I want a new camera. I am currently using a Panasonic Lumix DMX-FZ8 high zoom compact camera. I think that it is time to make the leap to a DSLR but I am not sure what sort of camera I want.
I know what I want my new camera to be able to do and so this is where you come in my dear internets. Give me some advice.
I am an opportunistic photographer, quite often I will be driving along and see a bird or an interesting cloud and I will pull over and snap away. I need a camera that is tough enough as well as light enough, to be carted everywhere, jammed into my handbag or gently tossed onto the car seat next to me. One that I can also use when my hands are dirty as I like to photograph my work as I make it.
I need to be able to photograph lizards, frogs, insects and spiders in situ. I want to be able to sneak up on a frog or lizard and photograph it from about two metres away, any closer and the little buggers hide. I want to photgraph spiders in their webs and be able to capture their features in detail.
This next unedited photo illustrates what I am talking about, this parasitic wasp had just caught this spider and was injecting it with a paralysing agent, so that she could carry the spider back to her nest. I was able to get up really close to the wasp and take about twenty shots before she flew away with the spider. I want more clarity. The lack of detail in this shot is very frustrating.
I was squatting down shooting through the foliage to get this shot of this frog. I had just zoomed past the optical zoom to the beginnings of digital zoom 14x and so this photo is very noisy. I am annoyed with the lack of detail around the frogs face. I want to see her eyes. I took about fifty shots and this is the best of a bad bunch.
This next photo of the Wedge Tail Eagle on the rock ledge is the sort of opportunistic shot that I am talking about. Robin and I were driving along the road and I spotted the eagle on the ledge. I was out of the car before it had stopped moving and I crept up to a large rock and poked my head around the corner.I was about fifty metres or so away from the eagle and I had about 45 seconds before the eagle noticed me and flew away. I am happy with this shot but again I want more clarity. I want to see more detail around the feathers and the curve of her beak. If I blow this photo up, trying to get more detail it becomes very pixellated very quickly.
I generally can’t be bothered messing about with a tripod and like to shoot freehand. If I had to set up a tripod I wouldn’t get half the shots that I do.
I like to photograph the moon, the sky, sunsets and sunrises. This next scene is one of my favourites and I have photographed the view down the valley hundreds of times. But in this shot I want the tops of the hills above the mist to be crisper.
I also don’t like to edit my photos,I generally just fiddle with the contrast a bit and sharpen up the image slightly and then press publish.
I could publish heaps more photos and pick them to bits but I have run out of time. So can you help me my dear internets? What sort of camera should I get to take the shots that I want? What sort of lenses will I need? Or should I investigate one of the newer high zoom compact cameras? What do you reckon?
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Well I am going to be a disappointment to you I am afraid. As you know I know diddly nothing about camera’s. But I do love your photo’s. Good luck with camera hunting. If all else fails sometimes reading reviews on specialist sites with comparisons can be helpful.
Hard to say…I use my film camera – or my toy film cameras – all the time, now because they are lightweight, fit in my bag or on my shoulder easily…I’ve a Nikon D60, and it’s actually pretty good for picking up and taking with you everywhere, too, but not when fitted with it’s stupidly expensive macro lens. The standard lens it came with is basic but produces great detail and weighs practially nothin’.
Yay to no post-processing!
And that shot of the trees and misty-cloudy-ness is SO good. SO VERY good. Good luck.
Jim has a Canon Rebel that he really likes, but I don’t know enough about it to really give any advice. I like the pictures it takes and I’m lusting after it, that’s all I can say.
Knowing absolutely nothing about cameras and photography, I have no advice at all for you. But I do have a question or two. What exactly is DSLR? What to the letters stand for? What does it do that other cameras don’t? You should probably have one since your photos are already amazing and if you can better them, you should go for it.
No idea at all but if you think the DSLR would suit your purpose then, finances permitting, go for it.
Hi Kim, I’m back after a month with no ‘puter! I am in your shoes except my current camera is worse. I have a friend who is an outstanding amateur photographer and swears by her Canon Rebel.
Tiff will probably hop in with a Canon opinion when her little one is feeling better.
Ooh look you’ve got my shiny bubbly button up. Yays!
And sorry, can’t help you with the camera. I am a hopeless photographer.=(
First of all, you make no mention of budget. DSLRs, at least the ones really worth their salt, are not cheap. That said – the best and most rugged/durable would seem to be Canon or Nikon. I prefer Canon. But that’s just me.
There are two thing which for you would seem to be most important in a DSLR – weatherproofing and available lenses.
Canon 50D or 7D – medium price DSLR
Canon 5D or 1D – high end DSLR
All of the above are dust and dirt proof.
Keep in mind though, lenses in a DSLR are interchangeable – and there is a potential for dust./dirt/moisture to invade the camera body if you changes lenses outdoors.
I would suggest two ‘good’ zoom lenses, (1 short – 1 longer) in order to cover the greatest range of shooting situations with the minimum number of lenses – in order to minimize lens changes.
IS (Image Stabilization) lenses are best for freehand shooting.
Hope this helps.
I have two. A compact, the Canon X 1- IS and the Canon D 40 which is a DSLR. Working with a compact camera or a DSLR is entirely different. I hear you when you say you want to fit it in your handbag and have the camera within reach at all times. My DSLR is much bigger and a lot heavier to handle, that’s the down side. I can use different angles with the SX 1 IS because of the live view, some angles are impossible to get looking through a viewfinder. The size and the weight of the DSLR rules out some of that opportunistic photography I think. On the other hand the pictures are a lot better and less pixellated, so it’s well worth carrying the Big Guy’s extra weight around. In some situations I wish I had the little one, you know I think you just cannot have one camera and one lens for every situation? I’m still trying to work out what I love best. Hmm, well, I love the pictures of the D40 best, but I’m not always in the mood to carry the weight around. Good luck on the camera hunting!
I’d suggest a canon so you and Veronica can borrow each others lenses… other than that, I’m useless. No idea about Canons.
If you were to go for a nikon I’d suggest the D90. Expensive but ohhhhhh MY is it worth it! I got a shot of one today… *drools/whimpers/drools some more*
If not that then I’ve heard that both the D3000 and D5000 are very good as well. You need to be careful about which lenses you buy though. If I’d known about it I’d have bought Canon from the outset. So, yeah… get a Canon, unless you can afford a D90 or more!
I have a Canon EOD 300D which I love as it is very good for general shots and close-ups. I do find myself wishing for a telephoto lens for capturing far-off detail. I have a wide-angle lens which is great for landscapes, but not so good for macro shots and it’s a pain carrying multiple lenses around. I am seriously considering updating to a current model EOS, but … it’s not something that you can carry around in a bag on the off-chance that you see something photogenic. It’s just too bulky. I have recently shifted country and all the photos I have taken since I arrived have been on my little Canon IXUS as it fits in my pocket easily and gives good landscape & people shots. My father takes photos of similar subjects to you and has a Nikon DSLR that he loves. It is smaller than my Canon, but may a bit big for the average handbag. If you want, I can find out exactly what he has.
I have a Canon Rebel XTi. I LOVE IT!! Can not emphasize this enough. Yes, it’s a little heavy, but I take it everywhere. It captures my children in motion and I splurged in 2006 for a 28-200 lens. I take this one everywhere. I can get great close up’s of the kids faces and amazing far away shots. I have a 100-300 I never use because the other is so versatile.
This is my 2nd canon rebel because the lenses all fit. The 1st one died because the flash died and I didn’t want to lug around the huge flash attachment. The one I have now has taken quite a beating. I often throw it in my purse, under the car seat. The only time I have had performance problems is in the cold (under 32F). Turns out the cold drains the battery. I shoot in the largest format I can without it being RAW. I get great images and great enlargements.
I did a web search to find the best price for this one. I added a few more lenses 2 years ago from a web search website too. It’s a semi-fish eye (so much fun. I was able to get my daughters face and the entire st louis arch in one photo) and a macro lens. I don’t use the macro lens much, but I bet you would find it handy.
Great photos by the way. And I hope you find what you are looking for.
I love your photos and am sorry that I can’t assist you with your camera question.
best wishes
Ribbon
I just stumbled onto your blog and was interested in the piggy story. I am building a website for a great photographer and what I will do is ask him what he would buy for your requirements. He is up-to-date on what’s happening. Let you know soon. Linda
Well, this is a real dilemma.
I’ve got a full-frame DSLR and a couple of awesome lenses, but I’m using them to bring in income. I started with a Nikon D70S (very like the D90) and it was perfect for all of my travel and kid photos. I would recommend a Nikon D90 as a great DSLR for your purposes (long distance focus / macro etc) but I wonder if you really do need to go DSLR.
In my handbag every single day is my point and shoot Canon 970IS.
I’m a Nikon girl all the way for DSLR’s but wouldn’t use anything other than a Canon for point and shoot.
It’s got awesome macro, brilliant sharp focus, facial recognition, manual overide mode… and takes absolutely superb shots.
And it would fit in my pocket if I wore pockets.
Hope this helps. You are a brilliant photog, but is there much point in spending $thous if you are going to miss the shot because the camera isn’t with you?
Good luck xoxo