Northern Ireland Aviation Enthusiast's Forum
General => General Discussion => Photography => Topic started by: Chalkman on November 08, 2010, 08:26:16 PM
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Hey - Looking for tips for getting my first real spotting camera budget would be around 300-350, seen this one on another forum.
Nikon d60 Digital SLR 18-55MM kit lens, uv filter and spare battery £230
Any info would be very welcome.
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Haven't used the D60 - I'm a Canon man, but there's a review of it here
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/ (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/)
There's a dropdown box at the top of the page that will take you to more indepth pages.
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Seems reasonable - but you would really need a bigger lens for 'spotting'.
You could look around for a second hand 55-200mm lens with the rest of your budget?
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The one thing I would say is you will need a longer reach lens if you want to get any decent aircraft pics, a 300mm is what most people , myself included use.
So I would be more inclined to get a slightly older camera for less money and invest in a good lens, then when you have enough saved up you can upgrade the camera and still have a good lens..
A ok camera with a good lens will get you better results than a good camera with a ok lens......
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Chalkman,
I have a D60 which I got as a kit about 2 years ago for under £500. Came with an 18-55mm, 55-200mm and bag.
As the others pointed out a longer reach lens is a must. The 55-200m is good for spotting at the airport but I also picked up a Tamron 70-300mm lens for about £90 and an 18-135mm lens for about £120 on eBay.
If you're getting a Nikon lens I'd recommend the VR series as they apparently give better quality. The DX lens do not have vibration reduction built in.
I'd also recommend getting a battery pack as it help improves the weight/feel of the camera. The only thing is that the only place you can get them is Hong Kong ;D
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Cheers for the info folks ;D