Camera Question

[diggyj]

I am finally going to upgrade my digital camera seeing as I got some gift cards for Birthday Christmas.

 

I currently have 2 Sony Digital Cameras, one is a DSC and the other a Cybershot. I love them both as they are both point and shoot.

 

I have a SLR but it isn't a digital one. I have the old NIKON F70. With this camera I have 2 lenses one is a 28-200mm Nikkor and the other is a SIGMA 170-500mm lense.

 

I checked around and obviously there are some Digital SLR's in the 4 and $5000 range, which is way more than I want to spend. I am finally going away from SONY for a couple of reasons.

 

The camera I am looking to get is NIKON's entry level SLR, it is the D40 D-SLR, 18-55mm lense..

 

First I was very happy with the F70, I haven't used it in years but when I did take pictures with it, they turned out great.

 

Second, I was told that the above lenses will work on the the D40 camera. Basically they have been sitting and if they can be used then I have 3 lenses in totalk which will give me a great range to shoot.

 

Anyone own one? What types of lenses do you have and is this a good buy? Recommend anything different?

 

Thanks,

 

Dirk

[evster]

I'm not a pro...but I will still chime in on this .

 

I think it would be a good idea to go with a Nikon to make use of your lenses for sure. The one caution I have for you though is that some of the older lenses will work no problem on the D40...just not the autofocus. What model are your lenses? Usually there are some letters on the lense as well. I'm guessing the 28-200 is a G lense which will only autofocus if the body has an focusing motor, which the D40/D60 do not. You'd have to go up to the D80/D90 or higher for that.

 

The other option is to just go with whatever camera feels more comfortable to you and sell the lenses to help offset the cost....if you choose this route shoot me a PM .

 

P.S. I just recently got a Nikon D80 and am loving it. I'm sure no matter what DSLR you get you will love it.

[diggyj]

I just went to Henry's to investigate and you are right. Both of the lenses I have will work on the D40 however only in manual focus.

 

They will auto focus on the D90.

 

Now I think I might go for the D90, has live view, can record movies unlike to D40.

 

Thanks.

 

Dirk....

[evster]

Personally I think that's a good choice. Then you can use your lenses, and I have heard the D90 is awesome.

[osmondrs]

Evster has already covered the question about lenses that came to my mind while reading your question. The fact that you already have good lenses makes for a strong argument in favour of the D90, otherwise I'd have suggested to convert to Canon, while you're at it. A Canon rebel xsi with a couple of good lenses is likely to set you back between $1200 - $1500, and you're guaranteed to be happy with it for the next few years. I'm not upto date on Nikon prices, but I would strongly suggest you compare prices at Henry's with Vistek - some items may be on sale there (I saved between 200-300 on Canon because Vistek had a sale on & Henry's did not). Vistek's website is www.vistek.ca & they have a store downtown on Queen St. east. Good luck with your new toys!

 

Os

[fishing n autograph]

As far as camera choice for the beginner DSLR Canon, Nikon and Sony make great entry level products. If you're really on a tight budget, might I suggest the Canon XS. I have it and love it and is apparantly more dependable than the Nikon and Sony models. However, since you have the Nikon lenses, I wouldn't switch brands. Nikon makes a great product. Don't be surprised when you switch. I was amazed at how much I had to improve my skills. DSLRs pick up much more camera shake than you do with 35mm SLRs, plus, once you start tinkering with post production you'll be hooked. If you can't afford Photoshop CS4 which retails for around $800, might I suggest Corel PaintShop Pro much cheaper but still a good product.

[tknohpy]

I just bought my first DSLR a feww weeks ago and got the D40X (10 MP). I have used it a few times and love it. Haven't gotten into any manual settings as of yet but just turn it on and it takes awesome pictures.

[eye-tracker]

As a recommendation on the software I would stay away from photoshop at this point and spend your money on Adobe Lightroom2. Your workflow software is very important, the new version of Lightroom has me doing all my edits within the software. I think I have only open photoshop once in the last 4 or 5 months.

 

-s

[brandon]

I've heard only good things about the D90....If you decide to go with it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it

[danc]

Choose whatever brand fits your needs, budget, and feels comfortable in your hands. Very few camera owners are dissatisfied with their choice.

 

In the end, whether that final decision bears the name Sony/Minolta, Olympus, Canon, Nikon or something different matters not at all, because it's the mind, eye, heart and soul that makes the art. The rest is just gear.

[Bruiser5150]

I have the D40 and love it. I would spend the little extra and get the 18-135mm that other site-S lense. It makes a huge difference. Also, go on ebay and get yourself a 67mm filter kit, polarization and UV are the most important. I find that it over exposes just a notch so in your E/V exposure settings I leave mine to -0.3. Some folks will go down to -0.7. There is a handy website, just google Ken Rockwell and you'll find the fastest way to start taking good pictures. I love my D40 over any other camera i own. It has most of the features of the D60 and higher priced models and is much smaller and easier to work with.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Bruiser

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i did a lot of shopping for my first DSLR and the best bargain I found was the panasonic lumix fz50.

it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than any camera with similar functions.

i myself wanted to get a beginners slr before i got too far into the photography world. i've have zero complaints.

 

cheers!