On Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:52:25 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:



Bigger the better. Little cameras are not good for fat fingers, and
get left on car roofs.
Yeah, I could find info elsewhere, but I'll trust boaters first.
Lots of gearheads.

--Vic

Low light requires a decent sized chip and good processing
electronics. Those are most likely found on Nikon or Canon SLRs.

Olympus wouldn't fit your fingers. You can pick up a lightly used
Nikon D200 or D300 on ebay from a reputable seller. New are just too
damned expensive. They're built like tanks using metal cases.

Shutter, apeture priority, full auto or fully manual. I use my D200
in all sorts of situations. Travel, sports, nature. Stunning detail.
The sensors and electronics on the Nikons are geared towards skin
tones, Canons sensors and electronics are more neutral. I've always
liked the look of a Sony picture, similar to Nikon sensors.

The obvious complement to either of those bodies is the 18-200 VRII.

The cheaper lenses are just that.

That's a serious setup with serious heft but a bit more than your $1K
threshhold. You would not regret it and the camera would last many
years, like they used to...