or the 18-200 VR. great range and not a bad lens.

She does want good range and doesn't care about Marco pics if that matters.

The Olympus model she has is in the SP series that she got about 1 1/2 yrs ago. I don't really want to get her a beginner SLR due to her growing out of this one so quick as well I want something that will be good for at least a couple of years.

are there any links to good packages online? is bestbuy/future shop good to buy from?

is that bird eating a mice?

yes but the 18-200VR costs atleast twice of what my 18-105VR cost.
Ideally, i would've chosen the 18-200VR but i just felt that it wasnt worth my money.

bleh double post.

Yep all birds of prey eat meat like that.

I was looking at this one and was wondering if this would be good for what kind of pictures she takes? as well is this a good deal and of course are there better ones out there?

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...gon=&langid=EN

Isn't there other threads for this?

does the olympus she has have interchangeable lenses?

Yes there are but since her shots are extreme wild life I thought I would start a thread since I couldn't really find one with those style of pics. I just want to get her a camera that would be perfect for her.

I don't know how styles are different and comparible thats all (like I said I don't know camera :( )


no it doesn't I'm not sure which one she has. She got it earily last year for $350 from london drugs I believe.

it's not a bad camera for her first thats for sure but like I said she wants something a lot better and she's not going to buy it her self.

Were going to mount st Helens May long and I want her to be able to take killer pics since it's been a dream for her to always go there.

Fairly good choice, I like the XSi. You can grow into it as a DSLR, and it's a better value than the Nikon D40/D60. Add a 18-200IS instead of the kit lens, or keep the kit lens and get a 70-300IS/70-200F4L for telephoto/animal shots and it'll work out well I think.

What's with all the new DSLR camera's coming out lately, damn...

Canon T1i and now this.... http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Ni.../verdict.shtml

it's got a flip out screen, coooool.

haha the naming scheme gets funnier as the models come out
5000...too many zeros!

I think the biggest thing you seem to be missing is that its not the camera she needs to worry about, its the lens. All the sample shots you have shown need a lot of reach from the lens. That comes at a cost, a large cost. You could buy her any of the $600+ bodies and she would do fine with it. But to get a decent lens, something that she isn't going to want to throw away, and will give her the reach she needs? that starts in the $1000 and up range. There are always compromises, and if you look at used gear, you may find a good deal, but the longer lenses don't come up as often.

Take a look at the Bird photography thread, look at comparable shots to hers, then see what focal length was used. Then go look at what a lens in that range costs.

You said those are her photos? did she borrow camera's from others? the exif info shows 4 or 5 different cameras were used for those?

I know the wolf was taken with a different camera not sure about the Dolphin but I know the rest of the pics are taken iwth her camera. She works at OWL with the birds so she can get as close as she wants.

whats exif info?

the price range I'm looking to spend is $1000 after tax's really. mostly concernd with a good body for now with a good starter lens.

I think you should maybe stick with an Olympus DSLR. I know its not a Canon, or a Nikkon. Olympus makes decent cameras still for a good cost. Especially since she owned a Olympus before, it might be easier to transition to learning a new camera.

Something like this would be a good choice

http://www.bccamera.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=216

It comes with 14 - 42 mm F3.5 - 5.6 lens, and a 40 - 150 mm F4.0 - 5.6. The camera maybe a starter camera, but size wise i think its perfect for a woman.

there is a decent review from dpreview http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse410/

I wouldn't consider those extreme wildlife photos, as they are obviously birds in captivity. Working at OWL must be cool though. My friend Lia volunteered there last year. She took photos and made a slideshow for them.

The bare minimum for taking wildlife photos is 200mm, so the 18-200 might be the best bet.

murd0c, these are both good points. I'd add to it, the most important thing with an SLR is that the user is comfortable with it. Technical details really become moot from one to the next, if she finds the camera confusing to use or unwieldy to hold and operate. When looking at bodies, my advice is to narrow down your range to two or three, maybe four, then actually go to the store and handle them, operate them, fiddle with them... navigate the menus, check out the settings... have her choose one that's not going to frustrate her in daily use.

Keitaro has a good point, if she's already familiar with Olympus - and more importantly, if she's happy with it - then another Oly may be the most comfortable transition... or it may not, if they've changed things significantly from one model to the next.

Beyond that, 77civic is right, it looks like she'll be well-served to save a little money on the body and invest it in some better glass, regardless of what brand she settles on. For example, if she goes Canon and it's between a 50D and an XSi, she may be better off with the XSi if it allows more budget to be allocated to better lenses. The body can always be upgraded later, as that technology is changing constantly, while a good lens will last forever.

Also take a look at the new Panasonic G1h...looks very promising.

Thanks for the advise. The ones I posted were not extreme at all just what I had on my work computer. Shes going to be traveling to the yukon island 3-5day hikes which I ment for the extreme pics she will be taking.

and not only that, olympus will have a 2x crop factor......some extra reach.

I just got back from kerrisdale cameras and of course he showed me the same Olympus as well as a D60. The 2 lens package comes with a 18-55 and a 55-200 for $1050 tax's in.

Is that a good deal and do you think that would be a good camera for her?

Sounds like a decent deal, but again, you should let her handle the camera before you buy it... make sure it's not gonna be uncomfortable for her.

it's a gift and a suprise so that's kinda out of the question ;)


Kinda beats the purpose of the suprise ya know and she wouldn't let me buy it for her if I did take her there.