Anybody know anything about Digital SLR's?

Lmandrake · Post by **Lmandrake** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:13 am

I am going to Alaska in two weeks with my GF to see her son who is stationed at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage. We are going to see the Kenai fjords, go up to Denali and go visit my brother in Fairbanks.

I've been there before and know how spectacular it is and am thinking half seriously about buying a digital SLR for the trip. But I don't know much about what is out there and know that wildlife shots will require spending mucho dinero on a long lens.

If anyone has any knowledge they would like to share, your thoughts and time would be appreciated.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:37 am

You pretty much nailed it. Long lenses are known to be more than the cameras. Occasionally you can find a deal at pawn shops though. As far as DSLRs go, just check the reviews. I'm a fan of Canon myself (used to the controls), but that doesn't mean that other brands aren't just as good or better. Also, to use a long lens you're gonna want a sturdy tripod when you take the shots. Blur happens quick with the telephotos.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:24 pm

I just bought my wife this one. Very easy to use and takes awesome pics. I also bought her the 50 -250 mm lens to go with it.

renovation · Post by **renovation** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:56 pm

here a good site to check out for camera reviews .he don't suger coat reviews . http://www.steves-digicams.com/

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:39 pm

i'm a canon guy as well. i shoot with an XSi and have a decent collection of lenses now. photography has become my primary hobby for about a year now...so much to learn and i keep getting frustrated with how much more there is out there...but i love it.

the EF-S 55-250mm IS lens is a great value for the money. it definitely has its weaknesses, but for the price you can't complain. i ended up getting a few of the "L" lenses...a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and the 24-70mm f/2.8L. fantastic lenses, but i'm guessing you won't want to jump into it all at once.

if you go with a canon rebel series, the one linked to above is more than enough camera for you (and it does HD video...so that is a bonus). the kit lens (18-55mm IS) is good to get you started...add in the 55-250 and you have good coverage. if the lighting is decent, the IS in the lens will give you good shots without a tripod (for wildlife), assuming you are not drinking a ton of caffeine right before the shot.

for night shots and long exposures, then you MUST have a tripod.

anyway, the biggest thing you can do is decide quickly so you can familiarize yourself with the camera as much as possible before the trip. you'll be much happier with the shots if you understand the basic settings, etc...if you are a quick learner, you can escape the "auto" mode and really take advantage of it all.

an excellent resource online for canon equipment is:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

Lmandrake · Post by **Lmandrake** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:32 am

Got a good deal on a Nikon D40 and a 18-55 zoom and 55-200 image stabilized zoom. Just started playing around with it today. Not as nice a camera as Nitro got for his wife, but hopefully good for me.

Very light and small. My last SLR was a Canon EOS 630 film camera. I really liked it but it was a bitch to carry around. Once digital point and shoots got to be good, I just stopped using it.

The fact that I just stopped using my film SLR made me hesitant to buy another one. However I am really liking the luxury of experimenting with the camera and not using up film. Fiddle - shoot - discard. Fiddle - shoot - discard.
Fiddle-shoot-keep.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:27 am

We're expecting some awesome pics.

Ditto about being able to blast away with a digital - I was trying a get a particular cloud picture last week and I took about 40 shots with my little Canon point and shoot. 2 came out well, tossed the rest!