I have decided to upgrade my camera.........
By Boraxo
@Boraxo (225)
United States
November 17, 2008 12:55am CST
I have a Cannon power shot and have recently bought a Sony handyman camcorder. I am a late bloomer when it comes to photograpy and filming, but recently my love for this art has really taken a hold of my life. For about a month now I have been filming and taking pictures of the wild horses on the Yakama Nation Indian
Reservation. I have taken some really good pics and just am not satisfied with the final results.......so I am going to get me a real camera. I want to learn how to use the appendature and film speed combinations for different results. I do not know very much about photography but I will learn. I have been looking at the Nikon D-90 about $1299 and the Nikon 300 about $2400.What I want to do is take pictures of these horses running throw the snow and not sure about how to see up a camera, but would like to hear suggestions and recommendations on cameras, and things that are relevant to shooting them as they run thru the hills of the high desert.
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6 responses
@trickiwoo (2702)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Both are excellent cameras. I personally use a D300. I can't say too too much about the D90 since I've never used one, but every photo I've seen taken with this camera has looked fantastic!
Both cameras have the same number of megapixels. The D300 does have a slightly more powerful image sensor though, making the photo quality better.
The maximum shutter speed of the D300 is 1/8000th of a second. The maximum shutter speed of the D90 is 1/4000th of a second. So if you think you'll be needing to use extremely fast shutter speeds often, you might want to go with the D300. Also, if you use continuous mode the D90 can shoot up to 4.5 frames per second, and the D300 can shoot up to 6 frames per second. So if you use continuous mode often, the D300 is faster.
I don't know if it makes any difference to you, but the D90 records on SD memory cards while the D300 records on CF memory cards.
To me, the most impressive feature about the D300 is the 51 point area autofocus with 3D tracking. (The D90 has an 11 point area autofocus without tracking). This means that just about every photo you take is in focus. The tracking predicts movement in moving subjects. So when you focus on a moving subject then press the shutter, it will keep the subject in focus so that your photo is in focus. You mentioned you like to photograph wild horses- well, I'm not sure how fast these wild horses run, but I've used my D300 to photograph race horses with amazing results! Every photo was crisp and clear and in focus.
One thing the D90 does that the D300 doesn't do is take video. The quality of the video on the D90 is amazing! Way better than a camcorder you could get for the same price. The depth of field is incredible.
Hopefully that information was helpful to you! I would highly recommend both cameras, and I'm sure that you'll be more than happy with whichever one you choose!
@trickiwoo (2702)
• United States
19 Nov 08
CF cards can write data faster than SD cards. I'm not sure what other differences there are between the memory cards.
@Davidarich (985)
• Australia
19 Nov 08
There are 2 kinds of SD cards to be considered: SD and SDHC. the HD is HGigh Capacity; theoretically they can hold up 1024Gigabytes. In practice, the largest I am aware of is 32Gb, and the fastest cards are 133x.
There are several types of CF cards also, but the latest versions of interest to this discussion are standard and UDMA. Not all cameras support the UDMA standard, but the ones we have been discussing do, and they are available in capacities up to 32 Gb and speeds up to 330x.
The limiting factors are not the memory speeds or even the capacity: it is the on-chip controller and the camera's ability to transfer data from its buffer to the card.
I usually suggest more cards of smaller capacity rather than one huge card; you shouldn't put all of your eggs in one basket. I usually carry 2x1Gig, 2x2Gig, 2x4Gig and 1x8gig. I also carry a portable gard drive with card slots, and download the card contents at the end of each days shooting.
@Boraxo (225)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Thanks this information was very helpful. *smile* I guess I should confess that I also love to play the ponies, which is perhaps one of the reasons I love these wild horses so much. I do not know if it is good or not but you have given me another set of canvases ummmmmm Hollywood, Delmar, I am close to Emerald downs, not the best horses but would be a blast. Not sure I understand the difference in SD and CF memory cards. The 300 almost exactly twice the cost of the D90 but I sure am leaning that way after you description of the 51 point area autofocus and the 3d tracking OH wow I am stoked I will be ready for spring training this year in Arizona (baseball, I go every year and this camera purchase will be worth it in the long run and I will have to force my old mind back into action. Thanks
LOL might even take a trip to Keenland.
@stiener (735)
• Singapore
17 Nov 08
If you are really interested to pick up the techniques of photography. I suggest getting a SLR (film) first to learn the skill and theories. The reason why I recommend film is because of the "cost" of shooting a picture. A SLR may typically cost less than half the price of a DSLR but the upkeep of shooting by film will burn a big hole in your pocket. However, this will apply a pressure for you to take note of composition, aperature, shutter speed and ISO when shooting in different environment and subjects.
Even as students (Beginner level) in photography class signed up with top line photography equipment. They are required to keep their DSLR aside and take up a SLR instead if they are learning under a strict and respectable teacher. Since you have already been using Power shot which does have some basic controls of Aperature,Shutter,ISO. Think back on the shots that you have taken, what is the rate of acceptance (number of shots with correct exposure & composition / number of shots that you have taken in total). Using digital photography,many people have to tendency to snap and erase...and the cycle continues without much reflections on why a shot that you have taken failed. How can I improve on every shot that I take.
Your subject is mainly focusing on a "living" thing. This means that you will need to act fast to take a shot and the horse will not be posing for you all the time. So you will need to know the techniques at your fingertips and not to shoot blindly hoping that out of a hundred shots that I take, one will turn out to be a good one. But if you are willing to compromise on that or have confidence in your shots as some people are borned to be photographers that they can take award winning photos with point and shoot cameras...then I say go for it.
Hope that the information will be helpful to ya...enjoy shooting and happy MyLotting...
@Boraxo (225)
• United States
17 Nov 08
Great information thanks......I did not realize that the Nikon 300 was a film camera......Oh my! I can not afford film I just am not skilled enough yet. You are correct on looking at what I have shot and learning how to improve. I would say of the last 500 pictures I have taken only 6 or 7 were really good. I re-read your post and I misunderstood you, but now I see what your saying an SLR film will force me to learn the skills because ot the cost of film.....that's clever. I suppose the first part of my comment you can disregard. The things I want to learn is the basic set-ups for different conditions. If a horse is running through the snow and I want to capture the image and detail the snow spray as well as the creature running.....do I need to shoot 6 frames a second, aperature small, film speed fast........I mean there must be a table that has basic configurations already established as standards? Your comments is most helpful thank you.
@stiener (735)
• Singapore
17 Nov 08
Are you referring to a chart like this http://photo.net/casual-conversions-forum/00kp9A . I do not have any experience shooting horses...if you cannot get close to the animal, you probably need a powerful telephoto lens with large aperature. Technically, the combination of the 3 controls depends on the photographer and the effects that he wishes to produce in his photograph. ie. Shooting in the day, your options of ISO is probably between 100 - 400. Shutter speed and aperature is really up to you to control. Larger aperature creates contrasting subject by blurring out the foreground and background, while small aperature are commonly used for landscape photo. This is known as Depth of Field (DOP). Shutter speed is also a determinant for exposure as it directly controls the amount of light reaching the film or CMOS. The shutter speed comes into play when you do not have an option to manipulate Aperature or ISO or both. The techniques must be at your fingertips when taking photos. It will not help to take minutes to figure out what settings to use when taking photographs, it must come naturally. Once you have known it by heart, you will begin to explore new perspectives of photo taking...maybe towards the abstract artistic approach. Welcome to the world of photography...
@Boraxo (225)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Excellent......exactly what I was after, however the link gave me the dreaded 404 error but I will try and find it. One thing that helped me to understand is that the amount of silver in film that controls the exposure I think *SMILE*, and if the exposure is controlled in DSLR cameras by the CMOS what are you manipulating to control the exposure in the CMOS. I can see this is going to be fun LOL. The snow will be here soon so I better start cramming very good stuff Thanks big time!
@oiixdaii (1059)
• Philippines
17 Nov 08
Hi, I too have been addicted to photography lately. Be ready because I'm sure your expenses will go sky high. For me, both D90 and D300 are good cameras. D90 was the latest release of Nikon. I has cool features like video recording. Buying a digital camera depends on what you want to shoot. D300 I think has more advance features. I couldn't explain more but you could visit this site http://www.kenrockwell.com/ for more info. Goodluck and happy shooting 
@Davidarich (985)
• Australia
17 Nov 08
Either of these fine cameras would reward you with wonderful photos as you acquire more skills and knowledge. Also on your short list should be the Canon 50D. I have no experience in the Indian Lands, but if there are parallels to shooting brumbies (wild horses) and roos in Australia, you will be using long lenses more than wide angle glass.
Canon has a couple of advantages in this area: first, the Canons are somewhat lighter than the equivalent Nikons; secondly, they can fire off more frames per second (6.3 vs 4.5[d90] and 6[d300]) without accessories (but a $360 battery grip can push the D300 to 8fps). Very usefully, the same focal length lens is longer on the Canon than on the Nikon. If that sounds odd, it is due to the size of the sensor:
The 15.2megapixel on the Canon multiplies the nominal focal length of any lens by 1.6 while the 12megapixel Nikon has amultiplier factor of 1.5. that means that a 300mm lens fitted to the Canon acts as a 480mm lens, but as a 450mm on a Nikon, and a 200mm lens is equivalent to 320mm on a Canon and 300mm on a Nikon. the longer the lens the more the effect ~ a small but useful point to note.
@Davidarich (985)
• Australia
19 Nov 08
I should add that focus tracking to hold moving objects in focus is very effective in these situations (the Canon excells here, as does the D300). You may have noticed all the big, white lenses at major sports meets... fast Canon image stabilised telephotos; Canon kind of owns that sector of pro photography.
If you plan to shhot in the snow, two worthwhile tips:
1. battery life is a lot shorter in the cold; so take a couple of extra, high capacity batteries with you, and use the screen only as much as you need: they eat up batteries. For instance, a single battery on this calss of camera will give you something like 800 to 1000 shots at full resolution with the flash off if all you do is review the shots on the screen; but use the screen instead of the viewfinder to compose your pictures and you will get fewer than 200 photos out of the same battery! Batteries not in the camera should be in a pocket or against your body to keep them warm.
2. even the excellent exposure systems found in these cameras tends to underexpose smowy scenes. They assume that any scene will be 18% grey (an 18% grey card is the standard accessory for calibrating an exposure meter). This leads to white snow looking dull and grey in many pictures. You can shoot in RAW and correct in the computer, or you can use exposure compensation to add one or more stops of exposure before shooting: I recommend the latter approach.
@Boraxo (225)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Thanks this is really good information and especially the info on the lenses. I will take a look at the 50D Canon before purchase. Today was pay day and I am all worked up about getting the camera and studying the instrument before the snows come. I have even hooked up with guide because you have to have a permit and escort to get to the places I want to go. Think I have found a place near Mt. Adams that have some long horn sheep. Did not even know they were in Washington so probably imported from the rockies is the story I am hearing. Thanks~the longer the lens the more the effect~ very useful note indeed.
@bing28 (3795)
• Philippines
17 Nov 08
am sorry Mike I don't have ideas on cameras, the only thing I know is to appreciate the magic of your hands in taking shots and to be amazed of the beautiful pics you're bringing in. Good hobby friend, and still you dont have knowledge in photography? How much more if you've got, for sure excellent results...Happy upgrading your camera (smile)
@Boraxo (225)
• United States
19 Nov 08
Bing thank you, my work that you have seen is really not that good, I am just forunate to have a good canvas. The new camera is going to help a lot but I suspect at first the only change I will see is the camera doing the work. What I hope to capture is what my mind's eye wants to portray.
@morningstar369 (495)
• United States
16 Dec 08
I Just got my first digital camera. I needed one for up[oading to many stes I am on, includsing my website. I do not like the pictures I get on it as mych as my Minolta Film camera. Sorry I am not up on the cameras you are talking about, plus they are so far out of my price range that I would never be able to even consider either of them.
