DSLR advice humbly requested

[bob_r]

........so I guess I need something that'll keep out the weather.

[b]Budget
Right now I don't have a specific budget, though a quick look on Fleabay indicates that Nikon D80 bodies are going for between £250 and £350, which seems about right. Lenses and accessories will obviously be on top of that and there I'm looking for decent performace at reasonable prices - if such a thing can be achieved! My planned purchase date is January - right after folks have got their new shiny toys for Crimble and are cashing in old stuff after the excesses of the holiday season! This'll also give me some time to do research and pick up some books to study.

AW

AW, I'm afraid the D80 will not keep out the weather. Most consumer equipment is not weather sealed. There are some "pro-sumer" cameras that are weather resistant and most "Pro" cameras are weather sealed. You'll also have difficulty finding weather sealed lenses in the "bargain" category. Most weather sealed lenses are going to be pro equipment and they're priced accordingly. I shoot Canon and can't help with Nikon equipment, but maybe someone can help direct you with alternative Nikon equipment.

I shoot with a Canon 7D and it is supposed to be weather resistant. Canon's 1series cameras are their pro models and are weather sealed.

[Amazon_warrior]

........so I guess I need something that'll keep out the weather.

[b]Budget
Right now I don't have a specific budget, though a quick look on Fleabay indicates that Nikon D80 bodies are going for between £250 and £350, which seems about right. Lenses and accessories will obviously be on top of that and there I'm looking for decent performace at reasonable prices - if such a thing can be achieved! My planned purchase date is January - right after folks have got their new shiny toys for Crimble and are cashing in old stuff after the excesses of the holiday season! This'll also give me some time to do research and pick up some books to study.

AW

AW, I'm afraid the D80 will not keep out the weather. Most consumer equipment is not weather sealed. There are some "pro-sumer" cameras that are weather resistant and most "Pro" cameras are weather sealed. You'll also have difficulty finding weather sealed lenses in the "bargain" category. Most weather sealed lenses are going to be pro equipment and they're priced accordingly. I shoot Canon and can't help with Nikon equipment, but maybe someone can help direct you with alternative Nikon equipment.

I shoot with a Canon 7D and it is supposed to be weather resistant. Canon's 1series cameras are their pro models and are weather sealed.

Hum. I was somewhat worried about that. So far, my options would appear to be:
1) Spend a significantly larger amount than I anticipated on "pro" equipment, which is difficult to justify when I barely rate as "amateur".
2) Adjust my expectations accordingly and learn ways to keep adverse weather conditions the hell out of my equipment to the best of my abilities.

I'm smart enough not to whip out an unprotected camera of any description in the middle of a torrential downpour; it's the thought of potential humidity and condensation in tropical areas that bothers me most, and I have no idea what to do about that. :/ How do other people deal with this?

[bob_r]

I'm smart enough not to whip out an unprotected camera of any description in the middle of a torrential downpour; it's the thought of potential humidity and condensation in tropical areas that bothers me most, and I have no idea what to do about that. :/ How do other people deal with this?

I shot with a Canon 30D for about 5 years and it's not weather sealed or resistant. Our humidity in Memphis, TN during the summer, rivals a rain forest and I've never had problems with it affecting the camera.
Going from A/C into 100 degree weather will cause condensation that you wouldn't believe, but I usually wait a few minutes before shooting and it clears up. I keep UV filters on my lenses and just wipe off the condensation if it hasn't disappeared in a few minutes. You'll normally be OK with consumer cameras as long as you don't actually expose them to the rain. There are rain hoods to cover your equipment if you want to shoot in light rain, but leave them indoors during the monsoon season.

[Amazon_warrior]

I'm smart enough not to whip out an unprotected camera of any description in the middle of a torrential downpour; it's the thought of potential humidity and condensation in tropical areas that bothers me most, and I have no idea what to do about that. :/ How do other people deal with this?

I shot with a Canon 30D for about 5 years and it's not weather sealed or resistant. Our humidity in Memphis, TN during the summer, rivals a rain forest and I've never had problems with it affecting the camera.
Going from A/C into 100 degree weather will cause condensation that you wouldn't believe, but I usually wait a few minutes before shooting and it clears up. I keep UV filters on my lenses and just wipe off the condensation if it hasn't disappeared in a few minutes. You'll normally be OK with consumer cameras as long as you don't actually expose them to the rain. There are rain hoods to cover your equipment if you want to shoot in light rain, but leave them indoors during the monsoon season.

That is very good to know, thanks! I'm reassured, and will very likely pick up a rainhood once I've got something to put it on but otherwise stop fussing. Also, you can tell me if you think I'm being overly paranoid/downright silly about stuff. I'm here to learn, and I'm probably going to make mistakes in the process.

By the way, if there's Canon gear you think I should consider, please do say so - my idea was to get a few different suggestions of manufacturers/models and then spend a bit of time looking over reviews etc. to see which might suit me best. The only reason I looked at Nikon first is because a good friend of mine uses Nikons and is the only person I know IRL that knows about photography.

[bob_r]

I chose Canon because of all the lenses available for their cameras and at the time, (IMHO,) Nikon's digital equipment didn't measure up to Canon's. Nikon has made some amazing strides over the last few years, but once you start buying equipment, it's best to stay with that brand unless you can afford to lose a lot of money by changing. Canon is still the #1 digital camera company and they do have some amazing equipment. There is a huge Canon forum where you can get answers to any question you may have about Canon equipment (or photography in general). Here's a link: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
P.O.T.N. also has a buy and sell area in case you're looking for used equipment.

If you want to check out reviews on camera equipment, I can recommend this site: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/
They have in-depth reviews of just about every camera and don't seem to have their opinions swayed by advertising.
If you want to check reviews of lenses, this is a pretty good site: http://www.photozone.de/

Good luck with your camera search.