photagraphy equipment!

Currently using a Nikon 5700 and I am very pleased with the results so far, however Pentax are about to launch the *ist DL, an entry level D-SLR which will ship with an 18-55mm lense for less than $800! Having always been a Pentax man until my current Nikon I will be taking a very close look at it when it arrives on these shores.

-Dazza 🙂

I Was contemplating getting a prosumer camera 8mp (sony f-828) a year back before i switched to a digital SLR from my f-100/f5 however i think that now days there is really no going back from DSLR’s for the conveinence factor alone specially useful in aviation photography..i still shoot landscapes with my f100 but nowdays if i ever ventre out to shoot action its almost always with my 20D..as far as lenses i own 2 L series primes and zooms..upto 200mm and anuthing higher i rent..I also ont think that a DLSR is a must..however if u want to shoot some serious on the move action then u have to go that way..i believe that we are at a buffer period of digital photography within say another 2-5 years they would have solved the problem of high noise at anything close to 200 iso and up and would have greatly reduced the price of a DSLR…for me i would hold onto my 20D till then.

PS just went around shooting with a d-50 that i was able to lay my hands on..all the d70/100 users wouldnt be dissapointed its great..

If hearing high-end prosumer I always think of those 7-8MP cameras like the Coolpix 8800 and stuff. And imho you don´t need one of those.

Btw my equipment is fairly basic.

Nikon D100
Nikon AF 20mm 2.8D
Nikon AF 35-70mm 2.8D
Nikon AF 80-200 2.8D
Sigma AF 135-400 4.5-5.6 (my carry around long range tele, if the weather is good)
Sigma AF 400mm prime (left over from my early years in aviation photography)
Tamron AF 90mm Macro (still a good prime for static)
Nikon AF-S 300mm 2.8D
Nikon SB-80 flash

Add a second battery pack, around 2,5 GB in CF Cards, tripod+monopod, and some minor stuff.

You surely don´t need a DSLR, but any compact should be one of the decent range. Meaninmg a good zoom lense and a fast autofocus.

Exactly what I meant by “high-end prosumer”, Seahawk. 🙂

Canon 300D
Canon 18-55mm
Sigma 28-105mm
Canon 75-300mm IS
Sigma 50-500mm

And a BG-E1 Batter Grip.

I agree with T5 and BHXlocal.

A DSLR with a good lens will, without doubt, offer better quality and more versatility – at a price – but it’s possible to get good results with a high-end “prosumer” camera too.

Think of Wilag’s excellent Manchester shots taken with his Fuji, and remember the excellent pictures that young Dan posted on here before he got his current pride and joy.

I can only partly agree. You surely don´t need a DSLR, but any compact should be one of the decent range. Meaninmg a good zoom lense and a fast autofocus. This is more important then MPs fpr our hobby. A low noise up to ISO 200 would also be not bad.

Imho there a several different cases to look at :

The complete beginner :

One of the cheaper but sufficent compacts out there would be the choice.

The current user of a solid compact camera :

A DSLR should be the next step. Upgrading within the compacts is most likely not worth it. And you should be know if you are so much interested in photography to invest the meoney.

The current owner of a film SLR :

If you are not taking many pictures and have no intentions to upload to A-net, then you are fine.
If you want to upload to A-net, then you can chose between a good film scanner or a DSLR body.
If you take lots of pictures and want to upload to A-net, then a DSLR is a must.
I took 5000+ pics last year. Just counting the costs for film and the deveopment costs paid a large part of the price of my D100.

20D + EFS17-85 + 100-400IS – great kit and a big improvement on my old Minolta digital but my traditional film camera still takes great shots and (imho) requires more photographic skill to get the best from it.

Currently a Canon 300D with the kit lens and the 75-300 USM IS.

What I’d like, well anything Canon 😀 Any of the 1D series I’d be scared of touching at those prices, maybe a D20.
Any Canon L series lens, perhaps the 17-40 L, 28-300mm IS would be good but expensive, I agree with Dan that even 75mm is too much at some places so the 100-400 L IS, well you need to pick your spot carefully.

I got my first two pictures on a.net with an IXUS400, digital compact. Love that camera still, as it circulates about the family. Also floating around the family is an old old (try 17-18 years) Minolta 7000S SLR with a Sigma 24mm lens and Minolta something-70 and 70-210mm, and a Canon IXUS II, APS.

No denying it, a DSLR and kit isn’t compact no matter how small they make it yet, and I admit I like the chunkiness of an SLR to hold, but it can be a pain in going some places and having to carry the bag around. I guess it depends on how serious your into or wanting to get into photography, it goes beyond aviation with me.

As most know (I hardly kept quiet about it!) I now own a Canon 350D after reaching the best that my old camera could produce me. A DSLR is not essential, and even if you can afford it, you shouldn’t just buy one for the sake of it. I think in the long run it makes you a much better photographer if you have to work with worse equipment and build yourself up, and then when you make the transition to DSLR it will be much more rewarding (and you’ll know what you’re doing too).

I’m very happy with the 350D, but by the end of the year I’d like to improve my lense. The 100mm-400mm IS looks pretty sweet, but I’m no too sure on 100 as a starting point. My current lense starts at 75mm and that is too much in some situations (as Mark L heard numerous times on our Shannon trip “I can’t fit the b@stard in the frame!”)

and remember the excellent pictures that young Dan posted on here before he got his current pride and joy.

Why, thank you 😮

I agree with T5 and BHXlocal.

A DSLR with a good lens will, without doubt, offer better quality and more versatility – at a price – but it’s possible to get good results with a high-end “prosumer” camera too.

Think of Wilag’s excellent Manchester shots taken with his Fuji, and remember the excellent pictures that young Dan posted on here before he got his current pride and joy.

Well at the moment i use a Fuji finepix S5000 which is capable of 6MP and has served me well for a good year and a half. I have beeen doing aviation photography for about 2 yrs but i think it is time for a change for me.
I would love to have a DSLR but the only problem is price. Maybe i shall wait a bit longer until i can afford one…

My camera is the same as yours. Personally, I think that is more than enough. If you can afford a Digital SLR, then get one, but otherwise, leave it. A Digital SLR is certainly not an essential when it comes to aviation photography.

Well at the moment i use a Fuji finepix S5000 which is capable of 6MP and has served me well for a good year and a half. I have beeen doing aviation photography for about 2 yrs but i think it is time for a change for me.
I would love to have a DSLR but the only problem is price. Maybe i shall wait a bit longer until i can afford one…

I wouldn’t say that a digital camera is even a must…

Of course it means people can come back here after a day out at the airport and instantly upload photos, but that doesn’t meant the medium is the one and only. I do have a fuji finepix S5500 (not sure if thats right…think it is) but also carry a Canon EOS 300V. I cant afford a digital camera but am quite happy using film. Its never failed me before so, why replace it now :).

Well essential imho is a DSLR nowadays. Or at least a really good and fast compact digital camera.

If you use a DSLR good lenses.

There are only 2 things I would love to add to my current equipment.

– Nikon D2X
– Nikon AF-S 200-400 VR Zoom

unfortunately I can´t justify spending the money on this equipment, so I will have to wait for the D100 repalcement as my next upgrade.

Well, I’m loving what I’ve got right now, a Megapix AX480, it’s a great camera for the young spotter 😉