DSLR camera?

Caitlin

I'm looking for a digital SLR camera. Preferably not too expensive. Does anyone have suggestions?

Answer
Two cameras come to mind when you ask for a DSLR that's not too expensive. Here you go:

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Nikon D40

The Nikon D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. 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.

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 23 lenses, including 7 "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."

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.

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 $550 (May 2007) and this is with TWO Lexar 1 GB cards. You can get the same kit with one Lexar Platinum (higher speed) card for $560. Or - get the D40 with 18-135 lens and 1 GB Lexar card for $760.

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Pentax K100D - Cheapest Decent SLR

The cheapest DSLR that is worth owning is probably the Pentax K100D, and this is coming from a Nikon fan. This is a decent camera.

You can click on individual user comments on this page:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=pentax_k100d

You can read the dpreview.com "Highly Recommended" review here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk100d/

You can also read this review of the K100D here:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/k100d.html

I used to recommend the Pentax K110D as the best entry level dSLR, but I do not see it for sale at B&H Photo or Adorama. The entry level seems to now be the K100D. The only difference between these two cameras is that the K100D includes "shake reduction," which adds some expense to the camera.

Adorama has the K100D with the 18-55 lens for $489.95, after a $50 rebate. The rebate ends on July 31, 2007. You will still need a memory card and I would suggest at least the 1 GB Sandisk Ultra II SD card, which costs about $30. You can get the 2 GB for $35, so it would be silly not to go for the 2 GB card.

As of this writing (5-9-07), B&H is NOT showing the $50 rebate on the K100D with the 18-55 lens, but they ARE showing it for the body alone. Since this is a Pentax manufacturer's rebate, I would speculate that this is an error on the web site. If you prefer buying from B&H, you can call them at 1-800-622-4987 to inquire about this matter.

If you want "higher" quality and want to spend double the money, get back to me............and I'll tell you about the Nikon D80.

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DSLR Camera Review and Suggestion.?

Siva On Y!

I am new to photography , so I have frizzed upon Nikon D 3000 but I also got updates about the Fujifilm FinePix HS10 which is good. So any suggestion on which to select. My Price range is INR 25,000.

Answer
These are two different classes of camera. The Nikon D3000 is a DSLR and the Fujifilm HS10 is a super zoom camera (a.k.a. a bridge camera). Two major differences: 1) a DSLR has interchangeable lenses, the zoom has only the one lens, 2) the sensor on a DSLR is about 5 times bigger than the super zoom. Interchangeable lenses gives you great options when you are ready for them, such a wide angel, fish eye, fixed focal length with great low light performance (ISO). The larger sensor gives you much less noisy pictures especially in low light, like sunrises and sunsets.

I suggest the Nikon D3000, especially to someone new to photography. It has a teaching mode that will help you set the camera. And it's a Nikon!

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differences between camera lens filters?

Jin

Can anyone tell me some difference between the filter for camera lens? You can get one for like $7.00 to $50.00 should i spend that $50 dollars??

here are two that i'm looking at for my tamron 17-50mm f2.8
which one you guys think is better?

1. Hoya HMC Haze UV(0) - Filter - UV - 67 mm

2. B & W 67mm UV (Ultra Violet) Haze Multi Coated (2C) Glass Filter

Answer
Both these filters are well reviewed by Amazon customers. When you choose an expensive filter over a cheap one, you're looking for construction details and optical quality. A lesser filter might not hold up as well or could add some unwanted effects to your photos.

Do you use a macro lens or filter?

chaychayol

I have a macro filter on my 50mm lens, is there a such thing as just a macro lens? Where do I find one?
I bought a macro filter, at least thats what it said on the box!

Answer
What you have is a 'close up lens', also known as a diopter (because the unit used to measure its magnification is the diopter). In essence it magnifies the image 'seen' by your camera, thereby allowing you to focus on subjects that are closer to the lens. Close up lenses introduce optical abberations into the image - with many subjects, you won't notice these errors, but they are there and will be visible in precise work. Diopters are widely available in +1 and +3 strength, and occasionally you will find a +5. Edmund Scientific offers a +10 lens, but it is unmounted and you need a series adapter to use it. Practically, however, the +1 and +3 are the only diopters that make any sense. If you use a stronger lens, the subject will be so close to the front element of your lens that you will may actually find that the camera casts its shadow on the subject.

Incidentally, Nikon made some very good quality close up lenses in +1 and +3 strength. They are hard to find and more expensive, but their quality is superior.

There are also macro lenses. The ability to focus a lens on nearby subjects really is a matter of moving the lens further away from the film or sensor in the camera, and macro lenses are simply lenses that are designed to allow the lens to move further away from the camera body when it focused. Better macro lenses may also provide some additional optical corrections when focusing more closely. These tend to be fairly expensive.

There are two advantages to macro lenses. First, they are optically superior to close-up lenses. There may still be abberations, but they won't be as severe or as visible. Second, they allow you to focus on smaller subjects that is practical with diopters.

Macro lenses often have a longer focal length than normal lenses - this is an advantage because the longer focal length gives you more working distance between the camera and the subject.

Most manufacturers offer macro-zoom lenses. These are simply zoom lenses that are designed to allow close focusing. You may not get as much magnification with these as with true macro lenses, but the price is much more reasonable.

The third option is to use extension tubes. These fit between the camera body and an interchangeable lens, and tend to work better with lenses of longer than normal focal length. They tend to come in sets of three that can be mixed and matched to provide a variety of close-up options.

Two critical points:.

1. When working in the macro region, you will always get better results if you put your camera on a tripod. Depth of field is microscopic in the macro world, and to compensate for that you need to stop down the lens as much as you can - perhaps to within one stop of the maximum setting possible on the lens. That is going to require a longer exposure, and to avoid movement, you need to have the camera on a tripod.

2. Always focus manually in macro work. The autofocus system in most cameras relies on there being areas within the image with sharp contrast, and that is rarely the case in the macro world. Hence, autofocus systems tend to 'hunt' and don't work well. Turn it off, and focus manually.

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