# best budget camera



## Ark (30 Aug 2008)

hi
i am currently using an old 5 megapixel digital camera to take my tank pictures but the quality is quite poor and blurry and its difficult to take nice pics of fish

my dad has a Canon EOS 5D that cost over a grand but im not gonna ask to borrow cuz he will give me a lecture about all his other stuff he let me use and i misused it or broke it..

so im gonna ask for a camera for christmas and i was wandering what is a good camera people use to take pics of their tanks not to expensive or too confusing to use

what cameras are you guys currently using i want one to take close up shots of the tank and fish and get good colours of the plants etc.

Ark


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## PM (30 Aug 2008)

I have a Nikon D40X (SLR), which was about Â£500, and I'm very very happy with the quality of the pics.  It's also the smallest DSLR in the world and has a much better grip than the Cannon DSLRs.

My every day camera is a white Sony Cybershot T2.  This camera was Â£220 when it first came out (when I bought it), I have had a LOT of digital compact cameras in the past and never liked ANY of them for some reason (normally build quality and picture quality).  But I must say that the T2 is an amazing camera, you can do so much with it!

Once or twice it has out performed my Nikon!  So if you don't want a clunky expensive SLR, consider that too  

EDIT: Also it has an amazing macro mode - you can focus as close as 1cm away and the results really are astonishing from such a small camera!


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## Joecoral (30 Aug 2008)

If you fancy a DSLR, both Canon and Nikon offer very good "entry-level" models. I currently use a canon 400D which was the cheapest canon when I bought it and is great, I'm really pleased with it, although they have since introduced the cheaper 450D
Are you after a DSLR (which takes a bit of getting used to but yields much better control and results) or a point and shoot camera?

One word of warning, if you do buy a DSLR, beware of lens-envy and the compulsion to buy more and more expensive lenses!  
However if aquarium photography is what you're after, Canon make a very good, cheap (~Â£65) lens, the 50mm f/1.8 aka "nifty fifty" which is excellent for aquarium photography


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## Ark (31 Aug 2008)

trying to avoid dslrs as theyre kinda expensive 

a gd digi cam seem he way to go so im gonna have a look at those find one with a lot of macro and zoom options so i get good close up shots.


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## PM (31 Aug 2008)

Ark said:
			
		

> trying to avoid dslrs as theyre kinda expensive
> 
> a gd digi cam seem he way to go so im gonna have a look at those find one with a lot of macro and zoom options so i get good close up shots.



As I said, the Sony T2 Macro is crazzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyyy!  I took a photo of a tiny bubble on a plant, and when I put it on my computer I could see the entire tank in the reflection of the bubble.


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## bugs (31 Aug 2008)

I think you can still pick up the pre "X" Nikon D40 for a reasonable sum...

That aside... I'd be looking for two key things on a camera. First, some manual control for aperture and focus. Secondly, the ability to control a flash off the camera is quite useful for tank photos (unless, of course, you can get some really good light on your tank via another source). Some of the best shots of my tanks have been taken with my old film SLR with the flash pointing down in to the top of the tank or from a side angle.

I'd give the D40 (non X) a serious look.


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## oldwhitewood (4 Sep 2008)

I use a D40 and love it, but beware if you like autofocus on your lenses as it will only work with the newer AF-S lenses. I wish Nikon would bring out a new 50mm AF-S 1.4 with VR, they should do that! I use some other nikkor prime lenses which are manual focus (fine) and they are good, so all in all for the price it's a bloomin' good camera. Don't be put off by the 6mp count too. 

But in terms of cheap compacts the canon powershots are really good, as are the panasonic lumixs' (which have a kinda leica lens I think), the fuji finepix cameras I have always found good, I took some of my best shots on my finepix 6500 which had a brilliant macro mode and let you use aperture priority etc. Those bridging cameras are really good, I also took some great pictures at gigs in low light from miles away and the zoom on the lens worked great. You do miss that I guess when you get an SLR, macro goes out of the window and so does a really long zoom at first because as lenses they're so expensive! You have a lot more control over what you're doing with an SLR though and the viewfinder, the proper viewfinder! really cannot be beat.


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## JamesM (4 Sep 2008)

Fuji Finepix S5700/S6800.


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## jay (5 Sep 2008)

I was looking into the Nikon D40, about Â£200-Â£250 I think. Would have to get a god zoom lens for it too.
Love getting into the nitty gritty of stuff hehe.


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## oldwhitewood (5 Sep 2008)

jay said:
			
		

> I was looking into the Nikon D40, about Â£200-Â£250 I think. Would have to get a god zoom lens for it too.
> Love getting into the nitty gritty of stuff hehe.



The 55-200mm vr is really cheap on ebay now, about Â£130. I found though you would stuggle with 200mm for birding and wildlife etc unless you are getting really close.


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## jay (5 Sep 2008)

Only sort of birding I do is down the pub mate  
Use to be into photography back in art college so I've never really done wildlife, just thinking lately about getting back into it. The only real nature stuff I'm looking at is my tanks, though I am gradually liking the idea of taking pics of the world when I go out for a walk and what not.


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