help on choosing nikon slr

[leonx___]

hi, im an absoluate noob at cameras but studying a class that requires an slr and looking for a decent one for home. i do want to learn some advanced techniques and muck around with photoshoots every now and then for ie cars, nature, buildings, holiday etc.

currently looking at the nikon d80 and d60. price range is around $1500 but of coarse the cheaper the better but not sacrificing quality. any suggestions and opinions would be appreciated.

[Pehpsi]

Haven't used either, but here's a side-by-side to show you some differences:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare ... 0&show=all

D80 Pros/Cons:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/page29.asp

D60 Pros/Cons:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/page30.asp

[leonx___]

what about the lense itself? the d60's 18-55VR lense is quite short in terms of zoom? so should i accompany another telephoto lense(if thats the correct term)? would it be a big cost all up? it seems theres a nikon 55-200VR as well.

[Pehpsi]

Depends on what you want to shoot..It will be good for some things, but way too short for other things, like some sports for example.

Why not buy the body on it's own and then get the lens you want?

Here's a list of some Nikon zooms:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showcat.php?cat=28

You can also look at other brands. But, before you buy a lens, make sure it works with your camera and supports the functions you want.

[leonx___]

thank you very much for the link. but it raises another question, does the VR lenses really make a big difference in stabilization? because my parents are currently looking overseas at lenses and the 18-135 non VR is half the price of the 24-200VR. does the 135 wont zoom far enough for the shakyness to be noticable?

[Pehpsi]

VR does make a big difference, but only if you need it.. It's extremely handy in low light, at slow shutter speeds and at longer focal lengths.

As an example, the pic below was shot handheld at 1/13s. Without VR, this would be very hard or not possible at all. If you don't need VR then there's no point spending the all that extra money on a VR lens. Also, the lens is more important than the camera body you buy, so get the best lens you can afford!

(Nikon 70-200VR f2.

[leonx___]

lol, i guess VR is just a piece of mind that you can go out and shoot dark or night scenes without tripod, im not sure if ill need it very often but i think it may be more of a convenience when the time does come. but does it justify paying twice the price i used a friends canon 400d with image stabilizer and i found it was quite easy to just take a quick shot of the street around 8pm daylight savings.

[Grev]

Get the D80, I think it'll be better in the long run, the D60 twin VR lens kit is around 1300 though, but for a little more the D80 is worth more in the end.

[chrisk]

personally, i'd get a canon 450d for that budget. it looks like a pearler of a camera.

otherwise, for nikon, the d60 gives you nothing much extra but dust reduction over the d40x, so i'd save a bit of money and get a d40x or even a d40 if you're really on a budget. Or as suggested above, the d80 if you're a little more serous.

[leonx___]

sorry but i have actually overshot my budget lol. that was my first thought but now seems unrealistic, i would have to say most i can spend is around edit*$1000. so looks like 450d, d80, d40x is out of my range and plus i need it fairly quickly so now i thinking d60 and get the 18-200VR cheap later on. hmmm......

[Oz_Beachside]

sub $1000, a used D70s with a kit lens, would be a great place to start. then, as you expand your skills and know where you want to take them, you can spend more $ in the right direction.

at a guess, a used D70s kit is probably $600

[leonx___]

ah thanks for that suggestion. though im not planning to go too far since thats not where my major interest lies, im studying graphic design/illustration and since taking the photography class it got me hooked a little more. and atm we dont have a family digital cam, last one broke down for some unknown reason hence why im looking for something more advanced then a point and shoot yet not go overboard.

[chrisk]

how about a d40 then ? doesnt sound like you will need the extra MP's for large printing etc.

[leonx___]

how about a d40 then ? doesnt sound like you will need the extra MP's for large printing etc.

yeah thats what i was thinking, depends on my parents too if they want big things printed. my mum seems to love big prints lol. so would my friends, they would want big ones for car shoots

it would be a nice and cheap-ish though...

[Ivanerrol]

I.M.H.O. with a D40 / D40x / D60 you are limited to AFS lenses.

With a used D70s at least you can find some good third party lenses or older Nikon AF and autofocus with them.

Nikon VR and Canon IS are good for up to two F stops

Another alternative and now cheap - Pentax K100d - theres a gazillion lenses that will work with it. Even meters with ancient M42 screw lenses (with adaptor). Also has inbuilt shake reduction.
The alternative to the old Film era K1000 (IMHO). Provides very good Jpeg out of the box.

[chrisk]

how big are you talking here ? you're not gonna print that many huge prints i doubt. a d40 will do an 8x12 standing on its head. as per Ivanerrol's post above, there are lens limitations for the d40 you need to be aware of. although not really as comprimising as it was at first. lots of af-s lens around, plus all of sigmas hsm lens' and tamron jumping on board too. not too many lens' options you wont be able to get really for the kind of stuff you sound like you'll be taking.

[leonx___]

well this is a shock, just got off the phone with my parents and they just got the d60. looks like i have no choice >.> cause i was really considering the d70. so now ill be quite limited in terms of lenses? cause im still thinking of the 18-200VR. gees now i dont know what to do.

[chrisk]

18-200 will be fine.
any af-s lens from nikon and any hsm lens from sigma and tamron have just released and annouced a pile more.

[leonx___]

ok thanks so much for all your time. ill try and enjoy the d60 much as i can and hopefully wont be dissapointed.

[Pehpsi]

Congrats, sure you will love it..

[who]

18-200 will be fine.
any af-s lens from nikon and any hsm lens from sigma and tamron have just released and annouced a pile more.

Yep - there are a lot of lenses that will work.

However they are mainly zoom lenses (there are not too many primes with AF-S (apart from the expensive telephotos anyway)).

However, the only lens I have for my D200 that is not AF-S or equivalent is a 50mm f1.8 prime.

It is mostly the older lenses or old lenses that have not been updated, that will not autofocus on the D60. They will still work, but be manual focus.

[chrisk]

yeah, thats the main reason i personally havent bought one yet as a chuck-a-round. but the 50mm f1.4 HSM from sigma could be a Godsend for d40 users.