My First

[DNSRadio]

so guys after looking at the amazing pictures in here, and wondering what i should get ( either a new p&s or a dslr )
i made the jump over the dslr side

im just starting out so
i went with
d40x

i played around with it a little bit.
but dont have too much info on it, as i bought it used and it did not come with manuals.

the lens that i have right now is the 18-55 DX VR lens... and from i can tell its the not best is it?

can anyone recommend a maybe a pair of lenses that would just compliment this one?

something maybe that does close-ups?..and maybe one that does wide angle?...
i was thinking 50mm and maybe a 70-300mm ???

the only other thing i have to take into consideration is that this is not a true 35mm camera.. as all the lenses are magnified by 1.5 from what i have read.
anyways here are some samples i i took with my new d40x


Let me know what you think of the pics.


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[msommers]

Tokina 12-24mm

Nikkor 70-300 VR

Both of these lenses would compliment what you have pretty well. The 70-300mm comes in a non-VR version for cheaper as well.

With regard to the pictures I noticed a common trend, subject centering. Try to keep what you're shooting out of the dead-middle. Also, watch out for dead space like the living room shot.

Do you have a tripod? It would really get rid of the harshness of needing a flash. Or if you really want flash and don't have a dedicated one, throw a piece of white paper over the flash, it helps a bit!

Keep shooting

[DNSRadio]

msommers

thanks for the advice

no tripod yet.
but hopefully soon

do you recommend that i use full frame focus instead of centre?


yeah the dead space is there, because we had some art there, but at a recent house party... it was dropped off the wall and broken glass everywhere.. so hence the dead space...

[msommers]

Haha sorry about your house party!

Full frame focus or center focus? I can only assume you mean the difference between say:




If so, I can't really recommend one over the other. It's purely your choice if you want to isolate a subject, or capture everything.

I'd suggest reading up on Aperture and Depth of Field

[DNSRadio]

haha its all good ...

yeah looks like i will have to read up on that 4 sure.
im just checking blogs and other forums out there for the time being.



anyone taking photography classes thru SAIT?

[ZorroAMG]

Adjust the white balance to start....

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by DNSRadio
the lens that i have right now is the 18-55 DX VR lens... and from i can tell its the not best is it?

It's very good for the price, has VR, and can focus nice and close. It's main drawbacks are the focus motor isn't a true AFS motor, and it is f3.5-5.6 which is really slow for a lens in that range, but thats why it isn't expensive.

Originally posted by DNSRadio
can anyone recommend a maybe a pair of lenses that would just compliment this one?

something maybe that does close-ups?..and maybe one that does wide angle?...
i was thinking 50mm and maybe a 70-300mm ???

The Tokina 11-16 F2.8 is about as good as it gets for ultra wide angle without buying the Nikon 14-24 f2.8, which very few people can afford. It's a better lens than the Tokina 12-24 F4, and paired with the 18-55 you only lose 2mm of coverage. Unfortunately neither of the Tokinas will autofocus on your D40X because they are screw-drive and lack built in autofocus motors. The Sigma 10-20 F4-5.6 HSM would be something to look at, as it has a built in AF motor.

The 70-300VR is probably the best bang for the buck zoom on the market right now at ~$500. The 55-200VR is great too and very cheap, but the 70-300VR is definitely worth the small premium. The 70-300VR has a real AFS motor, VR II, metal mount, better image quality and better build quality.

The new 35mm F1.8 will autofocus on your D40x and it will provide a field of view nearly equivalent to a 50mm lens on a film camera. Its very cheap with excellent image quality, and really fast (F1.8) so its good for low light situations.

The 50mm F1.8 is a great and extremely cheap lens, but it won't AF on your D40x. The 50mm AF-S f1.4 G will autofocus on your D40x but its significantly more expensive.

For close ups, the 35mm f1.8, 70-300VR, and your 18-55 all focus pretty close, but if you want an actual macro lens for getting in even closer or for 1:1 reproduction, the ones to look at are the Sigma 105 F2.8 (won't AF on D40x), Sigma 150 F2.8 HSM, Tamron 90mm f2.8, Nikon 60mm F2.8 N, and Nikon 105 VR. The third party macro lenses (i.e. Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina) are just as sharp as the Nikon's and much cheaper. Nobody really makes a bad macro lens, and manual focus is often preferred for macro anyways.

If I were you (maybe not all at once haha), keeping price in mind, I would buy the new 35mm F1.8, a Tokina 11-16 f2.8 and manually focus my wide shots (or the Sigma 10-20 if you want autofocus), a 70-300Vr for a zoom, and the Nikon 60mm F2.8 N for macro. To better any of the above lenses, significantly more money would need to be spent and you wouldn't necessarily get much more for that money depending on your specific needs.

Originally posted by DNSRadio
the only other thing i have to take into consideration is that this is not a true 35mm camera.. as all the lenses are magnified by 1.5 from what i have read.

Thats right, so it helps you on the long end but works against you for wide angle. An APS-C sized sensor also has more depth of field than a full frame sized sensor at equivalent apertures.


For tripods, have a look at Feisol for bang for the buck stuff, and their "higher end" stuff is every bit as good as the Gitzo stuff that costs significantly more. Also if you look around I think you will be hard pressed to find even one bad thing said about their products or the company in general. Customer service is excellent as well. Or, if you don't care about weight or build quality, for $20 you can get some acceptable stuff on e-bay from sellers like Amnova. My thinking is that if you are going to be putting thousands of dollars of gear on a tripod, you don't want it to be a POS.

For a flash, a SB-600 is a great place to start and has most of the functionality of the higher end flashes for a good price. The SB-400 is a little too plain IMO.

As for photography classes, unless you learn much better in a classroom environment, the internet has everything they will teach you at SAIT and WAY more. Personally I find I learn faster when I take the online research approach, read, ask questions, and try out what I learn myself rather than going to class. Its free, and there is no limit as to what you can learn.

I'm at work so I can't view/comment on your pictures but you already have some feedback there it looks like.

Good luck!

[DNSRadio]

WOW Mitsu3000gt

Thanks for the advice and suggestions.

Im gonna have to look into those lenses 4 sure.

[msommers]

haha I love you Mits.

With regards to the Tokina, it's a tough call, at least for me anyways but I did forget about the D40 he mentioned already lol. 11-16 is 100 bucks more and you lose zoom range. However, you gain a stop and a mm on the wide-end. Personally, I can't think of a time when I've used the 12-24 anything larger than f/9 on a tripod! But I purchased that lens knowing that 90% of its usage would be for landscape shots. The 12-24 does come with a built in motor version (just found that out on B&H actually) so auto-focus is a possibility but it'll cost you 100 bucks..eek. Out of all of them, the sigma seems like the best bang-for-your-buck imo.

For what it's worth, give it some time to explore what you want to shoot; what is your current lens limiting you from shooting. You said you just got the camera and are figuring out how to use it... By all means if you wanna spend some dough, have atter' (just check with our review and research database, Mits, first )

Keep shooting

[dragonone]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


If I were you (maybe not all at once haha), keeping price in mind, I would buy the new 35mm F1.8, a Tokina 11-16 f2.8 and manually focus my wide shots (or the Sigma 10-20 if you want autofocus), a 70-300Vr for a zoom, and the Nikon 60mm F2.8 N for macro. To better any of the above lenses, significantly more money would need to be spent and you wouldn't necessarily get much more for that money depending on your specific needs.

For a flash, a SB-600 is a great place to start and has most of the functionality of the higher end flashes for a good price. The SB-400 is a little too plain IMO.

can you please recommend a set for a canon APS-C?
i just grabbed the 50mm f1.8, looking for a zoom, wideangle, macro, and a flash.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by dragonone


can you please recommend a set for a canon APS-C?
i just grabbed the 50mm f1.8, looking for a zoom, wideangle, macro, and a flash.

The Canon guys can probably give you a better answer than I can (I am on the Dark Side haha), but based on what I've read and what I see recommended to people over and over again here is what I think represents some of the best value for the dollar in Canon's current lineup:

Wide angle: 17-40 F4 L

Zoom: 70-200 F4 L

Macro: Sigma 150mm f2.8 HSM (I don't know much about the Canon macros, but the Sigma is as good as it gets)

If you want L glass AND image stabilization, you will need to spend a lot more money.

I'm not familiar with the Canon flashes.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, I'm sure one of the Canon shooters will chime in though, and with some first hand experience.

[soupey]

Originally posted by dragonone


can you please recommend a set for a canon APS-C?
i just grabbed the 50mm f1.8, looking for a zoom, wideangle, macro, and a flash.

i dont have the "best" lenses or flash, but i have all the above covered.

zoom = tamron 75-300mm, cheaper lens, but works well for when i use it, i find that i use tele lens least out of my collection

wide = canon ef-s 10-22mm, super wide angle, great for getting lots into a shot, or just being able to get whole buildings or interesting wide angle effects into a pciture.

macro = i use a cheap bellow paired with the tele to get ultramacro, but u lose autofocus and need lots of light to get it right.

my main walkaround lens for now is the tamron 28-75mm f2.8, which is mine until EK decides to claim it .

flash = used to have a cheapo phoenix 99c, just recently upgraded to a 580exII that i have yet to recieve and try out...

other than that i have a the kit lens which i hardly use (17-55mm IS), and a custom made fixed focus and fixed focal length f1.1 lens thanks to berserkercatsplat.

[dragonone]

thnx for the input

Mitsu3000gt, i imagine the tokina's and sigma's have the same lens for the canon mount?

soupey, how do you find the tamron zoom? the consensus from reviews i've read is that pic quality is a big issue on the most zoomed out lengh (ie. 300mm) and results differ a lot. I'm leaning towards the canon 55-250 IS f4-5.6 or the 70-200 F4L USM (the latter being $$$ but excellent reviews), or the Canon EF 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM as well being dollars apart from the L one, and in a certain review praising it as a hidden L lens

as for the macro, somewhat similarily, i'm goin to try out an extension tube ($10 at DX lol) for fun. the problems mostly with workarounds i read is the focusing problem. there's a diy lightbox thread on revscene using parts from ikea

that 10-22mm WA lens is $$$, as well as the canon flash
i'm just wondering if i'll ask for more in a flash if I learn more about it. I don't want to buy one and upgrade (for the flash). do you think a flash diffuser for the pop up flash can help a little in the meantime? i was looking at the sigma flashes as well.

that custom lens sounds really interesting. any details or is there a thread on it?

[soupey]

Originally posted by dragonone
thnx for the input

Mitsu3000gt, i imagine the tokina's and sigma's have the same lens for the canon mount?

soupey, how do you find the tamron zoom? the consensus from reviews i've read is that pic quality is a big issue on the most zoomed out lengh (ie. 300mm) and results differ a lot. I'm leaning towards the canon 55-250 IS f4-5.6 or the 70-200 F4L USM (the latter being $$$ but excellent reviews), or the Canon EF 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM as well being dollars apart from the L one, and in a certain review praising it as a hidden L lens

as for the macro, somewhat similarily, i'm goin to try out an extension tube ($10 at DX lol) for fun. the problems mostly with workarounds i read is the focusing problem. there's a diy lightbox thread on revscene using parts from ikea

that 10-22mm WA lens is $$$, as well as the canon flash
i'm just wondering if i'll ask for more in a flash if I learn more about it. I don't want to buy one and upgrade (for the flash). do you think a flash diffuser for the pop up flash can help a little in the meantime? i was looking at the sigma flashes as well.

that custom lens sounds really interesting. any details or is there a thread on it?

the tamron tele is definitely a budget lens, if u dont think u'll spend time zooming into things in the distance, i would say not to bother with a long tele lens. and yes, the lens does suffer a lil once u push to 300mm, at f8 it isnt bad, but of course, more expensive lenses will perform better, but for my needs, its good enough, as i said before, i dont use the lens nearly as much as the other lenses i have, i find wider lenses more practical most of the time.

guess it really depends on what you plan on using ur camera for most, if ur doing things mostly indoors, having a long tele wont be really useful, maybe a 200mm at most to get a shallower depth of field. but if you're going outdoors birdwatching or something, definitely invest in a tele lens that is faster and has more reach,