Posted by:
wetceal
at Wed Dec 6 19:35:37 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by wetceal ]
interested. You can be the man version of me, Brian 
Congrats on deciding to get the D80. A friend of ours just got it (early Christmas present) and he loves it. I have not had the opportunity to try it myself although if I know Nikon, I'm sure it's a great piece of equipment!
I use the Nikon D200 with a Nikon 60mm Micro Nikkor lens, a Nikon SB-800 speedlight and the Lightsphere II diffuser. Now I have taken my lens, flash, and diffuser and used them on a Nikon D50 body in the past and got very good, similar results as when I use my D200.
So, my suggestion would be the equipment I listed above. I almost use the 60mm lens exclusively for all of my snake photos. It does a fantastic job for baby snakes from colubrids to ball pythons. With older snakes, it can be a bit more difficult because it is a fixed focal length lens so you are unable to zoom in or out. I can use it comfortably for most juvenile boas and ball pythons but have difficulty with adult ball pythons and larger.
I am still able to do use it very satisfactorily if I stand on a step ladder and adjust the settings to compensate for the distance. There are three lenses in the Micro Nikkor series - the 60mm, the 105mm, and the 200mm. All three are incredibly sharp, good lenses. The 105mm and the 200mm are fantastic for photographs in the feild where you need to keep your distance but they just aren't practical for reptile photography. The 60mm is perfect though.
I do have a zoom lens that came with my camera at the time of purchase because I was only able to get the D200 in a kit at the time due to high demand. It is the Nikon 18-70mm AFS Nikkor lens. I was going to sell the lens on eBay but after trying it out, I really liked it and decided to keep it. I think it is a great "walking around" lens and also works very well for my larger snakes.
Here's the link to the diffuser too if you are interested in ordering it. It is WELL worth the $50...
http://www.garyfong.com/newsplash.html
I hope this helps!
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Celia Chien
Celia Chien Photography
www.ExoticsByNature.com
www.BoaConstrictorMorphs.com
www.BallPythonMorphs.com
www.CornSnakeMorphs.com
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