What camera?

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Blacktail31
Posts: 50
Joined: March 2nd, 2013, 4:47 pm
Location: Tucson Arizona

What camera?

Post by Blacktail31 »

So I have been out taking pictures of herps since I was old enough to hold a camera. That doesn't mean Ive ever taken a decent photo. I just recently bought a Nikon D3200 with multiple lenses. What do you other herpers like to use for a camera? I just moved back to Arizona 2 weeks ago and am looking forward to this upcoming photo season.

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azatrox
Posts: 793
Joined: June 9th, 2010, 6:51 am
Location: Arizona

Re: What camera?

Post by azatrox »

I just recently bought a Nikon D3200 with multiple lenses. What do you other herpers like to use for a camera?

If you're asking what kind of gear we use, I have the following:

Canon 7D

My lenses are as follows:

Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
Canon 300mm f/4 L IS USM

I also use the Canon 1.4x II teleconverter with the 300mm go give myself some decent reach when photographing birds or skittish critters.

-Kris
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chrish
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
Location: San Antonio, TX
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Re: What camera?

Post by chrish »

First of all, this post should probably be over in the Image Lab where photography and gear are discussed in detail.

And secondly, this isn't really answering your question, it is just a general rant about the "what camera should I get question".

There is no best camera for herp photography. The key is to have a camera that meets your technical needs and that you know how to use. Then it is a matter of taking the time to create a good photograph.

To find a camera that meets your technical needs, you need to define what those are and figure out what cameras meet them. For example, what types of magnifications do you really need? How much do you use flash? What type of flash do you want? Do you shoot in low light with no flash (i.e. what kind of low ISO performance do you want)?

Do you want a camera that can fit in your pocket, or are you willing to lug around a bag full of gear to get the best shot?
What else do you photograph (scenery, other wildlife, people, etc)? This will significantly impact your gear choice.
How much are you willing to spend?

Be aware that
- no brand is better than another in spite of what brand defenders say. All brands have positives and negatives. You just need to go with a brand that meets your needs.
- DSLRs are not better than mirrorless cameras or point and shoot type cameras. It is all about what your needs are.

Rather than ask other people what kind of camera you should buy, do some online research and reading and figure out what camera you need and will be happy with. Once you have you wishlist narrowed down, then it makes sense to ask others about their experience with those cameras.

Always keep in mind that the average herper has had experience with 3-4 cameras at most. Therefore, they can only tell you about what's good/bad about their cameras. And of course, like anything else, an owner of a particular camera is going to generally defend that camera brand/model because they see it as a reflection of themselves. If you believe Sony makes better gear than Pentax but you buy a Pentax camera anyway, what does that say about you? So be aware of everyone's natural biases. Very few opinions are going to be truly objective and that includes mine.

And don't let good photos make the decision for you "I have xxxx camera and check out this great photo I took!". What did the other 99% of the photos they deleted look like?
Good photographers take good photos, not good cameras. A great photographer can take a great photo with a cell phone and a lousy photographer can take a lousy photo with $10,000 worth of camera gear.

Not the answer you wanted, but I think it is the right answer to you question.

Oh, and not that it matters, but I use:
Sony DSLRs (alpha 57 currently, but I also have an alpha 700 that I use still)
(I have a Canon DSLR as well, but I don't like it as much)
Sony and Minolta mount lenses (mostly a 100-400 pro series lens and a Tamron 90mm macro for herps)
Sony Flashes (HVL-58am and a HVLMT24AM Macro Twin Flash Kit )

Chris
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BDSkinner
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Joined: February 15th, 2011, 8:03 am
Location: Boone, NC

Re: What camera?

Post by BDSkinner »

I like what Chris had to say. Learning how to take a photo is a great thing to do.

What lenses do you have for your Nikon? There's a pretty large market for them and you can use any Nikon lens with newer DSLRs.

As for me, I have a Richo Caplio 500se camera. It is a very sturdy point and shoot which I inherited. It's water and shock proof up to 3m and perfect for me tromping around in the woods all day. It also has the capability to store GPS coordinates with an individual photograph which is a very cool feature. I haven't fully tested its waterproof capabilities and never will, but I've stuck the lens fixture underwater with decent results. The main downfall to this would be my limited mechanical options. I haven't found manual overrides for things like auto-focus which is the most problematic for me. I tend to shoot small salamanders and mushrooms in poorly lit conditions. I can only use the built in flash as well, which doesn't help but it can get me by. All in all, its the best for me now. Free, durable and decent quality images. It's also very portable and usually resides over my shoulder no matter what the conditions are. That is a big factor for me wanting to quickly snap shots of things out in the field.



-Brad
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