Cameras for cat photography

You still didn't bought a camera for photographing your cat? Here are some suggestions:

• Under 300$
  You can choose between 2 cameras in this category:
  
  1. Canon PowerShot S3 IS (290$) - good camera, but you will maybe problems with the small display, and the dark electronic viewfinder.
  2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 (300$) - has bigger maximum aperture at the far end than the Canon - f/3.1, which is very important for not blur your cat action shots.
  They both are good start cameras. The far end of both cameras is 432mm - enough to don't distract the cats. Remember - these cameras are very noisy at 400 or more ISO, so don't photograph at more at 200 ISO.
• Under 500$
  You can choose again between 2 cameras in this category:
  
  1. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 (470$)- this is a very popular camera. The maximum focal length is 420mm - far enough to capture any cat without disturb it. It has good - f/3.7 The disadvantage - the camera has small image sensor which reflex in bigger noise in bigger ISO.
  2. Fujifilm FinePix S9100 (390$) - it has bigger image sensor than the FZ50 and logically - lower noise. The maximum focal length is 300mm, less than the Panasonic, but still enough for the job. The true disadvantage is the maximum aperture at the far end - just f/4.9. This means that you have to take photos at least at 200 ISO. Also - it doesn't have optical image stabilization.
  These cameras are bigger than the under 300$ cameras, but the size reflexes in lower noise level and better focus. My personal favorite from these two is for cat photography is Fujifilm FinePix S9100.
• Advanced cat photography kit
  If you think you are advanced enough and you want to take really stunning cat photos here are the things you must have:
  
  1. Canon 350D (540$) - this is a good start up DSLR camera. It's small and easy to use. But if you can find second hand Canon 20D - buy it instead of Canon 350D. It is a little bigger, but it has better auto focus system and it's less noisy at higher ISOs.
  2. Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM (580$) - very good zoom telephoto lens. If you want to take quality cat photos this is must-have.
  So, for less than 1200$ you can shoot stunning cat photos. In fact, if you buy them second hand, they'll cost you less then 1000$ which is pretty good. Enjoy!
• Ultimate cat photography kit
  The perfect things for cat photography are these:
  
  1. Canon 30D (1000$) - good results at high ISO, not so big as 1D. The crop factor is a plus. But if the size does not matter for you - take one of the versions of Canon 1D.
  2. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS (1700$) - The best zoom stabilized lens. If it's to heavy or expensive for you, you can try Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L (1140$) or Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS (1060$)
  3. Canon EF 1.4x II Extender (275$) - it is useful when you need a little extra focal length
  4. Canon 580EX II Speedlite (420$) - if you will make mostly night cat photos.
  5. Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM (1180$) - wide lens. Read below what to use for.
  6. Canon TC-80N3 (137$) - useful timer remote. You can use it for interval shot. In that way you can capture a true cat story.
  These are the best things you can buy for cat photography. You'll need the last two things if you want to do series of photos while you are not next to your camera (that is a good tactic to make more natural cat photos).