Backyard Poultry Forum

Hi All,
Im on the hunt for a new SLR digital camera, I'm leaning towards a NIKON D3100 and from what Ive read are great for beginers getting into SLR. I know theres alot of great photographers on BYP and I was hoping you could say what sort of camera you have and how good a picture does it take and how easy is it for a beginer. Thanks in advance
Sally

Hi Oakey

I'm a professional photographer & graphic designer by trade, but i don't like nikon cameras. i do have some friends who are into amateur photography, who use them, but most of my pro friends have CANON cameras, either the 60D or the 7D.

I personally use a 60D for my pro shooting, (i am waiting for them to bring out the next gen before i upgrade again) and i have the 450D as my backup camera (usually with a different range lens)

if you are going to be shooting livestock i'd recommend looking at the fastest lenses you can afford, with IS both vert & horiz. usually you can get a fixed 50mm zoom in about F1.8

most important is buy the brand that suits you, and the best lenses you can afford. you can always upgrade your camera body later as the technology progresses, but a good lens is an investment for life.

Morgs

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i have a canon and its marvellous, and even if i do say so myself, have managed to take some pretty good picuters with it (also some bad ones while learning to use it) but that is teh advantage of digital over film, you can just erase teh ones youi don't want.

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Silkies
Wonderful Silkies

Thank you for the replys. Im reading ruffs post at moment ( viewtopic.php?f=22&t=7998017 ) which is very insightful.
Sally

yep that is me learning on my canon oakey.

i was steered toward the sony because there is so many attachments you can get for it and they tend to be cheaper. because my last camera was a sony (and the camera before that) i wanted to go sony but i have no regrets over the canon. i find the canon much easier to understand than the sony and there is a lot written on the canon in magazines in the newsagent.

i still use my sony as it is way better in low light situations when i do not want to use a flash even though it has mould growing over the inside of the lens. also the sony is lighter in weight...this however was not noticable at first as i always thought the sony was heavy till i got the canon, especially when i put the telephoto lens on it. i am also inclined to use the sony more when it is drizzling as i do not want to wreck the canon.

Well, I have a Nikon D60 and I love it! It seems to be like ford or holden with cameras, your either Nikon or Cannon! I have never used a cannon DSLR so can't compare but for an entry level camera my D60 is great. The reason I got that one is a.) it was on special in a certain retailer for a rather good price and b.) it came with a 50-200 lens as a bonus. Shop around as there are some great deals out there.
I will warn you though, a DSLR is harder to use than a standard point and shoot. You need to learn about so much to get good shots. Have you done any photography before? when I first got mine I thought great, I have spent $1000 on a camera, now I should get perfect photos every time... wrong! I ended up getting a book "Digital SLR cameras and photography for dummies" (yes, I am serious! ) and it was the best thing I did. I know a lot more now about how the camera and photography in general works and my photos have improved greatly.
Good luck on finding what is right for you! Photography is great fun, wish I got into it sooner!

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"Vegetables are a must in a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zuchini bread and pumpkin pie" - Garfield

I have been on the search for DSLR also (am trying to save up), I suggest going going into a camera store and trying them out - cause I was seriously leaning towards the Nikon D90, but after trying them all out I have settled on the Canon 500d. It fits in my hands better. The Nikon D90 felt too large and cumbersome - the canon 550d was also too big. The 500d was just right.

Ignore the bells and whistles and find one that is comfortable - oh and one last tip - find one that can use both new and older style lenses

Can you use old film SLR lenses on the new digitals? We have a couple of old slr cameras that are dead but lenses ok. My dad has a working film SLR he was going to give me and it has a top lense. The camera was an expensive one that will still get used for special occasions as the developing is pricey.

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totally different chookster. on one side there is a place to plug stuff in and the other side it is for batteries and memory sticks and cards. however i have no idea if you can use the same lenses on the new bodies. the cameras are covered in dials and buttons. sounds more complicated in ways but believe me it is way easier to understand than chook genetics.

I have a Canon EOS 30D, I use it with a range of lenses.

I find it really easy to use and personally wouldnt go past a Canon

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I had a few friends who were right into photography and i do remember them saying Canon Eos' were the bees knees, a few years ago now. I know Nikon generally have very good quality lenses but Canon seem to be more popular. Shayne's Aunty who is a professional artist has a Canon which looks lmore like a computer than a camera to me and she loves it.

My cousin has a nikon don't ask me what type I have no idea. She likes it and my god you should see her pictures she is very very good. Her partner is in a band and do a lot of shows and she does a lot of pro shots of them performing and she just has an eye for it. But I like her landscape shots the best. I just have a cannon point and shoot now and it takes a good picture it has a lot of controls I dont know how to use so I mainly use auto.

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I have a feeling you can if you can find the right lens adapter. Its like a ring which screws into the camera body and then the lens screws in to it.

But, I think the lenswill only work with manual focus as the electronics to work the automatic focus won't link. It would definitely be worth taking the lens into a camera shop and asking and at the same time they could probably check it for any dirt particles or mould which can sometimes be so slight you can barely see it, but it affects your photos.

That would be a big score if you could re-use them, they're a much bigger expense than the camera in some cases!

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A mixed bag of lovely backyard ducks and chooks.

If you want a very good digital camera with interchangeable lenses but without the bulk and you don't mind not having a viewfinder check out Panasonic's Lumix Micro Four Thirds cameras.

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Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

well I have a Pentax X90. it's a Digital SLR and I think it is great.

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