What camera and lense would be best?

[12 point]

I will be needing to invest in a new camera for taking pictures of wildlife in a mountainous area. Most of the pictures may be taken while riding a horse.

Would a Nikon D90 work ok or would another brand and model be better?

I'm hoping to pack a tripod for the times I won't be on a horse.

A friend who's a photographer was discussing the type of cameras that have a different shutter feature which won't cause a vibration or movement that would impact the quality of the photos. I forgot what exactly he was saying in regards to that. I'm new to photography and really don't want to invest $5,000 or more in equipment at this time, but want to take advantage of some excellent photo opportunities.

What lenses would I need? I heard about some very good German made lenses. Believe the brand name is Voigtlander. I'm guessing I'll need more than one lense to start with.

Should I stay away from Nikon and go with a Canon instead?

[Legdog]

I'd go with either Canon or Nikon.

I believe both have nice vibration reduction options.

You probably will want something that will reach out and pull wildlife in but now you are talking $. The 70-200 is very nice but you may want 300mm... or more.

here's some good reading on the subject

[12 point]

I'd go with either Canon or Nikon.

I believe both have nice vibration reduction options.

You probably will want something that will reach out and pull wildlife in but now you are talking $. The 70-200 is very nice but you may want 300mm... or more.

here's some good reading on the subject

Thanks. I appreciate the info very much.

[unclefish]

I have a D90 and it's great but I believe its discontinued. I cant remember what the new equivalent model is for it (maybe 3100).

I bought the 18-200mm and it was a good first lens. I took it elk hunting two years in a row and wish I had a 300mm like Leggy suggested.

[WildMatt84]

You can still get a d90 at bestbuy. I messed around with one when I picked up my d5100. Bestbuy has deals going on right now where you get a discounted price on lens' if you purchase a DSLR. I got the body a 18-55mm lens and a 80-300mm lens for right around 1000$

[Nova]

I am new to photography as well but I just bought (on the reccomendation of a friend who is awesome) a canon T2i with 18-55 is lens kit and 55-250 IS lens with a couple of cards from BH photography for 787.90 out the door. It seems to be a great camera and can also take 1080 HD video. The T3i is the next step up and is also a great option. The IS stands for image stabilization and might be a good fit for what you want to do without breaking the bank.

[12 point]

I am new to photography as well but I just bought (on the reccomendation of a friend who is awesome) a canon T2i with 18-55 is lens kit and 55-250 IS lens with a couple of cards from BH photography for 787.90 out the door. It seems to be a great camera and can also take 1080 HD video. The T3i is the next step up and is also a great option. The IS stands for image stabilization and might be a good fit for what you want to do without breaking the bank.

Thank you for that information. I've heard good things about Nikon, but kind of leaning towards a Canon. Not sure yet on the exact model, but will check on the one you mentioned. Thanks.

[12 point]

You can still get a d90 at bestbuy. I messed around with one when I picked up my d5100. Bestbuy has deals going on right now where you get a discounted price on lens' if you purchase a DSLR. I got the body a 18-55mm lens and a 80-300mm lens for right around 1000$

Yeah, I was looking at a sales paper the other day. Might go take a look in person.

[Johnny Dangerr]

Call Houston Camera Exchange and pick up a used D80 or 90 and a 55-300. Wally world sells the lens for a good price.
Make sure it is VR.

You can pick up a walk around lens 18-55 for cheep, and I would get a 50mm also.

The whole bundle should be around 875.00.
Houston Camera also has a bag / tripod kit that is very reasonable. It is made by Manfrotto.

[nick123]

The Nikon d90 has a magnesium alloy body so it is going to be built a bit better than the Nikon 5100 and the canon t3i even though the specs are a bit better. It is a great camera. The Nikon d7000 is another really good one with better specs. I'm not a fan of the canon 60d because of the plastic body but love the 7d. But it's the lenses that make the picture in my opinion. A 70-200 with a 2.8 would be great but pricey. But on a sunny day a 55- 300 or 70-300 will do just fine outdoors. You can always get a 35 mm with a 1.8 ap for indoor use later. Good luck its fun and addicting.

[12 point]

Call Houston Camera Exchange and pick up a used D80 or 90 and a 55-300. Wally world sells the lens for a good price.
Make sure it is VR.

You can pick up a walk around lens 18-55 for cheep, and I would get a 50mm also.

The whole bundle should be around 875.00.
Houston Camera also has a bag / tripod kit that is very reasonable. It is made by Manfrotto.

Thanks Thor, I'll give them a call.

I've heard some others say good things about the Manfrotto as well. There's another one called a Quanteray(I think) that is a tripod and has a single leg stand inside. Thanks for the info. Sounds like a bargain at that price.

[12 point]

The Nikon d90 has a magnesium alloy body so it is going to be built a bit better than the Nikon 5100 and the canon t3i even though the specs are a bit better. It is a great camera. The Nikon d7000 is another really good one with better specs. I'm not a fan of the canon 60d because of the plastic body but love the 7d. But it's the lenses that make the picture in my opinion. A 70-200 with a 2.8 would be great but pricey. But on a sunny day a 55- 300 or 70-300 will do just fine outdoors. You can always get a 35 mm with a 1.8 ap for indoor use later. Good luck its fun and addicting.

Thanks. I'm definitely looking forward to being able to take better quality pics. I'll will make sure to not skimp on lense quality. Have heard some pros stress the importance of quality of the lenses rather than just the camera body too. Going to make sure I get a camera with the VR feature. I'm hoping that the camera and lenses I buy can be used for taking pics in an airplane as well, after I also purchase a quality UV filter. Just will have to wait and see what all is needed for that. Lots to learn.

[teamone]

Buy a weatherproof body, but pay most attention to your lense. You'll want something at least 200 for wildlife and image stabilized if you're riding.