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Photography Photography Thread vs. BL Shutterbugs unite!

I got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K 8.1MP for myself for Christmas. I love it so much.

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Opinions obviously vary, but personally I can't stand ultra zooms, far too many optical compromises. Servere pincushioning at the extreme end, barrel-distortion at the wide end and soft images in the mid range. As a rule of thumb I won't look at anything over a 4x zoom. Even if I needed that bit extra reach, I will crop the image as even 2 Megapixels is enough to make an 8"x10" print. FujiFilm had the right idea with their F30 and F31, pity they had to throw away quality and listened to their marketing team to come up with their peice of shit replacement, the F50.

Give me a modest dSLR body with a kit zoom lens, with a 50mm prime, a fast telephoto prime and a super telephoto prime/zoom.

My favourite lens is the 135mm F2L that I took to the tennis this year and some of the photos without any post processing are a great.

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Raving Loony said:
Opinions obviously vary, but personally I can't stand ultra zooms, far too many optical compromises. Servere pincushioning at the extreme end, barrel-distortion at the wide end and soft images in the mid range. As a rule of thumb I won't look at anything over a 4x zoom. Even if I needed that bit extra reach, I will crop the image as even 2 Megapixels is enough to make an 8"x10" print. FujiFilm had the right idea with their F30 and F31, pity they had to throw away quality and listened to their marketing team to come up with their peice of shit replacement, the F50.

Give me a modest dSLR body with a kit zoom lens, with a 50mm prime, a fast telephoto prime and a super telephoto prime/zoom.

I respectfully disagree. While I don't have a use for the superzooms, I think they fill a good niche in the consumer market for those looking to have decent quality images, a variety of modes (night, winter, portrait, macro, etc), and an incredible zoom range all in a small hand-held body. Often times for around $300.

Now you and I both know there is no substitute for a constant 2.8 at 200mm, but the versatility these little superzooms offer are incredible. Just the fact that they have aperture priority and shutter priority modes gives the shooter *some* control and puts them above most point and shoots. For example, the new Panasonic FZ18 has an 18X zoom, which comes out to a range of 28-504mm. It would take me at least 2 lenses to cover that range.
 
So upgraditis has officially set in, and I am thinking D300 in the near future.

12 megapixel CMOS, 8 fps, 3" LV screen, active D-lighting, I'm in trouble!
 
BA said:
So upgraditis has officially set in, and I am thinking D300 in the near future.

12 megapixel CMOS, 8 fps, 3" LV screen, active D-lighting, I'm in trouble!
folks - i'm between contracts right now, but as soon as i'm working again i'm gonna get myself a nice DSLR. i reckon my choices are between:

Canon EOS 400D c/w 18-55mm lens - £385 with £45 cashback:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digit...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1602J992Z1VA1K7FYPXS

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or the Nikon D40X c/w 18-55 lens (£483):

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41D+PFM-l7L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

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or the new Nikon D60 c/w 18-55mm lens (available to preorder now, £423):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/..._rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=175368791&pf_rd_i=403542011

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i would really appreciate you guys' opinions on these, please! :)

i'm not really bothered about saving £50 here or there, i just want to get the best one without spending hundreds unnecessarily, you know?

thanks!
felix
 
BA said:
So upgraditis has officially set in, and I am thinking D300 in the near future.

12 megapixel CMOS, 8 fps, 3" LV screen, active D-lighting, I'm in trouble!

Envious! That is one wonderful peice of gear. But I still want to go full frame.
 
The D300 boasts a self-cleaning sensor unit, which vibrates at high frequencies to remove any loose dust on the surface of the sensor’s optical low pass filter.

my god that is incredible.

us, a Dimage A2 - i love it.

 
Raving Loony - yeah I would love a FF body too. Unfortunately the D3 is just a *bit* out of my range. ha

felix - Of the Nikons listed, I think you would be better off with the D40. The differences between the D40x and the D60 are so minimal that it really doesnt warrant the extra costs. Save the extra money for an external flash like the Nikon SB400 or the 55-200mm VR lens.

You'd be wise to read Ken Rockwell's D40 page: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

Call me a renegade, but honestly the Nikon D40 is superior to the more expensive D40x, D60 and D80 for two reasons very important to full-time professional photographers.

First, the D40 is twice as sensitive to light as the D40x and D80. (The D40's ISO defaults to ISO 200 instead of the less sensitive ISO 100, making for sharper photos in any light.)

Second, the D40 is far more flexible with flash in daylight. The maximum shutter speed of every Nikon other than the D40 when used with flash is only 1/250 second, while the D40 easily shoots at 1/500 with flash with no loss of performance.
 
right now I don't have a camera of my own...I borrow a camera that is some model of 8 mpx Nikon digital, not an SLR though.

I am hoping to get one by around early May, though, because I am too broke to buy one for myself I am hoping to get it as a birthday gift from the fam. Oh man, it would be so sweet to have my own SLR.

So plz keep us updated on your purchase, felix, as you are looking to spend in the range that I think I will be too, and I am curious to see how your purchase works out for you.

Also, if anyone else can offer some advice to someone looking to purchase their first SLR, please share. I am moderately knowledgeable about the mechanics of photography, and have been experimenting a good bit with the borrowed camera, so I pretty much have the basic to beginning-intermediate knowledge about the technical side of digital photography. As such, I don't want a camera that is absurdly simple or limited, as I want it to be able to keep pace with me as my technical knowledge expands and progresses. Similarly, I don't want anything so advanced so that it assumes the user has no use for point-and-click photography with the auto function, and accordingly is within the price range of some automobiles. The price needs to stay down below the $1000 mark, preferably considerably lower. I know that I can probably UTFSE and find some of this stuff out, but if you happen to read all of this post and the specifications I give, and something jumps to the front of your mind as an excellent suggestion or recommendation, please feel free to share. :)

Some of you have some pretty nice gear yourselves, I must say! :D

edit: I am sure that all DSLR cameras have manual modes with adjustable aperture, shutter-speed, and ISO, and aperture and shutter priority modes as well. The camera I am using now has these features, so I would want whatever camera I buy to have them as well. Also the ability to shoot in RAW. Isn't a feature of all DSLR the ability to change lenses? If it isn't I would want that feature too.
 
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I'm thinking about getting the Nikon 18-200 VR for my D40x. BA, do you have a camera bag that fits the two nicely? I desperately need one but don't really know what size works the best.
 
The 18-200VR is not really that much bigger than the kit lens in terms of length when retracted. My fiance got me a case logic bag from circuit city IIRC that works pretty good. If I had to pick my own out, I probably would have gotten a Tamrac or a Lowepro Slingshot 300 which gives greater room to grow and room for more lenses.

The 18-200 is really a hell of a lens, I have to admit. I was nervous with all the picky reports and reviews but it definitely exceeds my expectations.

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I can fit the body with 18-200 lens attached in the center compartment with plenty of room.

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The side pockets are deep enough that I can fit my SB600 flash in one side (fully extended vertically)

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The camera fits good. I have the flash on one side, and the other side my 135 f/2.8 and the 50mm f/1.8 in the same compartment. Then of course on the front and back there are zip open compartments for batteries, memory cards, filters, caps, etc.

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From left to right: 18-200mm VR, 18-55mm, 135mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8.
 
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The only way you'd ever get me to own a super zoom, is if the D300 came with 18-200mm. ;) I just hope Canon comes out with a sweet replacement for the 5D.
 
thanks BA. i based my inclusion of the D40x based on your recommendation as well as that ken rockwell page - pity i forgot it was the D40! 8)

i have to say though - the lack of a built-in flash is a major drawback for me. i'm not keen on carrying an external flash everywhere with me as well as a pretty bulky camera. i already have one for my Canon AV-1, would it fit the D40x? it doesn't look like it.
pennywise said:
Isn't a feature of all DSLR the ability to change lenses? If it isn't I would want that feature too.
correct. you also know an SLR is an SLR (in fact, this is the main reason) by the fact you can't compose your shot in the LCD screen, you need to do it through the viewfinder. what you see through the viewfinder should, in theory, be the same as the photo you take.

i could have sworn there was a page on that www.kenrockwell.com site that went into detail about this (i just learned this recently) but i can't find it now. but regardless - that site is a wealth of information if you want to learn more about all aspects of photography. (cheers BA ;))
 
felix said:
i have to say though - the lack of a built-in flash is a major drawback for me. i'm not keen on carrying an external flash everywhere with me as well as a pretty bulky camera. i already have one for my Canon AV-1, would it fit the D40x? it doesn't look like it.

Say what?! The D40 and the D40x has a built in flash - who said it didn't?
 
Seven years ago, with all the savings from my first job I bought a Vivitar v3800n. I don't use it really anymore.

I got a casio exilim for my birthday. It's 7.2 megapixel. I also have the polaroid classic. And the little polaroid that you get sticky film for. I don't even think they make film for that camera anymore though.
 
Ugh, I can't bring myself to get the D300. Not just yet, I'm getting married in less than a month and will have a lot of expenses coming up. Not saying I'll *never* get it, just not now.

But I am shooting my first wedding this Saturday, and making some good money doing it. So a few more of those and I'll be on the path to Nikon nirvana in no time.
 
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