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#1
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Settled on D40x, now what?
Warning - long message follows.
Background: my "current" camera is a Sony Mavica FD-91. It has done well but it's long overdue for replacement. Thus, I don't have any lenses lying around. I use the camera mostly for vacation photos (inside and out), family events, household happenings, etc. I've done enough research on the cameras to decide that the D40X will do the job for me (only thing I wish it would do is bracketing and RAW+JPEG-Fine but I can live without those). I've also decided to get the 18-200 VR lens that has been discussed here and elsewhere. Take that as a given. So here are my questions: 1. Should I get the 40X body only or the 18-55 kit. I'm leaning toward the kit since it would give me a smaller lighter lens choice for those days when I know I won't need a lot of zoom for not much more money. Or should I get the body and a different wide/low-zoom lens. Or just the body (some have told me that the kit or other wide lens would be redundant with the 18-200 VR). 2. Other than an SD card or two, what else would be good to get at the same time? For example: a) Strap? Which one? b) Extra battery? c) Filters? d) Flash? Is the built in one OK or do I need a stronger one? Which? e) Bag which will hold camera, both lenses, extra battery, flash and not much else. I have a case for the Mavica (I can't find it or a really similar bag online to show, but it's about 7" x 12" x 8" high and rectangular. It fits the Mavica and a large supply (50) of floppy disks but might be a bit big for the new camera. My main beef with the old bag is that it sticks out too much from my body when carried with the shoulder strap, so something flatter would be nice. 3. Can someone recommend a good book on digital photography that spends more pages covering exposure, lighting, ISO, etc, and fewer pages coviering Photoshop and its cohorts. I would like to learn how to get better results right out of the camera, rather than futzing with each photo to make it look good. Phew, that's it for now, Thanks in advance, Mark |
#2
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Settled on D40x, now what?
"Mark Katz" wrote in message ... 3. Can someone recommend a good book on digital photography that spends more pages covering exposure, lighting, ISO, etc, and fewer pages coviering Photoshop and its cohorts. I would like to learn how to get better results right out of the camera, rather than futzing with each photo to make it look good. Phew, that's it for now, Thanks in advance, Mark OK, if you don't want to "futz", don't shoot raw. All the other things, exposure, ISO, etc, are probably covered well enough in any old film photography book in your local library. Or, Google searches for the topics you mentioned. Changing the ISO to a higher number is like magically letting in more light without changing f-stop or shutter speed. The problem is the higher the ISO the more noise aka, "grain". Longer shutter times generally will result in greater depth of field, which means more things in your photo are in focus, but you better use a tripod because the shutter is open too long for hand-holding without camera motion blur ruining the shot. Smaller f-stop numbers (larger aperture) means more light comes in, which means smaller depth of field, which means the subject in focus will stand out from the background which will be out of focus. Be careful with small f-stop numbers on a "fast lens" (smaller the f-stop number the "faster" the lens) or a subjects nose might be in focus but not the eyes. High shutter speeds are great for most sports to stop the action, but your depth of field may be shallow. High shutter speeds don't always work well for sports, like motorsports, where you don't want the wheels stopped on a car so it appears to be parked. However, high shutter speeds are great for when the car is crashing: I usually shoot in shutter speed mode so I can quick boost it way up the moment someone goes out of control. :-) |
#3
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Settled on D40x, now what?
On 2007-09-19 14:54:01 -0700, Mark Katz said:
Warning - long message follows. I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes (I'm new around here) but I speak as someone who has long experience in film photography and the graphic arts, yet I'm very much in the learning stage about digital cameras, so I'm relating some newbie experience with my D80 FWIW. Background: my "current" camera is a Sony Mavica FD-91. It has done well but it's long overdue for replacement. Thus, I don't have any lenses lying around. I use the camera mostly for vacation photos (inside and out), family events, household happenings, etc. I've done enough research on the cameras to decide that the D40X will do the job for me (only thing I wish it would do is bracketing and RAW+JPEG-Fine but I can live without those). I've also decided to get the 18-200 VR lens that has been discussed here and elsewhere. Take that as a given. So here are my questions: 1. Should I get the 40X body only or the 18-55 kit. I'm leaning toward the kit since it would give me a smaller lighter lens choice for those days when I know I won't need a lot of zoom for not much more money. Or should I get the body and a different wide/low-zoom lens. Or just the body (some have told me that the kit or other wide lens would be redundant with the 18-200 VR). I had an 18-55 and thought it was a pretty good lens for the price. Keep in mind that price is about a hundred bucks. Not much for a high-tech AF zoom with ED glass. There are a bunch of them available on eBay, as their owners discover that much better image quality is available in other mid-range zooms. The 24-85 is a good example. 2. Other than an SD card or two, what else would be good to get at the same time? For example: a) Strap? Which one? I'll probably get a Domke, as I've always been partial to them, but for now the one that came with the camera suits me fine. b) Extra battery? Definitely a good idea, IMO. c) Filters? I would never use any lens I care about outdoors without a UV for protection from flying grit.. d) Flash? Is the built in one OK or do I need a stronger one? Which? I got an SB-400 and it's surprisingly powerful--also has bounce capability. I have an SU-4 that lets me trigger my old SB-28 as a slave. e) Bag which will hold camera, both lenses, extra battery, flash and not much else. I have a case for the Mavica (I can't find it or a really similar bag online to show, but it's about 7" x 12" x 8" high and rectangular. It fits the Mavica and a large supply (50) of floppy disks but might be a bit big for the new camera. My main beef with the old bag is that it sticks out too much from my body when carried with the shoulder strap, so something flatter would be nice. My stuff is in an old aluminum Haliburton. That's just my own preference. 3. Can someone recommend a good book on digital photography that spends more pages covering exposure, lighting, ISO, etc, and fewer pages coviering Photoshop and its cohorts. I would like to learn how to get better results right out of the camera, rather than futzing with each photo to make it look good. Until you buy some books, check out this website for a lot of basics: http://photo.net/learn/ Phew, that's it for now, Thanks in advance, Mark -- Cease then to grieve for your private afflictions, and address yourselves instead to the safety of the republic |
#4
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Settled on D40x, now what?
On Sep 19, 5:54 pm, Mark Katz wrote:
Warning - long message follows. Background: my "current" camera is a Sony Mavica FD-91. It has done well but it's long overdue for replacement. Thus, I don't have any lenses lying around. I use the camera mostly for vacation photos (inside and out), family events, household happenings, etc. I've done enough research on the cameras to decide that the D40X will do the job for me (only thing I wish it would do is bracketing and RAW+JPEG-Fine but I can live without those). I've also decided to get the 18-200 VR lens that has been discussed here and elsewhere. Take that as a given. So here are my questions: 1. Should I get the 40X body only or the 18-55 kit. I'm leaning toward the kit since it would give me a smaller lighter lens choice for those days when I know I won't need a lot of zoom for not much more money. Or should I get the body and a different wide/low-zoom lens. Or just the body (some have told me that the kit or other wide lens would be redundant with the 18-200 VR). 2. Other than an SD card or two, what else would be good to get at the same time? For example: a) Strap? Which one? b) Extra battery? c) Filters? d) Flash? Is the built in one OK or do I need a stronger one? Which? e) Bag which will hold camera, both lenses, extra battery, flash and not much else. I have a case for the Mavica (I can't find it or a really similar bag online to show, but it's about 7" x 12" x 8" high and rectangular. It fits the Mavica and a large supply (50) of floppy disks but might be a bit big for the new camera. My main beef with the old bag is that it sticks out too much from my body when carried with the shoulder strap, so something flatter would be nice. 3. Can someone recommend a good book on digital photography that spends more pages covering exposure, lighting, ISO, etc, and fewer pages coviering Photoshop and its cohorts. I would like to learn how to get better results right out of the camera, rather than futzing with each photo to make it look good. Phew, that's it for now, Thanks in advance, Mark D-40X is a good camera for familt photos, I'm not a fan of the 18-200, but I don't see it being better or worse than the 18-55, the latter would be redundant if you buy the 18-200, you could also get the 18-55 and the 55-200, which would be a little better on the long end. I have heard the 18-200 is really about equal to a 180mm on the long side. The 55-200 has been a surprising lens for the cost, I'd look at both alternatives. Get an extra battery, extra 2gb SD card (could go with 2 4gb) again either or, I have 4 2gb CF cards with my D200. Filters are OK for your lenses, they will be slightly better without, haven't used filters (except for color balancing with film or a polarizer) in 40 years, never had a lens go down the tubes from front element scratching, two lenses I have have been with me since college. I have seen a couple of occasions where filters greatly degraded images. Buy good filters if you must (Hoya Pro, B&W, Helioplan or Nikon), so one will cost about what you pay for the 18-55. Get the clear glass, digital sensors are resistant to UV radiation. Most digital cameras do better with RAW than jpeg, but you can certainly do alright with jpegs right out of the camera. RAW isn't just for compensating for bad exposures, most of my photos I spend less than 30 seconds in Photoshop, Adobe ACR processing, but I always process them in 16bit for max quality, does make a difference. For home type pictures jpeg would be fine, but try working with RAW, you can really massage the best out of an image. Pick up Photoshop Elements or Nikon Capture NX. Hope this helps Tom |
#5
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Settled on D40x, now what?
"Mark Katz" wrote in message ... Warning - long message follows. Background: my "current" camera is a Sony Mavica FD-91. It has done well but it's long overdue for replacement. Thus, I don't have any lenses lying around. I use the camera mostly for vacation photos (inside and out), family events, household happenings, etc. I've done enough research on the cameras to decide that the D40X will do the job for me (only thing I wish it would do is bracketing and RAW+JPEG-Fine but I can live without those). Yes. I've also decided to get the 18-200 VR lens that has been discussed here and elsewhere. Take that as a given. Why? The 18-70mm Nikkor is excellent (probably a bit better) and far cheaper. So here are my questions: 1. Should I get the 40X body only or the 18-55 kit. I'm leaning toward the kit since it would give me a smaller lighter lens choice for those days when I know I won't need a lot of zoom for not much more money. Or should I get the body and a different wide/low-zoom lens. Or just the body (some have told me that the kit or other wide lens would be redundant with the 18-200 VR). I would get only the 18-70mm of the above possibilities, and add the 55-200VR later, if long lenses are "your thing". 2. Other than an SD card or two, what else would be good to get at the same time? For example: a) Strap? Which one? I hate all straps other than a wrist strap made from a suitable shoe lace. I think that the only neck strap one should need to deal with is the one on the bag, and when not in use, the camera should be in the bag. b) Extra battery? Yes. c) Filters? UV, Hoya *single-coated*, in the appropriate thread size(s). These are excellent, cheap, easy to clean, and they in no way affect image quality, contrary to some opinion...;-) d) Flash? Is the built in one OK or do I need a stronger one? Which? I would look at the SB-400, if you feel you need it (likely it would be better for most purposes than the built-in camera flash). e) Bag which will hold camera, both lenses, extra battery, flash and not much else. Look at Ritz Camera or similar for a canvas type of the appropriate size that is also easy to get gear into and out of and has dividers to keep gear separated (but which do not bury some gear under other gear). It is also useful to have small external slots with Velcro flaps for cards, batteries, notepad, pen, maybe the charger, etc. Avoid the "leather-look" bags, since they offer no rain protection (I learned that the hard way when mine wicked water from the floor and the entire bag got soaked). I have a case for the Mavica (I can't find it or a really similar bag online to show, but it's about 7" x 12" x 8" high and rectangular. It fits the Mavica and a large supply (50) of floppy disks but might be a bit big for the new camera. My main beef with the old bag is that it sticks out too much from my body when carried with the shoulder strap, so something flatter would be nice. There are many good bags in many different sizes and proportions available... 3. Can someone recommend a good book on digital photography that spends more pages covering exposure, lighting, ISO, etc, and fewer pages coviering Photoshop and its cohorts. I would like to learn how to get better results right out of the camera, rather than futzing with each photo to make it look good. Any good photography book should help with this... Phew, that's it for now, Thanks in advance, Mark No problem - have fun! -- David Ruether http://www.donferrario.com/ruether |
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