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qwikimpss

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My wife and I are finally taking the plunge and picking up a DSLR. She wants it to take pics of our 8 month old and I want it for, what else, taking pics of my tanks.

We found a deal on a Nikon D70 body with a little under 7,000 actuations, AF Nikkor lens 35-80mm f4-5.6, 256MB compact flash card (will be upgraded to 8-16 gig), rechargable battery, original box, etc etc for $330 (about 205 pounds/242 euros)

Is this a good camera or are we buying a POS? And, if it is a good cam, what kind of lens should I be looking for to take some good pics of my fish?
 
I'm no camera expert, but from what little I have done in the past few weeks on my photography course I'd be against buying anything only able to go from f4-f5.6 if that's what it means. The lens sounds pretty good though, you'd be able to get some really nice close up shots.

Personally (depending on where I'm shooting... and imparticular the tanks), I need to put it on a very low f value (say... 3.6-4) and then a relatively slow shutter speed to even get it slightly exposed correctly.

But for example if you wanted to take a picture on a bright day of something that was moving then you'd want a significantly high f of say... 12-16 and a faster shutter speed of say 1/125 - 1/250 ish.

Like I said, no camera expert... but if the f values are that limited then I wouldn't be that interested in buying it cause I think you could find you're limiting yourself... particularly with regards to fish. However for baby/family pics it should be fine.
 
D70 is pretty long in the tooth now but is still a pretty capable camera, the 35-80 is pretty average and a slightly odd focal length on an crop sensor camera like the D70, but by no means terrible. I'd say the price is more or less fair, but not exactly a bargain.

The major downside of that generation of cameras is that in low light situations (indoor snaps of children and tank shots are both likely to fall under low-light shooting) you tend to end up with quite a lot of 'noise' due to using high ISOs (light sensitivity) which can degrade image quality somewhat (will still be better than point and shoot cameras though).

Although I'm normally a Nikon fan, I think in this case you might be better off spending very slightly more money on a Canon 400D as it will give you less noise at high ISOs.

As for lenses, a good starting point for either manufacturer would be a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. These are very cheap, work well in low light and should be useful for both child and aquarium photography. Down the road you may find you want to invest in a proper macro lens for close-ups of fish, and a flash unit for both types of photography (this may in fact prove essential for taking photos of moving fish).
 
Well we are going to buy a DSLR with our tax return which will be here Friday (tomorrow) and ,while money isn't exactly no object, I will have more than just 350 bucks to spend on a camera (I have mentally budgeted about 550-600 bucks for a cam out of a $6,300 tax return).

So should I move on and look for a better suited camera for my intended use?
 
If you're not on a complete shoestring then I would probably pass on the D70.

However, bear in mind when budgeting that lenses, flashes and the like can each easily be as expensive as the camera body, and will in many cases make more of a difference to the images you are able to take than the camera they are attached to.
 
Just to echo what BigTom said, often I've found that it's normally just lack of lighting that holds me back from taking good fish images. Because if you're shooting on auto then the way the camera allows for the lack of light often results in grainy/blurry pics.
 
The Nikon D3000 seems like a decent camera for a decent price. Brand new with an 18-55mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 zoom-Nikkor VR lens it's about 550 bucks.

And, dumb question as I've been reading about cameras all day and still don't know, what does the F number actually measure?
 
It's called the fstop or aperture. And it basically means the size of the little holes inside the camera that let in light. A small aperture is a big hole, so lets in lots of light. A large aperture is a small hole and therefore less light. It also affects the 'depth of field' ie. how much of the picture is in focus. A low one has a very small depth of field... for example if you've ever seen a close up of a flower or something and the background is blurred then this can be done with a very low f value. However a close up where the whole plant/bush is in focus would be would need a large f value. Equally you would shoot a landscape picture with a high f value. Then you'd have to adjust the shutter speed/iso (although you'd avoid the iso setting if possible cause it gives the grainy image if it's above 200ish) to get the picture the right brightness (exposure).

I'm still very much an amateur with a camera. But we're forced to shoot on manual while we learn. So I'm slowly getting to grips with the technical side. Hence why I said a lack of light is your biggest enemy as a new photographer (if you are). Cause on auto the camera can do wonders for you so long as you have enough light. :)
 
The F stop is a measure of the size of the aperture (hole) in the lens that light passes through.

A small F stop = a large aperture (confusingly!).

On a lens specification, the quoted F number (eg f/2.8) is the largest aperture the lens is capable of (sometimes this varies according to what focal length you use, so the 18-55mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 has a maximum aperture of 3.5 when used at 18mm, and 5.6 when used at 55mm, and probablty something else at intermediate focal lengths!).

What F stop you use has 2 main effects. A small f-stop (large aperture) lets more light into the lens, meaning you can shoot in lower light or with a faster shutter speed. It also has the effect of reducing the Depth of Field, meaning that things infront of and behind where you are focussing will be blurrier than if you'd used a larger f stop.

This can be used positively to blur out distracting backgrounds, but you may find it difficult to get all of your subject in focus.

Damnit, Curiosity keeps typing faster than me :shifty:
 
Sorry! :blush: Instant email notification and a lack of proof reading. I'll be quiet now anyways... as what I've written is practically the extent of my knowledge so far... plus I've learnt something as I didn't know what the quoted f number meant. :)
 
Ah. Thanks a lot!!! A HUGE help!

I guess I'll keep shopping around. I had my heart set on a Nikon but I may have to 'settle' for a Canon, lol.

Time to break the news to the wife that we're not gonna pop for the D70. I'll try to sell her on the fact that we'll get a better camera.
 
If it helps our uni let us loose with the Olympus E-420, with the 14-42mm 5-5.6 lense. Personally I'd go for a large/longer one, not sure what the technical term is, and also although it states 5-5.6 that's only on the 42mm, on 14mm it'll go as low as 3.0

Still not fantastic for fish pictures. But with more light and a better lense I think it'd do the job.
 
No probs. Might be worth having a feel of a few different camera bodies on the highstreet. Barring specific circumstances, when it comes to brand choice I generally just advise people to go with whichever one they like to handle better.
 
As the owner of a Nikon D3000, I can say that they are good entry level cameras. For the price, you can get some really good shots. I just use the standard kit lens for fish photography and have managed to get good pics. (See my sig picture, profile pic, or my blog HERE for some examples of what it can do.

It also has the added bonus of the guide mode, which is great for first time DSLR users as it explains what everything does in the camera, explains what different settings do, can help you sort the settings for the picture you want and saves you carting manuals/guidebooks around with you :) Or else you can switch it off and just go by trial and error :p

Hope that helps, any questions feel free to ask ;)

Claire
 

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