# Good camera for a cheap price?



## jeffkrol

greenguppy said:


> I was just looking at the pictures in my tank journal and then at minorheros newt tank and I knew I had to get a better cam. I have never had a camera always use my phone or tablet. So is there any good camera that's not super expensive? Like under $150? Is there anything that's best to have for taking pics of an aquarium?
> 
> Thanks for all your help[emoji846]


OLD saw was it's not the camera but the photographer..
W/ aquariums it is not the camera or the photographer but the light..






Aquarium Photography | How to Take Great Aquarium Photos | Nikon | Nikon


Learn how to photograph fish and creatures that live under water. Read Nikon tips for aquarium photography.



www.nikonusa.com





Any camera w/ RAW (easy to non-destructively fix things file) capability and a good macro lens though not sure that is a prerequisite but it
is commonly suggested. Owing 5 macro lenses myself I do like them. 
Some phone camera have RAW capability.

Soo w/ a budget of $150 and knowing I couldn't get you there I just did some used shopping to show you a starting point.
Unless you got real lucky any decent macro lens alone would break your bank.
settled on a "fast" 35 designed for the APS-C sensor... and an older Nikon body.
$223.04 plus tax and shipping (didn't go that far on checkout.
BTW: I've dealt w/ KEH and it is (well was I'm a bit out of the camera market atm) well regarded.
Nikon was given the blessing of dpreview (also my old "go to knowledgebase")








Nikon D40X Review


The Nikon D40 was announced just under four months ago, and yet here we are with a new version of that camera. The D40X has the same compact lightweight body and easy to use control layout, in fact the only external physical difference is the badge. Under the bonnet Nikon has swapped out the...




www.dpreview.com












Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm F1.8G: Digital Photography Review


Expert news, reviews and videos of the latest digital cameras, lenses, accessories, and phones. Get answers to your questions in our photography forums.




www.dpreview.com




Now 10mps is behind the times a bit but more than adequate.. See my beginning sentence.

KEH sells through Amazon as well but looks cheaper to go direct.








Amazon.com : Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) : Electronics


Amazon.com : Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) : Electronics



www.amazon.com




and see below image
IF possible and you are interested ask KEH if they know the shutter count..
*



Shutter count

Click to expand...

*


> is an estimation of how much the camera has been used. Most *shutters* are rated to a minimum of 150,000 (entry and mid-range DSLRs) or 300,000 (professional DSLRs). Most *shutters* last well beyond their rated life (indeed no Camera Jungle *DSLR* has yet worn out).












kind of "If I was in college eating Raman but wanted to dabble in photography" what I'd consider.
There are dozens of other choices and maybe even a phone camera or p/s to consider but it is a starting point.







Title of your Article


Description of what your article




www.tropicalfishcareguides.com




Tutorial.. done.


----------



## minorhero

Everything @jeffkrol mentioned is good advice. I will add that photography is one of my hobbies. While not every picture I post here is one I spent some amount of time on, there are some that stand out as ones I put a little more effort into. 

With the newt tank, most (not all) of the full tank shots were done with my phone (google pixel 4). Most (not al) of the macro shots were done with my real camera (Sony A7III - a 2000 dollar camera, and a 'cheapy' macro lens - 280 dollars).

Additionally some of the pictures (mostly the ones from my real camera) got a little extra TLC in post production with photoshop for things like contrast and to enhance details. 

Some macro shots are just done with my phone's 'portrait' mode which uses software to fake bokeh. Meaning the subject is in focus and the background is turned blurry (the bokeh effect). This works really well for images that are viewed on a phone or internet browser but if I were to blow up one of those images to 8x10 size its immediately obvious which is from my real camera vs my phone.

So where does this leave you? Well basically its hard to replicate what I've done with 150 dollar budget if starting from scratch. 

The easiest thing to do is to upgrade your phone to one of the multiple camera models (latest pixel, iphone, or galaxy). This might be more justifiable to you since you can use it for more then just photos even though it will blow your budget. (This assumes you don't already have such a phone). 

After that I'd counsel waiting and saving more for a camera. Can you buy a camera for 150 dollars? Yes, yes you can. BUT the resulting images from that camera are not going to be a lot better then what a typical phone can take (when viewed on computer screens or phone screens). Ideally you will spend around 500 dollars on a camera. This is enough to get you a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses of one system or another (1", 3/4, aps-c, etc). This is one area where buying the latest and greatest tech is definitely beneficial. You can certainly get very very very nice photos using older gear but new compact mirrorless cameras are getting substantially better each year and buying a camera that is 1 generation old is going to produce much better results then one 7 or 8 generations old. That said, I'd only pursue this if you are planning to take pictures of more things then just your fish. If just doing your fish, I'd just use a phone as its hard to justify a fish camera for 500 dollars. 

And finally... consider post production as well. Using some software filters you can change a picture that looks 'ok' into one that looks absolutely stunning in just a few minutes. I use the "nik collection" but there are many out there for a variety of software platforms but free and paid.

This is a lot of info.. sorry about that, you touched on one of my other hobbies so I tend to a get a bit verbose.


----------



## Plinkploop

Lol and this would be why I gave up on photography as a hobby before I even started. My high school sweetheart was big time into visual arts and photography. He told me how much he saved up for his first "real camera" and I nearly fainted. You can _sometimes_ find some steals at estate sales- that's a statement that holds true for just about every expensive hobby, though. Good luck with this endeavor!!


----------



## Griznatch

I agree with *minorhero* and* jeffkrol. *I use a d40x, while outdated it still takes decent images. It's the lenses that get pretty steep. Honestly I think my wife's phone takes better images sometimes. Your challenge, like *jeffkrol *said, usually ends up being lighting. Taking images through glass isn't easy. That and getting the little buggers in your tank to "pose" or just hold still long enough for a god shot


----------



## evil8

I paid almost a grand for my Canon 80D and I don't want to add up the amount I have in lenses. I do have 2 really nice, but outdated, used lenses that are perfectly fine. I used to go out taking photos several times a week. Since COVID, I've been less active outside my immediate neighborhood, but I still still stalk the birds in front yard. LOL!


----------



## EmotionalFescue

Yeah, that's tough... photography has been my primary hobby since I was a teenager, so I definitely appreciate wanting to get gear cheap! Unfortunately, cameras and lenses are just inherently expensive.

In the context of photo gear, cheap but good translates closer to $500, and that still means used. As @jeffkrol pointed out, KEH is an option for used gear. I set myself up with a whole Hasselblad kit on there years ago without breaking the bank, but I'm not sure how good they are these days, and I've never used them for digital bodies and newer lenses.


----------



## greenguppy

Thanks everyone I think I will save up a little more..... mebbe alot more..... I breed guppies and rare ramshorn snails to sell I probably get $20 a month. how much do yall make from selling fish? and what types do you find get you more money?


----------



## minorhero

greenguppy said:


> Thanks everyone I think I will save up a little more..... mebbe alot more..... I breed guppies and rare ramshorn snails to sell I probably get $20 a month. how much do yall make from selling fish? and what types do you find get you more money?


I don't sell fish, but the fish I have purchased online are ricefish and blue ramshorn snails. Ricefish live and breed absurdly easily outside and seem annoying to breed indoors (at least for yours truly). In that I tried for 2 years to get my ricefish to successfully breed indoors and this year have a small patio pond outside and already I am seeing eggs on fish I just purchased a month ago. Judging by the rarity of certain species of ricefish on aquabid there is a market there for some of the rarer strains out of japan/china if you can get your hands on them.


----------



## Plinkploop

Rare betta breeding can net a pretty penny, cichlids are always a relatively easy one to make a few bucks here and there. If you have the means (and space) a lot of the rarer L pleco are absurdly priced. If you're willing to go reef fragging nets a crap load of $. Problem is factoring in how much you're spending on it as well. Say you're living in a temperate zone and breeding tropicals- your electric bills from heating your tank is going to knock you on your butt. Vice versa- you're breeding cooler water fish and it's summer- you're going to pay in electric for ac or a chiller. Plus there's the food and testing and so on and so forth lol. Aaaaahhhhh I'm retired 😂😂😂😂


----------



## Savetheplants

This is @minorhero's and @JacquesCousteau's camera. Maybe we should all get one so we can post great pictures like they post.


----------



## minorhero

Savetheplants said:


> View attachment 1029735
> 
> This is @minorhero's and @JacquesCousteau's camera. Maybe we should all get one so we can post great pictures like they post.


Lol


----------



## greenguppy

Do you think I could keep ricefish In a bucket? Or would I need a proper patiopond? 

Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


----------



## Bettatail

find out what you can do with what you have(for phone camera, may need some accessories), and learn how to control light, you will be amazed how well the pictures look even with a phone camera. 

Most cell phone cameras today are much better than the "advanced" DSLR 10 to 15 years ago, but most people who kindly give you suggestion here, can still take amazing pictures with an old canon 10D or 20D, because they master the photograph skill and know how to control light.

If you go with DSLR, there will be far more work to do ahead before you getting good pictures, but hey, why not?


----------



## Plinkploop

greenguppy said:


> Do you think I could keep ricefish In a bucket? Or would I need a proper patiopond?
> 
> Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


You can keep rice fish in a bucket, just diy a sponge filter on an airstone with a SMALL air pump and use floaters/ sunshield on part of it so they can escape the sun/ predatory view.


----------



## minorhero

greenguppy said:


> Do you think I could keep ricefish In a bucket? Or would I need a proper patiopond?
> 
> Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


They are kept in japan pretty commonly in a bucket or clay pot with floaters like water hyacinth. This latter is required as they breed in the plants and they are going to be doing the filtering.


----------



## greenguppy

ok where did you get ricefish?e---? or aquabid? How many should you start out with? I have an extra cycled filter that I could use. Looks like its about 80 bucks for 6?


----------



## greenguppy

Also I live in texas so summer is up to 96f at miday....


----------



## Plinkploop

I used to get mine through a co op, but the person that bred them moved. I've recently found another local hobbyist that typically has water lettuce that are egg laden, one hatched in my cube. I lost the other 2 fry because of one of my cats and "the bucket incident". I'd say keep an eye out on hot days that they don't get much reprieve over night to make sure they aren't gasping/ over heating, but I've had some in patio pond set ups do fine in heat waves of 100° with evap water being replaced with cooler water daily. Granted if you're using a 5 gallon bucket there may be some issues, I've never attempted in less than 30 gallons outdoors.


----------



## minorhero

greenguppy said:


> Also I live in texas so summer is up to 96f at miday....


This is my first year keeping mine outdoors. It gets to be high 90s to low 100s here in Maryland. Mine have a bit of a waterfall in their tank so that should help cool them a bit. I know its not uncommon to get high 90s in parts of japan and they are very very commonly kept outdoors there. Here is a video for more information from someone who lives part time in japan:


----------



## greenguppy

minorhero said:


> This is my first year keeping mine outdoors. It gets to be high 90s to low 100s here in Maryland. Mine have a bit of a waterfall in their tank so that should help cool them a bit. I know its not uncommon to get high 90s in parts of japan and they are very very commonly kept outdoors there. Here is a video for more information from someone who lives part time in japan:


Where did you get them from? How much did you pay?

Never scene that channel just subbed.

Sent from my KFONWI using Tapatalk


----------



## minorhero

Both times I purchased them through aquabid. I think I paid about 50 to $70 for 5 + 2. Plus shipping.


----------



## jeffkrol

Bettatail said:


> find out what you can do with what you have(for phone camera, may need some accessories), and learn how to control light, you will be amazed how well the pictures look even with a phone camera.
> 
> Most cell phone cameras today are much better than the "advanced" DSLR 10 to 15 years ago, but most people who kindly give you suggestion here, can still take amazing pictures with an old canon 10D or 20D, because they master the photograph skill and know how to control light.
> 
> If you go with DSLR, there will be far more work to do ahead before you getting good pictures, but hey, why not?











Updated: Google Pixel 2 camera review


Please note: In September 2019, we updated the DXOMARK Mobile test protocol to cover ultra-wide-angle performance and renamed the protocol DXOMARK Camera. We also expanded our low-light testing and created the new Night sub-score, which incorporates the previous Flash score. We have retested...




www.dxomark.com





Yea I've been impressed w my phone camera.
Just not the same though.
And in all honesty processed is processed.
I want my negative thank you.

So my minimum phone camera requirement ..
Raw.

I...just can't get up to replacing my DSLR though it is 24 mps aps-c sensor.
to be completely honest.. Camera is 1000x's better than me..
50mm Macro which rarely leaves my camera. 





SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F2.8 Macro Reviews - FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database


SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F2.8 Macro lens reviews and detailed specifications. This macro lens features 1:1 magnification. The optics are seated so far from the front that no se



www.pentaxforums.com





















for fun..

About 1/4 of the orig image..
Yes all POST PROCESSED..









I'm not even claiming these are good. but I like em..


----------



## jeffkrol

And the fight continues.... 
Sad thing is modern phones w/ the best cameras cost as much as a DSLR + lens..
I DO ADMIT that phone cameras are REALLY convenient..








Smartphones vs Cameras: Closing the gap on image quality


At DXOMARK we have watched over the years as smartphone cameras have gone from being a novelty to becoming the world’s most popular way of capturing photographs. In a keynote session at Electronic Imaging 2020, our CEO and CTO, Frederic Guichard, began by providing a historical perspective on...




www.dxomark.com


----------



## Bettatail

Jeff, I like my 7D II and always prefer it over my phone camera for taking good pictures.

I only want OP to understand before getting into DSLR, he has the choice to explore the limit with his cell phone camera, nowadays the phone camera are really good taking good pictures for normal users, and own a DSLR not necessarily means good pictures if without skills or patience.


----------



## DoctorFajita

Like others, I’m also a photographer (hobbyist, though, I have worked some gigs here and there). My suggestion is to ask yourself what can’t you do with your phone that a dedicated camera can with your budget.

My camera kit is many thousands of dollars, but with that, I have a dedicated computer that processes the images. I pay a monthly subscription for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, leverage other software such as Topaz, Luminar, and other plugins and profiles that help me create the image I need. But most importantly, all of this takes time and dedication, as much as it costs money.

I’m not saying one has to invest that time to get the image they want/need. But this brings me back to my original suggestion.

Ironically, I haven’t spent much time taking photos of my tanks. I think it takes quite a bit of planning and skill to take a good, effective photo of a home aquarium.

Website: HodakaKajitaPhotography.com


----------



## jake21

phone cameras are no where near as good as a 5 year old dslr and dxo is well full of it. There are a lot of things that goes into image quality from fidelity of the sensor to dof control of the lens. Last but least phones suck at focusing and no where near as accurate as manual focus esp when the subject is surrounded by other objects.


----------



## AEWHistory

Bettatail said:


> find out what you can do with what you have(for phone camera, may need some accessories), and learn how to control light, you will be amazed how well the pictures look even with a phone camera.
> 
> Most cell phone cameras today are much better than the "advanced" DSLR 10 to 15 years ago, but most people who kindly give you suggestion here, can still take amazing pictures with an old canon 10D or 20D, because they master the photograph skill and know how to control light.
> 
> If you go with DSLR, there will be far more work to do ahead before you getting good pictures, but hey, why not?


How did you get that hummingbird to stand still like that!?



Seriously awesome pics. My camera‘s LCD screen broke sadly. It is apparently a common failing of the model, but it makes it difficult to use. Eventually I’d like to get a new one and get some nice pics.


----------



## Bettatail

AEWHistory said:


> How did you get that hummingbird to stand still like that!?
> 
> 
> 
> Seriously awesome pics. My camera‘s LCD screen broke sadly. It is apparently a common failing of the model, but it makes it difficult to use. Eventually I’d like to get a new one and get some nice pics.


as for hummingbird shot, shutter is 1/6400 with two remote Canon e580 equivalent flashes, camera is Canon 7d mk ii with 50-500mm bigma ii lens at 480mm. 

unfortunately the camera gave me error 20 while I was in SD zoo about three weeks ago, the error showed up after first two pictures since I got in the zoo, 
the shutter has more than 100k clicks through the years, no complaints about the error, but can not send it to Canon for service in the US, mine is a mail ordered Japanese model, now let it sit empty until the internal main board battery drain so it can be reset, if the error still present after reset I will see who can get it fix or I will open it myself.


----------



## AEWHistory

Bettatail said:


> as for hummingbird shot, shutter is 1/6400 with two remote Canon e580 equivalent flashes, camera is Canon 7d mk ii with 50-500mm bigma ii lens at 480mm.
> 
> unfortunately the camera gave me error 20 while I was in SD zoo about three weeks ago, the error showed up after first two pictures since I got in the zoo,
> the shutter has more than 100k clicks through the years, no complaints about the error, but can not send it to Canon for service in the US, mine is a mail ordered Japanese model, now let it sit empty until the internal main board battery drain so it can be reset, if the error still present after reset I will see who can get it fix or I will open it myself.


Ugh! I know the feeling. I was on a trip in Greece with my in-laws when my camera’s LCD decided it was time to retire. Every once in awhile it turns back on in a sort of tease….then it stops working again. So I can imagine your frustration. Sounds like you got WAY more mileage out of your camera than I did though.

Thanks for the info on the hummingbird shot. It is an awesome pic. You sound like you really know picture taking. I’d never have been able to get that shot myself. I’d have been stuck there asking the hummingbird, “hey dude, you mind slowing down a little? I’d like to get a selfie with you.”


----------



## xaivercoco

aight, any cam you'll have - cheap or expensive, u anyway will need software. Can anybody suggest good software?


----------



## minorhero

xaivercoco said:


> aight, any cam you'll have - cheap or expensive, u anyway will need software. Can anybody suggest good software?


Depends on how much you want to spend. I am kind of old school on software. I was doing basic typesetting and graphical design on photoshop as a summer job since I was a kid. So that is my goto. Lightroom has kind of taken over many of the roles photoshop used to exclusively offer. Both are expensive products to buy outright but they also both have subscription options available for 12 or 15 dollars a month (can't remember exact number off the top of my head). 

If you don't want to spend anything then GIMP is a good option. It was originally designed as a photoshop clone but they had to change some menus around after they lost a trademark lawsuit. It still can do just about anything photoshop can do but it looks different. For me that means its harder to use, but if you are not familiar with photoshop then it won't matter.

After that you will want some filters to automate your post processing. I really like the nik collection but there are many out there including free ones. I just don't know any free ones that I like, I also haven't looked into it in years since I already own the nik collection.


----------



## jake21

xaivercoco said:


> aight, any cam you'll have - cheap or expensive, u anyway will need software. Can anybody suggest good software?


Most camera vendors will supply decent processing software that is a free download (you can get it even if the camera is used). I have fuji X camera and olympus om camera. I actually like the olympus software. I had one of the cheap asp canon camera a long time ago but i just don't remember what the canon software was like. I found the colour balance from olympus a bit nicer.


----------



## oReceltornic121

xaivercoco said:


> aight, any cam you'll have - cheap or expensive, u anyway will need software. Can anybody suggest good software?


As mentioned below, most of cams supply software but that's more often about expensive ones. I've tried lots of applications and would say that there is no reason to pay a lot for software. Free apps work wonderful too. I'll attach a link to software I'm personally using - https://www.movavi.com/ Good luck. Hope I've been useful )


----------



## davidgrey

The easiest thing to do is to upgrade your phone to one of the multiple camera models (latest pixel, iphone, or galaxy). This might be more justifiable to you since you can use it for more then just photos even though it will blow your budget.


----------



## jake21

davidgrey said:


> The easiest thing to do is to upgrade your phone to one of the multiple camera models (latest pixel, iphone, or galaxy). This might be more justifiable to you since you can use it for more then just photos even though it will blow your budget.


I find the precise focus of the phone awful; specifically if you are trying to focus on a fish in the middle of a group of plants it can be quite difficult to get it to achieve critical focus on the fish. Cameras are far more precise esp if you want to tweak the focus.


----------



## davidgrey

if there is no camera or in force majeure situations precise focus of the phone helps out. and I agree with you - the camera is definitely better and more practical


----------



## kaseyaldridge5

A Nikon D3300 has good reviews online and should be found Online for $500.00 or Less. I have this camera for 3 years and love it. Also, You can read how to get disposable camera pictures on your phone article reviews at technumus.


----------



## oReceltornic121

You can get yourself a GoPro or a video recorder, it will shoot video for you all the time.


----------

