Looking to purchase this week!!!

[heloderm]

Ok I've been on a General forum trying to figure out which camera to get. I want an SLR but the super zooms have also been brought up. Price range is $600 max although I'd rather be around $500. A friend told me to get a D40 and worry about lenses as I get better. I'm still not 100% sold on any name brand or camera.

I will be using this camera mainly for nature shots. I keep and breed reptiles both venomous and non-venomous. I love the shots where you can see each scale, detail is awesome in a reptile photo! I'd also like to be able to get shots of wild gators and birds and such (I live in South Florida and work out in the glades). I'm sure if I can get good shots of what I want then the general family shots will be very nice as well.

What would you all buy with $500-600 possibly slightly more? I've always loved photography and this will be my entry into it. I'm sure I'll spend alot of time taking random pictures trying to get better and better. I love the SLR's because I think there is more room for improvement before I'd need to buy a better one (lenses? kinda stuck with a point and shoot or super zoom). Anyways I look forward to your responses!

John

[DHMN69]

You could probably do well with a $400-500 D-SLR and a good short macro lens for the non-venomous snakes anyway ;) I'd get a 500 mm or greater lens for the venomous ones..and still stay a block away! You may need a flash also though unless you light them with cage lights?

[heloderm]

Pretty sure I'm going to pick up a D40 kit and get new lenses as I go. I don't mind getting close to the venomous ones. I use cage lights but a friend of mine uses flashes for cage pics and they come out much nicer so I'll look into one.

[Dylan8i]

welcome to the site.

I found the 60mm macro lens to be a great lens for larger animals such as snakes (non venomous, wild ), turtles, salamanders etc. you'll need the af-s version (for the d40) which is about $400-500.


i just got some extension tubes to put on my 70-200 (expensive combo) which i still have to try out a bit, but thats probably what id use on venomous snakes (in the wild).



what kind of animals do you have? there are several other herpetophiles (did i just make this word up? better yet does it mean what i want it to mean?) here including myself .

[Loupey]

Start with just the kit lens. Most perform very well and most have close focusing capability sufficient for herps.

Before buying a 2nd lens, I would suggest a strobe and off-camera cable. You can get quite dramatic images with just one strobe if you can hold it off-camera.