DSLR advice

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h18ant

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Hi all,

I'm looking for a little bit of advice please. I'm off on a Safari for a couple of weeks in May. Up until now I've had a point and shoot style camera which has done its job.

I'm looking to move into the world of DSLR and have done quite a bit of reading. I would also like to get into photography much more and have some half decent kit for taking photos of cars and wildlife.

At the moment I have arrived at a D5000 with it's 18-55 lens and am thinking of buying a secondhand Nikkor 70-300vr. I've been into Jessops and had a fiddle with them. I have been offered the usual type of deal in Jessops with a Tamron 70-300 lens. Would I be ok with the Tamron or should I buy the Nikkor?

Any suggestions on other DSLR's to consider and also lenses, filters etc greatly appreciated! :D
 
I would definately opt for the Nikkor 70-300 VR over the Tamron but be careful that you are getting the AF-S version as the D5000 won't autofocus with the traditional AF lenses.

I have a D60 which has the same issue (the auto-focus motor is in the lens rather than the camera body) and while I don't find it a huge problem it is definately something to consider. You do have the option of going for a second hand older model like the D50 / D70 / D80 which do have the motor in the body.

EDIT - forgot to say that tbh honest I think it is pretty difficult to get a carp DSLR these days so I wouldn't waste too much time weighing up the pro's & con's to the N'th degree. You will need time to get to grips with it before you go on safari. Best bet is to go to a shop with a budget in mind and handle all of the options. Go with the one that feels the best and is most intuitive for you. Also consider that you are buying into a system so look at the lenses that are on offer and think what you are going to want to add to your kit.

One more thing - apparently beanbags are good as a camera rest / support on safari (I wouldn't know as I havn't been. Jealous.). Someone sells them in the classifieds section here I think...
 
Hi, thanks for the reply.

I have been looking at the D90 as it has the built in motor? Would that mean that I could look at alternative lenses to the 70-300 vr, or do they do one without the engine built in (i.e. cheaper)?

Thanks for your help!
 
Hey. I'm still a newbie so can't advise too much on the equipment, however incase you're not already aware of them...

Camera Price Buster is useful for comparing prices (although it doesn't list all stores).

Lenses For Hire. Depending on what your long term plans for the second lens are, maybe you could hire a very good lens for a couple of weeks instead of buying a lower model lens second hand?

Best of luck in your DSLR hunt :thumbs:.
 
might want to consider one of the entry level sony cameras which have in camera image stablisation which means all lenses will have IS/VR/OS etc.
 
Hi H18ant

I won't talk too much about the equipment I took on photo safari to the Kruger last summer, as it is Canon stuff, which I think you're not considering. However, I found a crop sensor (on my 40D with good fps rate) very useful and I took one long prime lens (500mm f4) and a handy zoom (100-400mm f4-5.6). I did take two bodies to avoid having to change lenses in the dust.

I would point you towards my website to show you examples of the shots, but I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to post a link to my site on here? If anyone can advise on this, I'd be grateful.

Whether you need a cropped-sensor body or not might depend on where you're going and what animals there will be (ie. how far away they'll be from you).

Enjoy the trip. Mine was fantastic and I'm already saving furiously to go again, hopefully in a couple of years time.

Hope this helps.

Dom :)
 
h18ant said:
... I have been looking at the D90 as it has the built in motor? Would that mean that I could look at alternative lenses to the 70-300 vr, or do they do one without the engine built in (i.e. cheaper)?
Click to expand...

So, what is your budget? Alternative lenses may be more expensive.

I like the 70-300 VR and took one to Africa last year along with a 35mm f1.8 DX for sunrsets etc. Both are light for their performance and so I hooked them up with a second-hand D40 for a combination that wouldn't break my heart / bank if they got broken or stolen. Results can be seen on my SmugMug site - a link is below my signature.

Can you see this thread? It's on another forum but has three pages discussing the issues you're looking into!
 
PickleB said:
So, what is your budget? Alternative lenses may be more expensive.

I like the 70-300 VR and took one to Africa last year along with a 35mm f1.8 DX for sunrsets etc. Both are light for their performance and so I hooked them up with a second-hand D40 for a combination that wouldn't break my heart / bank if they got broken or stolen. Results can be seen on my SmugMug site - a link is below my signature.

Can you see this thread? It's on another forum but has three pages discussing the issues you're looking into!
Click to expand...

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I'm thinking of getting a D90 with the kit 18-105 vr lens and hiring a 70-300 vr at the moment. Gonna do some more reading though! Thanks for the link above, interesting info and pictures. I've checked your photos out too, really good!

Thanks!
 
Ok, taken the plunge and gone for a D90 with the lens kit.

Ordered it through Dixons online £718.11 (delivered) using a Dixon's discount code and then I should be able to get the cash back too!

Just hope Dixons have got the stock now! :clap:
 
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