Help with Camera Choice
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Help with Camera Choice
Hi Guys,
Looking to step up into the world of the DSLR. Ive seen two cameras that take my fancy so far:
Nikon D40 - 18-55mm Lens
Pentax K100D Super - 18-50mm & 55-200mm Sigma Lenses
Obviously at the entry level as far as price and features go. I take a lot of in-cockpit landscape shots, and would like to branch out to landscapes, airshows etc.
Any advice, admittedly don't know a lot about cameras.
Ozzi
Looking to step up into the world of the DSLR. Ive seen two cameras that take my fancy so far:
Nikon D40 - 18-55mm Lens
Pentax K100D Super - 18-50mm & 55-200mm Sigma Lenses
Obviously at the entry level as far as price and features go. I take a lot of in-cockpit landscape shots, and would like to branch out to landscapes, airshows etc.
Any advice, admittedly don't know a lot about cameras.
Ozzi
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Have you looked at the Canon EOS 400D, it's very good entry level DSLR. The other two you list are considered very good as well, for airshows you really need a good focal length- 200mm is reasonable but the 55mm that comes with most cameras is simply not long enough. I used to use a Canon 300D (now a 5D) through the window of a Super Cub which produced good pictures.
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Some nice choices there. I've heard the Canon EOS 400D is a great camera, just out of my price range at the moment. The Nikon and Pentax I mentioned are available at the moment for a great price.
Less money for camera = more time for flying
Would an 18-50 and 55-200 cover most uses? I quite like using a wide angle in the cockpit as i feel it gives a better result. How would these fare? Is 200mm enough?
Less money for camera = more time for flying
Would an 18-50 and 55-200 cover most uses? I quite like using a wide angle in the cockpit as i feel it gives a better result. How would these fare? Is 200mm enough?
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I find I use 18mm-c24mm when taking pictures from the cockpit, I don't think I'd need much wider (10mm is about the shortest focal length you can get) and that usually gets a good landscape shot. The same applies for landscapes from the ground. 200mm would be OK for airshows, perhaps you might want more. I would go for the D40, Nikon make very good cameras and it might just have the edge over the Pentax on picture quality.
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OK - Pentax K100D uses AA batteries, so you would need to invest in a charger and a good set of Ni-Mh batteries, otherwise things could start to get expensive! Does, however, have the advantage that with the built-in shake reduction, any lens you put on it automatically becomes an image-stabilised lens.
D40 and D40X, on the other hand, do come with a rechargeable li-ion battery and charger. The downside, is that it will only autofocus with AF-S lenses, or Sigma HSM lenses, as it does not have a built-in focussing motor, unlike the D80/100/200 etc., so does limit the choice of lenses, although Nikon have introduced a few reasonably priced AF-S lenses, such as the 55-200VR, which isn't a bad little lens.
As has already been mentioned, the Canon EOS400D is quite a good camera, with a huge range of lenses available for it, both new and second-hand!
Hope this helps.....
D40 and D40X, on the other hand, do come with a rechargeable li-ion battery and charger. The downside, is that it will only autofocus with AF-S lenses, or Sigma HSM lenses, as it does not have a built-in focussing motor, unlike the D80/100/200 etc., so does limit the choice of lenses, although Nikon have introduced a few reasonably priced AF-S lenses, such as the 55-200VR, which isn't a bad little lens.
As has already been mentioned, the Canon EOS400D is quite a good camera, with a huge range of lenses available for it, both new and second-hand!
Hope this helps.....
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I've been using the Nikon D50 for just over a year, both in and out of the cockpit, and am pretty satisfied.
The Canon offerings are similar in price and quality, and are certainly worth considering.
I use the standard 18-55 lens mostly and have the new 70-300 VR lens which I rate very highly (hand held at 300mm and 1/20th usually works fine) although it's a bit too big for my cockpit.
The 18-200 VR lens is popular (if you can find one), and almost covers every possibility.
Below are samples from both lenses (not full res)
The Canon offerings are similar in price and quality, and are certainly worth considering.
I use the standard 18-55 lens mostly and have the new 70-300 VR lens which I rate very highly (hand held at 300mm and 1/20th usually works fine) although it's a bit too big for my cockpit.
The 18-200 VR lens is popular (if you can find one), and almost covers every possibility.
Below are samples from both lenses (not full res)
Blah Blah Blah
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I use a Canon EAS 20d with a variety of lenses.
i find the best lenses for aerial shots are either a 24mm or 50 mm fixed focal lenght wide angle lense. Reason being wide angle lenses are better for landscape shots.
A few thing to remember when taking aerial shots:
1) The greater the F stop (apeture setting) the wider the focal spread
2) The faster the ISO speed the less bluring of the image (but it may be more grainy)
3) The faster the shutter speed the sharper the image.
i find the best lenses for aerial shots are either a 24mm or 50 mm fixed focal lenght wide angle lense. Reason being wide angle lenses are better for landscape shots.
A few thing to remember when taking aerial shots:
1) The greater the F stop (apeture setting) the wider the focal spread
2) The faster the ISO speed the less bluring of the image (but it may be more grainy)
3) The faster the shutter speed the sharper the image.
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Thanks for the tips. Im gonna head out to the shops tomorrow and have a good look. Leaning towards the Nikon at the moment. Doesnt come with the extra lens but the interface looks pretty good and from what ive read, good camera all round.
Ozzi
Ozzi
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There are loads of choices and most will do the job.
Obviously a high speed (which means a big aperture lens) is essential, due to unavoidable camera movement / vibration etc. Again, any DSLR will deliver 1/3000 in any normal daylight/sunlight situation and this is enough to counter even a high level of camera movement - this pin sharp shot was taken handheld at about 1/3000 I think.
I use a Pentax *DL which at the time (2005) was one of the few reasonably compact DSLRs, most of them are for some bizzare reason huge. Nikons are good of course but their customer service has gone well and truly down the pan in the last few years.
However, really good shots are hard to do, due to window reflections, distortions, and dirt. Simple tricks involve placing a dark rag on your lap so as to kill window reflections, perhaps holding the rag near the camera. The camera needs to be v. close to the window but not actually touch it otherwise high frequency vibration gets conducted to it.
To do this properly you need a specially converted aircraft and a gyro stabilised camera mount.
Obviously a high speed (which means a big aperture lens) is essential, due to unavoidable camera movement / vibration etc. Again, any DSLR will deliver 1/3000 in any normal daylight/sunlight situation and this is enough to counter even a high level of camera movement - this pin sharp shot was taken handheld at about 1/3000 I think.
I use a Pentax *DL which at the time (2005) was one of the few reasonably compact DSLRs, most of them are for some bizzare reason huge. Nikons are good of course but their customer service has gone well and truly down the pan in the last few years.
However, really good shots are hard to do, due to window reflections, distortions, and dirt. Simple tricks involve placing a dark rag on your lap so as to kill window reflections, perhaps holding the rag near the camera. The camera needs to be v. close to the window but not actually touch it otherwise high frequency vibration gets conducted to it.
To do this properly you need a specially converted aircraft and a gyro stabilised camera mount.
Not technically a DSLR, but I'm currently using a Kodak Z650 which is 6Mpix, has a phenomenal optical zoom, adequate viewfinder, a good selection of modes, and so far a very very good capability for ground to air and from the air photography.
If you are looking at entry level in any case, I'd at least give it a good look - my Canon EOS hasn't been out of it's cupboard since I bought this. (Incidentally, it's one of a family, there are higher res and higher optical zoom capability relatives for a bit more than the £140 or so that's the going rate for the Z650).
G
If you are looking at entry level in any case, I'd at least give it a good look - my Canon EOS hasn't been out of it's cupboard since I bought this. (Incidentally, it's one of a family, there are higher res and higher optical zoom capability relatives for a bit more than the £140 or so that's the going rate for the Z650).
G
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Hi Ozzie. The Nikon D80 is great, if not get the D40X. Dont get the D40, get the X version.
I use a Canon 400D. Took it to an airshow recently with a 75-300 Canon lens and got some ace pictures, I can definately recommend that.
Don't forget to shoot with a low ISO speed to try and stop the props from freezing. Many of mine at the weekend were taken with an ISO of 1/1600!!! All the props were just straight, looked terrible to be honest.
I use a Canon 400D. Took it to an airshow recently with a 75-300 Canon lens and got some ace pictures, I can definately recommend that.
Don't forget to shoot with a low ISO speed to try and stop the props from freezing. Many of mine at the weekend were taken with an ISO of 1/1600!!! All the props were just straight, looked terrible to be honest.
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I'd recommend that you read this:
http://photo.net/equipment/building-...al-slr-system/
which just so happens to have been written by a pilot. It's Ameri-centric but all the same models are available here, though the Canons have different numbers.
http://photo.net/equipment/building-...al-slr-system/
which just so happens to have been written by a pilot. It's Ameri-centric but all the same models are available here, though the Canons have different numbers.
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Have just set up a Flickr Group for us if you want to post a few pics for us to see and comment on etc... Have a look here and join in.......
http://www.flickr.com/groups/518241@N21/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/518241@N21/
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Yes, the problem with a fast shutter is that it stops the prop.
The trick with taking pics of other planes is to use a slower shutter but not get too much shake - difficult!
The trick with taking pics of other planes is to use a slower shutter but not get too much shake - difficult!
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I've got a Canon EOS400D which is pretty good but in the low end DSLR market they're all really much of a muchness. Once you've got a few extra lenses it's worth staying with a brand, but if you're buying from scratch then there's really not much to choose, except what you can afford and what features you want to have.
A quick google should throw up loads of reviews of any camera in your price range!
A few things. Unless you're shooting in the dark, don't use high ISO ratings as that just makes the picture 'noisy' - think of it as interference, because that's pretty much what it is, at high sensitivity settings the signals from the sensor sites can interfere with each other. Your photo is going to look a lot better without coloured speckles all over it!
If you get a camera without anti-shake technology built in, it might be worth considering getting a lens with that feature. Optically stabilised lenses are getting cheaper, and for telephotos will let you use that slower shutter speed to show off moving props without having shake in the picture. I'm considering buying the Sigma 18-200mm zoom with optical stabilisation as an all purpose zoom for that very reason, although there are a few other lenses on the way later I want to look at first.
Third party lenses like Sigma or Tamron can be half the price of the camera company's own lenses, and produce equally good results.
Get a polarising filter. They screw on the front of the lens, and turn around. They can darken the sky and remove glare. Think of it as sunglasses for your camera.
Caveat: I'm not a professional photographer, and there are people here who are a load better at this lark than I am, but I'm just passing on some ideas. Hope they help!
BRL: I've joined the photo group (as Antony J. Shepherd), I'll add some of my pictures.
A quick google should throw up loads of reviews of any camera in your price range!
A few things. Unless you're shooting in the dark, don't use high ISO ratings as that just makes the picture 'noisy' - think of it as interference, because that's pretty much what it is, at high sensitivity settings the signals from the sensor sites can interfere with each other. Your photo is going to look a lot better without coloured speckles all over it!
If you get a camera without anti-shake technology built in, it might be worth considering getting a lens with that feature. Optically stabilised lenses are getting cheaper, and for telephotos will let you use that slower shutter speed to show off moving props without having shake in the picture. I'm considering buying the Sigma 18-200mm zoom with optical stabilisation as an all purpose zoom for that very reason, although there are a few other lenses on the way later I want to look at first.
Third party lenses like Sigma or Tamron can be half the price of the camera company's own lenses, and produce equally good results.
Get a polarising filter. They screw on the front of the lens, and turn around. They can darken the sky and remove glare. Think of it as sunglasses for your camera.
Caveat: I'm not a professional photographer, and there are people here who are a load better at this lark than I am, but I'm just passing on some ideas. Hope they help!
BRL: I've joined the photo group (as Antony J. Shepherd), I'll add some of my pictures.
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Very helpful thread so far!
Just posted a few pics on the flickr group. All in flight pics taken with a standard digital cam. Hoping an SLR will let me be a bit more creative and branch out a bit.
Keep the tips coming.....
Ozzi
Just posted a few pics on the flickr group. All in flight pics taken with a standard digital cam. Hoping an SLR will let me be a bit more creative and branch out a bit.
Keep the tips coming.....
Ozzi
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for many years I earned a living as a photographer, although not all avaition.
I would avoid the over complex cameras, with dials for everything, which 95% of people never use, I have a Nikon D70, old technology now, however search around and if you find one in a camera shop, I imagine, it would go for a pitance, still does everything you'd ever require, and more.
Len's the VR type that Nikon sell are very good, giving you stablised images even at lower shutter speeds,
If your just wishing to take photo's from the cockpit to ground ? I wouldn't bother with zooms etc, just buy a standard 50mm or 35mm lens, and make sure you get the rubber lens hood, readily available in most stores, that way, you can touch the rubber hood to the window, cutting out all the extranous glare, and cos its rubber, no vibration to the camera,
I would avoid the over complex cameras, with dials for everything, which 95% of people never use, I have a Nikon D70, old technology now, however search around and if you find one in a camera shop, I imagine, it would go for a pitance, still does everything you'd ever require, and more.
Len's the VR type that Nikon sell are very good, giving you stablised images even at lower shutter speeds,
If your just wishing to take photo's from the cockpit to ground ? I wouldn't bother with zooms etc, just buy a standard 50mm or 35mm lens, and make sure you get the rubber lens hood, readily available in most stores, that way, you can touch the rubber hood to the window, cutting out all the extranous glare, and cos its rubber, no vibration to the camera,