Balance Between Land and UW Applications

We recently moved to Maryland and my wife is fascinated by a small herd of Whitetail Deer that visit the field behind our home most evenings. I would like to buy her a digital SLR for which I can obtain a lens that will allow her to take reasonable pictures of them from about 100 - 125 yards away and that we can also use (with a more basic lens of course) in a housing for our UW photo adventures. I'm looking for something in at least the 10 megapixel range. I'd appreciate recommendation that minimize cost (to the extent possible).

We recently moved to Maryland and my wife is fascinated by a small herd of Whitetail Deer that visit the field behind our home most evenings. I would like to buy her a digital SLR for which I can obtain a lens that will allow her to take reasonable pictures of them from about 100 - 125 yards away and that we can also use (with a more basic lens of course) in a housing for our UW photo adventures. I'm looking for something in at least the 10 megapixel range. I'd appreciate recommendation that minimize cost (to the extent possible).

Nikon D90 with Nikon 80-400 lens.

Hi,

Besides the Nikon D90/60, maybe you should also look at Canon's 40D/50D range. Regarding lenses, I think you need to determine yourself which one will suit your needs/budgets. A good source nearby would be b&h photo: http://www.bhphotovideo.com

Other than that, all I could think of is ebay. Bought my whole 40d setup plus twin lenses package (Tamron 28-80mm and 70-300mm - not really good lenses, but sufficient....you may want to get original canon lenses though) in ebay last year and happily clicking away till today. Besides those lenses, I bought the cheap 50mm f1.8 II (for less than $100 new) and also a 10-22mm wide angle lens at standard retail price. As usual, with ebay, do take the necessary standard cautinary procedures.

Cheers from sunny Malaysia,

Barttrigger

Well speaking from experience Olympus is a great starter DSLR that moves very gracefully into the underwater world. They just released an E610 and its very affordable. Throw in a very functional, affordable housing and you have a package that is hard to beat. The kit lenses come with a 40-150mm lens which is a 2x crop factor sensor. So from a 35mm perspective its an 80-300mm lens. For animals at 100yds or greater, Olympus has some of the finest glass available built for the 4/3 sensor. Here is a site dedicated to the 4/3 sensor and you can get all the information you need here. http://www.fourthirdsphoto.com

Underwater, I've been very happy with the Olympus. The cost factor was a big reason for me buying the Olympus and it ended up a perfect match for my beginner skills.My Flickr Underwater Photos I've been using Olympus DSLR's for almost 2 years now underwater and enjoy the camera a great deal. I own the E520 for reference.

The only limitation I've found using the camera is high ISO and since I don't shoot high ISO underwater its not been a big show stopper for me. IS0 800 is about as far as I like to push the camera due to noise. Topside I shoot my kids indoor sporting events and have to use a beefy flash for that purpose. The zoom glass gets pricey with a fixed aperture at 2.0 :?)

Canon or Nikon would be your safest bet. (available everywhere, not to mention the

possibility of renting additional lenses/accessories)

To actually see detail in the deer you'll have to be at least at the 400mm range.

I'd recommend longer. Maybe a spotting scope with a mount for your camera brand

of choice.

Obviously the scope or long lens wouldn't accompany you underwater....

Exactly what Loftus said.

Olympus is very tempting because of the factory UW housings that are reasonably priced. Unfortunately, Olympus doesn't have an equivalent to the Nikon 80-400 VR or Canon 100-400 IS which are really what you need for the deer (Sigma makes a 80-400 stabilized lens which is almost up to the Nikon or Canon, but not much cheaper and more variable in quality - available in the Olympus mount). A basic Nikon or Canon SLR will give fine results (with lower high ISO noise than Olympus).

The cost of an UW housing, port(s), flash, arms, cords, etc. is pretty consequential. (even though the price of Ikelite housings is appealing, the ergonomics are pretty bad)

Before making a decision, you need to add up the total cost and consider how serious you are about UW photography. You can buy a pretty nice Olympus point and shoot UW system with flash for the cost of a good housing for Nikon or Canon SLR.

Olympus does have a 70-300 lens for less than $400 which, given the 2x crop factor, is equal to the 80-400 / 100-400 at a fraction of the cost.

The high ISO performance is really not that bad, about a stop worse than Canon/Nikon but given that the DOF is a stop greater at a given aperture, that often evens out.

Thank you all for the help. We ultimately did decide on the Nikon D90. We opted for a Nikkor 70-300 lens which has done a reasonable job. My wife is very happy with it. Up until now, the best camera in the house was my Oly 5060 that I use mostly for UW. It's been a great little camera, but stepping up to the DSLR is impressive. Of course, now we just need to learn how to use all the new features.

When I first bought the 5060, I found some great information in the forums on settings for UW. Are you familiar with anything similar for the D90. Thanks again!!