Travel to Pacific Island - which camera to buy?

IcehandsIcehands Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
edited July 4, 2011 in Cameras
I'm moving to Vanuatu (small island West of Fiji, aka in the middle of nowhere), and I'd like to do some serious photography done while there. I'm looking for a DSLR replacement for my SONY R1.

I'm a student, so ideally, I'd like to buy the camera body, and at least one lens for under £1000, and possibly even a zoom lens. I'd be really grateful if you could help out with some suggestions :)

Thanks,

Icehands

Comments

  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,078 moderator
    edited July 2, 2011
    What type of photography do you do?

    What type would you like to do?

    Is this to be in addition to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1?

    What lighting conditions? Indoors?

    Are you looking for image quality good enough to sell? If so, what size images?

    How much weather sealing do you need?

    Is your budget fixed or can you afford to invest more?
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • IcehandsIcehands Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited July 2, 2011
    Thanks for the reply :)

    >What type of photography do you do?
    At the moment, taking photos mainly of landscapes, animals, flowers, and getting better at taking photos of people/events. I've had a smugmug account, but it's currently under renovations (just assembling a portfolio, which has been considerably delayed due to my PhD).

    >What type would you like to do?
    Mostly the same, just in a more exotic environment (am based in the UK at the moment). I'd like to improve/learn new techniques. A good zoom lens would be great for taking photos of island animals/birds.

    >Is this to be in addition to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1?
    No, I would like to replace it. My R1 still works fine but it's 5 years old, and I wouldn't like it to suddenly die on me when the nearest camera shop is 1000 miles away.

    >What lighting conditions? Indoors?
    Definitely outdoors:) I'll be living in a beach hut.

    >Are you looking for image quality good enough to sell? If so, what size images?
    There's a chance that the London Zoological Society will commission me to supply them with photos of some endangered or rarely seen fauna, so good quality photos are a must in this case. As for size, I'm not sure. What would you recommend?

    >How much weather sealing do you need?
    Vanuatu is hot and humid, but not extremely so (no match for the heat of the Sahara or the humidity of Alabama). However, I'd like to do some underwater photography.

    > Is your budget fixed or can you afford to invest more?
    I'm open to suggestions, but I doubt I could go over £2000. Nevertheless, I'd like to know all my options.

    Which cameras/lenses would you suggest?

    Thanks again,

    Icehands
  • WillCADWillCAD Registered Users Posts: 722 Major grins
    edited July 2, 2011
    Sorry, Ice, I don't have a recommendation for you, but I just had to tell you - your OP reminded me of the movie Twins, wherein Arnold's character, Julius, says he comes from "a tropical island 300 nautical miles south of Fiji."

    So I guess you're going to be Julius' neighbor.
    What I said when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time: "The wide ain't wide enough and the zoom don't zoom enough!"
  • IcehandsIcehands Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited July 2, 2011
    >Sorry, Ice, I don't have a recommendation for you, but I just had to tell you - your OP reminded me of the movie Twins, wherein Arnold's character, Julius, says he comes from "a tropical island 300 nautical miles south of Fiji. So I guess you're going to be Julius' neighbor.
    Heh, awesome :) I shall look out for anyone called that in the neighbourhood.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,078 moderator
    edited July 2, 2011
    If you are getting rid of the Sony I recommend at least 2 - dSLR bodies and then a small, waterproof P&S as well (for your underwater needs at snorkel depth).

    As you said, you have almost no local resources for equipment repairs so 2 bodies is almost a necessity. (I presume you could have something flown in from time to time in an equipment emergency.)

    If this is a sponsored trip for the London Zoological Society then you really should ask them for an equipment loan as well. If they are just contracting you as an independent researcher then you might be on your own.

    For the camera bodies I suggest both a Full-Frame (FF) dSLR plus a crop dSLR, both capable of using the same lenses, to give you redundancy as well as flexibility. The lens selection would include a WA zoom, a standard zoom, a telephoto zoom, and a long telephoto catadioptric (mirror) lens.

    As an example, in a Canon system I would recommend:

    Canon 5D MKII FF body
    Canon 60D crop body
    Tokina 11-16mm, f2.8 ATX, (mostly for the crop camera but usable in a pinch on the FF body)
    Canon EF 17-40mm, f4L USM, (WA zoom on the FF and a fairly standard zoom on the cop body)
    Canon EF 24-70mm, f2.8L USM (standard zoom on the FF and a long-standard on the crop)
    Canon EF 70-200mm, f4L IS USM or Canon EF 70-200mm, f2.8L IS USM II (the f2.8 version is more costly and much heavier but lets in twice the light) A Canon EF 1.4x teleconverter would add some extra reach.


    For the long telephoto I recommend the mirror lens as being lightweight enough to handhold and because mirror-slap doesn't affect a mirror lens as badly as on a long refractor lens. Specifically I recommend picking up an old Tamron 500mm, f8 SP (55BB), if you can find one. It's a "T" mount so you also need a "T" mount adapter. For that I recommend a "T"-to-M42/Universal screw mount and then another adapter to go M42/Universal screw mount-to-EOS. That final adapter should also be specified to have a "chip" to allow focus confirmation from the host camera body.

    http://www.adaptall-2.com/lenses/55BB.html
    http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1126808&postcount=16

    I also recommend at least 1 compatible flash unit and a diopter accessory lens to allow close-focus capabilities on the 70-200mm zoom. This will allow capturing smaller reptiles and larger insects.

    A lightweight tripod with a good head is fairly essential for the longer focal lengths and for longer exposures in poor light.

    By now, you are waaay over your budget but you would have a very flexible kit in this setup. I would feel very empowered with this combination of equipment.

    A similar kit could be built using Nikon equipment.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • InternautInternaut Registered Users Posts: 347 Major grins
    edited July 3, 2011
    Canon and Nikon certainly are the stronger systems but I wouldn't rule out Pentax or even Micro Four Thirds (if you want to travel light). What you're happy to lug around airports (and indeed lug around while taking photos) is going to be one determining factor. One thing to bear in mind though: It probably rains a lot so you might want to consider kit with some weather sealing. Also, with whatever you take, remember to take humidity precautions (i.e. wrap the camera in a plastic bag and leave it outside to acclimatise before you go on a shoot).
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited July 3, 2011
    Icehands,

    Your going about this all wrong. What you need to do is send me an airline / boat / canoe ticket to this island. I will then spend 2 or 3 weeks mentoring you and we can shoot with my equipment. After that time you will know what gear you need to purchase and how to use it. :D

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • IcehandsIcehands Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited July 3, 2011
    Sam - smooth ;) Joking aside, if you do come within a thousand mile radius of Vanuatu, feel free to give me a shout.
  • IcehandsIcehands Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited July 3, 2011
    @Internaut - good point, thanks! Do you know of a blog/site where I could find out more about sealing/humidity precautions etc?

    > Also, with whatever you take, remember to take humidity precautions (i.e. wrap the camera in a plastic bag and leave it outside to acclimatise before you go on a shoot).
    Why would I need to do this?
  • InternautInternaut Registered Users Posts: 347 Major grins
    edited July 3, 2011
    Icehands wrote: »
    @Internaut - good point, thanks! Do you know of a blog/site where I could find out more about sealing/humidity precautions etc?

    > Also, with whatever you take, remember to take humidity precautions (i.e. wrap the camera in a plastic bag and leave it outside to acclimatise before you go on a shoot).
    Why would I need to do this?

    One of the things I learned very early on, in my trips to Fiji, is that if you walk out of your nice, air conditioned hotel room into the sub tropical humidity, your camera's lens and screen steams up (as do your spectacles, if you wear these). This goes away with a little time but the advice I was given at the time was to wrap the camera in a sealed plastic bag, for anything up to two hours (depending on the climate and how cold the camera is).

    Why do this? Well firstly, the moisture from the humidity builds up on the outside of the plastic bag rather than the camera and its lens. Second; in some environments, fungus can build up on the front element and this is impossible to fix (I'm reliably(ish) informed that Brisbane, Australia, for example, is notorious for fungal build ups on clothes left to dry outside and camera lenses).
  • WillCADWillCAD Registered Users Posts: 722 Major grins
    edited July 3, 2011
    Icehands wrote: »
    Sam - smooth ;) Joking aside, if you do come within a thousand mile radius of Vanuatu, feel free to give me a shout.

    Can Sam's shouts be heard from 1,000 miles away? Perhaps...

    He is... the most interesting Sam in the world.

    "I don't always drink bottled water. But when I do, I prefer Fiji water. Stay thirsty, my friends."
    What I said when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time: "The wide ain't wide enough and the zoom don't zoom enough!"
  • puzzledpaulpuzzledpaul Registered Users Posts: 1,621 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2011
    Whilst I've no real idea of what sort of critters - especially small ones - live in this neck of the woods, I'd have thought (based on living 4 yrs in Africa) ... that there'd be a fair range :).

    On that basis, I'd consider a decent macro lens ...

    pp
    Website

    Flickr
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited July 4, 2011
    I also have a macro lens and a set of extenders. :D

    I am working out the cost of renting all my gear for two weeks. It should be far less than a ticket on a tramp steamer and lodging in a grass hut. :D

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
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