Lets talk Photography and Cameras

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Bee

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#92831 7-Nov-2011 13:30

Hi All,

With Summer coming I'm getting eager to get back into one of my passions : photography.

I love taking arty landscape and Nature scenes as well as capturing the action, thrills and spills at the local Speedway (Western Springs!) and then of course there's all the family shots, weddings, kids and animals and don't forget the Car shows :)

Although I have no formal training I love learning by just taking photos, and lots of reading. I also seem to have a bit of natural talent as I always get compliments on my photos from friends and family.

I currently have a 10x Optical Zoom (Olympus) which has served me well over the years - Ive spent a lot of time playing with the manual features, but the 2MP and chromatic Abberations have more than frustrated me and finally its definitely dieing... As a consequence I haven't spent as much time as I would have liked to recently taking pics.

I'm thinking of taking the next big Leap and buying a DSLR, so far narrowed it down to the Nikon D7000 or D90. with at least a 18-200 lens and more if budget can stretch that far.

Obviously I'm happy to spend a lot of time learning about the camera and techniques etc and am looking for something that will keep me more than happy for the next 5-10 years, so the big question is which one should I get?

The D7000 is approx $500 more than the D90 - is the difference more than worth the extra features or am I better off with the D90 and spend the rest on another lens ?

Also, whats the Second hand market like on Trademe? Is it worth just buying a new body and sourcing second hand lenses?

Any help and comments appreciated :)

Or please tell me what gear you currently have and (with Xmas coming) what would be your ideal / dream Camera?

Doing your best is much more important than being the best.

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#542015 7-Nov-2011 13:38

The D7000 is a much much newer camera, if you want it to last many years then i'd go for that. Better high ISO, more responsive, etc. I think the D90 might be better built though.

The bigger the zoom range of your lens, the lower the quality. Prime lenses that don't zoom are best, and let in more light (lower F number) and give you a smaller depth of field. Given what you've said you want to take photos of a superzoom is probably the best idea to start with though.

A flash will be the next thing to buy, quality of light is pretty important when taking photos of people.

I use 2xD700, and really good quality Nikon glass, 16-35, 24-70, 70-200, 50 F1.8, with a bunch of flashes, lighting gear, etc, etc. I'm a professional photographer though so I need it.

Bee

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#542023 7-Nov-2011 13:50

Thanks for that :)

Ive had a look at the Nikon P500 as well (36x Zoom!!!) which looks nice but I still think the quality of photos would be much better with a DSLR?

Its only at Speedway that I tend to sit right on the end of the zoom, so I'm thinking a 16-85, 50 F1.8 and 70 - 300 lenses be a good combo if I could afford all that!

I've been drooling over the D7000 for a while now and trying to talk myself down to something else but so far it does seem to be the ultimate! :)

Doing your best is much more important than being the best.

timmmay

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#542025 7-Nov-2011 13:58

The D3x is the current ultimate, but will be replaced soon. The D7000 is a nice consumer camera. The sensor on a DSLR is much bigger than on a P&S (but smaller than a D3/D700), and bigger sensors give better image quality. They're typically much faster as well, but require more time to learn, and processing time.

You can probably get a D7000 kit with a standard zoom and telephoto zoom from somewhere.

alasta

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#542040 7-Nov-2011 14:26

Bee: Thanks for that :)

Ive had a look at the Nikon P500 as well (36x Zoom!!!) which looks nice but I still think the quality of photos would be much better with a DSLR?

Don't go there. Superzoom cameras look impressive when you read the brochure - enormous zoom range in a small package - but when you closely examine the results they often fail to live up to the hype.

Consider also the Panasonic G system. I have a GF1, although the successive GF2 and GF3 are too dumbed down to be worth considering, but the upcoming GX1 and existing G/GH series would be a good option. These cameras are not strictly SLRs because they don't have a mirror box, but they will provide comparable image quality and speed of operation.

Zippity

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#542052 7-Nov-2011 14:53

Go for a Canon EOS

timmmay

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#542056 7-Nov-2011 14:56

Zippity: Go for a Canon EOS

I just sold $12K worth of Canon gear and bought $17K of Nikon gear due to ongoing focus issues, with 8 bodies and a dozen high end lenses over 5 years. Nikon works great... so I disagree.

At the low end it probably makes little difference. Canon's cheaper... maybe for a reason.

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Bee

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#542060 7-Nov-2011 15:01

I'm going with Nikon for 2 reasons :

1. they have lots of fans - although I guess most brands do? :)

2. I've used a variety of canon cameras and I'm afraid I just don't like them... the photo quality seems ok but the menus and useability is just weird to me.

So personal preference I guess...

Doing your best is much more important than being the best.

munkybone

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#542084 7-Nov-2011 16:35

Have a look at froknowsphoto.com He is a Nikon user who offers really good information about the cameras and good lens setup.

muppet

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#542086 7-Nov-2011 16:40

I have a 0.3MP camera that I use (built into my Dell Laptop) and I've never had any problems with it.

Great for taking photos of faces, cats, curtains etc. Not sure if you can still get these laptops new though.

Bee

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#542091 7-Nov-2011 16:49

munkybone: Have a look at froknowsphoto.com He is a Nikon user who offers really good information about the cameras and good lens setup.

Awesome site, thanks! will have to spend some more time on there later...

muppet: I have a 0.3MP camera that I use (built into my Dell Laptop) and I've never had any problems with it.

Great for taking photos of faces, cats, curtains etc. Not sure if you can still get these laptops new though.

Yeah Ive got one of those too! :) I think I'd get some funny looks trying to use it for Wedding photos tho! :)

Doing your best is much more important than being the best.

Zippity

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#542092 7-Nov-2011 16:49

timmmay:
I just sold $12K worth of Canon gear and bought $17K of Nikon gear due to ongoing focus issues, with 8 bodies and a dozen high end lenses over 5 years. Nikon works great... so I disagree.

At the low end it probably makes little difference. Canon's cheaper... maybe for a reason.

Good for you

Horses for courses and all that...........................

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#542102 7-Nov-2011 17:02

Hi Bee. I've used Nikons for years - still have my F90s and F4s film cameras! In digital I have a D200 and a D70. Both good cameras - even the 6Mp D70 still does a great job with shots good enough for A4 size publication (always shoot RAW).

A good lens is worth its weight in gold and I'd advise spending as much on the lens as you can and getting a decent body rather than getting a great body with a cheap lens. A site that I find incredibly useful is dpreview. The link to the Nikon revies is: http://www.dpreview.com/products/nikon/cameras

You can get good gear second hand (if it's been looked after) so the reviews of discontinued cameras (and lenses) are worth reading if you see what looks like a bargain. It's always good to check reviews for current models priced the same as the second hand gear though so you're (sort of) comparing apples with apples.

Cheers, Gary

timmmay

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#542125 7-Nov-2011 17:41

Zippity:
timmmay:
I just sold $12K worth of Canon gear and bought $17K of Nikon gear due to ongoing focus issues, with 8 bodies and a dozen high end lenses over 5 years. Nikon works great... so I disagree.

At the low end it probably makes little difference. Canon's cheaper... maybe for a reason.

Good for you

Horses for courses and all that...........................

I don't like Macs, does that make them bad?

"Use Canon" wasn't a useful post. I posted why I switched from Canon to Nikon. There are valid reasons both ways, but I know I won't touch a Canon again until they've proved to me that they've fixed their camera system.

alasta

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#542131 7-Nov-2011 17:51

These brand wars never achieve much because everyone staunchly defends their own territory. I'm personally happy with Panasonic but I certainly don't expect everyone else to rush out and buy the same thing as me.

The reality is that all of the well known Japanese manufacturers generally make very good cameras. The real differences are between different classes of camera, and the glass in front of them.

Talkiet

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#542134 7-Nov-2011 18:01

timmmay:
Zippity: Go for a Canon EOS

I just sold $12K worth of Canon gear and bought $17K of Nikon gear due to ongoing focus issues, with 8 bodies and a dozen high end lenses over 5 years. Nikon works great... so I disagree.

At the low end it probably makes little difference. Canon's cheaper... maybe for a reason.

What a pointless and unhelpful post this is, after you very helpful ones earlier.

I happen to have a canon 1d3, 1d4 (and have had 4 other 1 series and a 5) along with a full set of pro lenses and the only problem I've ever had was a 300 2.8 IS that needed a focus adjustment. I bought it second-hand and I knew it needed adjusting before I bought it. It's now perfect.

Both Nikon and Canon produce superb results. With the odd exception (Canon did screw up the initial 1d3 AF - although that was still overblown) focus issues are down to users expecting too much from the camera or not understanding how it works properly.

At the low end, both companies produce cheap DSLRs that will give amazing results and there's not much appreciable difference between them. Try both and see which one you like more - they do have a slightly different feel to them ergonomically.

You can't go wrong with either, but I would caution against investing in a brand other than Nikon or Canon if you think you might ever want to grow the system - Sony, Olympus etc produce some decent cameras, but they don't have the same range of lenses or accessories, and generally they aren't quite up with the big boys.

Cheers - N

ps. Yes, Zippity's post was pointless and unhelpful too - but you know better.

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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