swamp_rattler
Well-known member
Hello all,
I have a Nikon Coolpix 4500 that I use to digiscope, but since I more often use my camera for regular photography (and I'm not very good at digiscoping) I'm considering moving to a new digital camera. I was initially looking at the Panasonic Lumix FZ7 (6 MP, 12x optical) which I thought would give me nice reach for bird photography. And if I could find a nice 2x doubler, I could get even more reach, right?
Anyhoo, now I'm starting to consider perhaps getting a cheap DSLR...a used camera off ebay or craigslist for example. I've seen Olympus E-300 DSLRs go for the lower 300's USD. But would I be able to find a lens that would get me good magnification? How much magnification would a 300 mm lens get me? A 500mm? A 600mm? What about teleconverters? I've seen lots of 500mm lenses that would fit the Olympus E-300 on ebay for $150...but are those lenses any good?
I'm thinking the simple FZ7 may be more up my alley, but I'm keeping myself open to DSLRs if the price is affordable.
Thanks!
I have a Nikon Coolpix 4500 that I use to digiscope, but since I more often use my camera for regular photography (and I'm not very good at digiscoping) I'm considering moving to a new digital camera. I was initially looking at the Panasonic Lumix FZ7 (6 MP, 12x optical) which I thought would give me nice reach for bird photography. And if I could find a nice 2x doubler, I could get even more reach, right?
Anyhoo, now I'm starting to consider perhaps getting a cheap DSLR...a used camera off ebay or craigslist for example. I've seen Olympus E-300 DSLRs go for the lower 300's USD. But would I be able to find a lens that would get me good magnification? How much magnification would a 300 mm lens get me? A 500mm? A 600mm? What about teleconverters? I've seen lots of 500mm lenses that would fit the Olympus E-300 on ebay for $150...but are those lenses any good?
I'm thinking the simple FZ7 may be more up my alley, but I'm keeping myself open to DSLRs if the price is affordable.
Thanks!