equipment

rafwolf

TPF Noob!
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
Tübingen, Germany
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
Hello,
I'm new in the Forum and also in the area of professional photography. I have a Sony H50 which have helped me in these years. I decided to abandon the autofocus and I'm now looking for something professional. I need an equipment resistent, good and not so expensive to take photos in the wild, of birds, mammals and also macro. I don't know what to get and I'm afraid to get the wrong stuff or something that is difficult to manage....hope you guys could give me a light..

Thanks,
Raf
 
First of all, don't abandon auto-focus. Auto-focus on modern DSLRs is a boon, especially in wildlife photography. Unfortunately, for your stated purpose, it's pretty much at odds with 'not so expensive'. Professional gear is pricey, as is the specialized gear for wildlife photography. To even begin to start, we'd need some idea of how much you are able to spend.
 
Hello,
I'm new in the Forum and also in the area of professional photography. I have a Sony H50 which have helped me in these years. I decided to abandon the autofocus and I'm now looking for something professional. I need an equipment resistent, good and not so expensive to take photos in the wild, of birds, mammals and also macro. I don't know what to get and I'm afraid to get the wrong stuff or something that is difficult to manage....hope you guys could give me a light..

Thanks,
Raf

Not sure what you meant there, any modern camera will autofocus.

Anyway, sounds like you are looking for a dSLR. Either Nikon or Canon will do.

What is your budget?

For Nikon, you have the d3000, d3100 and d5000 as entry level cameras. They are ok, however they do not have an integrated focusing motor (meaning you are limited to buying AF-S lenses, which are more expensive). Also entry level cameras have less dedicated buttons which makes it slightly more difficult to change certain settings.

The d90 is a slightly more advanced camera, which offers a couple of extra features. Its fully compatible will all Nikon lenses.

There are higher end Nikon cameras, but most people start off with one of the cameras I mentioned.

For Cannon, I don't really know much about their lineup, so a Canon shooter will have to help you out there. The two brands are pretty much the same quality wise, tho.
 
For Nikon, you have the d3000, d3100 and d5000 as entry level cameras. They are ok, however they do not have an integrated focusing motor (meaning you are limited to buying AF-S lenses, which are more expensive)
AF-S lenses are not across-the-board more expensive than AF lenses that do not have a focus motor in them. The D3000/D3100/D500 can auto focus with Nikon AF-I lenses too.

Nikon makes 3 levels of lenses:
  1. Consumer, or kit lenses
  2. Prosumer
  3. Professional
There are a couple of exceptions but most of the AF lenses are prosumer lenses and cost a lot more than consumer AF-S kit lenses;

AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G - $200 ......... AF NIKKOR 35mm f/2D - $390

AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR - $200 ......... AF Zoom-NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF-ED - $670

AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED - $250 ........ AF Zoom-NIKKOR 80-200mm f/2.8D ED - $1225

AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED - $460 ........ AF Zoom-NIKKOR 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF - $745
 
Well yeah, but you're not really comparing lenses from the same league. Except for the first one, all the other AF-S examples you posted are slower then their AF counterparts.

For example, a better match for the 80-200mm AF lens would be the 70-200 2.8 AF-S which costs over $2000.

Anyway, I was thinking more along the lines of, you can get a 50mm 1.8 AF lens for about 100 bucks, the 1.4 AF is about 300 and the 1.4 AF-S is 500. There is no 1.8 AF-S.
 

Most reactions

Back
Top