I need help choosing a dSLR for taking rock core photo's?

Question

I have to buy a digital SLR for my work and I am totally lost/out of my depth.

I need to take photographs of rock cores that are in boxes from approximately 1.5m above them. The boxes will be on the floor with the camera fixed to a frame directly above. The total area that needs to be in the photo will measure appromiatey 1.10m by 1.5m.

As I am taking pictures of rock core the most important elements include resolution and the camera making the colours look realistic. The photos will be used for presentations and for reports.

It would need to be relatively durable as I work in the tropics - up to 40C/100F and 80-90% humidity and plenty of dust.

My boss would prefer 8MP or better.

Oh and one last thing. I have a budget of $750 US - I think this will have to include customs tax and shipping from the US.

Irealise this is a tough ask but if anybody can provide me with some advice or recommendations I would be very grateful.

Thanks

Chris

Answer 1

You may find your budget is a little bit low for this project. I'm coming up with $860, but this is using ONLY items that I have personal experience with. You may find a suitable replacement from Sigma, Tamron or Tokina, but I have no experience with them and con not give you a recommendation.

Consider a Nikon D50, which has pretty decent color renditions. The body sells for $550. Do not buy this with the standard "kit" lens or lenses. It is "only" a 6 MP camera, but as you will not be cropping your principle images, 6 MP should be quite adequate. The manual says that the operating temperature range is 0C to 40C and humidity should be 85% or below. The owners manuals for both the D70s and D200 give the identical ranges, even though the D200 has gaskets all over the place. I do not know what consequences you face if you us the camera outside of these ranges, but I don't know if you'll find any digital camera that exceeds these specifications. Maybe a Canon expert will give us more information on one of their products.

You will need about a 24 mm focal length lens to capture the dimensions you gave us. I just checked this NOW on an actual D50, so it is not a guess. You may be able to use as "long" as 30 mm, but even that might lose some of the outer portions of your subject. I know that a 24 mm will work. One way to do this is look for a 24 mm, fixed focal length lens. Another would be to buy a zoom lens that includes 24 mm in its range. I'd suggest that you look at the Nikon Zoom Super Wide Angle AF 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Autofocus Lens for Digital Cameras. It sells for $310 at B&H. This way, you could actually use the camera for things besides your very limited application. This is an "upgrade" lens from the kit lens, which I would strongly recommend you consider, especially in your institutional setting.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=381586&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=324190&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Answer 2

Well, 8mp or higher you have a few choices.
Nikon has the D80 or D200
Canon has the 20D 10D or Rebel XT

But mostly it all depends on the lens. you could get by on a D50 which is the lowest price DSLR from nikon, then spend extra money on a 50mm F1.8 lens. ($119) That has a Large apeture which will give you faster shutter speeds under low light conditions. That is what you will need for concerts etc. Anything low light. A great external flash will help as well, the nikon SB-800 is a great flash, but expensive. ($340)
Feel free to browse forums such as
www.photographycorner.com
www.nikoncafe.com

Answer 3

The camera you need is the pentax K10D

Dust sealed, wether sealed, antidust sensor, 22 bit proccessor HOWEVer a bit over your pice range at US$999 with 18-55 lens.

But no other body is going to give that kind of weather/dust sealing without spending 2x the price.

Answer 4

Canon Rebel XT

Answer 5

The Canon Rebel XTI with the 50mm 1.4
The XTI (10mp) has a new anti-dust feature (new for canon)
if you searched hard enough, you could ring it in your price range.