Advice on what camera to get on a low budget (1 Viewer)

Recommend you also look at the Panasonic FZ200 or FZ300/330. Both have fast 600mm eq lens. Can get FZ200 quite cheap now.

Check my gallery for FZ300 samples which should be very similar to FZ200.

birdsandbirds said:

Thanks, yes, that makes a lot of sense.
Those pictures look really good!
I'm still glad about the advice I got here, I now know what to look for and I believe it'll only be a matter of time till I find a good deal.
I was just a little frustrated (with myself) because I didn't understand what specifications to look for in a camera for this purpose and I knew I wouldn't be able to afford a new camera for a while. I was worried I might choose a camera that wouldn't suit my needs, and be stuck with it.
Hopefully my next post will be about birds I managed to catch on camera

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

I will, thank you

You could look at the Nikon D710 along with those.

I have both DSLR and lenses up to 600mm but constantly find myself using the Canon SX50 bridge camera which is fantastic foir birds due to the powerful zoom. Easy to carry and use, particularly if you are a birder first and photographer second. You should be able to pick one up within your budget as they are now overtaken by the SX60 but I believe that hasn't proved so popular

Foxy said:

I have both DSLR and lenses up to 600mm but constantly find myself using the Canon SX50 bridge camera which is fantastic foir birds due to the powerful zoom. Easy to carry and use, particularly if you are a birder first and photographer second. You should be able to pick one up within your budget as they are now overtaken by the SX60 but I believe that hasn't proved so popular

Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. I was perfectly happy with my Canon SX50 for four years. It was perfect for my needs when I started birding, spending thousands of hours on walks - first in my city, forest, parks, the river, later visiting nature resources and special "habitats" to find the rarer birds that I was eager to see.

Had I used a heavy DSLR as a beginner, I had only got a fraction of the fun. It hurts to see people asking "I am a beginner, what's better for me, a Canon or Nikon DSLR?" and then go away with the impression that only a top DSLR weighing 2,6kg and costing Euro 3.200,-- would be worth buying. After a while they find out that 400mm are not enough to observe small songbirds, in particular if they are shy (say, larks in a field). So they get a teleconverter, adding 200g and more costs. - Instead of getting a Canon SX50, used, for Euro 170,-- in the first place.

People are getting older, and wearing 2,8kg around for hours instead of 580g is a hell of a difference. - I am presently using a 1kg setup, but that's only because the SX50 has limitations with birds in flight.

It's probably worth pointing out that the new Nikon 300f4 PF lens has changed things somewhat.

Put it on a D7200 and you have a combo which weighs just 1,520g. Adding the 1.4 TC increases the total weight to 1,770g.

Way more than the SX50, of course, but still comparatively light for a DSLR. Focus is still quick, and you have 24 megapixels from which to crop.

The biggest drawback of this set-up is probably the price.

Malcolm

People are getting older, and wearing 2,8kg around for hours instead of 580g is a hell of a difference. - I am presently using a 1kg setup, but that's only because the SX50 has limitations with birds in flight.[/QUOTE]

I would certainly agree with the comment about birds in flight, and add birds in bushes where there are focusing limitations but for the most part the SX50 is brilliant, and gets you closer to birds than a DSLR ever would unless you want to spend eye-watering amounts on big (and very heavy) lenses.

MalR said:

It's probably worth pointing out that the new Nikon 300f4 PF lens has changed things somewhat.

Put it on a D7200 and you have a combo which weighs just 1,520g. Adding the 1.4 TC increases the total weight to 1,770g.

Way more than the SX50, of course, but still comparatively light for a DSLR. Focus is still quick, and you have 24 megapixels from which to crop.

The biggest drawback of this set-up is probably the price.

Malcolm

Click to expand...

Malcolm,
You helped me decide on the 300f4 PF / D7200 combo and I haven't regretted it once - I would commend to anyone who wants DSLR image quality and BIF capability while still being able to primarily go out birdwatching.
The OP did specify a slightly smaller budget however so for this purpose I would equally commend the Panasonic FZ200 - now available new for around half of the original selling price. My wife uses it now on the basic 'iA' setting, but it has the range of features to enable a beginner photographer to learn different settings gradually, including taking RAW files. It doesn't have the high ISO capabilities of a DSLR of course, but for the better light conditions you get more often in Portugal, you can get very acceptable shots.
I've attached a couple she took this autumn in Portugal with the FZ200, as an example of what the OP could reasonably expect - an Audouin's gull on the Ria Formosa, illustrating how you can get good, quite distant record shots, and a much closer little egret on the saltpans near Faro airport.