Yet another camera question?

[sharks]

I know I have asked this a few times but now it’s purchasing time and I want opinions on what camera to get. I have a budget of $1000 give or take and here are the 2 cameras I am looking at.

http://www2.dealtime.com/dt-app/GS/.../Keyword-Nikon 5700/IsPrd-0/LinkinId-2072595/

And

http://www2.dealtime.com/dt-app/GS/...n EOS_Digital_Rebel/IsPrd-0/LinkinId-2072595/

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. If you have other camera suggestions let me know
I plan on getting some of the extras shortly. (Tri-pod, more memory, lenses….)
TIA
S

 

[ReefLady]

I would buy the Nikon in a heartbeat. 8x optical zoom, and 1.2" macro focus range, IMO, make it pretty hard to beat.

Love my Coolpix 995. If I could afford a new digicam, the 5700 would be my choice.

 

[sharks]

That’s the one I'm leaning to I just wanted a few opinions before I take the plunge.
I lost an email from Travis but I think this was the one he said to look at.
Thanks for the quick reply Teri

 

[ReefLady]

When I bought my Nikon, I reasearched digicams to death. Of course, this was a couple years ago, so things have changed greatly.

My choices were finally narrowed between Nikon & Canon (the 995 & I believe the G2 was the "comparable" Canon model at the time).

Nikons almost always have the best macro - which is very helpful for reef critter shots.

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure the Canon Digital Rebel 300D comes without lenses. Check into that. It's definitely a fantastic camera, but IMO, the Nikon will do all you want and more, "OOB" (out-of-the-box) without a lot of costly add-ons.

I'm excited for ya!

 

[ReefLady]

It can come with one lens, but you will definitely need more.

Unless you have another $1500 budgeted for lenses and accessories, I recommend the coolpix.

T

 

[Playa]

Hey sharks you are looking are 2 very awesome cameras. I have been in a similar predicament myself. I have tested the Nikon 4300 and the 5700. They are both awesome cameras, the 5700 8x zoom lense rocks and it is really the major distinction in my opinion as far as taking shots of reef tanks.

I am not a worthy person to give ya opinions since I am such a novice photographer. The Nikon 5700 has been out now for quite sometime. It has been dropping in price since the Spring and there is a chance that it can be bought for a lower price than $600 in the near future.

I believe there will be a big war between all the manufacturers fighting for a market on digital SLR cameras. The setback in them is the added expenses in lenses and so on, just as Teri mentioned.

Here some choices:

1. Borrow a camera from a friend if you need to take some shots of new corals or your reef tank, while prices drop.

2. Buy a 5700 from your local RITZ and try it yourself for 10 days before you make a final call.

3. Try other cameras from Ritz the same way as option 2.

4. Fly Travis from Texas and have him take a professional photo shoot of your reef and your family.

Patience sharks, you waited this long, so might just as well wait a little longer. I have been shoping for a digital camera for 8 months. In the meantime my Fuji 6x is doing a decent job.

 

[Mary]

Sharks,
I just got the 5700 and really like it so far. I haven't even had time to read the book on it yet and like the pics its taken so far without really knowing it's features. I just found out last night how to put it in Macro mode. The Blennie in the cap and clam pics I posted recently were with that camera and me not even reading yet on how to enhance the camera. They were taken in "normal" mode.
Here is a link to where I got mine and a bit less than what you linked. A dollar or two that you save can be used for the tank, instead.
http://www.butterflyphoto.com/search.php?SimpleSearch=nikon 5700

I did PM Robie to ask him a few questions about it too and he has helped me. Thank you for that Robz! Of course, I don't have the "extras" that he has shown superior talent with his photos. His pics, along with RR and RL's have inspired me to go with a Nikon. Nikon also has a $100.00 rebate offer right now too.
HTH
Mary

 

[cheeks69]

I bought my canon g3 from butterflyphoto.com and recommend buying from them,they have great customer service and their prices are great

 

[Playa]

Hi Mary. I have butterflyphoto bookmarked for a while. could you please give us a rating of them based on customer service, shipping and so on. Please tell us what was inclusive with the camera.

TIA

Luis

 

[Mary]

Hi Luis!

I followed a link that Travis posted and ended up here with the info on the 5700.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/nikon5700.html

From there I clicked on the link for stores, prices and the ratings.
I got the same page Sharks posted and then did a sort by price and read the reviews. I did know that butterflyphoto did have a good rep, so I trusted and chose them.

http://www2.dealtime.com/xPC-Nikon_Coolpix_5700~S-2~PG-1


The camera came by itself, but I ordered the Extra longer life battery, a memory card and card reader. Cha -ching! It adds up fast, but I was lucky the hubby just said - get it and order it today! I didn't do it and waited a few days and of course they were selling fast with X-mas orders. Some places that I did call about it had sold out. Now I hope to get some time to sit and learn by trial and error on how to use it! So many features and whistles and bells on it.

 

[cheeks69]

Includes16MB CompactFlash Card, Rechargeable battery (EN-EL1), Battery charger (MH-53), USB cable, Video cable, Nikon Software CD-ROM (includes Nikon View 5), User's Guide, 1 Year limited warranty.

You will definitely have to upgrade the CompactFlash card and may have to get a second set of batteries and it doesn't come with the case.

I would rate their service a 5 out 5 JME

 

[Mary]

Luis,
They shipped me by two day Fed EX and they processed the order the day I called it in. I called late in the day and it still went out that day. The guy that answered my questions also matched a price that I gave him from another site for the extras.

 

[Playa]

Thanx cheeks and Mary.

Mary said:
"The guy that answered my questions also matched a price that I gave him from another site for the extras."

Mary please forgive me for asking so much of you, but please tell us what was the price on the extras. If you could itemize them if it is not a lot of trouble.

TIA

Luis

Cheeks was the shipping prompt for you as well?

 

[Mary]

This is all that I purchased

The camera and battery that came with it
Nikon Software
128 compact flash card (I'm calling them already to return it for a higher memory card after getting Robies advice)
High Speed Compact Flash Card Reader
Lithium Ion battery and charger along with an adaptor to charge in your car
Larger Carrying case
Lens cleaning kit
930.00 and I then get $100.00 back with my rebate
2-day shipping

HTH

 

[sharks]

I will look locally and see if any of the local shops will match what I see online.
If not I will be calling butterflyphoto.
I will try to get the largest memory card available. (Learned that with my first crappy cam)
Thank you much for the opinions and the link Mary
I should wait for the price drop but if RL is still happy with the 995 I’m sure I will be happy with the 5700 for at least the next few years.
S

 

[ReefLady]

I would definitely add an extra battery. I have found that to be an extremely useful "accessory". It takes 2-3 hours to charge the battery, and you aren't always in the position that you want to wait. Always having a charged battery available is well worth the extra cost, IMO.

There is an awesome 6-page review on this cam here: >Steve's Digicams, Nikon 5700<

If you decide to buy the camera, I would strongly recommend this book: A Short Course in Nikon Coolpix 5700 Photography (Book & CD-ROM)<. I own the one for the 995, and it proved invaluable to me.

Be very careful with purchasing a digicam online. There are many reputable etailers out there, but many (mostly the NYC import shops) deal in gray-market cameras. Do your research.

I bought mine through Dell -- reputable, plus you can usually find a discount/coupon code to apply to your purchase along with the camera rebate.

If you go through >this link at Dell<, you get 10% off, and free shipping. So, your total cost would be $810.00 delivered, then you get the $100.00 rebate, so $710.00. Wow, that's tempting.

 

[Mary]

RL,
Thanks for the book link!

 

[BigReepher]

I'll vouch for Newegg.com. I've bought countless things from them and have never had a problem. I'll be giving butterflyphoto a look as well. I like the Nikon BTW.

 

[sharks]

OK gang here is what I will be ordering.
http://www.butterflyphoto.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=2262
I will also get the pro kit for it
· 512MB Memory Card
· Deluxe Case
· EN-EL1 Li-ION Battery
· Universal Battery Charger
· Lens Maintenance Kit

I should be good for a little while with all this.
I just tried to call in the order and the sales group closed early to prepare for a blowout sale tomorrow from 6-9PM (EST I assume since they are in NY)
So I will call during the sale time
If the sale prices are nice I will go for a lens or 2
The guy at the local camera shop wanted $899 just for the camera
He was telling me I would need to get a ring coupler to add lenses to this camera???
Can anyone recommend what would be a good general lens to look for? Or a nice macro lens?
Thanks again :craig:
S

 

[Craig Manoukian]

Wow, Sharks! What a great deal at $569.

Really makes you think about going full Digital SLR instead of $329 for an SLR-like camera. For just an additional $240 makes you think long and hard. Congrats and we'll look forward to seeing your great new photos!

:smirk: