S14 n Tsx

I'm sure this topic has been brought up many, many times. Forgive me, I'm such a noob when it comes to camera.

Well, this is going to be my graduation gift from my parents. After long thinking, I was able to narrow it down to Nikon D80 as my final choice. I looked around pretty much all camera but I think Nikon D80 is the best choice for me. My friend has XTi, so I was able to play around with it for days, but wasn't really blown away by it.

I'm looking for package deal, anyone knows where i can find sweet deal? I saw ebay packag deal and it looked pretty good but than again it's ebay so...

Help me out!!

Thanks,


Tony

stogie1020

B+h

The sweetest deal on something like this is a good camera at a good price with awesome customer service. Like I said, B+H.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

If you want to save on tax amazon is a great place to get some stuff =)

NY tax = 8.75% lol... saved almost 200 on my d300.

Anyway i loved the d80 coming from a canon xti (which was stolen from my car)
I would have gone a 40d but at that time no money. So i opt for a d80 with the deal i was able to get to it.

It was a great learning experience. You will enjoy it get yourself a 50mm 1.8 atleast from the kit lens.

S14 n Tsx

stogie- thanks! I will definitely check it out.

lcrazyanzl- I hope so. I'm very excited it because this is my first slr camera.

S14 n Tsx

Well, I'm gonna need d80 body, memory card (probably 4gb), bag, battery, extra battery, lcd screen protection, UV filter, lens, lens cleaner, and lens cap. I already have a tripot so..

Am I missing something? How much all these parts going to cost?

Is it better to buy little by little or in a package. I'm thinking about going into a camera shop and try to get a package deal or something.

I'm looking to buy two lenses so which one would you guys recommend? I will be using them for very small stuff, nothing fancy.

stogie1020

Most (all?) lenses come with lens caps, screen protector should come with the Nikon (spoken by a jealous Canon user with a Fellows plastic sheet over my LCD), and there are plenty of good places to get the other stuff you want for much cheaper than a retail store. Amazon is great for this stuff, and some of it even ships for free!

srika

Hey - just curious - did you consider the D60? It's considerably newer and has some stuff borrowed from the D300 such as Active lighting. If you ask around on the Nikon boards most people will say the D60 is better than the D80. If you already checked this out, please ignore this post. If not, might be worth checking out.

S14 n Tsx

That's I thought, too. I guess I got lot of researching and shopping to do. The reason I said package deal so that I don't have to spend my own money. Oh well... I'm still happy that my parents are getting me this.

S14 n Tsx

Thank you for bring that up. Like I mentioned earlier that I don't know crap about cameras so yeah...

I haven't bought anything yet, so I guess I should check this out. So, you think I should get D60 over D80? I'm so lost now...

help me out..

*edit*
Man, I love this section!!!!

Thanks for all the advice...

jupitersolo

You might want to take a look at Canon's XSi, it's their newest release and has a great deal more features than the D80.

PixelHarmony

I have a photographer friend who is selling his D80. I believe he got it from Adorama (he gets everything there) he wanted to change it into a IR camera, but I guess he'd rather sell it since it's his third body.

I know he was asking for $850 for a the D80 + Grip + 35mm f2 + 2 batteries + Screen shield. I know he takes exceptional care of his equipment.

srika

I checked some more and it looks like overall, the D80 is better. The D60 does have the Active Lighting but that's its only real advantage. This was a good rundown:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/twip/di...7604067721760/

didn't mean to confuse you - it's just something I ran across at some point recently, about the D60 being the better choice - but it looks like ultimately, the D80 is better.

S14 n Tsx

will do.

thank you, sir.

S14 n Tsx

Thanks, but I pass. I'm looking to buy brand new.

S14 n Tsx

No problem. D80 it is for now.

stogie1020

Uh oh. Now there are going to be THREE Nikon people on AZINE!

S14 n Tsx

^^^ Nikon club, here I come.

S14 n Tsx

How come they don't have any package deal for D80 over at Amazon?

Mizouse

because nikon is evil!!!!!

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

Stick with the d80 cuz you lose the use of a bunch of nikkor lens with the d40 and d60.
They only use af-s lens.

stogie1020

They have some good Xsi packages......

rimz

hope you haven't bought your D80 off of eBay yet because i just found this thread...

first off, i own a Nikon D80 and absolutely love it! i was set on buying a Canon (everyone and their dog has an XTi)...but at the last moment i switched and got the D80...awesome camera!

second, DO NOT buy one off of ebay...i made that mistake and was able to get out with only losing $74 (as opposed to over $1500)...every one of those 'kits' you see on ebay is trash...the camera is GRAY market, meaning there is no factory warranty on there...find one at adorama or b+h with the 5-year USA warranty on it...

i won't get into my whole situation when i was buying my camera, but stay away from ebay...if you're going to get a nice camera like this, why not get it from a reputable dealer? you can buy the filters, tripod, bags, etc. on your own...the ones in those kits are all the same generic crap...

also, if you decide to buy one off ebay anyways, google the company's name (or person's name) and see if anyone else has dealt w/ them... www.resellerratings.com is an excellent place to start...

S14 n Tsx

I went to bestbuy and kit camera(?) store today check it out and felt D80 was the best one for me.

rimz- Yeah, way too good to be true, right? I'm just going to order from b+h or local store.

Thanks all.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

s14 n tsx if you have high taxes where you located amazon is the way to go =)
also pick up a 50mm 1.8 or if you got money pick up the 50mm 1.4
it be a great add on to your gear with the kit lens.

S14 n Tsx

I think our tax is like 8.9% or so...

I will definitely check out those lenses, hopefully 50mm 1.4 over 50mm 1.8!!!

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

Yea man the kit is good for outdoors and wide, but a 50mm 1.8 or 1.4 is great for portraits and car shots hehe.

Amazon saved me 300 bucks almost on tax alone... (NY tax and buying a d300)

S14 n Tsx

Nice. I will be using this camera on my car most of the time.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

so a nice fast lens is good i think the 1.8 is about 100 something
and 1.4 now is 284.

best investman for a begginner.

right now im rocking a 18-200vr
instead of the kit maybe go for one of those. although im looking to sell it already the d300 wants a better lens lol...

S14 n Tsx

man... I'm such a noob. I really don't know what you are talking about.

I'm planning on buying a photographic book.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

18-200 vr is a wide lens at 18 and 200 gives you some distance. But you lose alot of sharpness due to the zoom factor of what 8x or so.

The 50mm are set focal lengths aka primes, which produce great quality since it has a low f stop or apeture (1.8 or 1.4)

18-200 is like 600 or less with the rebate at costco and others.

the new lens i want is a 17-55 2.8 which is a whomping 1,500 i think.


I think the kit and a 50 is a nice investment, but i sold my kit 18-135 for the 18-200vr and now looking to sell that for a nice fast lens.

haha i'm not good at explaining but it might be nice to know some info. Any more questions im sure others can tune in.

S14 n Tsx

camera stuff can get pretty damn expensive.

Thanks, crazyazn.

PixelHarmony

the 17-55 is definately a solid performer, the 24-70 is also a heavy hitter in both the Nikon and Canon world.

But you are in the $1500+ territory there. Also why I like canon (for their cheaper lenses )

PixelHarmony

Also keep in mind with your 1.5x crop factor 50mm might not be a good choice for a first prime. I have a 50mm on my 1.6x crop 40d and find it a bit too long for me. I'm looking to get a 30mm prime.

Oh how I wish I could afford a Full Frame camera...

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

^^^ i agree, but you can live with a 50mm its not that bad its just you gotta move constantly.

Mizouse

yea exact reason why i rarely use my 50mm.. i want a 28mm 1.8

wackjum

This post confuses a lot of the issues. The 18-200 VR is an 11x zoom lens. There is only one 18-200 VR lens, so I know exactly what lcrazyaznl is talking about. However, the usual way of identifying a lens name is 18-200 VR 3.5-5.6. Let's take it slow.

18-200 means this lens can go from 18mm to 200mm. This is the distance the lens' elements focus light so that it appears to come from another direction (called nodal point), from the imaging sensor of the camera (focal plane). That is a partial explanation but it is all you need to know.

18mm means the nodal point is 18mm from the sensor of the camera and 200mm means the nodal point is 200mm from the sensor. This is normally called the "focal length" of a lens and it directly impacts how much of the image is visible to the sensor and how magnified the image is.

Another way of looking at it is the light coming from out the rear of the lens is a spreading cone with the tip at the nodal point. The sensor is smack in the middle of this cone and can only read some of this light (the middle). What it can read, it records and displays as a digital image.

Let's assume a 50mm lens. It projects a cone of light from out the back that starts to with the tip 50mm away from the sensor. You can imagine that a cone with a tip 100mm away means that the base is larger than the 50mm since there has been more distance for the light to spread. But since the sensor is the same size, it can "see" less area in the cone of light.

Therefore, a 100mm lens will see approximately 1/2 of the center area of the 50mm lens' image but the objects it can see will be twice as large as in the 50mm lens.

So that is focal length. Know that at 18mm, the image is fairly wide. At 200mm, the area seen is narrow but things are larger. This is generally called "zoom." And these lenses can be set at any distance between 18-200, such as 115mm. As a matter of fact, an object at 200mm will be approximately 11x larger than that same object photographed at 18mm.

The second part of the lens's name is "VR." This stands for vibration reduction and is a way of stabilizing the lens so that shakey hands won't have so big an effect.

The third part is 3.5-5.6. This is the aperture of the lens, and because there are two numbers, this lens starts out with an aperture of 3.5 around 18mm, but by the time it gets to 200mm, the maximum aperture is 5.6. The exact point where it changes cannot be told from these numbers alone.

Aperture is important because it controls how much light can come into the lens. Each f-stop number means it allows twice the light of the previous number. The following are the common full stop numbers:

f1.4, f2.0, f2.8, f4.0, f5.6, f.8, f16

This means that a lens of f2.0 lets in only half as much light as f1.4. It also means a f2.8 lens lets in only 1/4 of the light of the f1.4 lens. This means that by the time you get to f5.6, very little light is coming into the lens and it would be hard to use this lens in the dark.

A camera will divide aperture into either half or third stops. That is why you see numbers like f1.8 or f3.5.

A 24-70 f2.8 is a lens that can go from 24mm to 70mm. and has a maximum aperture of 2.8 the whole time (only one number). For a zoom lens, this is a good wide aperture. For prime lenses, which are lenses that cannot change, you can see f stops of f1.4 or f1.8.

Prime lenses are better than zooms because they have been engineered to precisely focus light at that distance. A zoom has to be engineered to focus light "pretty well" at a range of distances.

Lower f-numbers does not necessarily mean better quality. Strictly speaking, it only means that it can let in more light and therefore is more useful in the dark.

However, manufacturers tend to use the best optics and construction in lenses that have wide apertures, because wide aperture lenses are typically sold at a price premium.

It is a fair guess to say that a 50mm f1.4 probably has better optics than a 50mm f1.8. But this is not a rule. It might have better optics because it costs 2x more, but really, you are paying that amount for the better low light use.

Also, don't compare the sharpness of a zoom lens to a prime lens. They are different tools for different uses.

I hope that helps you read a lens and know what people are talking about.

Mizouse

dang, what a read.

srika

Shalooby

Get the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. If you plan to get into photography beyond the point-and-shoot level, then you need to understand how things work.
Peterson does a great job explaining the relationship between exposure, aperture, iso ("film" speed) and white balance. You will be shortchanging yourself without this knowledge. Not only that, but if you're going to dabble around here, you will see terms like those and many more, so ramp it up.

He also does a great job explaining the metering system but don't worry about going there yet. Get a handle on the other four and what effect each one has over the others first. You'll be glad you did.

wackjum

The way the industry moves, I am always hesitant to drop bills on new consumer oriented equipment when the depreciation is so large. For a camera in the Rebel or D70 range, used but perfectly fine equipment shows up all the time on Craigslist from people who are in over their heads. Camera lenses and bodies are generally tough enough that even hammered equipment works fine. Photography is an expensive hobby so it is just a thought on saving money.

But if you want to buy new, perfectly acceptable. Now what should you buy?

I would hold off on the extra battery for now. Lithium ion batteries start to go bad the day they are manufactured. I think unless you are travelling or doing paid work, battery life won't be an issue. Better to buy an extra battery before you travel, then to buy one now and have it decay before you ever get to use it.

Your tripod will probably not be good enough for an SLR because they are significantly heavier than any point and shoot camera. Just a thought. Test it well before you trust it.

As stated before, lens caps come with the lens. The best lens cleaner is a microfiber cloth you can buy for $5 at any chain camera store (like Ritz or Wolf).

To UV filter or not... Personally I do not, but I am not a good example to learn from. I do paid work and I don't want more elements affecting my image or introducing flare. Do I really want a $15 piece of glass to start messing with the light before my $1,500 lens gets a crack at it?

That said, filters will keep stuff like salt spray at the ocean off of your lens. For a general purpose zoom lens you'll be carrying around for vacation or whatnot, I would put a filter on. But before you can buy the filter, you need to know what size your lens requires.

Personally, I am suspicious of package deals. I would rather assemble my own package from parts that fit what I am planning on doing.