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Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
michael_d #168834 05/29/07 03:41 PM
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Quote:

I’ve got to have image stabilization, regardless. Does that Sigma have it?

One thing I did see however is they are calling it a four thirds frame. I know it’s smaller, but why call it 4/3’s? That’s larger than one to one. I don’t get it.




Hi Mike:
No, that particular Sigma does not have have it. Keep in mind that stabilization is really only helpful in telephoto lenses..."normal" and wise lenses don't really benefit for reasons I can explain later.

The "Four-Thirds" is a ratio, not a size. Olympus' sensor is a little more like a 4:3 screen ratio; the other manufacturers' are a bit wider-than-tall (not quite 16:9, but maybe 14:9! )


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Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
michael_d #168835 05/29/07 03:57 PM
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I have a Nikon D70, and I absolutely love the thing. Best camera I've ever owned. Even though it's a few years old, it's still a marvelous beast. 5MP is plenty for 8x10 and 11x14 prints, and I seldom do much cropping, so I'm perfectly happy. Easy operation, but allows as much manual control as I want. Great colors, excellent contrast, and amazingly-fast electronics. Ready to snap a pic in less than 1 second. When I bought it was $1k, which was more than I had ever spent on a camera, but it took about an hour to realize that it was worth every penny.

If you're starting out, I'd suggest the same thing as the others, look at the lenses and prices of Canon and Nikon, and pick which ever 'system' fits your needs best. Do you have friends that have a Canon SLR? An old uncle that has tons of old Nikon gear? That might be a factor as you could share lenses with them. I took a peek at Nikon's page regarding D40 lens compatibility...
D40x:
"Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts Type G or D AF Nikkor: 1) AF-S, AF-I: All functions supported; 2) Other Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus; 3) PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D: Can only be used in mode M; all other functions supported except autofocus; 4) Other AF Nikkor*¹/AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II; 5) Non-CPU: Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster; 6) IX Nikkor lenses cannot be used
*¹ Excluding lenses for F3AF"

Ok, most modern current lenses are AF-S or AF-I, and those should work perfectly with the D40. But a few lenses are still 'D', like the 50mm 1.8 that I mention below. That's a bit of an issue because the autofocus won't work. Otherwise it's fine. Nikon's image stabilization stuff are 'VR' lenses, and I don't see anything that would indicate that these wouldn't work with the D40, but I would be very careful about this. I'd try to email or talk to Nikon directly for clarification. My advice might be either make darn sure the D40 will work the the lenses you want, or to just save your pennies or bite the credit-card bullet and bump up to the D80.

When you buy an SLR, you're buying much more than just the camera, you're investing into that company's products. Canon and Nikon are the most established brands in the 'pro-sumer' area, so you can't go wrong with either.

As far as lenses go, I don't really know much about Canon glass. For Nikon, you can't beat the simple Nikkor 50mm 1.8 ($100) for razor-sharp optics and wide aperture. No zoom, so it's all about composition and optics. For dimmly lit museums where flash photography isn't allowed, you can still get great pix without necessarily needing a tripod. Really superb lens for next to nothing.

For general purpose, I have the 'kit' 18-70 lens and it's great except for a slight vignetting problem when it's wide open (dark corners). Very quick focusing, and takes lovely shots. I would check out the newer 18-135, as that will give you a nice top-end zoom. I also have their common and cheap 70-300mm lens, and it's just fine for what it is. Not the greatest and takes pretty soft pix, but it's certainly a darn long lens on the D70 (105-450mm equivalent)

I used to have a Sigma 28-300 on my old 35mm film Rebel, and it was a fine lens for most things. Nothing wrong at all with 3rd-party lenses, and some of them are very good, but I like the look and feel of the name brand ones better. I know from first-hand experience that the name-brand lenses hold their value better than the Sigma/Tamron lenses, should you ever decide to sell lenses.

If this is a 'once-in-a-lifetime' sort of trip, I would try to have a good wide-angle lens. I'd rent or borrow one if need be. On most digital SLR's, there's a magnification factor. The way the optics work magnifies the image compared to a traditional 35mm SLR. At least on the D70, the lens multiplication factor is 1.5x, which means that a 18-70 lens actually acts like a 27-105mm lens, this can be a problem for wide-angle shots, as 27mm isn't really all that wide. I doubt you'll ever feel a wanting for more telephoto, but I do for wide-angle. So, even though 18mm sounds pretty wide-angle, it really isn't. I'm thinking landscapes, cathedrals, etc; you're going to want some panoramic, wide-angle shots and from my experience that may be tricky with just an 18mm low end. The 12-24mm Nikkor would be awesome, but that's a $900+ lens.

Enjoy the camera and enjoy the trip. Just make sure you get the camera way before the trip so you can take a few hundred shots first and learn how the camera works!

Last edited by PeterChenoweth; 05/29/07 04:20 PM.

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Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
MarkSJohnson #168836 05/29/07 05:49 PM
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Thanks again for the info. 4.3…got it Mark!

Peter,

One buddy has the Nikon D80, and another has the Canon 30D. Both of these guys have gone off the deep end with their systems and have more lenses, flashes, multipliers, double battery kits, etc….. than I can ever imagine needing, but understand how one can get carried away with a “hobby”. But anyway, I’ve played a little with both and thought they were just too big for lugging around while traveling. That’s why I’m looking at the little fellers. So I figured that I’d pick up a little guy for traveling, and possibly one of the full sized guys for around home shooting and I could use the same lenses. Then I stumbled onto the Olympus cameras while surfing reviews on the smaller cameras and they always seam to compare them to others, which the Evolts are compared. So although price does weigh in on my choice, it’s not the driver for looking at the small cameras. It's convenient carrying more than anything.

Thanks for all the information on Nikon, especially the lenses. That’s all very helpful. My fall trip isn’t really a trip of a lifetime or anything all that special. I like to travel and go somewhere every year for a few weeks. I took a pocket camera with me on last year’s trip and was very disappointed with the photos when I got home. I’m looking for a win-win here. IE: small enough for convenient traveling, but takes one hell of a picture and wont be a complete waste of money, or obsolete in 12 months. These Digital SLR's apear to be the best solution for me.

Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
michael_d #168837 05/29/07 06:19 PM
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Here are my 2 cents.

I went on a trip to Europe for 3 weeks this year and wanted to get a decent digital camera that would not cost so much I had to eat bread and cheese on the trip. So, I looked at several options and ended up choosing the Nikon D40 for the following reasons:
• Resolution and quality-wise it met my needs. I wanted to take good quality photos while on vacation, but not something I would try to make a living from.
• It is "light weight" so I would actually use it and carry it around day-to-day (I still do even though I am now home, you never know when a great shop will pop up!).
• It was "affordable".
• I had no lenses. If I already had canon lenses I would have gone with Canon.
• I wanted a camera that would be easy for me to use and would “get out of my way” while trying to take photos. Meaning, I did not have to drill through 4 levels of menu from one photo to the next. Most of the time I set the camera to Aperture Priority and adjust the aperture until I get the speed and effect I want.

I figured if I got the D40 and actually kept up with the hobby for more than a year, then I'd see what was out there and get a "better" camera. There are things I would liked to have had such as depth of field preview and more auto focus sensors, but I really can’t say I feel a ‘lack’ because of it.

I read reviews on several sites (dpreview.com, dcresources.com, even the sometimes reviled kenrockwell.com, as well as various forums for nikon and canon) went to the store and held the cameras to get a feel for them, then purchased the D40. I have no regrets so far. Well, I’d love to get my hands on the nikkor 18-200mm DX VR lens, but don’t have the $1000.00 I’d need to get one!

If you like I can send you a link to my smugmug account and you can check out some of what I've shot.
james


"What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence." C Hitchens
Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
michael_d #168838 05/29/07 07:28 PM
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I had a Canon Rebel XT for 2 years. I have had Canons all my life but I was never happy with the XT. Recently I bought a Nikon D40, not the 40x and I have been thrilled!! The pictures are honestly at least 10 times brighter, crisper and over all better. It could be that I have the settings more accurate on the Nikon but I think it is more. I love this camera. I bought the hard to get 18-200 VR lens to go with it although the 18-55 that comes with it is a very good lens. Go to Kenrockwell.com and read what he says about all the different cameras. You will not be dissapointed with the D40.

Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
cgolf #168839 05/30/07 01:18 AM
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thanks for that tip. I enjoyed Ken Rockwell's take on his camera's and tech articles. Very informative. I find it refreshing to read reviews where the reviewer/user doen't try to up sell anything. That D40 sounds like a winner.

Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
James_T #168840 05/30/07 11:14 AM
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I caved and spent $850 on the 18-200 VR. How does one justify that much money for a lens? I don't know and don't know that I can logically. Having said that, I love the D40 and this lens is awesome. The pictures are unbelievable, sharp, crisp and just beautiful. The 18-55 took great pics too but this lens is fantastic. It did help that I sold the 18-55 on ebay so I recooped some of my money. Get one and just forget the cost. It's worth it!!!

Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
cgolf #168841 05/30/07 02:00 PM
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Quote:

How does one justify that much money for a lens?



Enjoyment!

It's only the start though... once you get a taste for the expensive glass, you'll never stop! I have about 2x the $$$ into my camera/lenses than my car. Just make sure if you have a girlfriend/wife you buy something for them after you drop $6k on a 500mm f/4

-Todd...

Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
TCorzett #168842 05/30/07 07:13 PM
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OK, so I’ve been reading Ken Rockwell’s review on his “favorite” camera, the Nikon D40. He likes it better than the D40x, and I sorta understand why, but not entirely.

He says the D40 has a faster default ISO of 200 verses 100 and it has a faster sync speed. He also goes on to explain why the difference between 6 megapixels and 10 is not something to worry about unless someone wants to print images out larger than 8 X 11.

After looking at the D40x specifications, it has an ISO of 100, so what is Ken referring to? Why can’t I just select 200 if that’s so important.

Also, maybe it’s just plain over my head, but I don’t understand why this flash sync speed is so important to him. I don’t typically use a flash, unless it’s inside.

Am I over working this?? It’s not like I’m a professional or anything….

Re: Digital SLR users – input please.
michael_d #168843 05/30/07 07:29 PM
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You have read through this right? Fantastic site for digital cameras.

Anyway, I would guess he's referring to the lowest ISO, not the only ISO. The D40 can do ISO settings of 100, 200,400,800,1600, and 3200. Auto and manual settings. That's a fine range. My D70's lowest setting is only 200, which has caused me problems for brightly lit scenes if I want to do blurred motion photography (think bridal-veil effect on a nicely lit waterfall). Having ISO 100 is great, as it means less noise (imager noise), and more flexibility. Changing the ISO on a digital camera affects the gain on the imager. You can be pretty safe just setting this to Auto and letting the camera deal with it. Even if it bumps up the ISO too high, it's a lot easier to digitally fix a grainy picture than it is a blurry one.

The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is to light, meaning you need less light take a picture. But the higher the sensitivity, the more noise in the photo. Hey, it's just like speakers!

In looking at the link provided, I now understand the limitations of the D40 a bit better. The only lenses that will autofocus are the more expensive, newer variety that have their own internal motors. For instance, I have Nikon's good old 70-300mm telephoto that's a decent standard lens and is pretty cheap at less than a couple hundred bucks. That lens won't autofocus with the D40/x. To get a 70-300mm autofocus, you have to spend $500 for the AF-S version. Now that's a *much* nicer lens anyway, so it's probably worth the $$$ anyhow.

And you're completely right about the flash sync speed. If you don't a lot of flash photography (I don't, hate it. Flash to me is like an equalizer on a stereo: it artificially colors the material), then it shouldn't matter. It would matter if you're trying to do higher-speed stop-motion flash photography. Flashes can be useful for stopping motion, and a high sync speed means the flash can 'keep up' with the camera to freeze the action more effectively. Nikon is pretty famous for their flash technology, and so I'm sure the D40x's flash technology is fine for just about any situation. DPReview doesn't mention it as a 'Con', and they are quite nit-picky some times, so flash sync is a non-issue (IMHO).

If you're going the D40 route, I'd do the lens shopping first and make sure that the lens(es) that fit your needs and budget will autofocus on the camera. If they do, then the D40x is a truly excellent choice.

But again, even if you do use older lenses on the D40x, manual focusing IS NOT the end of the world. None of Ansel Adam's cameras were auto anything!

Last edited by PeterChenoweth; 05/30/07 07:44 PM.

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