First camera and lenses - Nikon d3100? (1 Viewer)

Hi,

My fiancee and I have been bird watching for quite a while, and every time we go, we end up complaining that we don't have a camera to capture what we see. Therefore, I have decided to get my first DSLR camera.

My budget is limited, and having done a fair bit of research, I think I'm going to go for the Nikon d3100. Does anyone have experience with this camera, and would anyone recommend it?

I will also be looking to purchase a lens, specifically with bird photography in mind. As I've mentioned, budget is limited, but I would like to get the best images I possibly can, although of course I understand they won't be as good as those taken by professionals with £1000+ lenses!

I'm looking for recommendations for a decent budget lens for birding, preferable with AF and vibration control. So far I've seen these two:

Nikon 70-300mm AF-S VR

or

Tamron SP 70-300mm VC

Will the Tamron autofocus with the D3100?

Thanks in advance,


Sarah

Looks like you have done your homework.

I don't think there is much of a difference between the Nikon or Tamron lens - I suggest you try both and see which one you prefer.

At any rate, good like and happy "shooting".

Hi Sarah,

Those two lenses are compatible with the D3100. A full list of all lenses from all the manufacturers is here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ses_with_integrated_autofocus-motor#Telephoto

However 300mm is rarely enough for birding and the D3200 (latest version) only has 11 focus points and only 1 cross-type. This is really poor by Nikon's standards. Why not consider the D5300 (latest version of the D5000 range) with 39 focus points of which 9 are cross type - a huge benefit when you need to find fast and accurate focus.

The other issue is the 70-300 lens. 300mm is really the barest minimum for bird photography and although I too started with the Tamron (lots of CA but still a very reasonable lens for the money) you, like I did, will very soon want to upgrade it. If the camera is going to be used for other functions and lenses then it's worth considering though as both will deliver high quality photos.

However in your shoes I may well go for the best 'bridge' camera I can. Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Lumix (Panasonic) and Sony (H400 is x63 !!) have some great bridges and they can get you far closer to the bird (look for x35 to x63 times magnification) though for those long magnifications you will usually need to put the camera on a small tripod or monopod to get sharp shots. Look also for image stabilisation in-camera as that will help too at very high equivalent telephoto ranges (often equal to ca. 1,500mm).

There are compromises of course, they don't perform as well at dawn/dusk or in low light, they are not going to capture great bird in flight (BIF) shots and so on .. but for the money they will give you something a D3200 or D5300 can't that is imperative with bird photography ... reach. And best of all ? They are all under £500.00 !!

Take a look at these reviews :

http://sitijul.blogspot.tw/2013/05/sony-dsc-hx300b-20-mp-digital-camera.html

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/top-10-best-ultra-zoom-bridge-digital-cameras-2013-16928

Sarah welcome. You could consider a Nikon 1 with and ft-1 adapter. Then mount something around 200mm which would give you around 500mm lens. I use one occasionally and for the money it's a great set up. Reasonable price and doubles as a really nice walkabout set up when you have a Nikon 1 lens attached. Bought mine second hand with 2 lenses for £400.00

It really depends what other types of photography you are interested in… only, birds, but also portraits, macro, scenic…?

The D3200 will allow you to explore more avenues than a bridge camera, as there are a myriad of other lenses to choose from eg. fast primes (f1.8), macro (40mm) etc, which will help you broaden your creative scope. For most use 11 sensor points is fine.

The Nikon 1 is an alternative, but i would suggest, look before your leap.

I hope you settle on a good choice and enjoy the pleasure of photography.

I think what you have described is a decent first kit. The Nikkor 70-300 is not known to be particularly sharp at 300-- some reviews call it a good 70-200 which actually can zoom out to 300. If it were me, I'd give the Tamron a good, hard look.

For some of us, (I won't name names) once you start photographing birds, you'll always want longer, faster...

Jim

Hi Sarah,

I like the suggestions so far, Steve’s suggested the V1 with adapter, but I personally find the balance awkward with such a small camera.

The bridge camera is an option for you, Nikon are about to launch a new model, although I’m not a great admirer of these huge zooms, it might be worth having a look.

I would also look at the new Olympus Stylus 1; it’s a 300mm zoom lens.

Good zoom lenses for DSLR are out of your price range, so there’s a compromise on the camera as the only option. My view is always buy the best lenses, a camera which then suits your needs will eventually be produced.

Tread some carpets at your local camera store and get a feel for the different models that you feel comfortable with.

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies (a lot of info there to get through!) and sorry it's taken me a bit of time to get back to you. Just another quick question about the Tamron lens I mentioned in my original post. Will it work with the D3100 with a teleconverter? And if so, which teleconverter?

Thanks again,


Sarah

I'm afraid a teleconverter is not an option because your lens will be too slow. You'd need to buy a 300/2.8 or 300/4 for that to work. And a good TC is not cheap either.

It's always going to be a compromise between reach (Bridge) and best image quality (DSLR), with with the Nikon 1 and Micro 4/3 cameras in between

well thank you again for all your replies, after (even more) consideration, I have gone ahead and purchased a bridge camera! I got the Canon SX50 HS I think it will work out well for me, as it seems to have a decent zoom. Can't wait to get started now!

sorry to be late into the thread - IMHO you need a DSLR

- a good starting point - used D300 + used Nikon f300 f4 + used Nikon x 1.4TC + good tripod and head, (to be used especially with the x 1.4TC, but the Nikon 300mm f4 is also good hand held and at f4 it still shines)

You will be amazed and feel good about some of the shots that you get

Bridge, V1 + FT-1 ...... you may be disappointed when you look at what others produce

IMHO of course