What to do with my money (Quad please read)

[Taffycat]

Hi Chris, for what it's worth, I use a Nikon Coolpix 885 digital camera (3.21 mp) and though it's now 2 or 3 years older than the one you mentioned, it takes really great pics. It has a 38 - 115 mm optical zoom. I can't use lots of technical jargon, but in simple terms, it takes wonderfully clear and detailed macro shots, and there are loads of menus and settings for getting a good picture at any distance. At it's simplest, you can "point and shoot" or else, using the aforementioned menus, you can set up your shots with a bit more "twiddling" (good technical term that!!) It came with a 205 page user-manual (all 205 pages are in English too) plus software (Nikon View 4 and FotoStation Easy) for uploading the pics to the PC via the supplied USB cable. Good luck with whatever you choose - you certainly take some interesting pics with your new camera phone.

 

[Quadophile]

Chris,

I did not know you went ahead with the thread in parrallel with the PM's you sent me and my responses to you.

Anyway, My advise to you was to go for the Nikon D50 + 18-55 and not the 70-300 to start with. You already said you know nothing about the lenses and that is why I say 18-55 is what you start with and ADD the 70-300 later.

Sandisk Ultra II or Sandisk Extreme III are the two cards I would go for if I were you.

Flops:

There is no need to ponder on what you gonna get, just get the D50 as suggested and never look back.

Megapixels do not always give you the correct picture and the difference in Canon and Nikon will not be visible in larger prints if you think that is how it works. Out of the box Nikon is superior compare to the 350D and also hae better low light capability with less noise compared to Canon 350D

I am in no mood to argue on this and it is my personal opinion. I have advised many to go for the Nikon D50 instead of Canon and none have had to complain about it. They are all very happy about the purchase. Just reading on Internet about the differences without having used a camera in reality is stupidity in my opinion. Flops knows what I am talking about, right Flops?

 

[ChristopherP]

**BOTH NOW BOUGHT**

£483.99 to my door the camera... think thats a fair price with the remote controller, memory card, bag etc etc

 

[ChristopherP]

Quad

Your advice to me was incredibly valuable, as without it i would have gone and bought either the Canon, or the Nikon with Telephoto lens.

Thanks so much again for your advice.

The laptop should arrive next tues as it is a custom job, and the camera...maybe... just maybe... this week

 

[Quadophile]

Congratulations!

Glad you made up your mind, now start learning everyting you should about how to take great shots and enjoy the toy in the process

 

[Adywebb]

Congrats Chris! - I don't think you will be disappointed with either the lappy or the camera

Make sure you give us an update on both, together with some nice pics

Quad gives good advice

 

[ChristopherP]

He certainly does

Maybe i'll post a picture of the laptop...taken with a Nikon D50

 

[Adywebb]

That would be cool!


What model exactly is the Dell lappy out of interest?

 

[Quadophile]

He certainly does

Maybe i'll post a picture of the laptop...taken with a Nikon D50

Look forward to the pic!

Take the shot with ISO set at 800 or 1600 depending on the light available in the room and do not use the flash when you take the picture of the laptop in the ambient light. The lens should be at its full aperture. Experiment, that is what you are paying for

 

[ChristopherP]

Whats aperture?

LOL

 

[bodhi]

I was wondering how he would get a photo of the camera!

Where did you get the camera from Chris, can you post a link as my dad is thinking of buying a digital camera.

 

[Quadophile]

Chris,

You certainly need to brush up on your knowledge on the workings of a Digital SLR camera. Not just the aperture but the combination of Shutter Speed and Aperture and how to use it in a given light based on the type of subject you are shooting.

dSLR camera's are far more versatile in what they can do interms of options when compared to what you are used to using till now, that includes your multi-megapixel phone camera. To be honest there is no comparison.

I would suggest you hop over to one of the links and try to read between the lines what it is all about. I can assure you that if you do not understand the workings of the dSLR you will be using it in auto all the time and that defeats the purpose of getting one in the first place. You have upgraded yourself to more than just a point and shoot camara, it is more of a sophisticated tool rather than just a tool to take pictures with.

http://www.88.com/exposure/exposure.htm

http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/18891/seminar

http://www.callofthewildphoto.com/articles/basics-of-photography.html

http://www.azuswebworks.com/photography/

http://photography.about.com/od/digital/

 

[ChristopherP]

This is the package i purchased << Clicky Clicky

It contains pretty much everything you need to get going i think!

Comes in at £483.99 to the door btw, delivery is quite steep. It is 2 working days from Hong Kong though.

If using Digital Rev, make sure you buy one with "No VAT" in the auction title, as if you get stung by customs, the reimburse you within 24h.

If its not in the title, you are liable for all charges.

 

[ChristopherP]

Thanks for the links quad.

I certainly will read up - i like to play and experiment as i go, so a combination of both should weild some interesting results!!

How much is a lens with bigass zoom? i.e. good for airshows?

 

[muckshifter]

I haven't read Quads links, I will, but an SLR camera hasn't changed much at all ... they just lost the film.

Single Lens Reflex, ain't new, hell we even had "point-n-click" versions, 35mm APS.

What you can do with the DSLR is "practice" and not wait for the film to be developed before you saw how crap a photographer you are.


I may save some pennies up and start again ...

 

[Quadophile]

How much is a lens with bigass zoom? i.e. good for airshows?

This one should fit the bill nicely

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80400vr.htm

 

[ChristopherP]

And you think you're going to shoot sports with this? Nah, this lens is for stabilizing camera shake, NOT subject motion!

Aparently it's not good for tracking moving objects... which is what you tend to do at an air show?

The writer mentions tracking a car at 45mph

What about a Rockwell International B1-b Lancer at 690mph/200feet

 

[muckshifter]

Aparently it's not good for tracking moving objects... which is what you tend to do at an air show?

The writer mentions tracking a car at 45mph

What about a Rockwell International B1-b Lancer at 690mph/200feet

Ask it to "hold the pose" for a min ...

 

[floppybootstomp]

Whew, haven't been near this thread in a while, here goes...

Flops knows what I am talking about, right Flops?

I sure do

I can assure you that if you do not understand the workings of the dSLR you will be using it in auto all the time and that defeats the purpose of getting one in the first place. You have upgraded yourself to more than just a point and shoot camara, it is more of a sophisticated tool rather than just a tool to take pictures with.

Never a truer word said. If you buy an SLR camera and then just use auto, you may just as well stick with a point and shoot camera, such as the Canon Ixsus.

Using different combinations of aperture settings and shutter speeds will give you some very interesting results. Experimentation is the key, if you use it enough knowing which settings to use should come second nature after a while.

Film speed (or ASA or ISO) used to be a factor but with a DSLR camera I doubt if this so – correct?

The most obvious use with an SLR camera of combining aperture size/shutter speed is when you select a large aperture/fast shutter speed, this gives you a distinct, sharp image in the foreground and a blurred background. Quad can advise better than I on this and other aspects.

I’ve been speaking with friends about the megapixel issue lately. Megapixels ain’t the be-all and end-all of picture quality. In my opinion the lens is just as important, if not more important, to consider.

You know that canon A40 I sold you? I swear it took better pix than my Canon A80, despite my A80 being 4mp and the A40 being only 2mp.

So there ya go, observations from me. Experiment and experiment more, such is the beauty of memory cards and computers. I had to do it with real 35mm film

Btw, I noticed there didn’t seem to be any software with the package you purchased. Is there software?

 

[Quadophile]

Chris,

That 80-400 VR lens I mention was after a quick glance at it, so I had no idea if it was slow in tracking. You are basically buying the cheapest SLR money can buy from the two top selling brands so do not expect miracles

Photography is a lifetime hobby and one keeps learning new things every day while being at it. You need to study and practice at the same time if you want to improve upon it. You can start with the links provided and progress from there by visiting exclusive sites on photography.

The other important thing you need to find out for yourself is what type of photography you are more interested in, the type of photography will dictate the gear you should be getting in the future, that is the flexibility a n SLR offers to photographers.

Do not come back telling us what the D50 cannot do, come back and tell us what you can do with the D50!