Sarap Magl
Is there a digital single lens reflex ( DSLR ) camera selling for $ 500 or less ?
If yes, please tell me the brand and model of the camera.
Thank you.
Answer
The Nikon D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. It's now under $500 with a lens. It has a few "consumer friendly" totally automatic modes that make it very easy to use, but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. It will get you in the Nikon family which is a great place to be. If you buy accessories and lenses, you will be able to use everything on any Nikon that you might upgrade to later on. The user manual is among the easiest to use, also, including three pages of "frequently asked questions" that could put Yahoo! Answers out of business.
Check out Nikon's "Picturetown" promotion, where they handed out 200 D40's in Georgetown, SC. http://www.stunningnikon.com/picturetown/
Here are a few reviews, in case you have not read them yet. Be sure to note that they are several pages long and some of the reviews also have some sample images that you can look at.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/nikon_d40.html
http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3756/camera-test-nikon-d40.html
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40-recommendations.htm
I hate to see people slam the camera because it can't autofocus with older Nikon lenses. It is true that there is a "slight problem" with older Nikon lenses not autofocusing on the D40, but if you do not own a bag full of older lenses, it is not going to be a problem. It is barely a problem anyhow. If you check www.nikonusa.com for "AF-S" lenses, which are ALL 100% compatible with the D40, you will find 28 lenses, including 13 "VR" (vibration Reduction) lenses and one true macro lens with "VR". There are another 25-plus lenses in the current catalog that provide all functions except autofocus as well as many (possibly dozens) "out of print" lenses that will work just as well. In addition, although these lens will not autofocus, most of them will still give focus confirmation. From the D40 manual: "If the lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of faster, the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm whether the portion of the subject in the selected focus area is in focus. After positioning the subject in the active focus area, press the shutter release button halfway and rotate the lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed." (See http://www.members.aol.com/swf08302/nikonafs.txt for a list of AF-S lenses or see http://www.nikonians.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=read_count&om=16715&forum=DCForumID201 for even more...)
The D40 only has 3 autofocus zones arranged horizontally at the center, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This might be considered a limitation, but realistically, most people will find this perfectly adequate, especially if you are moving up from a point and shoot with only a center zone.
There is no "Status LCD" on top of the camera, but Nikon chose to use the rear LCD for this information. This is actually a nice move, as the display is bigger than the top display and you aren't using the read LCD for anything BEFORE you take the picture anyway. This is not a step backwards and it actually makes sense to me.
You can get the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens at B&H Photo available through Yahoo! Shopping or at 1-800-622-4987) for $480 (April 2008). Add a Lexar Platinum (60X speed) card for $25 or 2 GB for $35. Or - get the D40 with 18-135 lens and 1 GB Lexar card for around $700. This is a decent lens and it is very versatile. You will find it suitable for pretty much anything you want to do, other than really long telephoto shots. It will let you explore the range of focal lengths to decide where to start filling in your lens collection. If you don't want to buy any more lenses, this one will carry you through pretty much everything. B&H also have used D40's with the lens from $419.
Using different brand lens for different brand camera?
Q. I'm thinking about purchasing a Pentax ZX-L camera.
It's coming with a camera case, 75-300mm zoom lens, 58mm Skylight 1-A filter, and cable switch for extended exposure shots.
Does anyone know if the 75-300mm zoom lens a good lens?
Can I use other brand lenses? (Like Nikon, or Ricoh).
If so, what other brands can I use?
Please help! I'm new to this and would really appreciate the knowledge.
Answer
Is that the only lens you'll be getting with it?
What are you planning to take photos of? For everyday things you'll be better off with a shorter focal length. That lens is a telephoto lens for photos of things some distance away.
Pentax cameras have a Pentax mount on them which means you can use Pentax lenses and those made by 3rd party suppliers such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina. You'll have to check that they do lenses for the Pentax ZX-L.
Nikon and others have their own specific mounts that mean only lenses with mounts for their cameras can be used. If you look on Amazon you'll see the same basic lens (from Sigma, Tamron, etc) but there will be different lenses for Canon, Nikon, etc.
As for the lens itself it seems to be a reasonable budget lens. You get what you pay for. Some reviews in the link. If you're only planning to have smallish photos online (1000 pixels or so) then it will be OK. If you're expecting to print out full size photos (20 inches or so) then you'll see that the images won't be that wonderful.
You may want to get hold of a photography book to learn some terminology and the different effects of shutter speed, aperture and ISO when it comes to taking photos. Also to understand some aspects of image quality and sharpness and how those can vary with lens quality. Good (expensive) lenses take better pictures.
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