Choosing Camera

One Eye Black

Dear Forum Members!

Can anybody recommend me a good starter DSLR w/ a Macro Lens. I'm new to photography and do not want to buy anything overkill to start off with, i'm gonna save those $ on a pro camera when the time comes.

I'm considering the Nikon D40.

Thanks!

swintonphoto

If you are looking for a great setup for a great price, the best options in my opinion would be:

Olympus E-410, E-420, E-510, or E-520
or
Nikon D40
or
Canon 400D
or
Panasonic, Pentax & Sony have some good options as well.

I am an Olympus user so I can speak more about those. But if you want an affordable DSLR the prices on the Oly's are great. The E-410 body only is less than $400 some places right now because the E-420 just got released and there are only minor upgrades.
You could get the E-410 with a standard zoom lens and a telephoto zoom lens in a 2-lens kit for just over $500. You could then get a macro lens all for about $200. You really can't beat that price. Can do the same thing with the E-510 for about $100 more (I use the E-510 and love it - I actually run my photo studio with it).
Or if you don't mind just working with one lens you could just get the camera body by itself and just get the macro lens. I use the 35mm macro all the time and it would do very well as an all around prime lens.

ziggy53

One Eye Black, welcome to the Digital Grin.

Almost all of the current camera bodies from almost any manufacturer can provide excellent image quality nowdays.

I do have to remind you that the Nikon D40/D40X/D60 cameras do not have an autofocus motor so they have to rely on lenses with a built-in motor, typically the AF-S lenses. Other lenses may be used but with manual focus.

In macro photography that shouldn't be too much of a concern since manual focus is often preferred.

Do you know what sort of macro lens you wish to purchase?

What subject matter?

What lighting?

One Eye Black

Thanks for the quick replies!

I will use the camera in the nature, taking macro-imagery of insects & plants. Secondly, I will use the camera for normal use, like vacations.

The Canon D400 can be bought quite cheap since their new 450 came out. I like that is has the extra battery grib option and I guess it has a large selection of compatible lenses to match my needs.

So getting the camera house only, and then finding a suitable macro-lense, does that sound like a good idea? Any suggestions?

PS: I'm still on a budget

Cameron

One Eye Black wrote:

Thanks for the quick replies!

I will use the camera in the nature, taking macro-imagery of insects & plants. Secondly, I will use the camera for normal use, like vacations.

The Canon D400 can be bought quite cheap since their new 450 came out. I like that is has the extra battery grib option and I guess it has a large selection of compatible lenses to match my needs.

So getting the camera house only, and then finding a suitable macro-lense, does that sound like a good idea? Any suggestions?

PS: I'm still on a budget

The 400D is a good choice. For normal vacation use I'd probably go for the kit lens and then spring for a macro lens in addition. Now that we know what kind of stuff you like to shoot, give us an idea as to the budget and you'll be able to get lots more lens recommendations.

ziggy53

One Eye Black wrote:

...

I will use the camera in the nature, taking macro-imagery of insects & plants. Secondly, I will use the camera for normal use, like vacations.

...

With the applications you describe, a single lens may not be enough if you require a true 1:1 macro capability.

Most of the zoom lenses that list "macro" in their description are not true 1:1 capable.

You might want to look at a camera with a "kit" lens of around 18-50mm (ish) range for the family event stuff and then a seperate macro for the close focus and macro stuff.

Alternately, many of the high-end digicams might be capable of much of what you want to do without too much additional equipment.

I have a ton of equipment but I still don't have a true "macro" lens in my possession. Instead I use an older 105mm lens with a close-focus adapter and a short extension tube to get 1:1 macro.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=34881

For my travelling kit I use a Canon EF 50mm, f1.5 and a 3.3 diopter close-up lens. It's not 1:1 but it does allow very close focusing.

One Eye Black wrote:

...

The Canon D400 can be bought quite cheap since their new 450 came out. I like that is has the extra battery grib option and I guess it has a large selection of compatible lenses to match my needs.

So getting the camera house only, and then finding a suitable macro-lense, does that sound like a good idea? Any suggestions?

PS: I'm still on a budget

The Canon XTi/400D would make a great camera for getting into the world of dSLRs. Add the Canon EF-S 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 IS, instead of the usual kit lens, and a third party macro like the Tamron SP AF90mm, F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro and you have met your needs.

A very similar system can be built with Nikon and all of the other manufacturers so you do need to research some more and maybe hold some cameras to see what works for you.

One Eye Black

Thank you guys, it's so nice when people are helpfull and passionate of their hobbies.

I have now ordered the Canon d400 without a lense, but with the extra battery grip (i used to shoot a lot of vertical shots with my old Nikon D70, so I thought this grip would be perfect for me.) I wasn't able to find the Tamron 90 mm lense used like you suggested for Macro. Instead I'm looking at the Sigma 105 mm used, which just barely keeps my budget. I read good things about it.

ziggy53

One Eye Black wrote:

Thank you guys, it's so nice when people are helpfull and passionate of their hobbies.

I have now ordered the Canon d400 without a lense, but with the extra battery grip (i used to shoot a lot of vertical shots with my old Nikon D70, so I thought this grip would be perfect for me.) I wasn't able to find the Tamron 90 mm lense used like you suggested for Macro. Instead I'm looking at the Sigma 105 mm used, which just barely keeps my budget. I read good things about it.

Sounds great. The Sigma Macro 105mm, F2.8 EX DG enjoys a very good reputation as a solid performer.

Tee Why

You may want to consider buying a new Tamron 90mm macro as I think they are having a $90 rebate on them right now.

One Eye Black

Update
Today I received my Canon 400d but I still don't have a lense for it ! )
I'm not able to find the Tamron 90mm on the used-market yet, same goes for the Sigma 105mm I was close to buying but just sold out. So now I see the Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM which meets my budget.

What do you think?

Tee Why

Canon 100mm f2 is not a macro lens.
The Canon 100mm f2.8 macro may be the lens you are looking for.

ziggy53

One Eye Black wrote:

Today I received my Canon 400d but I still don't have a lense for it ! )
I'm not able to find the Tamron 90mm on the used-market yet, same goes for the Sigma 105mm I was close to buying but just sold out. So now I see the Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM which meets my budget.

What do you think?

Check at KEH.com

One Eye Black

I spent the last few days playing with my new Canon 400d and the Canon 60mm macro. I LOVE IT! It's so much fun playing around with the microscopic world, I'm telling people to tell me if they see a cool bug then give me a shout! hehe...

I'm already thinking about getting some extention tubes to go with it to get even closer. When I get some shots taken I'm happy with, i'll post them in the macro forum. Thanks for the help provided guys!

ziggy53

Sounds great OEB! I am looking forward to your images.