[fureshi]

i recently purchased a D40 for my girlfriend as a christmas gift and she loves the camera. in the past, she has done some point and shoot photography but the camera held her back.

now with the D40, she's starting off slowly and mainly using the P setting. i think if i had purchased something like the D300 for her, all of the functions that would be convenient for seasoned photography enthusiasts, would intimidate her.

 

[bahamaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Towert7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A D300 and good lens........ I see money is not much of an object for you. In that case, there really is no reason to get anything short of the D300 Boy, what a valentines day gift! It'll be a wonderful camera that she'll enjoy immensely. Keep us posted on how it goes.

Money is always an issue, but she has been so unfailingly supportive of my audio addiction, I felt it was about time to pony up with something truly special just for her.

Present thinking is that I will get the 18-200 and, either immediately or after, get the 50mm or 85mm prime lens, probably the 1.8 (not 1.4). That way, she can have the best of both worlds. Great indoor, low-light portraits of kids and dogs, uber flexible 18-200 for everything else.

I'm even planning to enroll her in an upcoming 8 hour workshop on the D300 put on by the folks at nikonians later this month.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

 

[lan]

If you truly want a do it all camera, the D300 is an excellent option! I'm not really that excited about the 18-200VR but it'll at least show you what range you like to use the most on the camera and plan the next lens upgrade.

 

[bahamaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lan /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you truly want a do it all camera, the D300 is an excellent option! I'm not really that excited about the 18-200VR but it'll at least show you what range you like to use the most on the camera and plan the next lens upgrade.

Actually, I am not totally sold on the 18-200 either, but I felt that its versatility and Vibration Reduction might make it a good starting point. I would probably prefer one of the Pro lens, maybe the 17-55 or even the wicked pricey 24 (or is it 28?) - 70.

As you say, we could always upgrade later. Just what the family needs . . . two expensive hobbies

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not really that excited about the 18-200VR

It's not that bad, probably better than you expect. It is bested by nikon's best primes, but not by much.

Just a few examples (sorry 56'ers):

All taken with the 18-200VR and my D50.
Not bad I would say. Again, not quite as crisp as my 50mm fixed..... but very close. They look lovely printed. I've done an 10x15 of the butterfly and really love it! Easily could have gone larger.

Nikon seems to have used a lot of aspherical lens elements on it to try and increase sharpness. It worked. A downside though, is it's hard to get good bokeh. I can't really get a tight DOF with it or very soft bokeh.

 

[bahamaman]

Towert7 - wow, wonderful pics! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bahamaman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I am not totally sold on the 18-200 either, but I felt that its versatility and Vibration Reduction might make it a good starting point. I would probably prefer one of the Pro lens, maybe the 17-55 or even the wicked pricey 24 (or is it 28?) - 70.

The 18-200VR is a really nice lens. It's fairly priced at 670$us. The other, more specific, lenses that cost 1600$ and up are when you get serious and need the best performance from the lens. Seriously though, feel the weight of the 18-200VR and the 24-70mm on the camera itself, and you'll see that the 24-70mm is a beast! I have the 10 year old 35-70mm nikkor, and even that is fairly heavy. The 24 (or 28) - 70mm is quite a bit heavier, and certainly much bigger.
Yea, I'd start with the 18-200 and take it from there.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bahamaman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Towert7 - wow, wonderful pics! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

 

[jterp7]

wow Towert..I also have a D50 + 50mm 1.4 and 18-200VR and none of my pics look that good lol...most likely user error though -_-

 

[Towert7]

Jterp7, thank you for the nice comment!
Give it time, and lots and lots of practice. Then, all that you need to do is photograph what makes you happy, and I simply know that you will take wonderful pictures!

 

[nineohtoo]

Towert7: The bokeh doesn't look as bad as you make it seem, particularly on the butterfly. Which is a really nice picture BTW.

I think the 18-200 would be a wise decision to start off with. I started with a D40 and 18-135mm just to get a feel for what I was going to shoot. If she find she needs particular lenses for what she needs, you guys can always find someone who likes it, or keep it as a travel lens. But once she finds what she needs, it's gonna be bad...

For me it's worse than head-fi. My current camera gear is worth well more than my car's blue book value, and how much I currently have floating around my room that's in between trades and sales... and to think, I only picked up that D40 during black friday

 

[Towert7]

Thanks nineohtoo!

Ah, but it's a fun and harmless addiction, albeit expensive.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

But you have to look at the cost ceiling. A D3 is $5k, and the most any non-supertele lenses cost is ~$2k. Whereas one can easily shell out $30k+ for a top-end source or set of speakers

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Towert7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's not that bad, probably better than you expect. It is bested by nikon's best primes, but not by much. Just a few examples (sorry 56'ers): http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2416/...1a21d28b_b.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/221/4...a4e815d6_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/...3f37dddc_b.jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/...0978a07d_b.jpg All taken with the 18-200VR and my D50. Not bad I would say. Again, not quite as crisp as my 50mm fixed..... but very close. They look lovely printed. I've done an 10x15 of the butterfly and really love it! Easily could have gone larger. Nikon seems to have used a lot of ED glass on it to try and increase sharpness. It worked. A downside though, is it's hard to get good bokeh. I can't really get a tight DOF with it or very soft bokeh.

Dude, whatever, man. Your photos just prove to me again that the Photographer behind the body and lense is most important.

I'll bet that you could shoot better pics with a point and shoot than if I had a D3 and the 28mm f/1.4.

Your photos are simply gorgeous. Oversaturated, but gorgeous.

-Ed

 

[dj_mocok]

Cat with digital camera. I swear he takes better pictures than my partner!

I should mount similar cam to a grandma and setup grandma-strapped-with-cam project and see how it comes out.