This picture was taken a few years ago with a Canon S2, a 5mp point & shoot model. I guess a 24MP DSLR would have been better but just how much?The D3200 starts at about $600 in most stores although the list price is $100 more. The D5200 a couple hundred more.
Both cameras have 24.5 megapixil sensors and both perform well, remarkably well in low light situations with ISO’s to 12800. The kit lens is usually an 18mm to 55mm zoom but other kits include a very nice 18mm to 105mm that will fill 90% of you needs. It won't provide the 200 to 300 zoom you were talking about but you can more than make up for it in cropping ability with the large sensor. For landscapes you really need the smaller number or wider angle anyway. The basic kit lens has vibration control built into it along with very fast automatic focus.
Both cameras are ready to click the shutter as soon as you turn them on. There is simply no lag. It clicks the instant you push the shutter release and both cameras have incredible video ability including full HD and even a slow motion mode that clocks in at 60 frames per second.
If you are a Photo Shop user they both have a Raw output along with 3 levels of JPEG. They take industry standard SD memory cards. They both have remote infrared sensors for remote shutter control and both can use an inexpensive add on device to allow you to control many of the camera features remotely via an Ipad or Android tablet or phone.
There are better cameras for more money but at your price these two will be VERY hard to beat. I've used them and they are simply fantastic.
Here is what is going to blow you budget:
You will need a decent telephoto zoom lens. Otherwise you will get a lot of sharp photos with very small subject matter. I would also say to but a polarizing filter (it will reduce the glare and bring out what little color there may be a frozen environment, You need to rotate the polarizer to its most effective angle for the direction you are shooting, so if you get a lens where the barrel rotates when auto-focusing, it will be a real problem for quick shots.
Personal recommendation Canon EOS Rebel T3i (might be a T4i now).
BTW, I shoot professionally with the Canon 5D MkIII, but that’s just a tad outside your stated budget. ;)
I am another pro, but I’m 64 years-old. The odds are that you have seen my work. OK, enough of that.
I have a lot of high end gear, but wanted something for kicking around. Just last month I purchased an incredible camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200.
The Lens is incredible: 25-600mm zoom!! F 2.8 for the entire length!!!!
image stabilized! NO other camera will give you better low-light photos.
Pictures are good, Video is incredible. Dummy (automatic) buttons and an exposure system that amazed me.
Get an extra battery.
Sorry, but those three things don't go together. A DSLR and lens with such capability is going to be expensive, heavy and not easy to use. My suggestion is to get a good consumer superzoom camera. Professional photographers often carry such cameras when they are on vacation. Don't ruin your big trip by having to lug around heavy photography equipment. Invest your money in flash cards and maybe some way to back them up so you don't lose your precious pictures. Here's a start for browsing cameras.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Point-Shoot-Cameras/ci/8612/N/4288586279
I really like my Canon t4i. I got it and three lenses from B&H for $750. You might also look at Canon’s website for deals. I bought a refurb Spedlight flash that is awesome.
At that price you are at the top of the non-SLR digital cameras but the bottom end of the DSLRs.
My wife has a Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR in that price range that has a great manual zoom lens with 30X zoom.
It is worth a look. We took this camera on a trip to Costa Rica and were getting shots that people with DSLRs couldn’t get (changing lenses ha ha).
Check out Adorama
Lots of great deals craigslist on older DSLR by photographers trading up.
That’s where I got my Canon 7D
[[Freeper Recommendations on Starter Digital SLR Cameras]]
Canon 1DX with a 24-70 IS lens
http://www.costco.com/Panasonic-LUMIX-FZ-Series-Digital-Camera-Bundle.product.100017400.html
An earlier post by a FReeper mentioned this camera which isn’t a DSLR but sounds very nice at $450. it’s only 12+mp’s but has a massive zoom equivalent to a stabilized 600mm lens at 2.8 throughout the zoom, an articulated screen, has a viewfinder of some sort and the Costco package might really fit your needs better than a pricier DSLR.
I would recommend the Sony SLT series dslr’s. Look up the specs for the slt a57, a58 and the a77’s. There are used alpha 390’s, slt33.37.and 55’s to be had as well. Their lens line ups aren’t as extensive but they are growing but there is a lot of older cheap(as in EBAY or camera shops) but high quality Minolta Maxxum glass that are auto focus and use the same mount as the Sony dslr’s (since SONY bought the Minolta camera line and adopted the alpha mounting ssystems. Also the SONY dslr’s use “in body steady shot stabilization” which means many lenses from differing companies can be had for sone what cheaper prices and are of less complexity(there for more reliable) as opposed to in lense stabilization systems.
Also, SONY DSLR lenses have the same registration distance(from rear lens glass to the sensor) as older high quality screw mount lenses(also known as M42 mounting systems) which means that cheap mounting adaptors can be used on these cameras with-out any corrective glass in them to spoil the focus of these lenses. You focus these lenses manually but man some of that old 50’s thru early 70’s glass can produce fantastic pictures. The slt’s have a focus peaking feature when operating manually which means when the lens is in focus, colored outlines appear in the edges of what is being focused on in addiction to a green square indicator so that you can fire the picture a get a good focused picture. One has to manually adjust the aperture on these lenses but when the camera is in manual settings mode, one adjusts the ISO sensitivity range, then spins a dial on the front of the camera while viewing the electronic view finder or using the live view lcd on the back to fin ones desired exposure and lighting . What you see previewed is what you’ll get.
The SLT’s use a translucent mirror which doesn’t move when firing and the have the fastest frames per second shooting. The older alpha slr’s use a mirror that flips up just before the shutter opens and the camera takes the picture. The advantage of a stationary mirror is that their is no mirror jitter when taking a sensitive shot where (even with steady shot”) even the littlest jolt messes with the focus(such as macro shots).
My recommendation: Start with an slt 57(some are still to be found new) or get the new slt 58(which has a 20 mp sensor cmos apsc 1.5x crop factor(as compare with a full frame type sensor1:1 as compared with old film slides). The slt a57 has a 16 megapixel cmos apsc sensor with a fast 12 fps shooting in jpegs so in some ways the slt a58 is a slight step back as it also has a small rear lcd viewer than the 57. The optical evf on the 58 uses OLED tech and is considerably brighter with more resolution than the slt 57’s evf.
Get the slt a58 with a the new redesigned SAM 18-55 lens bundle and purchase the sam 55-200 tele lens to start. With a careful search you can get the who shebang for your budget. 57’s can still be found new and at a great price. A good sleeper camera would be the a33 which can be found new in box on ebay or the a 37. the 35’s and 55’s can have heating issues if you are shooting movies or shooting many frames...especially in warm weather.
A own the alpha 390(optical view finder, flip up mirror, with optional live view...it doesn’t shoot movies) and the slt a57. I have some great lenses that I have procured cheaply off of ebay including a legendary “Minolta maxxum 70 -210” tele” lens also known as the beer can. I have the Sony 30mm af 2.8 macro lense which gives me fantastic macro shots. My sharpest lense is a MIR1 m42 Russian lens 37mm which takes especially good pictures in the late afternoons.
Go with sony !
Have a wonderful trip in Alaska!
More than the quality of your camera, be sure that your partner is window sitting on one side of the Denali bus, while you are on the aisle of the other. Both with cameras.
On the road up, the wildlife pops out of the underbrush on both sides within seconds, and you must be ready to move side to side.
We went up Denali in mid August, and as it was lightly snowing, the gravel road kicked up all kinds of dirt. Everyone closed their windows, so after five minutes of driving, at a rest stop, the driver tried to squeegee off the windows, which was good for maybe the next mile, until total brown-out once again!.
Don’t invest in big money equipment to get shots of Denali, get whatever shots you can, enjoy the ride and buy the $20 DVD back at the base lodge.
I’ll do some digging, lately I’ve been so busy with politics I haven’t kept track of anything else.
Take more than one camera. Include a video camera.
No matter which camera you choose, make sure you have extra batteries on hand at all times! (I learned this the hard way!)
Also, don’t spend the entire time looking at the scenery through a lense. Enjoy with your eyes, too.
I use one of these in my lab work. I really like it.
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/canon_powershot_sx40_hs_review/
This picture was taken a few years ago with a Canon S2, a 5mp point & shoot model. I guess a 24MP DSLR would have been better but just how much?