Anyone know anything about cameras around here? What would be a good camera for photographing wildlife? I would maybe like to find a good used camera to save $$$ from buying new. Are there any good places to find a quality used camera? I would like a camera that would be good in low light conditions and capable of adding high quality zoom lenses to get close ups of animals. I really don’t know much about photography at this point other than I always have enjoyed capturing pics of wildlife with my phone camera and really enjoy sharing pics with other people so it has me wanting to step up my game! It seems like it would be a great hobby.
Take a look at the photography page , just below the Classifieds page!
"Camping places fix themselves in your mind as if you had spent long periods of your life in them. You will remember a curve of your wagon track in the grass of the plain like the features of a friend." Isak Dinesen
I have zero advice as to what camera to buy or where to buy it, but my experience says to take an absurd amount of pictures, so make sure to get some big memory cards.
Chances are 1 out of 100 of your pictures will be magazine quality. Delete the rest. It seems like there's always a stick or grass in the way, an animal's head is turned wrong, or something is in the picture to take away the "quality". Chances are that by taking a shïtload of pictures, one will turn out really good.
I have zero advice as to what camera to buy or where to buy it, but my experience says to take an absurd amount of pictures, so make sure to get some big memory cards.
Chances are 1 out of 100 of your pictures will be magazine quality. Delete the rest. It seems like there's always a stick or grass in the way, an animal's head is turned wrong, or something is in the picture to take away the "quality". Chances are that by taking a shïtload of pictures, one will turn out really good.
I’m not a camera person, but my wife dabbles in it. You asked about a camera good for low light. I think, low light has less to do with the camera than it does the lens. That leads to Ribka’s question of “how much are you willing to spend?” The sky is the limit.
Take a look at the photography page , just below the Classifieds page!
If someone wants to move this to the photography page I’m fine with that. Probably best place for it. Not sure why I didn’t post it there anyway? Don’t know what I was thinking ... lol.
If you want to go Canon, shoot me your number because I have some gear you may be interested in.
Biden's most truthful quote ever came during his first press conference, 03/25/21. Drum roll please...... "I don't know, to be clear." and THAT is one promise he's kept!!!
As far as brand, Canon and Nikon are the two big players, for the most part. Leica is great stuff and their prices reflect that fact. If you're going to be using long focal length lenses for wildlife (almost a necessity) you're going to need a decent tripod. It's just like riflescopes: any movement is magnified. Low light? That means you need "fast" (read expensive) lenses. like any other hobby (think shooting) once you get beyond stuff that's just "good" and "acceptable" it's a real matter of diminishing returns with regard to the price:quality ratio.
Mirrorless cameras are becoming more popular than DSLR. We have a whole generation of people who learned photography looking at the screen of a phone, and who don't care about having a viewfinder. Mirrorless cameras are lighter weight, and are less expensive to build. That said, I grew up looking through a viewfinder, and can't abide the mirrorless style. Choosing between those two is the first issue you need to resolve.
Christopher Frost has a YouTube channel where he reviews Canon lenses. If you go with Canon, before you plunk down coin for a lens, be sure to read his review of it. It will save you a ton of grief. You'll probably end up with more invested in lenses that in camera bodies.
Most of the cameras you're likely to consider will have an APS-C, or "cropped" sensor. The sensor is smaller than "standard". If you stick to highly rated lenses, the smaller sensor will put you at no disadvantage for image quality. If you cheap out on glass, the smaller sensor will show the shortcomings. On the plus side, with an APS-C sensor, you multiply the actual focal length of the lens by 1.6 to get the effective focal length, due to the cropping of the image. So your 250mm lens becomes 400mm. The bad news is that it's hard to get a really good very wide angle lens for APS-C.
250mm is probably the shortest focal length that will put you in the game. Longer is better, but weight, size, and especially cost escalate greatly beyond that point. I have a 100-400 which is better, but it stays home a lot because of weight.
If you want a Canon DSLR (which is what I shoot), take a look at the Canon T6i. It has a 24 Mpixel APS-C sensor, which is all you'll need. (The non-i version is only 18). It's an excellent value for money, and has all the features you'll really need.
Christopher Frost highly rates the Canon 55-250mm IS STM lens. I have two of them. They are very sharp, and they are easy to carry. Those can be had on eBay for around $125. I have two, because I found a nice used one on the local classifieds for $79. One goes in my big kit, which is for when I'm serious about something, and the other goes in my little quick kit, which is what I actually usually use the most. BTW, the Canon 70-300mm is a dog.
And yes, it is a lot of fun. We're just about to the point that the bald eagles will return, and I plan to be out at the bird refuge shooting pictures.
RickyBobby, A couple of years back I got a deal at Costco, was also about the same price at a local camera shop, on a Nikon D3400 with two lenses, bag, etc. lenses were Nikor 18-55 and 75-300. Was about $500 at the time, not a bad deal with the two lenses. It takes what I consider decent "wildife" and other types of fotos:
I'm very happy with the results of my purchase. As someone mentioned, there's diminishing returns once one starts getting into the very good to excellent (and pricey stuff). Noticeable to some, not so noticeable to others. But, for someone just starting out, Canon or Nikon kits with a couple of lenses might just be the answer.
I'll let you decide if you want better quality than what I've gotten for the price.
Good luck with it, it's fun sometimes.
Geno
PS, wish I'd looked out my window earlier than I did this morning. Caught the last four of a small herd of antelope going by outside the fence. Could have got some nice shots if I'd had time to get the Nikon.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)