Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm shopping for some new toys and just wanted some input from the people who know best. I'm looking for something cheap but still serves its purpose. Thanks for any help.
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Justin
stk18119@loki.stockton.edu

D.auratus
D.leucomelas
D.tinctorius (lorenzo, yellowback, citro, pb, oyopock,etc.)
D.azureus
D.ventrimaculatus (yellow/gold)
D.pumilio (blue jeans, solid red)
P.aurotaenia (narrow bands/green)
P.bicolor
E.tricolor (Santa Isabel)
H. leucophyllata
P. hypochondrialis azurea
P. resinfictrix
etc.......

Define cheap. The canon 10D is good for just under $2,000 with lenses. The Sigma SD10 is coming out this november and should be just as good with a similar starting price.

Below that I believe the Canon G3 is down to a few hundred dollars, I know it is a great camera (I have a G5) but I know nothing of its macro capability.

If you're looking for something cheaper then that, I'm clueless. You may want to look at the reviews on www.dpreview.com

Joe
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3.0.1 Tinc Patricias
0.0.2836 Pea Aphids
0.0.4392 Springtails
0.0.1842 FruitFlies
0.1.30 Dampwood Termites

I use a Nikon Coolpix 4500. I think it's around $650 to $700 (or that's around what I paid last year). I love its abilities for the price range. It's not too great in the field, but with some dessicant packages hopefully we'll be in ok shape later this month...
J

When it comes to macros, I can safely say that Nikon has it in the bag. I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4300 a while back and have been really pleased with it's out of the box macro shots. True, they aren't the greatest and closest shots, but you can buy an adaptor ring from Nikon for like 8 dollars and then opt to find a good deal on the Hoya closeup set(around 30 bucks) . The camera price has gone down alot lately and you may opt to buy a slightly better model like the 990 or higher. They aren't SLR's but they sure pack some power in their small, subtle size. Also, the rechargeable battery packs are a big plus compared having to shell out for AA's every week. I've embedded a macro photo of one of my vents for your viewing pleasure. While this may not be the most superior macro you've seen, it is very impressive for an out of the box shot. I can't wait till I get the Hoya closeup set.

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Updated list as of: 10/20/03
2.2.3 D. azureus
1.2 D. ventrimaculatus 'yellow' (22 tads in the water)
3.3 D. tinctorius 'cobalt'
0.0.3 D. tinctorius 'patricia'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'giant orange'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'citronella'
0.0.2 D auratus 'zwartgroene(black)'
0.0.5 D. auratus 'green/black' (tads)
0.0.3 D. imitator 'Alex Sens line' (very soon)
0.0.2 D. reticulatus (soon)

check this one out! The image is rather large so if you are on dialup it may take a while to load.

-Bill J
Vent macro BIG pic

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Updated list as of: 10/20/03
2.2.3 D. azureus
1.2 D. ventrimaculatus 'yellow' (22 tads in the water)
3.3 D. tinctorius 'cobalt'
0.0.3 D. tinctorius 'patricia'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'giant orange'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'citronella'
0.0.2 D auratus 'zwartgroene(black)'
0.0.5 D. auratus 'green/black' (tads)
0.0.3 D. imitator 'Alex Sens line' (very soon)
0.0.2 D. reticulatus (soon)

Hey nice picture! Pretty sharp if you ask me. I'm not looking to
go pro here but that camera seems like a worth while investment.
Thanks all for your input. My current camera is just a disgrace...
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Justin
stk18119@loki.stockton.edu

D.auratus
D.leucomelas
D.tinctorius (lorenzo, yellowback, citro, pb, oyopock,etc.)
D.azureus
D.ventrimaculatus (yellow/gold)
D.pumilio (blue jeans, solid red)
P.aurotaenia (narrow bands/green)
P.bicolor
E.tricolor (Santa Isabel)
H. leucophyllata
P. hypochondrialis azurea
P. resinfictrix
etc.......

One more note. One of the main reasons I suggested the low end dSLRs is thier ISO range is way higher than the non-SLR. The canon 10d can shoot at an ISO of 3200 while most point and click cameras can't shoot above 400. This makes a huge difference if you want to shoot without flash or if you want to shoot pictures of movement inside of your vivarium, such as a frog jumping. You could do this with flash on any camera but then you can't shoot rapidly because you have to wait for the flash to charge. Also, I don't like flashing my frogs too much.

Basically what I'm saying here is that for the same shot without flash the dSLRs can use a much faster shutter speed giving you a sharper picture, especially when moving frogs are involved.

Of course this may be minor for everyone except the most anal such as myself.

joe
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3.0.1 Tinc Patricias
0.0.2836 Pea Aphids
0.0.4392 Springtails
0.0.1842 FruitFlies
0.1.30 Dampwood Termites

Hello,

I use a Fuji FinePix S602. It has been a really nice camera and I like the picture I can take with it. It runs right at $500.
Here is a picture I took with it and yes that is a dime on the other side of the plastic.

I do like the idea Joe has about the SLR cameras.
Canon did just come out with the EOS Digital Rebel and it is priced just under $900. It is alot like the EOS 10D, with out some of the fancy stuff. Outdoor Photographer just had an article about it in the November issue. If I had to do it again I would buy it and then spend some money on a nice lens. Then if you ever outgrow the camera you can buy something like the EOS 10D and still use the same lens.

Read up on the link Joe gave, it is the same one I am posting.
Great review page..

Good Luck finding one,

Ben Green

Digital Camera Review page

Darn, I totally meant to mention that camera and forgot.

So here's the sale pitch for the canon 300D (Digital Rebal), it uses the same CMOS sensor as its big brother (10D) so has the same abilities to take lower light pictures without a flash. It has most of the features you could want including full manual and blah blah, basically more than any point and shoot camera but fewer than most other dSLRs. It is missing a few features the 10D has but most people would never use them. You can get it in a cheap package with a descent starter lens and when you out grow it you just need to buy new lenses, not a new camera (sigma makes nice lenses cheap). Nice camera for the average person, though the true enthusiast may want to consider its big brother.

joe
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3.0.1 Tinc Patricias
0.0.2836 Pea Aphids
0.0.4392 Springtails
0.0.1842 FruitFlies
0.1.30 Dampwood Termites

Thats a tough question. A lot of people go with the old standards, but I really like the Sonys, a lot of them come with lenses (Carl Zeiss) that are just well above the rest. Now if your looking to DSLR then Canon D10 is the way to go. I have a Sony F707, and there is a bit newer version a F717. You can check out my pictures at the link below.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

I don't have frogs yet but I shoot macros of my chameleon through an Olympus C-4000. It has a super macro mode that can shoot from .6 inches away. Great capabilities. I would put one on but I am away from my home computer. It is 4 megapixels and you can find it for around 300 bucks.
I also suggest you go to a site like www.photographyreview.com and look at some reviews. that way you kmnow you get the most bang for your buck
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Matt