to submit myself and in turn my equiptment to some pretty harsh conditions, including extreme temperatures and inclement weather. I have no real manufacturer preferance. Ive been leaning towards Canon or Nikon, because, well, they are the 400 lb gorillas in the DSLR world. I also like Olympus, simply because up until now Ive been using a Stylus 720SW point and shoot (the water and shock proof one) and have had fantastic luck with it as an introduction to digital photography and love the durability factor.

I think thats about everything, and I appreciate anyones opinions and input, no matter what it is. Thanks a lot!

[coldrain]

Wildlife is... well.. wild. So, wildlife photography means tele lens. Telelenses of good quality and enough reach are expensive, and you do not have the money for that at the moment.

So... you can do three things. Either get cheap a cheap tele lens. The best of the cheap ilk is the Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6 APO DG Macro. It will fit on a Canon XT/XTi, Nikon D70s/D50, Pentax K100D and Sony A100.

Or get a better 70-300 tele zoom lens. Then you are looking at a Canon and Nikon DSLR again. The arguably best optically is the Canon EF 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM. It costs a bit over $500.
The runner up is the Nikon AF-S 70-300 f4.5-5.6 VR. It costs a bit under $500.
Both sport very good image stabilization.

The next option is to get a lens with more reach. The only two options that cost under $1000 are the Tokina 80-400mm and the Sigma 135-400mm lenses.
The Tokina is a bit less sharp and will need to be stopped down more at 400mm. The Sigma should be available on Nikon, Pentax, Canon and Sony, but that is for you to check. Both cost $600.

[Riley]

or you could walk out the door with an Olympus E-510 and twin lens kit for variously $899.

LiveView, in body IS, dust shaker that works, pixel mapping, quite probably the best featured dSLR going. The twin lens kit gets you 2 of the best kit lenses going with 14-42, and 40-150 for max 300mm EFL tele.

Later on you could be into the 50-200 for 400mm EFL shooting at around $800, or the 70-300 that will get out to 600mm EFL for about $400

[bhc4985]

Thanks for the input, both of you. I have a friend who has a used Sigma 80 - 200mm AF lense that he would sell me for 30 bucks, because his pentax k100 is busted and he has moved on to a Nikon D200. Its a pentax, so that would head me in the direction of the k10d, with a 18-55mm DA lense for everday/inclement weather use, which I like because the 18-55mm lense and the camera are weather sealed, and I can get the whole shebang for around 800 bucks. I just havent seen many people use that camera, and the sigma 80-200mm isnt quite what coldrain suggested. But as far as bang for your buck goes, does this sound like a decent setup to anyone and does weather sealed actually mean anything?

[fionndruinne]

Sounds like a real good reason to buy the K10D. It's a very rugged, full-featured camera, with a lot to like. I ran into someone using one in town the other day, and he was quite happy with it. The only real downside is a tendency of the sensor to produce banding-type color noise (if I recall aright, this can be negated by shooting raw?), which some have found to be bad enough to discourage them.

Weather sealing doesn't mean you can dunk your camera in the Amazon river, but it does mean that it'll withstand wet, rainy, dusty conditions. However, you can't get too crazy with a weather-sealed DSLR unless your lens is weather-sealed too... and most are not.

[Riley]

very good point,
weather sealing is a prime reason to be looking at the Pentax considering where you might end up
not the only reason, but a major consideration

[Rooz]

weathersealing...another great marketing tool to the consumer. i;d put weather sealing about #137 down my priority list in making a decision. unless you are going to be investing in top quality weatherproof lens', (and its lens's that are far more exposed to the elements), then i don't particularly see it as a major selling point. besides which, i would be more inclined for an in-lens IS solution in the case of wild life. as coldy suggested, wildlife almost always demands long tele lens' which is where in-lens IS has the advantage.

[Riley]

not having weathersealing is a fine idea
......until you need it

OIS lenses are a fine idea
......until your total budget is just $800

[Rooz]

you missed the point. will the OP ever be using a lens on this weathersealed camera ? if so, what happens to the lens in the weather ? let alone the photographer himself.

[Riley]

not at all Rooz
you are right if you infer that sealed bodies and lenses would be the best
and lack weather sealed lenses in Nikon and Pentax mounts isnt favourable
but a lens is less of a risk than a camera body in bad weather situations
and lenses can be dried out, unlike fried electronics
dust is another matter, and requires disassembly and cleaning

[Norm in Fujino]

you missed the point. will the OP ever be using a lens on this weathersealed camera ? if so, what happens to the lens in the weather ? let alone the photographer himself.

Well, I can answer that--anecdotally, at least. We had a typhoon come through our town last week and I went out in the elements to photograph it. I drove around to four or five places in town, each time getting out in the wind and rain. The last place was this:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c197/Peregrinor/misc/P9064070w1.jpg

A heavy rain cloud opened up on me just as I was getting out of the car; you can see the rain streaking down in the middle distance at the top of the image. I and the camera were soaked within seconds. Here's what the camera looked like after I got home:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c197/Peregrinor/misc/P9068273w1.jpg

This was with the 14-54mm f2.8 lens, which is weathersealed, as is the E-1 body. I had water everywhere outside, plus under the LCD protector, behind the large eyepiece, inside the CF door (the hinge isn't sealed, but no water penetrated the o-ring around the card itself), and so on. I dried it off with a cloth and no worse for wear.

On the larger issue, on a budget like yours, I'd recommend your looking on some of the ebay auctions like Cameta camera; they have some tremendous bargains on older models--some virtually new--that will still take fantastic photos.

[No Control]

Damn, Norm! I wish I could be that safe in such awful conditions.

[Riley]

Norm can tread water too !

[bhc4985]

Nice shots Norm. Im glad to see someone putting their weathersealed camera to use and having it work well. So I think its settled, im going with the pentax k10d. I went to the local camera store this morning and handled one and really liked it. Plus, my buddy with the sigma lense also has a couple of memory cards I can have so cutting down even more on initial investment. I figure on using the Sigma 80-200mm f4.5 - 5.6 (which isnt sealed) when the weather is good, and picking up a sealed lense as well. Thanks for the advice guys, it really helped.

[Riley]

good luck with your choice ...

[TheWengler]

Its a pentax, so that would head me in the direction of the k10d, with a 18-55mm DA lense for everday/inclement weather use, which I like because the 18-55mm lense and the camera are weather sealed, and I can get the whole shebang for around 800 bucks.

I'm pretty sure the 18-55 lens isn't weather sealed. You'd need the DA*16-50 which I think sellers are still charging MSRP for ($900).

[coldrain]

Not only that, but there are no long wildlife lenses that are weather sealed either for that Pentax.

So you buy the weather sealing as marketing gimmick in essence. You can not buy a good 75/70-300mm lens for the Pentax that is affordable either... so it does not sem to be the best wild life choice.

[TheWengler]

Not only that, but there are no long wildlife lenses that are weather sealed either for that Pentax.

So you buy the weather sealing as marketing gimmick in essence. You can not buy a good 75/70-300mm lens for the Pentax that is affordable either... so it does not sem to be the best wild life choice.

yeah. the system as a whole will be much better in a couple years i think. that's why i didn't go with the K10D yet. by then though i might be able to afford to switch to canon. i think there's a sigma 100-300mm f/4 that sells for about $1000 in a pentax mount. it's hard to find though.

[fionndruinne]

Assuming the friend's Sigma tele lens is of decent quality, getting it for such a deal makes buying a Pentax worthwhile... the OP can just learn to work with what he has... and even if in-lens IS is better, in-body is better than nothing.

Of course, the D40 can be had with a good 55-200mm lens with in-lens stabilization for only $750; but the K10 is a much bigger gun, so to speak.

[bhc4985]

I'm pretty sure the 18-55 lens isn't weather sealed. You'd need the DA*16-50 which I think sellers are still charging MSRP for ($900).

Thanks for pointing that out. I had been under the impression that more of the DA lenses were weathersealed, but now that I look into it, your right. I think im still gonna stick with the k10d and start saving for the weathersealed lenses though. Hopefully they will keep em coming and the prices will drop a little.