madmike Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi all....and Andy I have been looking for a new DSLR camera and would like opinions on what you guys think would be the best for shooting the reef? I have done some research and it seems like the Nikon D90 is a stellar camera, but I see that it comes in just a body, or a kit. What is the difference? I pretty much will exclusively use it for the reef, so I would like a setup similar to andy's with a good flash and lens. I figure I'll have to purchase those separately...so should I just get the body and buy a nice lens and flash kit and be set? Am I missing anything? Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I think that most eventually people upgrade the lens that comes in the kit. If you have the cash, get the lens that you want. My wife decided on the Cannon SXi. I am happy with it. We did get the stock lens, and a basic telephoto (70-300), now my wife is looking into spending a lot more money on a better telephoto so she can get better distance shots. I hate to say it, but it is more about the photographer than the camera to some degree. A good photographer can get good pictures with medium level equipment. A bad photographer can take bad pictures with great equipment. I think I am somewhere in between. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danik Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 i got the nikon d90 at costco and it comes with 18-55 and 55-200mm lenses. it's a good deal to buy a package cause you get a better price. to have the best set (lens and camera) buy the body and 18-200mm dv vr lens. check out http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d90.htm very good site. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pledosophy Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I hate to say it, but it is more about the photographer than the camera to some degree. A good photographer can get good pictures with medium level equipment. A bad photographer can take bad pictures with great equipment. I think I am somewhere in between. dsoz No, do say it, keep saying it. Keeps me in business. (laugh) On the kit thing, IME at this point in digital camera's it is often more about the lens then the camera. Even the older cheaper cameras are still good, we all thought they were incredible 4 years ago, they still are. I've sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of prints from a camera that sells for a few hundred bucks these days. It's still a great camera, if you put a good lens on it and know how to use it. JMHO. I have customers that have much nicer camera's then me, but still come to me for quality shots. I use cheaper DSLR's in the studio. When your taking up to 10,000 pics a week from a camera, the wear and tear alone will make you want to go cheaper, and they still work great. The great thing about lens's is they don't wear out if you treat them right. My lens cost more then my camera, well, it costs more then my car too. No knocks on the car. JME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi Mike, Looks like you've already got a bunch of good advice, gotta love this place I think the D90 is a good choice if you're looking for a DSLR. I checked Nikon's website and found out that it can act as a wireless commander for a Nikon speedlight, which'll make remote flash photography a lot easier. I have an SB-600 flash and it's fine for aquarium shooting, and most other situations too. If you're sure you just want a speedlight for aquarium shooting Nikon has the cheaper SB-R200, but it is for off-camera use only. Pledosophy hit the nail on the head regarding lenses. They're the best place to spend the money. When I bought my camera, I passed on the kit lens (it was a new, cheaper lens and had problems with softness and vignetting) and instead went for the body plus the solid (but unfortunately now discontinued) Nikkor 24-85mm AF-S lens. It ended up being a hundred bucks or so more expensive, but I've never regretted the decision. It seems like there are several D90 kits, with different combinations of the 18-200mm, 18-105mm and 70-300mm lenses. From what I've been able to find out, all the kit lenses are from the Nikon "G" line, which is their consumer lens line. It might be worth tracking down a few reviews on the particular lenses in the kit you are considering and see how they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 Thanks everyone, is there a particular lens that you guys would recommend that would be the best for aquarium shooting? Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algae Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 A professional photograher goes into a restaurant. The waiter comes up to his table and notices a portfolio on the table. The waiter asks to look at it and the photgrapher agrees. The waiter exclaims " Wow. What fantastic photos! you must have a really expensive camera". The waiter comes up to the photographer after he finishes his meal and asks how he enjoyed his dinner. The phtograher replies, "It was a truly great meal. The chef must have some very expensive pots and pans". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Great joke! As far as lenses, what kind of pics are you looking for Mike? General fish and coral shots, or really crazy microscope-style macros? How about other use, just general shooting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 Pretty general shooting of the reef with good macro capabilities, no microscope needed...but If the lens could do that it would be great. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Well, there are two possibilities that jump immediately to mind: A short zoom, something like the Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0D (spendy at $675, but worth it imo) will let you take nice shots in the aquarium and still be really useful for general photography. For true macro, the Tamron 90mm ($450) or the Nikkor 105mm ($1000) are both nice lenses. I shoot with a short zoom most of the time and I think it works just fine. I'm lucky, I can borrow the 105mm Nikkor from work when I want. I'd have a hard time spending a grand of my own money on the Nikkor macro, if I was looking for a macro lens I'd probably go with the Tamron. But than micro-Nikkor is sweeee-eeet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 what do you think of the D200? There is a pretty good deal at bestbuy for the body at only 599 and I have some gift cards that would bring the price down. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 That's another nice camera -- http://www.bythom.com/d200review.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krux Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I am looking at this... I dont need the megapizels as I dont plan to ever print, and the price is right on a refurb Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens $409.00 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000KJQ1DG/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance then i can spend the rest of the money on a macro lense, flash set, and tripod... thinking around 1200 to 1300 for the whole rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 The major problem wrt aquarium photography I see with the D40 is that it can't act as a wireless commander for a remote flash. IME, being able to position a remote flash above the subject makes aquarium photography much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Bob Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 When we bought our D80 a couple of years ago we also looked at the D200. They are both pretty much the same camera except the D200 has a magnesium body. In my opinion any recent DSLR will do more than you need. We bought the D80 with the 18-55 kit lens. We then bought a couple of used lenses from www.keh.com at a fraction of the cost of new lenses. Remember that great lenses and flashes have been made for decades. The only thing that you have to be sure of is what functions will work on your new DSLR. For example I have a 40 year old Nikon Micro 105 that takes great pictures, but without auto focus or metering. In the end, the choice of camera, lens, etc. is more about convenience and status symbol than picture quality. The things that lead to great pictures are: 1) Choice of Subject- be at the right place at the right time, or have great looking corals in your tank. 2) Photographers ability- practice, practice, practice. 3) Control of lighting 4) Choice of Lens 5) Choice of camera body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Good advice, but be careful using older flash units on DSLRs -- their trigger voltage is different and the DSLR can end up damaged. EDIT: Nice link, Bob -- I hadn't heard of KEH Camera before. Bookmarked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Bob Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Andy: I have heard that about old flashes, though I have a ten year old Sunpak that I have used on my D80 without any problems. Another place to look for used equipment is: www.mpex.com. I have bought used lenses from both them and KEH and they have looked like new when I got them. They actually have the lens that I want in stock now. The only problem is that it's $1400.00 used:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 There's a little widget you can buy that goes on the cam, between the hot shoe and the legacy flash that supposedly manages between the two trigger voltages... it doesn't sounds like you need one thoguh. That's a ginormous front element on that lens. Fixed aperture, right? Large format stuff is crazy (nutty) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 So I purchased a D200 body and a sb-600 flash today... is there anything else I need to make the flash work correctly? I am looking at the VR 18-200 AF-S lens and think that I will purchase one as soon as I find a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Nope, just batteries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 cool, i'll let you know when I get it so we can have a "learning session" lol. You do work for frags correct? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danik Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Mike where did you find the sb-600 speedlight? i been looking for one for my d90. how much did you pay for it? So I purchased a D200 body and a sb-600 flash today... is there anything else I need to make the flash work correctly? I am looking at the VR 18-200 AF-S lens and think that I will purchase one as soon as I find a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 i bought it thru ebay with the microsoft live cashback program, so it ran about $200 total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Happy to swing by, frags or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 cool thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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