DSLR camera to take fish pictures with...info needed.

[myjohnson]

Canon Rebel T1i - retail $899 - this can also serve as a HD 1080i camcorder 15.1mp
Canon Rebel XSi - retail $749 - 12.2mp

Both camera's will come with the Canon EF-S 18-55IS lens.
Lenses to buy
Normal EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens (~$115)
Telephoto EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Autofocus Lens (~490)

Again.. look on craigslist.. many people sell their nearly new equipment all the time.

What kind did you have again?

[Zulaab]

I have the older Canon Rebel XT

Personally I have the Canon EF 50mm f1.8, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm, The Canon EF 75-300IS and the Tamron 28-75mm.. Like I told you.. Today with the knowledge I have today.. I would not get certain lenses that I have bought over time.

I would keep my 50mm and that is about it.
The money is in the lenses. Aquarium shots are difficult, because of reflections and fish never stop moving. If not 100% sharp you are always going to see blur around your fish and I personally dont like this. This is why I take so many shots to get one good one out of it and I refocus continuely on different fish in hopes of getting the shot I am looking for. 99% of the time I dont.

Talk to Traci and Davis.. they did a lot of research when getting their camera and I will agree with them Nikon has some fantastic setups. Well worth looking into.

[myjohnson]

I did some light reading on some DSLR and I was going to either get the canon eos 50d or the nikon d90.

But I thought about it again and I don't really need all that.

This is my first DSLR camera. I don't mind buying a used one that's one or two generations old.

Money is an issue too....I got a lot of other projects going.

I was really looking to get something around $500 body only.

Got any recommendations for a noob?

[Mzungu]

What are your aims? Is this "just" for taking fish pictures? (I say "just," because to get a nice one, a good camera is good to have.)

I love my Canon S3 IS, but I think I've gotten the best pictures of my fish when borrowing my Dad's Canon DSLR. There's no comparison. But, mine take's a pretty good picture, all in all. I think it comes down to money, and whether you have it or not. :) Jesper said it - the money is in the lenses. With my camera, there's really no need to get multiple lenses. It does everything with the one it has.

I also agree with Jesper's advice on talking to the Geeks. They, too, know their stuff.

[myjohnson]

What are your aims?

trying to get my man hood back.

Is this "just" for taking fish pictures? (I say "just," because to get a nice one, a good camera is good to have.)

yes, mostly for fishes. but also for pictures that are not postable because kids get on here.

I love my Canon S3 IS, but I think I've gotten the best pictures of my fish when borrowing my Dad's Canon DSLR. There's no comparison. But, mine take's a pretty good picture, all in all. I think it comes down to money, and whether you have it or not. :) Jesper said it - the money is in the lenses. With my camera, there's really no need to get multiple lenses. It does everything with the one it has.

I also agree with Jesper's advice on talking to the Geeks. They, too, know their stuff.

mj

[bethesdaboy]

Nikon.
They (your relatives) made the lenses for the planes that bombed Pearl Harbor so you know its good.

[imagirlgeek]

I've been really pleased with our Nikon D40x. Tim also has a Nikon D40x. What I like about the Nikon, and keep in mind I have no experience with the Canon, is the ease of use. You can just pick it up and get good shots without having to jack with settings, OR you can get fancy and drill down into the settings and fine tune it.

[semper]

having a good camera, does not equal getting good pictures

keep that in mind

i know several pro pic takers, and they prefer canon

my aunt being one of them, so i chose canon as well

i have a rebel xs, great camera for beginning photo takers

i am about to sell it and upgrade, i am hooked on taking pics,

not so much aquarium pics, as they are slightly trickier, but general photos overall

[myjohnson]

Nikon.
They (your relatives) made the lenses for the planes that bombed Pearl Harbor so you know its good.

We are going to drink until you get sick tonight....for that little comment.

[myjohnson]

I've been really pleased with our Nikon D40x. Tim also has a Nikon D40x. What I like about the Nikon, and keep in mind I have no experience with the Canon, is the ease of use. You can just pick it up and get good shots without having to jack with settings, OR you can get fancy and drill down into the settings and fine tune it.

Thanks Traci....I'm a slow leaner (politically correct term for being a retard) so I like the idea of just picking something up and get good shot without having to tinker with it too much.

[HoustonFishFanatic]

Myjohnson, for getting really good pics of your fish learning to use off camera flash is very important. No amount of light over your tank is sufficient when you need to stop the fast motion of a fish to get a sharp picture. Nikon has a very good flash system called CLS (Creative Light System). Using this you can trigger off camera flash/ flashes placed over the tank from your camera depending which one you get. So I would recommend getting a off shoe flash like Nikon SB 800/SB 900. This is one reason why I choose Nikon over Canon when selecting a DSLR system. Canon does not have any thing like the CLS.
For a camera body I would recommend you to look at Nikon D200. They are selling in the range of 600-700$ and is really a good camera with pro-sumer magnesium alloy weather sealed body. Nikon D90 is great if you can spend some more.
The Nikon 50mm/f1.8D is a super sharp and cheap. Great for taking pics for fish 5" or larger. It is 135 $ new and can be had used for around 100$.
If you need a macro there is a super sharp Micro Nikkor 100mm/f2.8 D. You will need at least 100mm to get the working distance with fish without disturbing them. This one sells for 400-500$ used and is about 600$ new.



This was taken with the 50mm/f1.8D.



Cheers
Bhushan

[myjohnson]

Just did some light reading on the CLS, Creative Light System. That's really cool how they have a commander flash and wireless remote flash(es).

On other forums I read how important it can be to have overhead lighting and it seems that Nikon creatively solved that problem.

For sure the Nikon D90 is nice but it got stuff I will not use. The main change (among others) for the D90 is that the camera has a movie mode feature, which I will not be using because I'm just interested in taking pictures of fish.

Nikon D200 is nice too, but I'm looking for something more entry level. Just want to get my toes wet before I jump in the pool.

Before learning about the CLS I was really leaning towards the Cannons but it seems that a Nikon would be better.

How do people with Cannons use over head flash?

All the Cannon users need to step up!

[myjohnson]

I've been really pleased with our Nikon D40x. Tim also has a Nikon D40x.

Traci and/or Tim,

I did some research on the Nikon D40x and notice that it does not use the CLS Commander mode protocols, but the same thing can be done by using slave units.

What type of flash system are you guys using?

How does your flash system compare to a Nikon with CLS?

[imagirlgeek]

I don't have a fancy flash system. I either just use the flash built in to the camera, or some of those clip-on lights that some people use for working on their car. Like I said...nothing fancy.

[ddaquaria]

i need to try the 50/1.4 that I have. I've used the 60/2.8 and 105/2.8 with great success. I also like using my 24-70/2.8, and got a chance to play with a friends 70-200/2.8 on the tank. There is a photographer on HCCC that primarily used the 70-200 IS, but I'm not sure of what he uses now. He has great pictures, but spends a lot of time in photoshop. IMHO, I don't like to spend a lot of time touching up pictures unless I'm selling them. I believe in having the camera do 80-90% of the work then I only have to manipulate 10-20% (ie cropping and some quick color balance)

Check out the new Nikon D5000 but I think you may have to go to the D90 to get the on-camera master flash.