PDA

View Full Version : Digital Slr Advice????????



msc5195
09-22-2007, 06:15 PM
Looking to buy my first SLR. My budget is 1200.00 so i want to get the most for my money. I would like something that is user friendly and has an image stablizer. I have owned a digital camera for the last 9 yrs but this will be my first SLR. I will be using for general photography, family events, landscape shots and so fourth. Not looking to get into professional portraits or such. What would you reccomend for a first time SLR buyer?

Thanks

Robert

Shaun K
09-22-2007, 06:33 PM
Looking to buy my first SLR. My budget is 1200.00 so i want to get the most for my money. I would like something that is user friendly and has an image stablizer. I have owned a digital camera for the last 9 yrs but this will be my first SLR. I will be using for general photography, family events, landscape shots and so fourth. Not looking to get into professional portraits or such. What would you reccomend for a first time SLR buyer?

Thanks

Robert

I would snap up a Nikon D40 with the 18-55 II kit lens and add the 24-120Vr ...Or since you really dont need VR at short focal lengths imo just add the cheaper 55-200vr , (probably a smarter setup)...either combo

pyro
09-22-2007, 08:38 PM
If you're going to step up to a dSLR anyway, get the best you can afford. The D80 has many more features, more resolution, more lens choices, and is worth the *double* price difference.

D40 $550 with 18-55
aren't there only like two autofocus lenses that work on this camera?

D80 $1099 with 18-55
D80 $1299 with 18-135 (I have this combo)

If you want to shoot moving subjects like boats, don't spend a dime on any zoooom lens unless you get the real deal, like the fast 2.8 70-200 VR ($1600+) or better. The cheap kit lenses like the 18-135 are at 5.6 or 6.3 at full zoom, and are useless for motion in anything other than direct midday sun at 200+ ISO. If you don't stop down slower yet anyway, they'll vignette at most longer focal lengths. They are, however, just fine for most everyday use.

The 24-120 VR is a rather mediocre lens, and quite pricey for as limited as it is. The 18-200 is just as good within the same range, with a bit more to spare on each end, although it's quite expensive. If you really want zoom, there's no substitute for a top-shelf 2.8 lens shot wide-ass open. They will never disappoint. Save your pennies...

Casey
09-22-2007, 09:11 PM
aren't there only like two autofocus lenses that work on this camera?
i'm pretty sure that all AFS type lenses will autofocus on the D40's

Shaun K
09-22-2007, 09:21 PM
If you're going to step up to a dSLR anyway, get the best you can afford. The D80 has many more features, more resolution, more lens choices, and is worth the *double* price difference.

Hi Pyro
Quite honestly, I could put a few pictures from the D200 , D50 , D40 and ill bet you could never tell which is which. Also, the D40 is the cleanest iso performer of them all. Ive owned all those cameras at the same time.
I speak from experience..

D40 $550 with 18-55
aren't there only like two autofocus lenses that work on this camera?

No, it can accomadate all of these

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=544 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.nikonusa.com/images/common/spacer.gif</TD><TD vAlign=top width=474><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=subgroupText>AF-S (Silent Wave Motor) Lenses</TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2144) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2163) - NEW! </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S Zoom-NIKKOR 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=1960) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2147) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2170) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2149) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2162) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2159) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mmf/2.8G ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2164) - NEW! </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2141) - NEW! </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2145) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S Zoom-NIKKOR 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=1961) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2156) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2166) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2139) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2161) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2160) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S VR NIKKOR 200mm f/2G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2150) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2146) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=1909) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S VR NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2154) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED II (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2127) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2171) - NEW! </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4D IF-ED II (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2131) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2172) - NEW! </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4D IF-ED II (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2133) </TD></TR><TR><TD>AF-S NIKKOR 600mmf/4G ED VR (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2173) - NEW! </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3 height=1>http://www.nikonusa.com/images/common/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=3 height=1>http://www.nikonusa.com/images/common/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3 height=1>http://www.nikonusa.com/images/common/spacer.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>http://www.nikonusa.com/images/common/spacer.gif</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

D80 $1099 with 18-55
D80 $1299 with 18-135 (I have this combo)

If you want to shoot moving subjects like boats, don't spend a dime on any zoooom lens unless you get the real deal, like the fast 2.8 70-200 VR ($1600+) or better. The cheap kit lenses like the 18-135 are at 5.6 or 6.3 at full zoom, and are useless for motion in anything other than direct midday sun at 200+ ISO. If you don't stop down slower yet anyway, they'll vignette at most longer focal lengths. They are, however, just fine for most everyday use.

The 24-120 VR is a rather mediocre lens, and quite pricey for as limited as it is. The 18-200 is just as good within the same range, with a bit more to spare on each end, although it's quite expensive. If you really want zoom, there's no substitute for a top-shelf 2.8 lens shot wide-ass open. They will never disappoint. Save your pennies...

Yea its a nice lens for sports, Ive owned that one too, along with many other Nikon pro lens . However, the Op put forth a budget of 1200.00 and also stated its for general photography. So, I still stand by the advice of D40 18-55II kit lens & 55-200vr considering the OP wants VR. That would leave him money for memory, camera bag and probably a tripod .If Vr wasnt a priority the 18-135 would be suggested..Can always add lens later once you get your basic kit together

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n279/Kruger_02/example/DSC_00891.jpg

Casey
09-22-2007, 09:54 PM
Nice collection there Shaun!!!!

How do you like your 300mm F/4? I'm thinking about getting one next year. my 80-200 F/2.8 is a little to short at times and getting closer is not an option most of the time.

Shaun K
09-22-2007, 10:12 PM
Nice collection there Shaun!!!!

How do you like your 300mm F/4? I'm thinking about getting one next year. my 80-200 F/2.8 is a little to short at times and getting closer is not an option most of the time.

fabulous lens casey, sharper & better IQ than the 70-200vr imo. Hell, its a prime ! .The only grip I had with it was it didnt have vr which is really nice to have at those focal lengths. Also, when I put my TC x1.7 on it the lens didnt drop any IQ what so ever. The 70-200vr would lose a bit IQ. I sold all my Nikon stuff in July and moved to canon but I was very fond of the 300F4.

D50 300F4 @ F4
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n279/Kruger_02/madog/DSC_0031-2.jpg

Scream And Fly
09-23-2007, 01:11 AM
If you really want zoom, there's no substitute for a top-shelf 2.8 lens shot wide-ass open. They will never disappoint. Save your pennies...

Actually, I almost never shoot wide-open. :)

I agree with Shaun on his suggestions though. If he's on a strict budget, the D40 or D40x with the 18-55 and 55-200VR is a great little package. I also think the image stabilizers are over hyped a bit. Nothing will substitute good photographic technique. I almost never use the image stabilizer when shooting fast boats or any action. The only one time I used VR was when I was running along size boats for the Mercury Racing catalog shoot.

Greg

Shaun K
09-23-2007, 10:38 AM
Actually, I almost never shoot wide-open. :)


Usually you don’t have too ya know. But like last week it was unusually dark during the day and the guys were running on the other side of the river about 1200ft away. So I automatically knew even at 200mm I would be cropping heavy in pp to frame it nice. Hence, amplifying any iso noise. So having two choices to keep shutter speeds up, by jacking up iso from 200 to iso400 *or* open up to 2.8 from F4 which I chose that day. Generally from what I’ve experienced if you’re not parallel to the subject at 2.8, parts will be OOF but I got some good results at 2.8 which surprised me a bit. If they were running closer and I could fill the Vf with boat I would have shot F4/iso400 without hesitation. I hate removing noise and loosing detail so I avoid it as much as possible. Sometimes it cant be helped though..<O:p</O:p
<O:p> </O:p>
F2.8 iso200 (70% crops) no pp
http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p797762353-5.jpg
<O:p></O:p>
http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p124343208-5.jpg

I agree with Shaun on his suggestions though. If he's on a strict budget, the D40 or D40x with the 18-55 and 55-200VR is a great little package. I also think the image stabilizers are over hyped a bit. Nothing will substitute good photographic technique. I almost never use the image stabilizer when shooting fast boats or any action. The only one time I used VR was when I was running along size boats for the Mercury Racing catalog shoot.

Usually when someone sets a budget I like to leave some breathing room for accessories. However if you’re going to make that 1200 all camera & lens. The D40 18-55 & 70-300vr is a very sweet two lens package. Missing the 56-69 gap is nothing imo. I’ve seen so many 70-200vr IQ like pictures from the 70-300vr. Tech61 does a lot of fabulous Bif photography with the D40/70-300vr. I think that lens is a bargain at 499. What do you think Greg ?
<O:p
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80469099@N00/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/80469099@N00/)<O:p></O:p>

pyro
09-23-2007, 11:40 AM
I understand the short depth of field shooting at 2.8. My point was simply to state that a "real" zoom lens is still capable of shooting wide open without all the wierd stuff happening. The full-zoom vignetting on the cheap zooms is terrible until you stop down to 6.3, where it's too slow to shoot handheld in typical late-day haze anyway. Save your money...

msc5195
09-23-2007, 12:03 PM
THANKS for so much way over my head info. Looks like I will be buying the
D40x with the 18-55 and 55-200 lens. I also plan on taking a 6wk Photography course at the local college for 125.00. As I said before I am not looking to go Pro here but I do want to understand the features & functions of my camera along with the proper photo taking techniques.

Again, THANKS!

Robert

Shaun K
09-23-2007, 01:50 PM
THANKS for so much way over my head info. Looks like I will be buying the
D40x with the 18-55 and 55-200 lens. I also plan on taking a 6wk Photography course at the local college for 125.00. As I said before I am not looking to go Pro here but I do want to understand the features & functions of my camera along with the proper photo taking techniques.

Again, THANKS!

Robert

Welcome !


http://tinyurl.com/2re34c (http://tinyurl.com/2re34c)
<O:p</O:p
&<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
http://tinyurl.com/2nm2tg (http://tinyurl.com/2nm2tg)<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

Scream And Fly
09-23-2007, 02:10 PM
Shaun, I agree with everything you say, and I follow the same techniques.

By the way, you're getting those little smilies in your posts and strange formatting because you're likely using MS Word to write your posts and pasting it into the forum or possibly another application that adds formatting to plain text.

Greg :)

Scream And Fly
09-23-2007, 07:56 PM
Oh, I almost forgot:

The 70-300VR is getting very good reviews, and it (thankfully) seems to differ more from the original 70-300AF so than I first thought. At around $500, it's a very good buy. Not a very good low light lens though, but no consumer lens is, so this is probably as good as it gets without spending a ton of money on a lens. The Nikkor 80-200 2.8 is, unfortunately, not an option for the D40/D40x.

Greg

Shaun K
09-23-2007, 08:21 PM
Oh, I almost forgot:

The 70-300VR is getting very good reviews, and it (thankfully) seems to differ more from the original 70-300AF so than I first thought. At around $500, it's a very good buy. Not a very good low light lens though, but no consumer lens is, so this is probably as good as it gets without spending a ton of money on a lens. The Nikkor 80-200 2.8 is, unfortunately, not an option for the D40/D40x.

Greg

They made an AFS 80-200's for 3 or 4 years as their last revision. I couldnt find one for anything when I wanted one. Everybody bought them up or hold on to them when the pricey 70-200vr came out. Right after I bought the 70-200 from cameta someone traded a mint one in to them but they wanted top dollar for it anyway. 70-200 is one of Nikons magical lens imo. cant wait to get my stuff back

http://tinyurl.com/yrq8q6

Scream And Fly
09-23-2007, 08:23 PM
Yeah, I knew about that 80-200 AF-S, but like you said, it's pretty rare these days. The 70-200, as you probably know, is the replacement for that lens. I have a feeling the 80-200AF won't be around much longer either. The 70-200 is my favorite lens of all time - I've used and own many too. Can't live without that one. :)

hsbob
09-24-2007, 11:17 AM
sigma just came out with a 18-200 vr lens.

Fish
09-24-2007, 11:29 AM
great thread! Thanks, good info.

Scream And Fly
09-24-2007, 04:17 PM
great thread! Thanks, good info.

Jody, if you want an awesome pro lens for that D80 you have, get the Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/124669-USA/Nikon_1986_Zoom_Telephoto_80_200_f_2_8.html). That thing won't be around much longer, and it's the absolute best deal in a pro lens available. Its image quality is just about the same as the Nikon 70-200.

I keep my D59 handy here all the time, ready to go. It's great for casual photos, even with the kit lens it came with. with a pro lens, it will produce results as good as anything seen on this site.

http://i22.tinypic.com/wj9ht4.jpg

Fish
09-24-2007, 09:29 PM
thanks Greg, I am going to put that at the top of my wish list. Hopefully before River ranch.

Scream And Fly
09-24-2007, 09:39 PM
thanks Greg, I am going to put that at the top of my wish list. Hopefully before River ranch.

Jody, if possible you should join me for the photo shoot, which should be early on Saturday morning. Would be a great chance to get photos in a controlled environment. That is, of course, unless you want to run your boat and participate. Either way, it would be great to have you join in.

Greg

Fish
09-24-2007, 09:45 PM
Jody, if possible you should join me for the photo shoot, which should be early on Saturday morning. Would be a great chance to get photos in a controlled environment. That is, of course, unless you want to run your boat and participate. Either way, it would be great to have you join in.

Greg

Sounds good. Might make a few passes and then try to learn how to actually take pics. Thanks Greg.

Shaun K
09-28-2007, 08:54 PM
Got my camera back, yay !



moon shot from I95 NJ
iso3200
http://shaun.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p74383073.jpg

Frank Molé
09-28-2007, 09:14 PM
cool:D

msc5195
10-02-2007, 06:48 PM
Is it just Nikon or do all SLR's not show the pics in the LCD until the pic is taken? Will the Nikon D40X do this? If so how do I set it up? My wife has come so accustom to looking at the LCD instead of looking through the viewfinder.

Thanks

Robert

Scream And Fly
10-02-2007, 09:36 PM
Is it just Nikon or do all SLR's not show the pics in the LCD until the pic is taken? Will the Nikon D40X do this? If so how do I set it up? My wife has come so accustom to looking at the LCD instead of looking through the viewfinder.

Thanks

Robert

Some newer models have live preview, but overall, the whole point of an SLR is to compose the image through the lens using a viewfinder. The only Nikon models that have live preview are the upcoming D3 and D300. The Canon EOS 1D MKIII does as well, and I believe some of the Olympus models do. Remember that SLR cameras - most notably the auto focus and shutter system - work much differently than point and shoot models.

Greg