Re: Help buying a new digital SLR

Lee A. Wentzel wrote:
I am looking at getting a digital SLR. I have no lens at this time for any other camera, so will be starting fresh. I do have several SD and HDSD cards so would like to stay with that format if at all possible. Finally, I would like to stay under $1000 dollars for the camera and a decent lens. I do mostly nature pictures.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I've thought of walking into a Best Buy with my memory and ask if I could take a bunch of pictures with their cameras, but wasn't sure how well that would fly. Thank you in advance for your help.

Here's one approach: $600 DSLR with 18-60ish kit lens, maybe used, then for $400 you can get:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4
or
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro
or
AF 300mm f/4

depending on your interests. The point is it would be nice to have a nice lens which does things a basic 2-lens kit won't.

30mm f/1.4
Fast normal lens. Mosses & ferns in the woods hand held and up close. Selective focus. People indoors without flash.

90mm macro
Nature macro stuff. Portraits, selective focus. Super sharp medium range detail shots in nature.

AF 300mm f/4
Introductory wilddlife lens (beware your wallet). Selective focus. Spectacular landscapes with mountain ranges stacked up at sunset. Spectacular portrait length nature details and closeups, almost macro, etc. Affordable zooms are mostly f/5.6 and marginal at the end.


--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

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