Cameras - advice, questions, opinions

Cameras and Binoculars

Amy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:31:00 GMT

I have a practical question. I just bought a camera to take along with me birding. (Unfortunately I couldn't afford an SLR, but I got an advanced digital with a 10x zoom.) How do you manage carrying both your binoculars and your camera? That's a lot of stuff hanging off your neck. Do any of you use the binocular harnesses? How are those?

Tokina 400mm f5.6

raptrlvr — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:32:02 GMT

I have a Tokina 400mm AT-X SD f5.6 AF close focus lens that I would like to sell. Since I got the Nikon 300mm f2.8 lens, I don't use this lens anymore. Its in excellent shape with a built in hood and a Hoya filter plus front and rear caps. It comes in a soft leather pouch that is the original for this lens. This is a Nikon mount lens. If you are interested contact me for more details at "raptrlvr@aol.com"

Dirty sensor question

Seattle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:21:37 GMT

I'm seeing spots in front of my eye - actually on my pictures. I was wondering if everyone cleans your sensors yourselves or if you take your camera to a store to be cleaned? It's about $100.00 to have it cleaned here.

Does DSLRs have GPS

Danny Collins — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:57:18 GMT

I read something, somewhere that made me think that some DSLR camras record where the pic was taken, like it has a GPS in it. True or False?

Best Canon digital SLR?

Adore707 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:02:28 GMT

I have a Canon Powershot SX200 IS that just isn't getting the job done anymore and I want to invest real money into a nice new Canon digital SLR. Does anyone know the best one out there and which lens should I get, as well? Thanks!

Photography newbie seeking info

Kryptos18 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:19:54 GMT

I've really wanted to get into bird photography for a little while now, but I've got little experience with photography besides being quite adept with macro photography of insects on your standard digital camera. SO, a couple questions:

What exactly are point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras, what is the difference hardware-wise, and what can I expect in the realm of photo clarity?

Which one should I get?

And finally, how much would I be looking to spend to get quality bird pictures?

Thanks for any and all info!

NEW CANON 7D

Raptor — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:32:50 GMT

Has anyone seen/used the new Canon EOS 7D? It looks like it will be awesome! 18 MP's along with the 1.6 crop factor means this will probably be a really nice wildlife camera.

Here is the hands-on-preview. And specifications are here.

Nikon P-90- AF doesnt seem as sharp

Freebird — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:28:16 GMT

Does anyone know if this is possible, or I just changed a setting somewhere but suddenly, the auto-focus on the zoom just doesn't seem to be as clear (and quick to focus) as when I first had the camera. This definitely happens when the battery is near drained, but this is now happening on a full charge. It's quite possible I changed something but I wondered if anyone had experienced this before. I have had the camera approx 8 weeks and it hasn't suffered any trauma (haven't dropped this one) and I've been very careful with it, although I do use it day in and day out.

Thanks,

Teleconverter

Obnates — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:52:29 GMT

I have a Canon S5 IS and love it. I'm thinking about getting the 1.5x teleconverter to extend my zoom range. Does anyone have experience with it? I've seen a lot of good reviews online, but am wondering if it will really extend the range enough to justify the cost (~$90 on Amazon right now).

Looking for a New Lens

neef — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:45:45 GMT

AF18-270MM

I'm looking for a new lens for my digital Rebel.

I'm thinking XMas here (in September!) My photography is primarilly used for identification of wildlife - probably 90% of my pics aren't intended for photo albums. That being said I do get an occasional beauty that I'm proud to show off. I want an all purpose lens that can snap a hawk up in a tall tree or across a field but also be ready for a closeup warbler or dragonfly that lands 5 feet away from me. Autozoom should be quick, but low-light not a priority.

In short I'm looking for a medium to high end all purpose lens. Right now I'm looking at the new Tamson AF18-270MM. I'm hoping someone could tell me this is a good choice or point me in the right direction to another lens.

Thanks!

get this camera ($$$) - they are not shipping it yet

Texas — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:36:33 GMT

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=19356

Another request for camera recommendations

Freebird — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:02:13 GMT

Yesterday, I saw my first hummingbird up close and personal (gorgeous, tiny and incredibly fast and a really big deal to someone who hasnt seen one before!) and I missed the shot, even hiding under a tree about 6 feet away. I currently have a Nikon Coolpix L100, a super gift from a loving husband who knew I needed an upgrade from my P&S digital cameras. Now that I have got used to the bulkiness of this camera, I have (arguably) taken a few really nice shots when I don't rush or get over excited that I have spotted something new in a tree but sometimes, the camera is my bugbear, it is busy re-focusing or something and doesn't always take the shot when I press the button; so it is clear that I am going to need an upgrade/SLR at some point. I plan to take a class at the camera store and get a good feel for what works for me, but I will need something that is equally effective on the auto settings until I get more experienced and confident. I am hoping to budget around $1k but willing to go a bit further if required, only I don't really know what I should be looking at and dont want to overspend on something that is way of my league. Birds are a major subject for me now, but not to the point where I will stay somewhere for hours trying to get one shot, or messing around with tripods etc, and I also love my flowers etc, scenery, landmarks etc, people I am less interested in ;)

Based on this info, does anyone have any good suggestions (I have looked at reviews but I dont understand a lot of what might be necessary for me).

Thanks in advance!

~FB

Got a Sony DSC HX1 yesterday

kbaumann — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:28:10 GMT

I love it so far! Not too many birds around today, so I'll show you what I've got...

One of my fellow bird-enthusiasts, Graham

My husband and youngest son

And a tufted titmouse. It's a little noisy, but it was taken in the shade (see light angle on its tail) and through a window. I can't wait to see what kind of bird photos I get when the sun is actually out!

Apparently I didn't downsize these as much as I thought - sorry!

Kate

Panasonic Lumix FZ28 - scope? Newbie questions.

greypaper — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:32:48 GMT

I only recently came across the fact that people can use spotting scopes with their digital cameras. I tried looking around online and am having trouble finding a solid answer. Is it possible to use a scope with the FZ28? How much does it increase your ability to zoom in from a distance? Are the pictures clear? Am I completely misunderstanding the basics of a digital camera and a scope? How is it done?

My main problem is 18x optical zoom is lovely, but even more would be fantastic, particularily getting birds way out in the water. Maybe I'm just getting greedy? ;)

Thanks very much for any help you can give :)

Panasonic FZ35 Replacing FZ28

LauraC — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:32:35 GMT

Panasonic is coming out with a new ultrazoom P&S, the FZ35. It will still offer 18x optical zoom and Leica lens but it will up the megapixels from 10 to 12.1 (good for birders) and is even improving on its image stabilization which I thought was pretty good to begin with. The big change will be in its movie capability but since I don't use that on my current camera maybe someone can look at the product description on Amazon and assess if they can see a bird photography plus in the movie making capability. There's ultra high speed auto focus for action, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FZ35-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B002IKLJU0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1248790710&sr=8-3

It's not available yet but it can be pre-ordered.

Optical Zoom vs. Digital Zoom

thekiwi — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 04:46:15 GMT

Use optical zoom only turn off the digital zoom.

What Is Digital Zoom?

Digital zoom is simply cropping a portion of a captured image and then resampling it back up to full resolution. The most notable difference between digital and optical zoom is that no additional image detail is gained by using digital zoom.

Digital zooms lower image quality. Choose a camera with an optical zoom if image quality is important. Digital zooms should be used only when image quality is not important.

Here is a link that I think you will find helpful

http://cameras.about.com/od/cameratips/l/blopticaldigitl.htm

John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide

thekiwi — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:08:49 GMT

John Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide.

This is another pdf magazine I have added to my site. Click on the link and either save it or open it . You will need adobe acrobat reader to open it if you don't have this it is a free download at abode.com

http://thekiwi.org/John_Shaw.pdf

What kind of camera should I get (camera noob)

Newbirds — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:48:34 GMT

I want to do some photography, including that of birds. My current camera has 4x Digital zoom, so would something with 8x digital zoom be able to zoom twice as much? I just want a good, inexpensive (no more than $400) camera to take scenic and wildlife pics and stuff. Links are welcome. Also, I'm a camera noob, so just give it to me simple

Circular Polarizing Filters

lonestranger — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:36:21 GMT

Although I have never used my circular polarizing filter while birding, I am sure there will be a time when I will give it a try. I understand the basics of the shooting angles relevant to the sun, and rotating the filter for the desired effect but there's one question that isn't answered in any of the literature I've read. In order to get the desired effect, the filter needs to be rotated accordingly, which means the lens hood needs to be removed to do the rotating. My question is this, should the lens hood be put back on the lens after getting the filter rotated to the desired position or can/should circular polarizers be used without the lens hood attached for quick access to the rotating adjustment of the filter?

Panasonic Lumix fz28

greenwyvern — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:30:48 GMT

After researching for two weeks it came down to the Nikon P80 and the Pana fz28 due to extremely limited funds. I know an SLR would have been better but I have rock bottom learning curve with cameras and not enough cash.

Liked them both but settled on the FZ28. Any suggestions & tips from FZ28 users greatly appreciated...settings you have found to work best in certain situations (gives me a starting point to make my own adjustments from there), things to avoid (I always leave the digital zoom off of any camera while birding), etc.

Thanks

Test

kurt — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:00:18 GMT

We all have heard that a non CPU or a old film lens will make a 1.5 increase image size on a digital camera, so I did a little test. All shots were taken with a Nikon D300 at the same distance and at the same subject, although it did fall over once. First one with the camera set for non cup 400 mm F3.5 that is the lens I have on it a Nikon 400mm IF ED f3.5 film lens.

This one was set on the camera to 600mm, were they tell you it should be

This one was with a Tamron 200 to 500mm

I'll let you be the judge, but it looks to me as though the 500 beat the 400 hands down.

Which lens? (very similar, need help!)

Goose — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:16:58 GMT

Alright, so here's the deal. I found a used Nikkor 400mm f3.5 EDIF Ais for $1400. I also found a used Nikkor 300mm f2.8 EDIF Ais for the exact same price. The 400 weighs 3kg (
6.5lbs) and the 300mm weighs 2.5kg (5.5lbs). So is the reduction is weight and aperture worth the loss in focal length? Any experience with either of these lenses?

Thanks for the help!

BTW: I have a Nikon D5000.

Complete lack of sharp focus with Canon eos 5d Mark II

BirdBrainy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:33:49 GMT

I just bought the canon eos 5d Mark II, and I am less than pleased with its focus capabilities. Regardless of lens, of auto or manual focus, with even the slightest editing or cropping it becomes more than apparent the image is only soft focus at best.

Does anyone have any suggestions besides throwing the camera out the window and buying a nikon?

Digital_Photography_Bible.pdf

thekiwi — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:47:36 GMT

Here you are another PDF book that I have Please be aware that it is 18MB in size

http://thekiwi.org/Digital_Photography_Bible.pdf

How To Do Everything With Your Digital Camera

thekiwi — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:01:41 GMT

Here is another pdf magazine I have. Please be aware that it is 16 to 18mb in size.

If you find these useful please let me Know as I have some more that I will upload to my site for you to download

http://thekiwi.org/How_To_Do_Everything_With_Your_Digital_Camera.pdf

Peter