The Photo Snob Thread

[joy boy]

Hey guys,

First time in this thread, and I really didn't want to sift through 1600 replies to find the answer. So excuse me if I'm the billionth person to ask this.

Recently, I've been getting my hands on some Digital SLR's that people have had, like one's from school, and one's that organisations have had. And now I've come to understand just how lame a point and shoot is. So, I'm really interested in upgrading to a beginner's level DSLR. I've had a look round, and I'm starting to understand the different things I should be looking for, like a high ISO, and a fast shutter speed. I had a look through the Canon site, and they couldn't help me much, but when I jumped on the Nikon site, I found a few video's that walked through and compared their different camera's. Basically, I thought that the Nikon D3000 would be suitable, because it's well within my price range ($500-$800).

Firstly, do you think this would be suitable? On the basis that I mainly like to use nature in my shots, however I want to be able to use it for group photo's (mainly for army cadets), and of course riding.

I've been told that it all comes down to Lenses. Obviously in conjunction with my taking 'needs' ^^^. What should I be looking at? I'd rather keep it as cheap as possible, but if having 2 lenses is an ABSOLUTE necessity, then I can afford it. But if I can do almost the same job with a single one, then let me know. Remember, beginner, I don't need a full $30'000 worth of kit, that a professional would see as a necessity.

And finally, would it be worth it buying a wireless flash thingo (haven't researched them much yet ) straight up, or wait until I can just get my head around the basics of the DSLR.

Thanks,

Joy Boy

 

[Unlearn]

Joy boy, the Nikon D3000 is an outstanding camera, it's intuitive to use and the image quality is remarkable.

I'm not sure what you mean by faster shutter speed, you have had trouble freezing motion with the P&S?

The twin lens kit will give you plenty of range, but do yourself a favour and pick up a Nikon 35mm f1.8 lens also, it will be your speed demon. I think they go for around $285 and it's money well spent, those 3 lenses will be the only ones you will need, and provide you with plenty of flexibility.

Honestly, i'd leave the external flashes alone and practice shooting in natural light, with those 3 lenses you should be covered for most scenario's, added to which the camera has a pop up flash which does a reasonable job. Hope this helps!


Ango - Will do mate! i'm having trouble concentrating at work hehe Will post up my thoughts on it also, and cheers for the info on the HMC's.

If the boss knew how much money i've spent recently on camera gear.... I hope she isn't reading this thread...

 

[joy boy]

Joy boy, the Nikon D3000 is an outstanding camera, it's intuitive to use and the image quality is remarkable.

I'm not sure what you mean by faster shutter speed, you have had trouble freezing motion with the P&S?

The twin lens kit will give you plenty of range, but do yourself a favour and pick up a Nikon 35mm f1.8 lens also, it will be your speed demon. I think they go for around $285 and it's money well spent, those 3 lenses will be the only ones you will need, and provide you with plenty of flexibility.

Thanks for your advice. Concerning the shutter speed, I've always had trouble with the lame delay on the P&S. Like how you press the button, and before you know it, the rider's gone. And then if I can change the speed, then that would be awesome, so that i can play with slower shutter speeds etc.

As for the Lens, $285 for a lens is wayy to much at the moment. I just need basics, absolute basics at the moment, no more. As in looking at just a single lens, that has a wide variety of uses. What do you recommend?

 

[Alec McJo]

As for the Lens, $285 for a lens is wayy to much at the moment. I just need basics, absolute basics at the moment, no more. As in looking at just a single lens, that has a wide variety of uses. What do you recommend?

$285 is pretty much absolute basics mate...

 

[joy boy]

$285 is pretty much absolute basics mate...

Yeah I know, but I mean $285 on top of the Camera body and 2 lenses. That's too much. I really only want just 1 lens if possible. Like a standard 18-55mm or something. Or what focal length should I be looking at for Mtb. I understand that I should be getting a wide angle lens for scenery, and a standard one just for the groups.

 

[skivi]

Bit random, but do any of you guys know what camera Bill Henson uses?

Bill prefers to hold his cards quite close to his chest i hear. I've seen a documentary called 'The art of Bill Henson' made by the ABC, in that he was shooting for the untitled series on youths at twilight on the car bonnet. in that i think he was using a modern EOS Canon (35mm) with telephoto L series lenses. in my opinion the man is a genius and master, i had the pleasure of viewing one of his prints from the 'Paris Opera' last week that a friend owns, rarely does a work of art grab me like that did. unbelievable. it was about 3m x 3m framed.

 

[Alec McJo]

Yeah I know, but I mean $285 on top of the Camera body and 2 lenses. That's too much. I really only want just 1 lens if possible. Like a standard 18-55mm or something. Or what focal length should I be looking at for Mtb. I understand that I should be getting a wide angle lens for scenery, and a standard one just for the groups.

Haha, could go to http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/ and get a Canon 1000D with a 18 - 55 then I guess.

 

[joy boy]

Thanks for the Link. What does the VR on the lens mean? Is it recommended for my needs?

 

[Alec McJo]

Thanks for the Link. What does the VR on the lens mean? Is it recommended for my needs?

I think VR is just Nikon's version of IS (image stabilization - Canon), which I've always assumed stood for Vibration Reduction, and yes it's always a very handy feature to have

Also, a better online store than that is www.d-d-photographics.com - but I only linked to that then because Discount Digital don't sell the 1000D...

 

[nein!]

I've got a Nissin PZ400 sitting here that I have no real use for anymore. It's not anything super special, but it does 90º tilt and 180º swivel with motorised zoom; manual power levels from 1/1 to 1/64. It's TTL, but I never bothered using it much that way, as when I first tried the results didn't seem right. Maybe the system just isn't very good, or maybe the guy I got it off wasn't actually sure what it was, and it's a Nikon version? Haven't had access to a Nikon body to test it on.

Anyway, my point is it all works and if something simple like this does the job for you, $70 and it's yours.

it sounds like the canon hot shoe mount for sure. google is pretty reluctant to divulge any information about it though. can any farkiners give an opinion as to whether it would work with my 40d? thanks

also, do you think postage is possible before friday of next week?

cheers

 

[Unlearn]

The VR stands for Vibration Reduction. What it does is tries to eliminate hand shake buy moving the inner lens around counteracting the movement as you hand shakes. It works off a couple of little sensors (peizo-electric gyro's?) detecting yaw and pitch from memory and a couple of voice coils. Why is it important? VR is claimed to give about 4 stops worth of shutter speed, which in the real world would vary depending on a lot of things. I think VR is more useful at the telephoto end where hand shake is more prominent, and it can save your shot when the lights get dim. Something to remember is that it wont freeze motion, it's just counteracting camera movement.

Now for your lens, go the 18-55mm VR, it's a good lens, I had the non-VR version back in the day and it was crazy good!

Also as Alec said check out the Canon 1000D as I believe it's also very nice.

 

[wazza2282]

Now for your lens, go the 18-55mm VR, it's a good lens, I had the non-VR version back in the day and it was crazy good!

Also as Alec said check out the Canon 1000D as I believe it's also very nice.

Unless i missed something on the topic, but you just suggested a nikon lens and a canon body? isnt the guy after a cheap start up kit?

 

[joy boy]

Delet post. Just looked up the price of the D90. Way way way too expensive.

 

[Unlearn]

Unless i missed something on the topic, but you just suggested a nikon lens and a canon body? isnt the guy after a cheap start up kit?

He was looking at a Nikon D3000, read the previous posts.

 

[wazza2282]

Delet post. Just looked up the price of the D90. Way way way too expensive.

Dont no much about Nikon, but if it's only a cheap DSLR yourafter. then this D40 i found on Aus photo forum is only $300 and the body is in in perfect condition. Worth a look.
http://www.photoforum.com.au/showthread.php?32225-For-Sale-Nikon-D40-Body-Only

(u have to register to look at it i think)

** just had more of a look. 1000D and 18-55 $500 and a D60 body Also $500. Very cheap cameras coming up second hand.

 

[rabatt]

D40s go good from the breif play around i had with one.

cant speak for nikons VR but i have the cannon IS lenses (same thingish?) and i dont really find the IS that usefull (yet) it actualy gets abit annoying so i turned it off, along with outo focus caus it was just plain annoying too.

 

[joy boy]

So what lens do you guys prefer? I mean focal length wise. For bother general and riding.

 

[rabatt]

So what lens do you guys prefer? I mean focal length wise. For bother general and riding.

on this subject, how do the all in one lenses go? (i'm sure thats what they said they were called) eg the EF-S 18-200mm?

i have a 18-55 and a 55-200 and i seem to be constantly changing lenses

the 18 - 55 will do it all

yes, the longer lens is pretty much useless indoors or anything even abit close to you

 

[24alpha]

on this subject, how do the all in one lenses go? (i'm sure thats what they said they were called) eg the EF-S 18-200mm?

i have a 18-55 and a 55-200 and i seem to be constantly changing lenses

They are great for what they are. Something that does something good, not great. 18 - 200mm is great for shooting riding as it goes pretty wide, but still has a good zoom.

Joy Boy: The Nikon and Canon that have been recommended are both as good as each other (1000d & D3000). Just depends on what camp you align yourself with. I'll save you some heart ache and strongly advise you to start out right and buy Canon!
the 18 - 55 will do it all, but you will find it lacking at times when you need that extra reach. If you can afford the twin lense kit....get it.

 

[AngoXC]

So it is a Canon model, thanks for the heads up Ango.

Thought that might have been the case. You would have struggled with a Nikon flash!

Now for your lens, go the 18-55mm VR, it's a good lens, I had the non-VR version back in the day and it was crazy good!

As Andrew said, VR/IS or any other form of image stabilization is very handy but can be done without at shorter focal lengths (ie. <70mm). If you find a camera kitted with it, all good. If not, don't worry too much.

You might want to check out Pentax cameras. The older K-100D models were pretty darn good. Compared to the competition, they were weather sealed and had built in image stabliization. Only down side is that many use AA batteries which is a little annoying but you cope.

...and i dont really find the IS that usefull (yet) it actualy gets abit annoying so i turned it off, along with outo focus caus it was just plain annoying too.

I get the feeling that you're still working your way around an SLR...

So what lens do you guys prefer? I mean focal length wise. For bother general and riding.

Your most practical lens (for you) is going to be something like an 18-55mm. It combines a relatively wide angle and at 55mm, your starting to get into telephoto territory so more or less a happy meduim between the two. Most of the kit lenses supplied with consumer cameras are rather outstanding relative to price for their optics so regardless of whether you go Nikon or Canon, you'll generally get a good package.

on this subject, how do the all in one lenses go? (i'm sure thats what they said they were called) eg the EF-S 18-200mm?

Superzooms are great, especially for travellers or people looking for the better image quality of an SLR, with the practicality of a compact. But there are many limitations and comprimises in image quality which mean that they are no substitute for a dedicated zoom or prime lens. In addition, their overall low cost does show and while many buyers think they're getting a bargain, they are infact only getting a cheap lens.

This is all relative to my opinion though and I'm realtively critical of these sorts of things