Need adivce on a new camera.

[Guest]

After taking some time away from fire photography I've decided to jump back into it. I recently moved and my old camera is no where to be found.

 

 

I am now faced with buying a new camera.

 

 

My old camera was a Canon PowerShot S5IS, which I'm pretty sure is considered point and shoot, and I would like to make the jump to DSLR. I have been looking at reviews and comparisons of cameras lately and have come to like the Nikon D3300 bundle(Camera,bag,18-55mm,55-200mm) very much. But before I invest in a new camera I want to make sure it will do what I would like it to do and I'm hoping some fire photographers could lend a little bit of their knowledge and experience to me as I am still very green at photography in general.

 

1) Will the Nikon D3300 do night time scene photos well? Are there accessories I should be looking at that would help with this? Night time scene photos have always been my struggling point.

 

2) How do other fire photographers protect thier camera equipment when it is raining or snowing during an incident? I've noticed that most cameras do not have weather striping so my thought process is water will get inside and destroy the camera. Because im in the Midwest now, will extreme cold temps be an issue as well? I used to get my camera wet in the rain and snow at scenes before but I would wipe it off and go, it's never been something thats crossed my mind before.

 

Any advice or help is appreciated.

  

 

[sparky]

1) Good night shots are difficult with any camera. There are many variables at each scene, and each one will take different strategies to deal with them. One way (and what some consider the best) is to get a "fast" lens, a lens with a low F number (2.8 and lower). The downside is these are expensive lenses. You can also bump up the ISO; but doing so with introduce digital "noise" into the picture. This may be a problem if you intend to print large paper prints. Many photo software programs have noise filters so there is a way to correct some of it afterwards. Using a longer shutter speed is also an option, and with the newer lenses they have vibration reduction (VR in the Nikon brand) so you can handhold the camera at slower speeds and not have blurry photos. Using a tripod or monopod also allows use to use a slower shutter speed. An external flash is better than the built in flash and will give good results.

2) There are commercial "rain hoods" you can buy but I have used a large zip-lock bag with a hole cut for the lens to protect in real wet conditions. The occasional rain or water spray shouldn't ruin the camera, just carry a soft cloth in your bag to wipe it down as soon as possible and be careful if you change lens/batteries. Cold will decrease the battery life, probably not enough for you to notice tho. If it's that cold you won't what to be out shooting for that long anyways. Just keep a spare battery in a pocket that has your body heat to warm it and you will be fine. The bigger problem is coming into a warm area from outside and getting condensation in the camera/lens. Just keep the camera in the camera bag till it warms up to the inside temperature. Some people place the camera in a large plastic bag to do this.

You can also rent cameras and lens at borrowlenses for a reasonable amount to try them out.

 

Hope I helped out.