New to DSLR'S, need advice!

[PicksPics]

Hi peeps, new to this site and new to dslr photography.
I've been looking up a few different models but i'm most drawn to the Nikon D90.
Jessops have this bundle for £899, would like some feedback from those in the know.
•Nikon D90 18-55 VR Kit
•Sandisk Extreme 8GB Card
•Tamron 70-300mm Lens
•Lowepro case
•52mm and 62mm UV Filters

Me and my partner are going to India in feb and Tuscany in june. These trips should give me some great subject matter to shoot. What i want to know is, is this bundle a good deal?
I want a camera i can progress with and not be held back by as i learn more.
Also we are going on a jungle trek in India, will the humidity affect the camera badly or will it be ok? I going to buy a lowepro waterproof rucksack for the trip.
Any feedback or other suggestions will be gladly recieved.
P.s. I have a professional photographer willing to teach me, so i'm not daunted if this camera will present a steep learning curve for a novice like me.
Thanks for reading this.

[OldBoy]

The D90 is a cracking camera but not water sealed, so need to be careful if humidity is too high. Not sure the lens selection is the best, as the 18-105mm VR is better. Not sure the Tamron 70-300mm is good enough for this camera.

My choice would be a Nikon 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 VR and Warehouse Express do it for £999 with the D90 as a bundle.

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-...-lens/p1028015

You can combine this with a Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 for £209.99 from Warehouse Express. Buy two SanDisk 4GB Extreme 30MB/Sec SDHC Card at £57.98 and forget about the filters. OK it's a bit more than you wanted to spend but worth it for the quality you get. With VR on the 70-300mm you won't need a tripod so saving a bit of weight. The Sigma 17-70mm get rave reviews from lots of people who own it.

As for waterproof bags I can recommend the LowPro DryZone 100 at £214, as I have one and used it in all weathers and my stuff remains dry in the inner bag.

Just add, you could go for a secondhand D200 camera which is weather sealed and a semi-pro camera and as long as you keep the ISO below 800 will serve you well. I brought mine new when it was launched and still use it along-side my D3, and it performed faultlessly in heavy rain. Greys of Westministers have them from £384 to £449 and the D90 was based on this camera.

http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/...3e346e26a0680f

[HinFrance]

You need a Pentax system. The K7 and K5 can be bought as a kit with weather sealed lenses, 18-55 and 50-200. The former is excellent, the latter not so much, but it is 'tropicalisée' as the French say - ideal for use in humid conditions. I frequently use my 18-55WR in the pouring rain and K20D (old model) in the mountains in winter. Waterproof carry kit is not required. The cameras themselves are water and dust sealed and guaranteed down to -10C. In short, as tough as old boots. And the K5 is the best performing APS-C body on the market.

SRS are Pentax Pro dealers - see HERE

For camera reviews see HERE and HERE

The D90 is a fine camera (as in fact are just about all modern DSLRs) but it's not the tool for mucking around in a jungle.

PS. I agree with Oldboy about the D200 - far more suitable for the task in hand.

[Sue Allen]

There are 3 different things the purchase will need to do which makes it harder to recommend one particular camera. If you wanted just a combo for your holiday in Tuscany and general purpose holiday/family stuff I'd recommend the D3100 which is newer, cheaper, has most of the manual controls you'll ever need plus plenty of easy modes and will give results certainly as good as the D90. The D90 is getting on a bit now - that does'nt stop it being one of the best enthusiast DSLRs ever released, but it does mean you should shop around for the best price - Camera World have refurbished models which have a guarantee and would save a bit on initial outlay. The D90 would be a camera that would last you a long time in terms of a camera to grow into.When it comes to the humid/jungle stuff then it's true that the only affordable weathersealed system -both camera and lens would be Pentax - can certainly recommend the K-5 in all respects - the earlier K-7 is similarly robust and a lot cheaper.

[Mr Bump]

Hi PicksPics. The worry about humidity depends on which part of India you will be visiting and how you will be travelling. Feb is well out of the monsoon season so humidity should only really be an issue in the south (Kerala, etc). In the mid-to-north areas you are more likely to be concerned about dust, not to mention high polution in the cities, so make sure you take good sensor cleaning kit with you.

As someone who has back-packed around many far-flung parts of the globe, including through India and Nepal, I would advise going for the most durable weather/dust-sealed DSLR possible. If you are back-packing then bulk and weight are also issues (but not so much if you will be staying in hotels and travelling in chartered minibuses).

I swapped my Nikon FM3A for a D200 with 18-200 a few years ago but found that combination just too heavy/bulky for back-packing. I have now moved to a Pentax K5, as suggested to you by HinFrance, which is actually a little smaller than the D90 but, I would say, a lot more durable. The only shame is that it does not optionally take AA batteries in-body like the Pentax Kr does, which can be very useful in remote areas. If using the camera's standard battery make sure you have at least one spare with you.

You'll soon fill up an 8Gb card so you'll want more than one with you unless you you also take some form of back-up device.

You'll find India very addictive and incredibly photogenic. Enjoy your trip.

[HinFrance]

I forgot about the AA battery thing. The K5/K7 battery grip can use either the standard lithium ion battery or 6 AAs. Worth a thought. eBay ones can be acquired for less than £50 - Phottix is a good enough brand.

The Pentaxes are not only water resistant, but also dust proof. On the Pentax forums there is a serving GI who took his K7 on a tour of Afghanistan and didn't have a single mote inside the camera after 6 months.

I'm sure whatever you decide on you'll have a wonderful time and so many pictures when you get home it'll take months to go through them all.