CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
You want the 50D. 
or go Nikon
sorry, no help on the virus side of things.
or go Nikon sorry, no help on the virus side of things.
The digital SLR camera thread
- Thread starter CardinalFJ60
- Start date
I love canon for point and shoots but love my Nikon D80
You want the 50D.
Is it worth the extra $500 for the 50D? The 40D seems like a killer camera.
What started me on this whole thing is that Best Buy is selling the Nikon D200 camera back (no lens) for $599. Seems like a great deal. Maybe I should start a new thread.
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
Exactly!
x2!!! I have Nikon Point-n-Shoot...no where near as good as my old Canon 800IS.
x2!!! I have Nikon Point-n-Shoot...no where near as good as my old Canon 800IS.
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
kinda like truck advice or Mod advice...
sure! start a new thread! But I'll start things...here's the basic info to get you started looking at DSLRs..(not too different from how we determine the "best" mods")
1. how will you be using it? family photos? blowing up pics real big? want some lenses? want a Fancy point-n-shoot
2. Do you have any Canon or Nikon lenses currently?
3. how familiar are you with exposure, f/stops, shutter speed, white balance, etc? do you want to learn?
4. does size matter?
5. have you checked Adorama or B&H photo? (do that. )
basically:
Nikon and Canon are the big dogs in the space. you can't go wrong with either brand.
Any Nikon lens you find will fit on any Nikon DSLR. (well, from like the 1950's to present).
Canon has different mounts for different bodies.
at this level of camera, I'd say go to Mike's Camera or Wolf and hold them. one will feel better to you (balance, controls placement, ease of use etc). for me...it was Nikon.
Spend your money on the 'GLASS' (lenses) - get a body that fits your needs.
I have a 10 mp D40x (entry level nikon) with some nice lenses - takes INCREDIBLE PICTURES. And at that level of camera, I can mess with all the settings, or...just set to AUTO and snap away. (higher end Nikons like the D200 are slightly more manual (aka flexible).
there are lots of cool cameras right now...D200 is close to end of life, D80 is close to end of life - both great cameras. AND NIKON supports all lines very well, forever.
Nikon's D60 is a GREAT entry level DSLR, the D90 is waaay cool with HD video, then we get into the higher end...D300, D700, D3, D3x. (in that order)
HTH for a start.
sure! start a new thread! But I'll start things...here's the basic info to get you started looking at DSLRs..(not too different from how we determine the "best" mods")
1. how will you be using it? family photos? blowing up pics real big? want some lenses? want a Fancy point-n-shoot
2. Do you have any Canon or Nikon lenses currently?
3. how familiar are you with exposure, f/stops, shutter speed, white balance, etc? do you want to learn?
4. does size matter?
5. have you checked Adorama or B&H photo? (do that.
)basically:
Nikon and Canon are the big dogs in the space. you can't go wrong with either brand.
Any Nikon lens you find will fit on any Nikon DSLR. (well, from like the 1950's to present).
Canon has different mounts for different bodies.
at this level of camera, I'd say go to Mike's Camera or Wolf and hold them. one will feel better to you (balance, controls placement, ease of use etc). for me...it was Nikon.
Spend your money on the 'GLASS' (lenses) - get a body that fits your needs.
I have a 10 mp D40x (entry level nikon) with some nice lenses - takes INCREDIBLE PICTURES. And at that level of camera, I can mess with all the settings, or...just set to AUTO and snap away. (higher end Nikons like the D200 are slightly more manual (aka flexible).
there are lots of cool cameras right now...D200 is close to end of life, D80 is close to end of life - both great cameras. AND NIKON supports all lines very well, forever.
Nikon's D60 is a GREAT entry level DSLR, the D90 is waaay cool with HD video, then we get into the higher end...D300, D700, D3, D3x. (in that order)
HTH for a start.
Caribou Sandstorm
Hard Core 4+
Matt you thinking about getting one before Cruise Moab?
Check out the Sony and Fuji's, they are also good cameras for the money.
Check out the Sony and Fuji's, they are also good cameras for the money.
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
Absolutely!!
That is Right on the money!
Dave is totally correct. I have a D40x that I cannot use the AF (auto-focus) function on my 50mm/1.8 lens. that blows. although it's a good excercise to learn to manually focus a "fast" lens wide open. don't worry, you'll know what that means soon enough. ;-)
So...Hulk... Perry and I have been talking about taking an evening and walking around Lodo area to get some neat pics...once you get your camera, you should come along!
That is Right on the money!
Dave is totally correct. I have a D40x that I cannot use the AF (auto-focus) function on my 50mm/1.8 lens. that blows. although it's a good excercise to learn to manually focus a "fast" lens wide open. don't worry, you'll know what that means soon enough. ;-)
So...Hulk... Perry and I have been talking about taking an evening and walking around Lodo area to get some neat pics...once you get your camera, you should come along!
pmccumber
Hard Core 4+
I have a D40 and A D200. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't get the D200. But that is only cuz I spent over $1000 for it. I think the thing to do is to get into an SLR family and spend your money on high quality optics because I still think that the digital bodies, while really good now, still have a long way to go. And the D40 is nice and small and does just as good for everything up to 8x10.
And the optics you buy today really won't see much, if any, depreciation or cost reduction. It is the silicon in the bodies that are subject to Moore's Law. Put another way, money spent on bodies will be outdated while money spent on lenses won't significantly depreciate.
<SNOB>At that price though, I'd snap up that D200 in a picosecond over the Canons</SNOB>
My father-in-law was a spy and bequeathed to me two awesome medium format cameras and a nice Nikon F5 35mm that all dramatically outperform any of the digital cameras we've been talking about.
But I expect that in 5 years we'll have a nice small DSLR that will blow away what is currently available and it will cost $400.
And the optics you buy today really won't see much, if any, depreciation or cost reduction. It is the silicon in the bodies that are subject to Moore's Law. Put another way, money spent on bodies will be outdated while money spent on lenses won't significantly depreciate.
<SNOB>At that price though, I'd snap up that D200 in a picosecond over the Canons</SNOB>
My father-in-law was a spy and bequeathed to me two awesome medium format cameras and a nice Nikon F5 35mm that all dramatically outperform any of the digital cameras we've been talking about.
But I expect that in 5 years we'll have a nice small DSLR that will blow away what is currently available and it will cost $400.
That's the reason I bought a D80. I didn't like that d40 in my big meaty paws. Just didn't feel right IMHO. Nice camera for the $ though.
OK, I moved the relevant posts out of the "Dang I got a virus" thread and created a new thread. Let's continue...
I took the plunge and bought the Nikon D200 camera back. It just arrived yesterday. It looks awesome. However, I have not a single lens, so it is unusable at the moment.
Are there any local camera shops I should visit to check out Nikon lenses?
I would prefer to buy a Nikon lens for my first lens. I'm willing to buy used, but I would prefer to buy a newer lens with autofocus and vibration reduction (if needed).
Here's one that I'm thinking about:
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom but it's spendy.
I took the plunge and bought the Nikon D200 camera back. It just arrived yesterday. It looks awesome. However, I have not a single lens, so it is unusable at the moment.
Are there any local camera shops I should visit to check out Nikon lenses?
I would prefer to buy a Nikon lens for my first lens. I'm willing to buy used, but I would prefer to buy a newer lens with autofocus and vibration reduction (if needed).
Here's one that I'm thinking about:
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom but it's spendy.
Anyone have experience with The Camera Trader?
pmccumber
Hard Core 4+
I have an 18-200mm Nikkor and it is what stays on my camera. Very good general purpose lense. I'll bring it to Moab and let you tinker with it. I would bring it to the meeting but this customer demo that JUST HAPPENED (4 months late) has ruined my ability to do anything in the evening. Now we're going on the road with them for 8 days.
I paid $485 for mine and got it through Craigslist. You can use my little search site for that too btw (www.themccumbers.com/States.html) and just pull down the photo selector.
Personally, I would spend my money on optics and forego the expensive bodies.
I paid $485 for mine and got it through Craigslist. You can use my little search site for that too btw (www.themccumbers.com/States.html) and just pull down the photo selector.
Personally, I would spend my money on optics and forego the expensive bodies.
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
Aaah...good ol'Ken Rockwell..
Ken can take quite a beating in the web-photo world, and very-true that he is "very confident" in his writings. He admits that...so take his writings with a grain of salt. good info, none-the-less.
I think if you want one lens to do just about anything...the 18-200 is a VERY nice lens. That being said I'm starting to take lots of pictures and different types of photographs. so....I, too, am going in the direction of "fast" lenses. My current faves are my 85 and 50mm 1.8's they rock....but are fixed focal length, so I need to use my "sneaker zoom" (walk back and forth).
I would also recommend Nikkor Glass...it's just plain great. spendy, but great. We drive Cruisers...not because they are cheap to get or to work on...they are just great.
If you want to go shoot something soon without spending lots of money. go get a "nifty fifty". that is, for like $130 you can get a 50mm/1.8 Nikkor lens. the sharpness and low-light capabilities will blow you away. and it's cheap.
Here are some shots taken in a VERY dark bar (jonesy's): http://www.flickr.com/photos/22870495@N08/sets/72157614180773065/
The aftermarket lenses that get good reviews (so I've heard anyway) are:
Super-wide angle (no fisheye): Tokina
11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon Digital
Macro(close-up): Tokina
Telephoto 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF-D
NiKON Big-money, fast, pro lens: NikonUSA Zoom Super Wide Angle AF 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Autofocus Lens for Digital Cameras
Ken can take quite a beating in the web-photo world, and very-true that he is "very confident" in his writings. He admits that...so take his writings with a grain of salt. good info, none-the-less.
I think if you want one lens to do just about anything...the 18-200 is a VERY nice lens. That being said I'm starting to take lots of pictures and different types of photographs. so....I, too, am going in the direction of "fast" lenses. My current faves are my 85 and 50mm 1.8's they rock....but are fixed focal length, so I need to use my "sneaker zoom" (walk back and forth).
I would also recommend Nikkor Glass...it's just plain great. spendy, but great. We drive Cruisers...not because they are cheap to get or to work on...they are just great.
If you want to go shoot something soon without spending lots of money. go get a "nifty fifty". that is, for like $130 you can get a 50mm/1.8 Nikkor lens. the sharpness and low-light capabilities will blow you away. and it's cheap.
Here are some shots taken in a VERY dark bar (jonesy's): http://www.flickr.com/photos/22870495@N08/sets/72157614180773065/
The aftermarket lenses that get good reviews (so I've heard anyway) are:
Super-wide angle (no fisheye): Tokina
11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon Digital
Macro(close-up): Tokina
Telephoto 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF-D
NiKON Big-money, fast, pro lens: NikonUSA Zoom Super Wide Angle AF 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Autofocus Lens for Digital Cameras
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
Here are some other reference sites..
I've been visiting these lately. I started with Ken's stuff...then graduated to other ones.
I like:
This week in photography (twipphoto.com)
thom hogan
Outdoor photograpy magazine website (google time!)
photographers: I've been enjoying photojournalistic shots lately.
Steve Simon photography
scott bourne
I've been visiting these lately. I started with Ken's stuff...then graduated to other ones.
I like:
This week in photography (twipphoto.com)
thom hogan
Outdoor photograpy magazine website (google time!)
photographers: I've been enjoying photojournalistic shots lately.
Steve Simon photography
scott bourne
A buddy of mine said he was planning to upgrade to the 50mm F/1.4 -- he said the difference between the 1.8 and the 1.4 was enough to make it worth the money. I've thought about making this my first lens as well, since the pictures would be ultrasharp.
CardinalFJ60
Rising Sun Member
yup!
Do it! you won't be disappointed. the 1.4 lens IS better...especially for the "bokeh" (the out of focus stuff in the background). for a comparison the "legacy" 1.4 is about $350-$400 and the "new" AFS version of the 1.4 is closer to $500.
the 50mm 1.8 is like $110 from B&H and $130 from Wolf/Ritz. and hopefully cheaper from your friend.
Do it! you won't be disappointed. the 1.4 lens IS better...especially for the "bokeh" (the out of focus stuff in the background). for a comparison the "legacy" 1.4 is about $350-$400 and the "new" AFS version of the 1.4 is closer to $500.
the 50mm 1.8 is like $110 from B&H and $130 from Wolf/Ritz. and hopefully cheaper from your friend.
RockRunner
Hard Core 4+
Check Craigslist, there are a ton of lenses on there. I would buy used, save some good cash unless it is the high end glass. I have a Canon for a while now and though my body is about half the price my lenses have barely dropped. If you are looking at saving money but still getting good quality you can get a Sigma lens. I know some will say no way but unless you are blowing up your pictures to 17x11 or bigger you will not notice the difference as long as you get a sharp unit.
I know Canon and Sigma have two lines of lenses as I am sure Nikon does. Not sure what they call their upper level but if you can afford it that is the way to go. They barely loose value and use awesome glass.
PS No matter what quality lens you buy snap some pictures first with it before you buy it. There are sharp copies out there and soft ones. I looked at three 17-40 lenses till I found the one I thought was sharp enough.
How did you tell? Did you pull the pictures onto a computer and magnify the image to check sharpness?
Sure, that would be great!
Jenny Cruiser
Hard Core 4+
No Sony Alpha guys here then? My old set up is a Minolta 7xi so I picked up an alpha. All my old lenses work on the Sony body. In addition to all my old lenses I have the best Sony digital flash, digital zooms and GPS. I don't think I'll need anything more anytime soon. I was going to go the D200 or D300 route till I sat down and added up what all that would cost me in the end. To have what I have now I would have spent well over $3,000 going with Nikon. Maybe more. As it is, I spent less for everything than what the D200 bodies go for on ebay. I have most of the features, equal resolution, and just a bit more higher ISO noise than the Nikon. As soon as I master what I have I'll step up, but that is prolly going to be a long time from now.