TB Photographers, I need your help!

Muusers · #1 05-30-2009, 02:38 PM

Lately I've been really getting into photography since I got my Samsung Omnia. Taking pictures of everything I see, now comes the time to upgrade to a proper beginner camera, especially since I'm visiting New York City in 5 weeks time!!

I've been thinking about the Nikon D40 but I haven't really got a clue where to start when it comes to lenses. Sure, I've done some reading up but all those technical terms mean nothing to me. I'm sure you guys can help me out right there.

Muusers

iamlowsound · #2 05-30-2009, 03:24 PM

Buy the D40 pack, I know several professional photographers that use just the D40 pack and nothing else. It comes down to how good the photographer is, not the equipment. If you find that you are moving into a type of shooting that needs a difference, start researching, but for now you don't really need anymore that what you get for the pack.

lowsound

8guy · #3 05-30-2009, 06:45 PM

Anothr Nikon to consider if you want close to dslr without a dslr is the P-90.
24x optical zoom,12.1 mps all in a $400.oo package.

warwick.hoy · #4 05-30-2009, 06:56 PM

The question is...how much are you willing to carry around and futz with changing out lenses? If you want to carry around a bunch of lenses and a bag...or backpack then the sky is the limit.

If you don't want to fuss with lenses just get yourself a 28-300mm lens. This will give a good wide angle to zoom. They may not be as fast as more specialized lenses, but it will cut down on the amount of equipment you'll have to carry.

EDIT: If you foresee yourself taking a lot of night time landscape/cityscape type shots...consider a small sturdy tripod, or monopod.

When I was into 35mm SLR photography...I used a 24mm wide angle (bordering fisheye distortion) a 50mm lens that was pretty fast and a 70-300mm zoom lens. This was with an old Canon AE-1 program back in the mid to late 90's before everyone had a digital camera.

guitar ed · #5 05-30-2009, 09:23 PM

Hi Muusers,

If you are thinking Nikon, check out nikonians.org. I have a Nikon camera & I hang out there too. There are people there who will tell the brutal truth, good & bad, about the Nikon gear.

I don't have a D40, so I can't address any questions specific to that camera body. But I can say this: The lens that the kit comes with, the 18-55mm lens, is pretty good. I have both shorter & longer lenses, but even so, 80% of the pix I take are within the 18-55mm lens length.

How much do I like my Nikon? I got a new body at Xmas, and I have taken almost 8k pix in not quite 6 months.

Take care,

edg

tplyons · #6 05-30-2009, 09:33 PM

While I can't address the Nikon specifically, being a Canon user, I can say that I have most of my bases covered with the kit lens (mine's an 18-55 mm zoom -- any zoom in that range would be good for a walk around lens) a 50 mm prime that's faster than the zoom, and a 70-300 mm zoom for the distance. I'm looking to pick up a 15 mm or so fisheye for the landscapes.

I do all of my photography with these three lenses and have no desire for anything else but the fisheye. I'd like to upgrade my lenses to faster varieties, but those ranges are perfect for what I need.

---

Just a warning though, I've read that the Nikon D40 was designed to be use with ONLY the kit lens and does not have an autofocus motor built into the body. This means that all but the most expensive lenses will be manual focus only. What's the point of a DSLR if you can't use all the features with another lens?

iamlowsound · #7 05-30-2009, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Just a warning though, I've read that the Nikon D40 was designed to be use with ONLY the kit lens and does not have an autofocus motor built into the body. This means that all but the most expensive lenses will be manual focus only. What's the point of a DSLR if you can't use all the features with another lens?

I heard that as well, but I thought that they changed that with the newer ones.

lowsound

m0nst3r · #8 05-31-2009, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Just a warning though, I've read that the Nikon D40 was designed to be use with ONLY the kit lens and does not have an autofocus motor built into the body. This means that all but the most expensive lenses will be manual focus only. What's the point of a DSLR if you can't use all the features with another lens?

This is true, so if you have your heart set on Nikon, you should consider getting a D50 insead of the D40. The D50 is the lowest end Nikon DSLR that has the AF motor built into the body, and it's a very good camera for a beginner.

OrionManMatt · #9 05-31-2009, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Just a warning though, I've read that the Nikon D40 was designed to be use with ONLY the kit lens and does not have an autofocus motor built into the body. This means that all but the most expensive lenses will be manual focus only. What's the point of a DSLR if you can't use all the features with another lens?

The D40 was designed to be more compact for the user new to DSLRs and thus removing the internal focus drive motor helped achieve that. While getting an AF-S/AF-I lens or comparable non-Nikkor alternative is not cheap, it's going to be a great lens. The D40 is kind of like the C-Class Mercedes: it gets you into the experience of owning a car like that and all the history, luxury and engineering it affords, but is usually regarded as a gateway purchase (i.e., hopefully the first of many future Mercedes purchases). It offers much more control and image quality than other expensive point-and-shoot alternatives but is still small enough to keep in your backpack for a day at the zoo with the kids. It's a compromise for sure, but make no mistake -- it's a very, very capable camera.

For an in-depth review on the D40, I'd recommend the following (or any of their reviews, really):
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

Are you hoping to stay in the budget range of a "D40"? Willing to spend any more? What do you want your camera to be able to do? What kind of photography do you like?

OrionManMatt · #10 05-31-2009, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I heard that as well, but I thought that they changed that with the newer ones.

lowsound

The D40X had some "performance" upgrades (10MP CCD, ISO 100, 3.0 fps) but that was about it. Still no internal focus drive motor.

Disco_Gee · #11 05-31-2009, 04:57 AM

Buy a Canon entry level DSLR. They are fantastic. Very good value for money.

I've been shooting Canon for a number of years now (amateur and pro) and I really like them.

Muusers · #12 05-31-2009, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Just a warning though, I've read that the Nikon D40 was designed to be use with ONLY the kit lens and does not have an autofocus motor built into the body. This means that all but the most expensive lenses will be manual focus only. What's the point of a DSLR if you can't use all the features with another lens?

So what exactly does an autofocus motor do? It just focusses on the picture by pressing the button halfway down?

L-A · #13 05-31-2009, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muusers

So what exactly does an autofocus motor do? It just focusses on the picture by pressing the button halfway down?

On most SLR boxes, it drives the lens' focus, as you said. If the D40's attachment is non-standard, then you won't be able to fit other autofocus lenses on it.

Then again, if you know your way around "traditional" photography, it can be less of an obstacle. Still, no sport photo for you

**Vorago** · #14 05-31-2009, 08:15 AM

No love for Canon?

I've seen some crazy offers around here.

A Canon 1000D with two kit lenses (standard 18-55 and a 70-300 zoom iirc) for 600 euro.

Then again, I don't know if it's any good.

Maybe this forum offers some more imput; pretty specialized though...but it's in Dutch!

http://forum.belgiumdigital.com/

Lady Kayri · #15 05-31-2009, 09:31 AM

Another Canon user here; I also teach a class in "Art of Photography." My suggestions for lenses would be - Kit lens is usually pretty darn good, 18 - 55 mm with Canon. A 50 or 100mm prime lens for portraits, photos of your basses, etc. 75 to 300mm zoom for long distance / closeups of birds, etc. Finally, a 10 to 20 mm wide angle zoom. You're also going to want to invest in a decent flash as well. Lens 'lengths' may vary somewhat, but you should be able to get something close to those lengths without having to spend more than $700 to $800 on any one lens.

**HeavyDuty** · #16 05-31-2009, 09:43 AM

Do you want to *really* learn photography?

Go get a D40, D40x, D60, D90 - whatever - and a Nikkor 35/1.8G DX lens, not a zoom of any kind.

If you're looking for convenience, zooms are fine. If you want to learn photographic vision and creativity, you need to restrict yourself.

HD, former PJ and current hobby shooter

WickedPissah · #17 05-31-2009, 10:07 AM

Nikons are really freakin' expensive, no?

I use a Fujifilm Finepix S5700 and it's great. I'm not sure if they are still made/sold, but Fujifilm in general makes a good camera that's priced reasonably.

http://hatbass.deviantart.com/gallery/ has examples of what my Fujifilm has done for me.

**Vorago** · #18 05-31-2009, 10:07 AM

I agree on the 'restrict yourself' comment.

I've been shooting on film now for a month or two now ( http://www.brunomorez.blogspot.com for a selection

) and all I have is a descent 50 mm 1.8 lens. I often think 'damn, a zoom would be nice now', especially when you're in the streets trying to shoot descent photos of unknown people, but at the same time it forces me to be creative and really think about what I shoot.

**HeavyDuty** · #19 05-31-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WickedPissah

Nikons are really freakin' expensive, no?

I use a Fujifilm Finepix S5700 and it's great. I'm not sure if they are still made/sold, but Fujifilm in general makes a good camera that's priced reasonably.

http://hatbass.deviantart.com/gallery/ has examples of what my Fujifilm has done for me.

Apples and oranges. SLRs are more expensive than non-SLRs, but Nikons really aren't any more expensive than any of the other top-tier brands (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony).

popinfresh · #20 05-31-2009, 11:18 AM

Muusers how much do you want to spend?

If you're just starting out why not something like a Canon G10? You'll still be able to take amazing photo's and start learning about photography.

It's just you're talking hundreds and hundreds per lens here with something you might not be so keen on down the line and then you've got all this gear going to waste.