Digital SLR Questions

[RednekF350]

For a long time I have been threatening to make the leap from my Canon SX120 point and shoot to a digital SLR. I have been generally happy with the Canon and love the fact that it fits in a shirt pocket but I really want better zoom capabilities for waterfowl and other wildlife photos. I have a lot of film SLR experience beginning when I was in my teens using an Exacta SLR with a Zeiss lens that took excellent photographs.

Best Buy currently has a Nikon D3200 with two lenses on sale for $529, regularly $779.
It comes with a 18-55mm and a 55-200mm lens.

First question, is the Nikon with those 2 lenses a decent setup and price ?
Second, is the 55-200mm a good lens for zooming on ducks at distances of 100 yards +/- ?
I realize that the lens is the most important part of the setup.
$600 +/- is my current budget for now.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Scott

 

[fierodoug]

Buying used DSLR equipment is really the way to go as you can get much better bang for your buck. All my equipment was bought either refurbished or used(ebay).
The Nikon D3200 is a fine entry level camera, but with your previous film SLR experience you are gonna hate very quickly diving into the menu system of that camera to change a little setting that on the higher end camera can be done with a switch or knob without ever removing your eye from the eyepiece.
The 18-55 lens is a cheap piece of plastic lens that you will outgrow quickly.
200mm is to short of a lens for almost any wildlife other than large mammals. For ducks and birds you need at least 300. I'm currently shooting at 420mm for ducks, and wish i had more.
I am a Nikon shooter and my suggestion would a used Nikon D7000 ($400-450, refurbished from Nikon have dropped to $499)
A used Nikon 55-300VR lens can be had for under $175 (I actually have one of these I need to get rid of so I can help you with this one)
A great all in one lens is a Tamron 18-270mm (about $225ish used)
The Nikon lineup is
3000 series cameras- Entry level Crop sensor DSLR, stripped down sensor, limited external setting adjustment
5000 series cameras- mid-level Crop sensor DSLR, better sensor, some external setting adjustment
7000 series cameras- Top level Crop sensor DSLR, best sensor, full external setting adjustment.
I started my girlfriend on a 3200, and she quickly outgrew it even with very limited prior photography skill. I soon after upgraded her to a used D7000, same camera as I shoot with.
Canon has some nice stuff as well, but I don't know much about them myself.

 

[fierodoug]

As far the price of the D3200
18-55 lens new- $90
55-200 lens new- $175
D3200 camera body only- $445
total $710, so yes, good price at $529.

 

[Gibby]

Red, any of the camera stores in NYC have great deals on used cameras because of the number of photographers. B&H photo or Adorama would be a excellent place to start shopping. You can find a great deal within your budget for a camera that costs possibly three times the amount. I have bought both used and new cameras from both stores and they stand behind what they sell.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/SLR-Digital-Cameras/ci/15488/N/4294182649

http://www.adorama.com/searchsite/default.aspx?category=1000074+4073

 

[Teegate]

7000 series cameras- Top level Crop sensor DSLR, best sensor, full external setting adjustment.

How does the D7000 do with macro mode? Have any photo's?

 

[46er]

Red, any of the camera stores in NYC have great deals on used cameras because of the number of photographers. B&H photo or Adorama would be a excellent place to start shopping. You can find a great deal within your budget for a camera that costs possibly three times the amount. I have bought both used and new cameras from both stores and they stand behind what they sell.

Don't forget local camera shops and KEH on the net.

 

[fierodoug]

To do true 1:1 macro you need a macro lens. I use a old used Tamron 90mm Macro(@ $250ish used)

 

[RednekF350]

Thank you for all of the input gentlemen.
Unfortunately, I will likely again postpone a purchase. I was overlooking a couple of upcoming cash outlays for the spring and summer months and really can't swing it right now.

I am, however, considering selling all of the lenses that I had from my film camera. I did some Googling and two of them may be worth something.

My father got me the film camera when I was in high school from a guy he worked with. The camera is an Exacta VX IIa but it is no longer in working order. ( The shutter cloth hangs up) The guy was a camera nut and he gave me the camera and a box of lenses for free !
I only used the macro and telephoto a few times and the one that seems to be worth something I have never used.

The lenses are:
-P. Angenieux Paris Retrofocus Type R-11 This one seems to be worth the most. The filter ring is dented slightly but all motions are smooth.
-Kilfit Makro 1:3.5/4 cm This one is like new. Online reviews say the manufacturer was a genius but the optics are just okay.
-Soligor telephoto 180 mm, new condition
-Carl Zeiss Tessar 2.8/50 This may be worth a few bucks too. Very positive reviews. This is the lens that was on the Exacta.

Any recommendations where I might get a fair shake for these lenses ? Is anyone here interested ?

 

[Teegate]

Fierodoug,

When you say "I use a old used Tamron 90mm Macro" I assume you mean one that fits a digital camera? I have a really nice old 220MM lens for my non digital Minolta camera that I would love to have fit on a digital. Do you know if they make adaptors? Is that possible?

 

[ninemileskid]

When you're ready to buy check out these folks in Brick Twp.
http://thephotocenter.com/index.html
Your basic camera store, no microwaves, or TV's. They're helpful and they understand everyone's not an expert. They also sell used equipment which has helped me obtain things I normally couldn't afford.

 

[ninemileskid]

Teegate, not sure about Minoltas but there are a few adaptors out there for Canon cameras and lenses. I'm pretty sure though that it has to be old Canon to new Canon, or in other words, you can't mount an old Pentax lens on a new Canon body. You also lose some of the automatic functions of the camera, focusing, exposure control, etc.

 

[Teegate]

Teegate, not sure about Minoltas but there are a few adaptors out there for Canon cameras and lenses. I'm pretty sure though that it has to be old Canon to new Canon, or in other words, you can't mount an old Pentax lens on a new Canon body. You also lose some of the automatic functions of the camera, focusing, exposure control, etc.

Thanks!

 

[Teegate]

It looks like they have various types but I am not sure if it will fit mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/220938791413?lpid=82&chn=ps

 

[46er]

The lenses are:
-P. Angenieux Paris Retrofocus Type R-11 This one seems to be worth the most. The filter ring is dented slightly but all motions are smooth.
-Kilfit Makro 1:3.5/4 cm This one is like new. Online reviews say the manufacturer was a genius but the optics are just okay.
-Soligor telephoto 180 mm, new condition
-Carl Zeiss Tessar 2.8/50 This may be worth a few bucks too. Very positive reviews. This is the lens that was on the Exacta.

Any recommendations where I might get a fair shake for these lenses ? Is anyone here interested ?

You could try the large NY stores, they buy/sell used; and KEH is another big buyer. But be aware you will be getting wholesale prices offered, not retail. I have bought and sold with KEH, BHPhoto and locally a Mom & Pop 'The Photoshop'. All were within a few bucks with their offers.

 

[Boyd]

A trip to B&H Photo in New York is definitely worthwhile. It is one of the most amazing stores I have ever seen - people come from all over the world to shop there. Really not another place like it. Great selection of used gear. But you need a little discipline, because there are just so many cool things there that it's hard to resist.

Not just cameras either, they have a huge variety of every kind of tech stuff at very attractive prices. They have free parking at a lot across the street, as long as you spend at least $100.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Teegate, not sure about Minoltas but there are a few adaptors out there for Canon cameras and lenses. I'm pretty sure though that it has to be old Canon to new Canon, or in other words, you can't mount an old Pentax lens on a new Canon body. You also lose some of the automatic functions of the camera, focusing, exposure control, etc.

There's an adapter to let you put K-mount lenses on Canon digitals. You'd only really want to do this on old, manual focus glass that has an aperture ring.

One of the reasons why I shoot Pentax is that I have a bunch of old Pentax film cameras and I can use those lenses on my Pentax K-5 without an adapter.

 

[Teegate]

I am not an expert on this so I would like some help. I have multiple old Minolta lenses and I would like more confirmation that if I buy a Canon or Nikon is there really an adaptor that will allow me to use them? Can you supply a link? I see some of them that say glass and no glass and I believe the no glass adaptors are for macro only. That makes me believe I will need an adaptor maybe for each lens. I am ready to buy a camera since mine has been broke since last summer. However, if I am not satisfied I can use my old lenses I am going with the point and shoot again for ease of use and traveling.

 

[Boyd]

Don't know about adapting old Minolta lenses. But I have several Nikon lenses from my film camera days in the 1960's. I can use them on my Nikon digital camera, but they're a pain since they don't interface with the digital features. I am not talking about automatic exposure, since I never use that. But the camera doesn't know what aperture you have set on the lens. So if you are stopping it way down, like f8 or something, you will have a really dim image in the viewfinder. With compatible automatic lenses, it stays open to the widest aperture (like f2) so you can easily view and focus, but the camera senses the iris opening you've chosen.

Also, obviously, they don't work with autofocus, and that's a feature that I do find handy at times.

 

[Teegate]

Yea, I think I am going to go with a point and shoot for ease of use for what I do. I am looking at the one below. For me the cons are the flash always pops up even though I can turn the flash off so that it never comes on, and I should be able to tape the flash down to keep dirt out. (I can on my daughters who has a similar flash) I also am not happy with not being able to use regular batteries. I will really be annoyed if the battery goes dead and I have plenty of AA batteries with me. I see they have much better batteries so I will have to buy them. And even though this one has a 30x optical zoom and my old one had 10, my old one could go digital to 40 and it appears this new one does not.

The pros are it is 20MP and it just came out last month so it is not already obsolete which is usually what I buy. And Bob will be happy as it has Wifi. Over 99 percent of my photo's are in the woods so I need to have a camera that can fit in my bag with all of my other junk and be easy and quick to use.


http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/c...ries-digital-cameras/powershot-sx710-hs-black

Guy

 

[Boyd]

That is probably a good solution for you, DSLRs are not the simplest way to take pictures. For me personally, I find my iPhone 5s is good enough for the vast majority of things I want to photograph, and it's always with me anyway. I break out the DSLR (and big Sony XDCAM video camera) a few times a year because they give me a huge amount of control over the image. And aside from that, I feel like I need to use them every so often just to justify the huge investment I made!