Reptile & Amphibian Forums

New Camera... Fuji Finepix S5100 ..finally started shooting in full manual mode..the days of point and shoot are over. This will be my transition camera for the next year, and then it's on to the SLR. Great camera for 400 bucks , surprisngly fast shutter speeds , don't have to worry about the images being to blurry if the camera shakes a little because the shutter is so fast... I really like it . Stay tuned..the photos will get better...

Suri by FLR03

I just took this the other day with my D70 which I absolutely love by the way. I really couldn't justify--at this point at least--purchasing one of the higher end digital SLR's given the D70's amazing features...sure, the Canon jpegs may have a bit more color saturation, but for my keeper photos, I tend to shoot in NEF (RAW for non-nikon users) anyway and post process with photoshop CS...I'm curious which way you're leaning Charles.

Cheers,
Gabriel

this shot is really compressed, the uncompressed photo is much crisper.

but I just can't justify it right now. I'm pretty happy with taking 4 megapixel photos. The Fuji does allow you to capture photos in raw format, but it slows things down drastically. The most noticeable difference between this Fuji and the Nikons I have used is speed... I don't know if I can give up the speed. I'm not sure how fast the Nikon SLR's are , but if they are not as fast as my current camera then I will probably go with another. I don't think I could ever go back to any of the soapbar shaped cameras , a big bulky camera just feels more comfortable to me.

Right now I am leaning towards this camera...

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/20d.html

If I find a great deal on it, I might just bite the bullet.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/20d.ht

how different is it from the D70 that it warrants another 700 bucks? Granted, some people are just more comfertable with Canons and like the CMOS sensor better, but I don't personally think it's worth it (just me of course, and I'm not an expert). I know that it's an 8 mega-pixel camera, but I don't think the difference is even noticable.

just my 2-cents...
gabe

personally I think I do fine with a point and shoot type camera as long as there is the option for manual controls. I just can't justify paying big bucks for a camera, at least not right now. Do I really need 8 megapixels ? probably not .. do I really need interchangeable lenses ? probably not... I guess when I get to the point where I want to make my own prints then I will want a high end SLR..but for now , I think anything over 3-5 megapixels is overkill.

This shot was taken with a Coolpix 4100 in macro mode.

bottom line--and I think you were getting to this--is that it is much more about who's behind the camera than the camera itself. Being able to understand what makes good compositions, understanding the rules of exposure (anyone who doesn't shoot in manual or at least shutter/aperture priority shouldn't even discuss buying a digital SLR) and just understanding how light affects your photographs--granted, this is very different on a digital SLR's pixel then it is on a silver grain on film...

...on the other hand...I can't tell you how many times I've been in the field now (as an academic biologists) when I've been extremely greatful to have my 300mm zoom or my 105 macro...

anyway...if you take enough pictures, at some point, you got to fork over the dough.

Cheers,
Gabriel

>> Do I really need 8 megapixels ? probably not .. do I really need interchangeable lenses ? probably not...>>

Yeah buddy, back on earth people are homeless etc. Reptiles aren't really a hobby of neccesity and you know it. I know you shoot better than 95% of the people out there with the cheapsters, but breaking it down to what you NEED? Wrong game man. No one (should) be into reptiles to save money, if yer gonna do something, do it right .

Heres to spending a few extra bucks.

Full res..

http://www.seanmills3d.com/images/snakes/twiggy/nonamejumboMacro.jpg

That's 5mp

People didn't need color TV's and certainly don't need HDTV,
but... how else is progress made?

Cheers buddy

Sean.
-----
recycle your pets

there's a scale in my eye.... 4mp

>>there's a scale in my eye.... 4mp
>>

4mp

in the mega-pixel pissing contest that the number of pixels is really irrelevant to picture quality (or rather...not as important as most people think). Perhaps more important is the pixel size. Anyone familiar with the unsharp mask function in photoshop will understand that having an eight mega-pixel camera versus a six does not necesarrily mean that those shots will be crisper or have more resolution because any given pixel will still be able to display only one luminosity or tone (from 0 to 255--black to white).

If this doesn't make any sense...never mind...back to posting snakes and such.

Cheers,
Gabriel

I'm still learning about all the camera stuff, how do you know the size of the pixels?

dnutz

go to one of the super good review sites...my personal favorite--I think it gives the most in depth reviews--is dpreview.com

not only does it review practically every digi-cam produced in recent memory, it has a great list of forums in which to ask questions and lots of experts lurk around the site (including the owners of B&H in NYC and Thom Hogan, nikon wizard extraordinaire).

it also has a great in depth glossary of vague digi-cam terms and how they affect your photos (stuff like white balance, which is really important, but nobody knows what exactly it does).

ok...hope that helps.

gabriel

n/p

the veins of the eye. OR IS YOUR CAMERA TOO WIMPY? Just a little humor-don't go "Texas" on me.

$1200 bucks for a camera??? *ackk* for $1200 of MY money,it better come WITH a killer snake to photograph when I open the box! *LOL*...with todays technology,and,$500 you can take "National Geographic cover" quality pics,and,get SLR style,manual control,top of the line "point & shoot" technology,AND,be doing both at 6.0 mp resolution!!! beyond that,in my opinion,the rest is just "fluff"...I've got a Fuji FinePix S7000,and,I LOVE it! when it comes to color representation,FUJI ROCKS!

I enjoy your photos and appreciate any info on photographing boas.

I have a Nikon Coolpix 4200 and have not even come close to learning all the manual options. I just aim and shoot and hope for the best - and take LOTS of pics to get a few that I like. the best thing I have figured out is what lighting works best. I have a spot inside my home that is next to two big windows - so I can get natural lighting. morning seems to be a good time also since there isn't much glare coming through the windows.

Patrick

did you ever get him turned around ?

yes.. he's doing well. he's up to small adult mice and keeping everything down. He's gaining weight nicely and just had a shed. I'll try to get some better pics posted soon.
thanks for asking.