Camera advice

[Bob Williams]

Hello all,

About a month ago some friends visited from out of town and during their visit we spent some time at Brazos Bend State Park. I was amazed by all of the animals and birds in the park, I never imagined something so special was so close to where I live. Since the visit I got out my Canon S5 IS camera and started trying to get some wildlife photos until about a week ago when my camera stopped working. Luckily I had purchased the extended warranty at Best Buy when I purchased my S5 and when I brought the broken camera in and yesterday I got a phone call informing me that my camera has been authorized for replacement. When I got to the store I was told that I could get an equivalent camera or I could put the price of an equivalent camera toward a new higher end camera.

My thought is that I would be best off buying a SLR camera with a telephoto lens so I can get nice wildlife shots at places like Brazos Bend State Park.

Here are the options that I am considering at this point, any feedback or suggestions are appreciated.

1. Canon Rebel T1i and Canon 70-300 IS
2. Canon Rebel T2i and Canon 55-250 IS
3. Nikon D5000 and Nikon 70-300 VR
4. Nikon D90 and Nikon 55-200 VR


Which would you go with and why?

Thanks everyone

Bob

[TheFantasticG]

Either the T2i & 55-250 or the D90 and 55-200VR.

I have the D90 and 55-200VR and it's a good combo. The 70-300VR is better though. I was much more pleased when I went to BBSP with the 70-300VR than I was with the 55-200VR.

I'd just flip a coin, and call the T2i on heads in the air.

Either way you really can't go wrong.

[jfoureyes]

I'm a Nikon guy but both brands are excellent. The D90 and 70-300 VR would be a nice combination for the wildlife at BBSP. I do all of my birds shooting with D80 and old AF 75-300/4.5-5.6 and get the results that satisfy me. A 400 mm lens would actually be better, but I don't do a lot bird shooting so I can't really justify getting one. Good luck on your choice!

[Bob Williams]

Garret,

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your input.

I am not sure if I am correct or not about this but the difference between the T1i and T2i looks pretty small when I look at the specs side by side. The main difference being the video feature which at this point I don’t see myself taking advantage of. The salesman at Best Buy suggested that the difference in megapixels would not really be significant.

My gut feeling is that more MP’s would be better but the guy at the store said that the more MP’s the more noise there would be which would make the Nikon seem like the better choice in this regard.

On the lenses the salesman suggested that for wildlife the greater focal length would make a bigger difference than the camera choice which is what made me start thinking about getting a less expensive camera so I could afford a more expensive lens with more zoom.

If my thinking is flawed please clue me in.

Bob

[TheFantasticG]

Its hard for me to see a difference between the ISO's from 200-3200 on the T2i and D90. I suspect you'll not see a significant/noticeable difference between the two. The T2i does give more megapixels, thus more cropping ability. Also, with all the aftermarket noise reducing software, the noise issue is *almost* moot.

As anyone will tell you, you want to invest in glass, not bodies.

Are you vested in glass with Canon? I'm assuming not since you are considering switching.

In my opinion, I like Nikon's menu system better, and I like Nikon's OCF system better. I also like the AF systems better. Those are three of the varying reasons why I went with Nikon over Canon.

A cropped sensor like the T2i or the D90 will give you better focal length because of the hyper focal length or whatever, I think with Canon its 1.5x and with Nikon its 1.6x or vise-versa. Great for wildlife that you can't get close to.

Also, check this link out DP REVIEW: SIDE BY SIDE. I found it helpful when I was deciding by in December 2009 which camera brand to go with.

[lhdvies]

If you go with Nikon, I would definitely go with the 70-300VR, I use one with my D700 & am happy enough with it that I am going to sell my 70-200 /2.8 VR.(If I was profesional, I wouldn't do that,but for casual shooting the 70-300 VR is an outstanding combo.)

[slickshooter]

If I were choosing between the d90 and the d5000 I would definately go with the d90 as it incorporates most of the d300's features.It has a much better focusing system and evaluates the exposure much better with the advanced matrix metering.

[Glassman]

I think I would go to Best Buy and ask them if you buy a memory card or bring one with you can you take a few pictures to compare so you can see which one you like. I bet they would let you, then you could get the feel of the camera and compare the pics you took on your computer, just my opinion. I've see great pics from all of these cameras on pbase.

[Bob Williams]

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my request. After reading what you all had to say I headed over to Best Buy and my decision was made easier by Best Buy’s inventory. They were sold out of D90’s so I walked out with a shiny new T2i and 70-300 IS lens. Hopefully I can get a break in the predicted rains this afternoon to start using the camera.

Bob

[TheFantasticG]

Post up some images sometime soon and have fun with your new gear!

[Shadow]

The correct section for this is here....
Equipment Talk

Good luck with the new cam....

[Bob Williams]

Bruce,

I asked this question here because I was thinking that the people here might have better insight since I am planning on doing nature and wildlife photography instead of just general photography which is what I expected would be the focus in equipment talk. Sorry if I messed up.

Bob

[Shadow]

No problem. A lot of us wildlife shooters prowl the other sections too. The camera is the cheapest part of wildlife shooting. Next, long,fast lenses, CF tripods, heads.... $$$$

[Bob Williams]

At this point I have already blown my camera budget for quite some time. Between the camera and lens that I just purchased I have already more than spent my budget for this year. My thinking is that this camera and lens are already way beyond my abilities and it will take me a lot of time to really figure out what I am doing or even if this is something I really want to do long term.

Bob

[loblackw]

Mr Williams - how do you like your new Canon? I'm thinking about purchasing one soon.