I want to buy a new camera and one of its main tasks is going to be to photograph kois. So im looking mainly at SLRs as i have been told they give the best results.

I have the following models that i can choose from as they are the only onces that i can afford. The Cannon range has the same features but are almost double the price.

Heres a link that compare them all. http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/camera/specification/compare/2209-1775-2160-2085.html

Nikon D60 - R 4 999

Nikon D3000 - R5 999

Nikon P90 - R 6 500 (not a SLR but a very impressive camera)

Sony A230 - R 4 299

The sony has the same features as the all the nikons and got some rave reviews but the camera base or housing does not look or feel like its the same standard as the others.

What do you guys think. Let me know.

what old camera have you got? Thinking of lenses that can be re-used.

I would save a bit more and go for the Canon 1000D, SLR, 10 megapixel with an additional lense (55-250) for R 6999 at Macro.

If you have to buy that lense separately, you will pay R 3600.00 for the lense only.

I dont have any lenses that can be reused, this will be my first SLR.

I have looked around a bit and read a few reviews and i think im going to become a Nikon customer.

Cannon 1000D Review

Quote :

The bit I don’t understand is that the EOS 1000D is currently selling for around £420 with the Canon’s much-criticised 18-55mm kit lens. Given that it seems to be built out of the parts bin I would have expected Canon to price the camera much more competitively. It seems to be a strange decision to launch a new entry-level camera that’s around £100 more expensive than the rival cameras against which it will have to compete. Admittedly the price will probably fall once the 1000D has been on sale for a few more months, but in that time more and more people will buy Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Pentax, and Canon’s market share will fall even further. If they could have launched the 1000D at £350 with a lens, even that dire 18-55, then they’d have cleaned up, but as it stands the 1000D is simply too expensive.

Another problem is that the EOS 1000D just doesn’t feel like £420 worth of camera. Instead it feels light and slightly flimsy, especially when compared to the robust build quality of models like the Olympus E-420 and Pentax K200D. The body is very small, the handgrip is too thin and too close to the lens barrel, at least for my hands, and the viewfinder is narrow and tunnel-like. While I have no doubt that the usual Canon fans will highly recommend it, I was not as impressed as I usually am by Canon DSLRs. The 1000D feels like a stop-gap measure, something that was rushed out of the factory to fill a gap in the market rather than the usual well-designed and well made products for which Canon has a deserved reputation.

Support Canon too! That Makro deal is excellent

Looking at the entry level SLRS, it looks like the Nikon D3000 is a better camera for the money spent.

Im reading the reviews and trying to make my decision from it.

Help me choose one of the four above.

I'd limit my choices between the D60 and the D3000 - the D3000 being the replacement on the D60 makes it the better choice.

If you are looking at taking serious pictures I'd stick to the SLRs.

I have a Nikon and its great - nothing wrong with the Cannons though.

Best site for camera reviews http://www.dpreview.com/
Theres a good article comparing the D60 to the D3000

I went to have a look at the diffirent models today and decided to go with the Nikon D3000. Out of the 4 i decided it was the best.

The Cannon 1000D is on special at game. You get the camara, a lens, a extern flash and a printer for R 6000.

I'm a Canon fan but also have the Nikon P90 and its an excellent camera.

I was looking at the Nikon P90 again this weekend...if i had the extra money then i would really purchase it. It looks like the perfect camera if one just wants a camera to take photos at a pond safari or family outing. The proper SLR are propably better on photo quality but its a bit of a schlep to carry the extra lenses around.

I like the total package that the P90 offers. The camera is currently on special here in Tygervalley for R 3999. When i was looking at it 1-2 months ago it was R 6 500.

The Nikon D3000 that i purchased worked out in the region of R 9500 after i bought all the extra goodies and so far i have not been dissapointed but it would be so much more convinient to use the x24 zoom of the P90 instead of having to change lenses if one needs the extra or less zoom for that "instant family momment".

stumble wrote:

I'm a Canon fan but also have the Nikon P90 and its an excellent camera.

Hi Stumble I have had a few valuable comments, what is your take on taking a close up picture of Koi in a bowl ?
Koi pictures with a Canon EOS 50D. standard 17 to 85 lens, or info on similar Canon. I also own the speedlite 430exII flashlite

Hi Bobby

I had the Canon EOS 40D, and while its a really nice camera, I prefer my Nikon P90 as I can take pics quickly, as Wayne says without the shelp of different lenses, setting etc. Also depends on what you are doing. You will get excellent pictures with your SLR, but to tell you the truth, I really struggle with their settings and have never mastered it.
I also have the Nikon SLR D60 and struggled with that one too.

Also, I don't have much experience in taking pics of koi in a bowl. Most my pic taking has been stills, close ups etc, (not koi) and I will tell you what works for me but this is my experience only. First you need to get familiar with your camera settings - experiment a lot.

I try and get my colours as natural as possible. I personally don't like flash at all, and never use it. I prefer to play around with the aperture. I also make sure my speed is correct and my white balance setting is correct. With the camera's I have had, I have found the Nikon lenses a lot more sensitive than the Canon, slight changes in lighting makes a huge difference.

The few pics I have taken of koi in a bowl, I make sure there is no reflection on the water. Go under cover. If possible choose a bright but cloudy day to take pics. I rather zoom in a bit than go close up.
Again, I am NO expert. This is just what works for me, and I experiment a lot with different lighting etc.
I find with each new camera I have to play around a lot with it, to learn how to use it. All the camera's are different.

I dont know if i have been any help, sorry, but I'm no expert.

Maybe someone else can help with the SLR settings.

Wayne that is a very good price on the Nikon. I paid around 6k for mine.

here is a pic of my Ginrin kujaku - zoomed in - this fish was only about 12 -13 cm long in that pic.
Quality not professional, but not bad either. colours are true.

As far as getting the koi to face you and not clamp fins etc... I have NO idea. lol

Good point on the "true colours" there stumble. I am not sure if i have achieved that yet... i need to experiment a bit more.

I found this a good read.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/nikon-vs-canon.htm