D60 accessories

[mrgumdrop]

Put a D60 kit on order. Will be taking trip where supplies may not be readily available (southern Africa). Besides filters and lens, what accessories do you recommend?

We will have a notebook computer with a CD burner. What do you recommend for memory storage in the camera? How much storage does a picture require?

Thanks for the input.

Mike

[sweepiedog]

Assuming you have lenses already your first accessory should be the BG-ED3 Battery Grip. It allows you to extend your shooting time by using 2 batteries and makes the camera easier to handle.

[mrgumdrop]

Thank you your suggestion regarding the BG-ED3 Battery Grip. It sounds interesting. How long does a battery last?

[sweepiedog]

I can;t really answer that. I put my first pair of batteries into my grip about ten days ago and they are still going strong. I suppose I have taken about 800-900 shots. I mostly shoot in "large/fine" mode with a 100-400L IS.
I am very impressed with the whole package. I will let you know when my batteries need to be recharged.
MB

[mrgumdrop]

Great lens! Have been using it with an EOS 100. 800 to 900 shots and going strong is a lot of shots. Being able to charge the batteries maybe a factor in Africa.

What do you recommend for memory storage in the camera? How much storage does a picture require?

[robertwgross]

I've been shooting my D60 only in the RAW mode of image storage, and that is roughly 7MB per frame. I had purchased 256MB CF cards ($75 each) and that ends up being about 32-34 frames on each card. That makes it roughly equivalent to one roll of film. So, I have six cards to last me through shooting one day. Each night I will need to transfer them to higher capacity storage. Then I re-format each CF card in the camera and they are ready to go again.

Due to the fact that I shoot outdoors, I leave a circular polarizer on the lens about 95% of the time.

---Bob Gross---

[Morden]

sweepiedog wrote:
I can;t really answer that. I put my first pair of batteries into my grip about ten days ago and they are still going strong. I suppose I have taken about 800-900 shots. I mostly shoot in "large/fine" mode with a 100-400L IS.
I am very impressed with the whole package. I will let you know when my batteries need to be recharged.
MB
I agree with the recommendation to get the BG-ED3; it allows for double the battery life. Canon claim up to 1250 shots with two 1100mAh Canon BP-511s, but using an IS lens and/or the built in flash will, of course, reduce this. You can get 'equivalent' batteries rated at 1200 and, I believe, 1300 mAh.

The grip is also - as the name says - a grip, very good for portrait (vertical) shots, or just to get a firmer grip on the body in either orientation. For portrait shots, the main controls are duplicated for convenience. A nice touch is the simple switch that can disable these 'extra' controls to avoid accidentally using them when holiding the camera the normal' way up.

Another thing about the BG-ED3 that I was not aware of until I got it is that the two batteries are inserted and removed at the back of the camera, not under it. I have found this extremely handy when (as is usually the case with me) the D60 is mounted on a tripod.

[Morden]

Oops!

Just remembered something else about the BG-ED3; it makes the D60 a fair bit bigger. I know that this is obvious, but do bear it in mind when buying camera cases, kit bags etc. With the grip attached, the D60 is about the size of the 'pro' bodies, such as the 1D.

A last point: the tripod mount on the bottom of the grip is NOT aligned with the center of the lens mount. It isn't far off, however, and I normally have the tripod attached to a long lens instead of the camera body anyway.

[leepenn]

Regarding recharging in Africa. I've been on a safari before and you can obtain a charger that will use a 12 volt supply and will have a cicarette plug. Thus it would be easy to recharge batteries just by plugging into the 12 volt systems on the vehicles that are being used.

I did a search for D511 and found all sorts of stuff.

[robertwgross]

I've found replacement BP-511 batteries that have more power and less cost that Canon. In some cases, it is easier to simply have more batteries than it is to try to transport a battery recharger.

Note that in most parts of Africa, the commercial AC power is 220volts 50Hz. In some of the safari camps now, they have solar power to produce AC, but it is expensive.

Getting some 12volt power from a vehicle is possible, but seldom convenient.

The battery grip is too large for my situation, so I just stay with more batteries in my pocket or in my pack.

---Bob Gross---

[mrgumdrop]

Now that I have the camera, I note that the charger is international 100-240 volts AC 50-60 Hz. Should only need a simple adaptor to charge the battery.

[robertwgross]

Remember that AC receptacles are different around the world. I've run into about five different styles before, which was tragic, since I had only about four different plug adapters.

I built a DIY cord that clips onto a 12 volt auto battery, runs through a tiny 3-terminal regulator, and ends up with about 8.5 volts at the end, and that can run the camera. Of course, you hate to be tethered to the auto battery that way.

---Bob Gross---