Hi Peter,
There are a few things you'll need to consider. The first is, as
always with cameras, price. Depending on the price you are willing to
pay, you will be able to get better cameras. Lower prices will
obviously compromise quality of photos in the long run, however
obviously we all have an upper limit as well.
For the cheap end of the DSLR spectrum I can't recommend the Nikon D70
highly enough. In Australia it retails around $2000 with the 18-70
lens (a true digital wideangle lens is almost essential if you plan to
take anything other than wildlife photos).
Higher up the range Canon cameras become more expensive. The brand
new Canon 20D has had good reports so far as I know.
At the top of the range you're on your own, I have no experience in
what is good.
Things that are important:
Long lens quality - a long lens of 200mm or higher (preferably 400mm)
is absolutely essential. If you plan on using a 200mm lens, make sure
it is very high quality. You want an f-stop of less than 4, but
basically as low as possible. Telephoto lenses aren't essential, and
in fact may be more of a hindrance than a boon except where the birds
are so close you can't fit them in the frame (a rare occurrence, trust
me). I'd say this is the most important thing you will buy, and the
camera body itself will be incidental comparatively. Always always
buy a filter for your lenses, even if its just a skylight or UV filter
(preferably UV, skylight filters tend to have a pinkish tinge).
Megapixel rating - since DSLRs start at 6.1MP and work their way up, I
don't think this will be a problem. However, note that the higher the
MP rating, the more likely you can take a distance shot then crop to
suit while still keeping image quality. I've heard of cameras up
around the 15MP rating, but these cost an absolute fortune.
Tripod, monopod, or no tripod - this one is personal choice.
Personally I don't use anything, however often my photo quality
suffers from it. I just don't like carrying awkward equipment, and of
course the added setup time can make you miss the shot. If you decide
you want a tripod, I'd recommend Manfrotto, with a pistol grip and
ball socket head that lets you adjust your tilt and rotation at the
same time by squeezing rather than fiddling with screws.
Editing program - this one is important too, because you'll find
yourself wanting to crop and adjust large quantities of photos. You
may already have this one worked out, however Adobe Photoshop CS is
good if you have access (again costs a bomb, and there are cheaper
alternatives if you don't have it)
Memory card - DSLRs always take up more memory than normal digitals.
My average filesize is between 1 and 3MB, but when I shoot in .NEF
format (equivalent to RAW and TIF) then this blows out to 17MB. With
the new microdrive technology out, you should be looking at a 4GB
drive or 4x1GB cards, or however you want to configure it. Last I
heard a 16GB card was on the market, however unless you are going pro
then you don't need that much. eBay may be your best option here, as
I picked my 4GB card up for only $300AU, about $1200 cheaper than the
retail price at the time. Be careful though, as some of the eBay
drives may no longer work for cameras.
My shooting rig is a Nikon D70, with an old 70-300mm lens which is in
dire need of upgrading, but with the decrease of focus angle between
SLR and DSLR gives me 105-450mm to play with. I have a UV filter on
that lens. I have a 4GB card and a 256MB card as a backup. I have
two batteries (essential!) that each last about 3 days constant use
(~300 photos) except where I am using flash regularly (~150 photos).
I occasionally use a manfrotto tripod with the above mentioned pistol
grip head, but usually hand-hold. I also have a larger flash to
attach, however rarely use it except in rainforest settings.
That's about all I can think of, let me know if you have any more questions.
Regards,
Chris
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