[LuCky_Se7eN]

is there a specific brand that you guys like particularly?
like you only like sony, or you find nikons easier to use etc etc.
i still haven't decided on a second DSLR camera that i want yet, so i was wondering...
thanks!!!

[watcher]

is there a specific brand that you guys like particularly?
like you only like sony, or you find nikons easier to use etc etc.
i still haven't decided on a second DSLR camera that i want yet, so i was wondering...
thanks!!!

2nd dslr? what's your first? you should stick with the brand you already have...

[erure]

seems like you're really pushing that lens... how much does it cost?

Haha I just think it's a good alternative to the 50mm f/1.8 (even though it's more expensive) since it will autofocus on the D40/D40x/D60. It's around $200 I think.

[watcher]

Haha I just think it's a good alternative to the 50mm f/1.8 (even though it's more expensive) since it will autofocus on the D40/D40x/D60. It's around $200 I think.

really?? $200 for a 35/1.4? i could understand 35/2 costing around there, but a 1.4? sigma sells their 30/1.4 for $350~$400... that's some serious price differential, especially when the 35/1.4 L is over 1K!!

[erure]

really?? $200 for a 35/1.4? i could understand 35/2 costing around there, but a 1.4? sigma sells their 30/1.4 for $350~$400... that's some serious price differential, especially when the 35/1.4 L is over 1K!!

OOPS. I meant f/1.8... Sorry -,.-;; Yeah it's 35mm f/1.8 DX... hahahahaha... I'm bad with Nikon give me a break

[watcher]

^ i was gonna say... at that price, and if there are more of those to come... people might be jumping ship to nikon after selling their L gear AND have extra room to buy themselves and their friends some ice cream

[boafan]

I think I'm going to settle for a d40, it is right within my budget. Thanks. May I ask, what is the benefit of a 35mm f/1.8? The kit lens is what, 3.5-6.5 ? I don't know too much about this. Who manufactured the lens you are speaking of?

There's a bundle at my bb that comes with a d40 and AF-S DX 55-200mm lens (along with the kit lens) for 150CAD more. Is this lens primarily for more telescopic reach? So "AF-S" indicates autofocus on the lens?

[hippo_sleekz]

I think I'm going to settle for a d40, it is right within my budget. Thanks. May I ask, what is the benefit of a 35mm f/1.8? The kit lens is what, 3.5-6.5 ? I don't know too much about this. Who manufactured the lens you are speaking of?

There's a bundle at my bb that comes with a d40 and AF-S DX 55-200mm lens (along with the kit lens) for 150CAD more. Is this lens primarily for more telescopic reach? So "AF-S" indicates autofocus on the lens?

Hey boafan. I have actually this same set up that your interested in buying. The AF-S on the lens does mean that i does have the auto focus motor in the lens which will allow the D40 to auto focus. I love my D40 it was such a great investment especially if your starting out with a DSLR. I haven't had any regrets buying this camera at all. The 55-200 mm is a zoom lens its a pretty decent lens its a good lens to have with you if you can't get up close to your subject. The 35 mm f/1.8 is nikons latest lens to be released its a fixed lens which means it won't zoom in or zoom out, its good if you want a specific focal range. hope you enjoy your new nikon.

[erure]

I saw parrots today! They were beautiful. One kept posing for me, it was so cute

[[HyuNi]]

^
wouldn't it been better to set your aperture lower to blur the background and focus on the birds?
For some reason, my eye caught the bird cage on the pallet before I even noticed the birds.
It's probably because I'm a real photo newb. haha

Lately, I'm soaking up photography information and knowledge like a sponge!
Plus, I've been fiddling around with my camera for an hour or two every night after working out and I've noticed my photos marginally improving.

It's so tempting to buy accessories!
Does anyone else have this problem?
Everything so far has been small purchases (hand grip, filters, cleaning equip), but I'm already setting aside money to buy the 24-70L when I've outgrown the kit lens.
I would have never been able to justify buying a $1K+ lens before, but I find it hard to talk myself out of it these days!

[erure]

^
wouldn't it been better to set your aperture lower to blur the background and focus on the birds?
For some reason, my eye caught the bird cage on the pallet before I even noticed the birds.
It's probably because I'm a real photo newb. haha

The day was pretty bright, so f/2.8 would probably have resulted in overexposure.
But I agree, it would have been a lot cooler if I could have just focused on the birds -- I tried to use d&b to highlight the birds but I guess it wasn't enough.

[ginger]

Hey boafan. I have actually this same set up that your interested in buying. The AF-S on the lens does mean that i does have the auto focus motor in the lens which will allow the D40 to auto focus. I love my D40 it was such a great investment especially if your starting out with a DSLR. I haven't had any regrets buying this camera at all. The 55-200 mm is a zoom lens its a pretty decent lens its a good lens to have with you if you can't get up close to your subject. The 35 mm f/1.8 is nikons latest lens to be released its a fixed lens which means it won't zoom in or zoom out, its good if you want a specific focal range. hope you enjoy your new nikon.

Hmmm...A 35mm f/1.8...interesting! I have the 50mm f/1.8 and I *love* it. When I bought my Nikon D40, it came with the kit lens and I wasn't so impressed. I shot some stuff with it but got kind of bored. Eventually, I did some research and ended up buying the 50mm...and it's been truly amazing. It works in so many situations that I haven't really bothered looking up a new lens yet:








As you can tell, it performs *really* well in low-light situations, so it's perfect for nights out. The kit lens for the D40 is just too slow to work in really dim places.

[watcher]

The day was pretty bright, so f/2.8 would probably have resulted in overexposure.
But I agree, it would have been a lot cooler if I could have just focused on the birds -- I tried to use d&b to highlight the birds but I guess it wasn't enough.

time to buy yourself an ND filter
on bright days, they're the handiest things in the world!!

[erure]

time to buy yourself an ND filter
on bright days, they're the handiest things in the world!!

Yeah I guess so... I have to say, I haven't bought a lot of filters -- I just have the free UV/IR ones I got from Leica +_+;;

[watcher]

Yeah I guess so... I have to say, I haven't bought a lot of filters -- I just have the free UV/IR ones I got from Leica +_+;;

hehe... ND and CP's are totally worth it, as is UV [to protect your lens!].
warming/cooling filters are fairly obsolete now that you can control white balance in camera
you don't technically need a uv/haze filter either... it's just that it protects your lens without affecting your image much.

[phantompc4]

What about a circular polarizer filter? those are pretty darn cool

whats everyone's input on sigma lenses? i want a 105mm macro lens but nikon's come close to 1000 dollars when sigma's is close to 400. i do understand that the nikon probably has better glass and (from what ive heard) a faster autofocus motor. but i still feel skeptical about the sigma's cheap price.

also im a complete amateur when it comes to macro. should i even get a 105mm or would a 60mm suffice? i just figured the extra distance would definitely help. but maybe in the future an extension tube would solve that problem.

[d0wne]

The day was pretty bright, so f/2.8 would probably have resulted in overexposure.
But I agree, it would have been a lot cooler if I could have just focused on the birds -- I tried to use d&b to highlight the birds but I guess it wasn't enough.

^yeah, pretty cluttered background.

tree coming out of the left parrot's head too.



Also, it's pretty low on contrast for me, but that might be your preference which is acceptable.

Hmmm...A 35mm f/1.8...interesting! I have the 50mm f/1.8 and I *love* it. When I bought my Nikon D40, it came with the kit lens and I wasn't so impressed. I shot some stuff with it but got kind of bored. Eventually, I did some research and ended up buying the 50mm...and it's been truly amazing. It works in so many situations that I haven't really bothered looking up a new lens yet:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/the...C_7302-Copy.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/the...fDSC_7214-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/the...yofDSC_5170.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/the...yofDSC_5756.jpg
As you can tell, it performs *really* well in low-light situations, so it's perfect for nights out. The kit lens for the D40 is just too slow to work in really dim places.

Wow, I really like your shots. The color and feel. I even like the grain

[watcher]

What about a circular polarizer filter? those are pretty darn cool

whats everyone's input on sigma lenses? i want a 105mm macro lens but nikon's come close to 1000 dollars when sigma's is close to 400. i do understand that the nikon probably has better glass and (from what ive heard) a faster autofocus motor. but i still feel skeptical about the sigma's cheap price.

also im a complete amateur when it comes to macro. should i even get a 105mm or would a 60mm suffice? i just figured the extra distance would definitely help. but maybe in the future an extension tube would solve that problem.

yea. CP = circular polarizer

sigma's a great 3rd party lens provider. the 105 macro got some good reviews in the FM forums. check it out:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showpro...t=38&page=2

you'd have to use both nikon and sigma lenses to determine whether it's worth paying more for the nikon. i will say in most cases though, people who buy the more expensive lens will generally tend not to regret their purchase.

[zgnoud]

I think I'm going to settle for a d40, it is right within my budget. Thanks. May I ask, what is the benefit of a 35mm f/1.8? The kit lens is what, 3.5-6.5 ? I don't know too much about this. Who manufactured the lens you are speaking of?

There's a bundle at my bb that comes with a d40 and AF-S DX 55-200mm lens (along with the kit lens) for 150CAD more. Is this lens primarily for more telescopic reach? So "AF-S" indicates autofocus on the lens?

Hey boafan, if you havent already bought the d40... i would really recommend the d80 instead. Since the d90 was released, the d80's price has fallen dramastically - its about $150-200 more expensive than the d40 and d60, but is a MUCH better camera. The lens compatibility is much more wider than the d60, for example the popular nikon 50mm 1.8 prime lens is dirt cheap at about $100 - but it wont auto focus with the d40/d60. Sure nikon has recently released a 50mm 1.4 AF-S lens (AF-S has inbuilt focus motor) that autofocus on the d40/60 - but the len is like 4~5 times more expensive. Honestly, if you can afford it grab the D80 - its easy to learn and get into (despite having more buttons + dials) and will save you alot of grief (and $$$) when you start getting upgrading lens, otherwise grab the nikon d60 instead... its like 50$ more expensive than the d40 but you get few extra features such as the bump in megapixels (10) and inbuilt dust reduction.

[phantompc4]

why is it that fixed focal length lenses cost more than adjustable focal length lenses?