Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[WFP]

OK, now that we have a trailer, and the additional room that comes with it, we can upgrade to a DSLR.  Looking for advice and comments.  At the moment, I have two on my list for consideration:

Nikon D90
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

My old "wet" camera was a Canon A-1 that I got back in college, 25 years ago and loved it and still have it....gathering dust with a slew of accessories.  Lately, been using the Canon SD850IS and it has been very reliable.  Our old Sony DSC P200 was not so reliable...nor was the second one...so we went with the Canon.

Things that matter to me:
Reliability
Media compatibility, SDHC is used in the SD850 and the Zumo...want to continue that path.
More fast action from the back of the bike (sports-like) than portrait quality.

/Bill

[49445CVO]

I have a Canon 40D and love it.  It can use most of the older Canon lenses and the pics are tack sharp.  At 6.5 frames per sec. you can really shoot some cool action pics.  I am just learning how to shoot in manual and really like what the camera has to offer.  It is a bit bulky but that is the sacrifice to pay for a sharper shooting camera as well as the ability to change out the lenses.  I can't nock the Nikon's because I have several friends how have them and love them and they take great pics too.

A great place to check out cameras is B&H photo.

Not sure if this helps but when you are spending this kind of money I understand getting all the info you can.

Topper

[mrmagloo]

I dunno, but for riding with my very limited storage, I use a Sony W300, which is about the size of a deck of cards. It takes pretty good pics, everything from close up portraits to nice landscapes, and fits in my shirt pocket with room to spare.

Certainly wouldn't do professional level stuff or real distant zooms, but I used to have a mid-sized camera and just got tired of lugging the thing around.

[JCZ]

Bill when V was out here in Cali for the Ride Like a Pro I got a chance to see and use her Nikon D-60.  She also told me about a great price that Costco has on the D-60 that also included two different lenses and the bag for less than she paid for the camera.

Check out the Nikon D-60.  It's the smallest DSLR and does a great job with a lot of features.  It shoots up to 3 frames per second.  http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Digital-SLR/25438/D60.html

Here's a link to the package I got but if you buy it at the store it comes with a camera bag with a bunch of extra compartments......  http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11379867&search=Nikon D60&Mo=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=Nikon D60&Ntt=Nikon D60&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

[BayouBiker]

Canon Rebel Xsi - 18-55mm + 55-250mm IS lenses.

I shoot all my website photos with it!!

Read lots of reviews b4 taking the plunge...

[Twolanerider]

Bill, keep something in mind when considering any "package" deals on cameras.  Seemingly great prices for combination packages usually aren't that great.  Eveyone pays attention to the spec's of the camera body and studies almost not at all the spec's of the glass in the bundle.

A great camera body with poor or average glass will get you average imagery.  A decent body with good (or better) glass will get you good images.  Good lenses are analagous to good speakers.  Good radio + cheap speakers = cheap sound.  Average stereo + good speakers gets you pretty good sound.  Same with lenses and camera bodies so long as the bodies are even average (by contemporary standards) or better.

[WFP]

Thanks all, really appreciate it and keep 'em coming.

Don, I already am experiencing scope creep....If I go with the Canon, I have already told Anne the price of the 28-300 Zoom lens...OUCH!  But, you know me well enough to know I want it.  For Anne on the back, the stock 18-55 will be fine.

/Bill

[49445CVO]

WFP,

    Also remember that if you go to or use a camera store.  If you buy in a kit you still can trade up lenses.

Topper

[sadunbar]

Nikon D300...

And Twolane gives great advice about lenses!   

[Twolanerider]

Thanks all, really appreciate it and keep 'em coming.

Don, I already am experiencing scope creep....If I go with the Canon, I have already told Anne the price of the 28-300 Zoom lens...OUCH!  But, you know me well enough to know I want it.  For Anne on the back, the stock 18-55 will be fine.

/Bill

We share that pain.  I often ride with one of the SLR or DSLRs slung.  But the really good or specialty glass doesn't ride that way.  Too easy to bonk something.  So a nice (but not major-babe-equivalent) lens is all that goes riding.  Average to good bodies can be had for less than good glass.  Camera gear is almost as much of a $sinkhole$ plaything as bikes .

[Hillbilly]

I have the D90 and love it. You’ll have no problems taking photos from the back seat. It even has a program mode that works great for that.

[Midnight Rider]

Bill...the D90 just came out and uses the same CMOS type sensor as the D300, plus it has a video mode that actually works fairly well.  I had a D200 and recently moved to a D300 for the better sensor type.  I tend to stay with the "pro" type bodies because they are more weather resistant, dust proof, built of magnesium alloy, etc, etc.  The D90 is a great camera from all reviews I've been reading.  And, their "kit" lenses are actually pretty good glass, though not in a "pro" shell.  Nikon's 18-55 and 55-200 are tack sharp and not expensive.  Another alternative lens that kind of does it all is the Nikon 18-200 DX with Vibration reduction....the VR even has an "active" mode which is meant to be used in a car or vehicle.  It's practically the only lens you'd ever need, no matter what.  Add the new Nikon 10-24 DX and you've got everything in the world covered, but you'll have $1600 invested in lenses with those two.  If you want to shoot low light action shots, you're going to have to pay some bucks to move to something like a 70-200 2.8 DX VR...fantastic lens, but it's about $1800.  The 18-200 goes for about $700.  The other kit lenses I mentioned are the least expensive option, and they have some sharp glass in them, with excellent reviews by people who do this stuff for a living.

Also, Nikon has just released a D5000....you might want to check that one out as well...it'll be less expensive than the D90.  Nothing against Canon at all, but I'm Nikon all the way.  One reason for that is lenses they made back in the 60's will still work (though you lose some functions), but they will still mount and meter.  Whatever you get, make sure the lens has Vibration Reduction (Nikon) or Image Stabilization (Canon) as it will allow you to get shots handheld that you normally would not be able to get without significant blur.  The D90 has a FAST autofocus, so that's not going to be a problem.  Like Don said, you can sink some serious money in this stuff, so think it through and choose what you think will cover the situations you find yourself in.

If you want a high end Point and Shoot type camera, take a look at the Canon G10...it has a lot of the functions of a DSLR and an equivalent lens of 28-140.  It's built like a tank as well, and has control knobs instead of digging through menus to get where you want to be.

For some good advice, check out www.kenrockwell.com  He has a layman's writing style in reviewing equipment.

Check out my two websites for some images I've taken through the years with Nikon gear, and I'm just getting started with posting galleries.

www.terrycrainphotography.com
www.terrycrain.imagekind.com

[JCZ]

Thanks a bunch for your comments Terry.  I've visited your website and can see that you know from where you speak......very nice photography!

I've heard the comments about the Nikon (all the Nikon lenses over the years work with this body) from a professional photographer when we were in Reno a few weeks ago.  Although I'm far from being a professional, I continue to learn things about this camera almost daily.  Some of the things I'm learning is quite by accident (how'd I do that?)......just playing with it.  

I'm also very impressed with the battery life of this camera.  It's one of the features that Nikon promotes.  I charged the battery before we left home five days ago.  I  accidentally left the charger plugged in at home but I can't tell you how many photos we've taken, edited, deleated and downloaded what is left.  I'm very impressed with the battery life!

The kit that I got has a couple of the lenses that you mention.  All in all, from your persepctive, looks like I got a pretty good bang for the buck.  At my age, I can't imagine photos being any sharper than they are  (eyes just aren't what they used to be).......unless you're going to blow them up to life size or try to compete with the hubble telescope.

Again, thanks a bunch for your comments!

Bill, let us know what you end up with.

[Midnight Rider]

JC...you are exactly correct.  The newer Nikons like the D90 have a tremendously long battery life compared to just 2 or 3 years ago.  Canon is the same.  Most "pros" pick a brand and stick with it forever.  My personal preference is Nikon, but I think Canon has the edge in point and shoots.  And even if you just take medium to large jpeg photos, you can do prints up to A3 (13x19) with excellent results.  Bump it to large jpegs or RAW captures and you can do 23x32 or even 32x48, but you'll need a couple of 8GB cards to get 600 photos in RAW format.  In large jpeg, the 8GB card will hold hundreds of photos.  Cards are cheap right now, so get the fastest ones...the write speed is so fast the average person will never even notice any lag time, even in RAW.  And get good cards, like Lexar or SanDisc which will hold up over time and not corrupt your images.  Always format the cards after downloading the photos....every time.  This will ensure the cards stay "clean" and never corrupt the new data captured.  It's just a good housekeeping habit to get into.  And ALWAYS purchase the camera brand batteries, NEVER off brand or cheaper imitations.  The name brands are built tougher....these things can explode in the charger, and some of the off brands have been known to do so, so pay the few extra bucks for the good ones.  There are some nasty chemicals in these batteries, and you don't want to be exposed to them.

The consumer lenses, in most cases, are really very good now...it's just the guys that use the lenses every day, in harsh conditions, that really need the "pro" lenses.

You certainly have some great things to take photos of out in your part of the world, so have fun!  We'll make it out there one of these days!

[RedDevil]

I have the D90 (got it for Christmas) and got the Costco package (D90, 18-55mm and 55-200mm kit lenses, and bag).  The battery life is phenominal on this camera!!  We took it on our latest trip for 10 days and I didn't have to charge it once, took abot 400-500 pictures, and still had over half the battery life left.  I run the camera in fine JPEG (10 megapixels) mode and will get about 2.5k pictures on a 16gb SDHC card.  The D90, if you put it in full auto, is virtually a point and shoot camera.  Autofocus is extremely fast and quiet, and the VR (vibration reduction) feature will let you take about two additional "f stops" in low light conditions without a tripod.  This is probably one of the most versatile cameras I've ever owned.  It's gives me all the creativeness that my old 35mm cameras did, but with the modern convenience of being able to review and reshoot pictures as necessary and take as many as you want without worrying about how many pictures you're paying for in development costs that you really don't want.  By knowing that I've got 2.5k worth of pictures on an empty card, I'm not concerned with how perfect the shot has to be...I'll take as many shots of a subject I feel necessary and one of the resultant pictures will usually be what I want.  I'm seriously considering getting the Nikkor 70-300mm VR zoom (About $600) or the Tamron 18-280mm VC zoom (About $625).  I've taken some pictures with the Tamron, and was very impressed with the quality of the pictures.  The thing I like about theTamron, is if your restricted for space, the Tamron can be the one, and possibly only lens you would need to have.  I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning heavily towards the Tamron.  (Plus the Tamron is made in Japan where the Nikkor kit lenses are made in China now. )  You can't go wrong with the D90 or possibly look into the new D5000 (kind of a "tweener" of the D90 and the D60).  I've got nothing against Cannon, they make great cameras, but like Terry, I'm a Nikon fan.