The NIKON Thread (Talk About Nikon Stuff here)

[Iron_Dreamer]

Well, the other day I saw a deal so good for a 35-70 F2.8, that I couldn't not buy it. Seems like a pretty nifty lens thus far, though I'm not sure I prefer it to the Sigma 24-60 for everday shooting. The AF is pretty sluggish by comparison. The faux-macro mode is very cool though, and much better than I had expected (I figured it would be an afterthought, toss-on feature).

[dj_mocok]

Milk:

I am glad that you enjoyed the 50mm 1.4 Ai.
It's a totally different feeling from shooting with auto lens like 18-70mm isn't it?

It makes you appreciate photography more and when you create a nice picture out of it, it feels better than creating it from an AF lens. I would love to get my hands on a nice third-party manual lens for my Nikon but the price is astronomical.

[laxx]

@Milkpowder - The only problem I have with black and white pictures is that 99% of the time, it comes out boring. I feel people have to really pick and choose which pictures they want to transition into b&w, and throughout your set, I liked 2 or 3 of them. =T

I don't know if other people feel that way, but that's how I am about b&w. It needs to be 10x (random number) better of a picture than their color counterpart or else it's just flat/boring.

[stuartr]

Originally Posted by laxx

@Milkpowder - The only problem I have with black and white pictures is that 99% of the time, it comes out boring. I feel people have to really pick and choose which pictures they want to transition into b&w

That's the same way I feel about color!

[milkpowder]

@Iron_Dreamer:
That's a very nice shot. Very creamy bokeh!

Originally Posted by dj_mocok

Milk:

I am glad that you enjoyed the 50mm 1.4 Ai.
It's a totally different feeling from shooting with auto lens like 18-70mm isn't it?

It makes you appreciate photography more and when you create a nice picture out of it, it feels better than creating it from an AF lens. I would love to get my hands on a nice third-party manual lens for my Nikon but the price is astronomical.

Zeiss? Some day, some day...

Originally Posted by laxx

@Milkpowder - The only problem I have with black and white pictures is that 99% of the time, it comes out boring. I feel people have to really pick and choose which pictures they want to transition into b&w, and throughout your set, I liked 2 or 3 of them. =T

I don't know if other people feel that way, but that's how I am about b&w. It needs to be 10x (random number) better of a picture than their color counterpart or else it's just flat/boring.

I'm glad you managed to find a few acceptable ones... could've been worse Truth to be told, I too think that some of the pictures I posted were in the *yawn* category However, it's not always that colour is better. There are some shots in that series that are very flawed in colour and much nicer in B&W (eg 2nd, 8th picture). Vice versa (eg 1st, 5th shot)! I have to admit the 4th shot in the series is particularly poor in B&W

Some colour versions:









And to keep this thread on topic - "Nikon Stuff"

[hembergler]

Thanks for the comments Towert7/M0T0XGUY

As much as I'd like the D80, I think it would be unwise to put so much money into a hobby that I have minimally experienced. I have no doubt that in the (far?) future--if I stick with this--I will want to upgrade from what I get. However, given that I have never really done much photography, and $600+ will still be more than anything I've ever purchased (I'm still young, give me time), the D80 is out of my reach.

So I'm probably going to go with the D40 + 18-55mm AF-S + 55-200mm AF-S VR, but I'm not quite sure yet. Again, thanks for the help.

[milkpowder]

I didn't even have $600 in the world when I was your age

[M0T0XGUY]

Originally Posted by hembergler

Thanks for the comments Towert7/M0T0XGUY

As much as I'd like the D80, I think it would be unwise to put so much money into a hobby that I have minimally experienced. I have no doubt that in the (far?) future--if I stick with this--I will want to upgrade from what I get. However, given that I have never really done much photography, and $600+ will still be more than anything I've ever purchased (I'm still young, give me time), the D80 is out of my reach.

So I'm probably going to go with the D40 + 18-55mm AF-S + 55-200mm AF-S VR, but I'm not quite sure yet. Again, thanks for the help.

The old 18-55 AF-S is decent, but I'd think it wise to shop around for a D40 kit with the newer 18-55 AF-S VR. It's not necessarily the best example of a VR implementation, but in terms of optical performance its much improved over the older kit lens.

I also wouldn't necessarily limit yourself to Nikon's entry level models. With the XSi and almost certainly with the Rebel XS, I think Canon has surpassed Nikon in terms of value and performance - at least in certain cases. Plus, the new Canon kit lens is actually quite good and slightly superior to Nikon's equivalent; and I know that the Rebel XS kit at least will sell for less than $600. Don't get me wrong, the D40 is a spectacular camera; I just think Canon's new models are, arguably, around a generation ahead of Nikon's.

[Towert7]

Originally Posted by M0T0XGUY

The old 18-55 AF-S is decent, but I'd think it wise to shop around for a D40 kit with the newer 18-55 AF-S VR. It's not necessarily the best example of a VR implementation, but in terms of optical performance its much improved over the older kit lens.

I also wouldn't necessarily limit yourself to Nikon's entry level models. With the XSi and almost certainly with the Rebel XS, I think Canon has surpassed Nikon in terms of value and performance - at least in certain cases. Plus, the new Canon kit lens is actually quite good and slightly superior to Nikon's equivalent; and I know that the Rebel XS kit at least will sell for less than $600. Don't get me wrong, the D40 is a spectacular camera; I just think Canon's new models are, arguably, around a generation ahead of Nikon's.

It is a VERY tough question, canon or nikon, if you can only afford to buy into one kit. I've seen one person say they liked nikon better for their lenses, but canon seems to have more lenses. I'm sure others like the canon lenses better. For me though, the biggest thing that swayed me was the ergonomics of the camera. My D50 is a joy to hold. I can use it for hours on end with no strain. The Rebel XT felt more box like and the controls where not where I wanted them. It also didn't feel as sturdy. I tried the 40D recently, and it was horrible! It is huge, and flat. There is no comparison between the ergonomics for the D80 and D300 vs the 40D and 5D.

So, it is a tough choice between the two brands, and there may be times when you wish you went with the other brand, but in the end there is usually a special quality to one that just makes taking pictures a better experience. For me, it was the feel of the Nikons.

[Towert7]

Originally Posted by hembergler

Thanks for the comments Towert7/M0T0XGUY

As much as I'd like the D80, I think it would be unwise to put so much money into a hobby that I have minimally experienced. I have no doubt that in the (far?) future--if I stick with this--I will want to upgrade from what I get. However, given that I have never really done much photography, and $600+ will still be more than anything I've ever purchased (I'm still young, give me time), the D80 is out of my reach.

So I'm probably going to go with the D40 + 18-55mm AF-S + 55-200mm AF-S VR, but I'm not quite sure yet. Again, thanks for the help.

If the D40 is the best you can afford, there is nothing wrong with that. If that is the case, get it and start having fun!

The 18-55 and 55-200 will give you a decent range, and it will be a good way for you to fool around with the range and see what you prefer or what you end up using more. From there, you can look into better, more specific, lenses.

I looked on bhphoto, and couldn't find the D40 (or D40x) body alone, and they only come with the kit 18-55mm. The D60 comes with a kit 18-55mm VR.
Nikon | D60 SLR Digital Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR Lens | 25438
That would be a nice budget DSLR kit, especially if what M0T0XGUY says about the new 18-55VR vs. the older 18-55mm is true.