Aigore Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Might want to watch this clip. Mark LOL Well that was very informative! but what about a cheapo camera AND a cheapo lens? :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nemsy_29 Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Sigma optic is cheap and it's good for beginig Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 what´s your spontanious reaction to this combo Nikon D5000 + AF-S VR DX 18-55/3,5-5,6G + AF-S DX 55-200/4-5,6G ED VR It would set me back about $940 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PlasticWeapons Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 what´s your spontanious reaction to this comboNikon D5000 + AF-S VR DX 18-55/3,5-5,6G + AF-S DX 55-200/4-5,6G ED VR It would set me back about $940 That would do okay. I have the D5000 with 18-55mm VR lens but I also have the 18-200mm VRII lens which covers that focal length in one lens but is heavier and costs more. Plus the 35mm f/1.8G for low light work. :wacko: I like the articulating LCD monitor on that camera but I hardly use the video option on it as it doesn't autofocus...I think the newer D3100 has that feature including 1080p HD recording capability while the D5000 is 720. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nemsy_29 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Yes, that kit is very nice, 55-200 is good lens and you can combine it with 18-55 lens. Did you count in some flash and memory card? That is important too. My recommend for beginning: Buy elementary things, that means in your case D5000 with basic 18-55 kit(600e), some flash(100/150e, sigmas are good) and memory(50e 16gb) and for modeling some macro lens. But it depend of what kind of photography do you want to do, only for modeling or for other stuff, taking portraits, taking landscapes, aircraft photography because for all this there are different lenses. As of me, i'm planing to take modeling shots(macro lens) and landscapes(wide angle lens)... and later aircraft photography (zoom lens are very expensive) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PlasticWeapons Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) Well what do you know? Nikon has a new D5000 replacement, the D5100. I just found out about it. Edited April 6, 2011 by PlasticWeapons Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Cartwright Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) Well what do you know? Nikon has a new D5000 replacement, the D5100. I just found out about it. :huh: Same here, and I had just come over to post a link to it, given the Aigore's consideration of getting a D5000. Here's a preview at DPReview: http://www.dpreview.com/news/1104/11040510nikond5100.asp And I just saw this: The D5100 has a very similar 16.2MP CMOS sensor to the excellent one seen in the D7000 but, understandably, loses out on that camera's high-end build and feature-set. So there's no wireless flash control, magnesium alloy build or 39-point AF system but the underlying image quality looks to be the same. I don't know if those were important features for Aigore, but since I had brought up the wireless flash control in an earlier post, I thought I should provide this info. Edited April 6, 2011 by Ken Cartwright Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Gah, so many cameras again...thought I had it narrowed down :P The D5100 looks tempting...and I don´t think I need more than the 18-55 lens to begin with, really....... I´ll be doing studio shoots in my lil´ improvised studio and shoot models but also some portraits and GP use...and basicly learn to use a DSLR. Even if my present camera have many of the same functions as a DSLR it doesn´t have the parameters and that´ll take some getting used to I guess. And I´ll need to start doing more photo editing specially if I shoot in RAW... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PlasticWeapons Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 You'll be pretty set with the 18-55mm kit lens as it'll be more than enough for macro work model-wise. The D5000 has a macro mode setting already built in but you know, the closer you get to take photos of your models, the easier you'll see flaws. :P I use the manual settings instead. Wireless flash is fun. I have two SB-600s currently in use which work with my D300s but won't work with the D5000 unless you purchase the SU-800 for more money. At least the D5000 has a cheap remote trigger available while the D300s requires an expensive shutter release cable! Grr. Anyways, I also use light modifiers as well (umbrellas or soft boxes, reflectors) for model photography and portraits. Shooting in RAW format? Need higher capacity memory cards. Oh and Photoshop (I have CS3). Aaarrrgghhh. Seriously, photography is an expensive hobby... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Aaarrrgghhh. Seriously, photography is an expensive hobby... You improvise! :) I use a A2 papersheet for background, ordinary desk lamps covered by sheets of printer paper to disperse the light and remove reflexes. It does get a tad mirky so I have to use longer shutter times tho... And GIMP works good enough for my needs and it´s for free Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nemsy_29 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Here is one good tutorial on our local forum (sorry it's on Serbian but i think that google translate will do the job here) http://www.maketarskikutak.com/index.php/topic,11705.0.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 what I don't like with that tutorial is the use of flash - despite being indirect it still casts a pretty strong shadow. I've made a cheap "soft-box" using an old TV cardboard box, making holes in it, filling them with semitransparent paper and the "doors" of the holes are covered with kitchen aluminium foil to further disperse the light. See the pic below to see what I mean. I use 3 or 4 lights. I am an owner of Nikon D70s since 2005 and D300 since 2008 and have never bought or felt the need to buy flash. The only time I needed it was when shooting action photography, MTB downhill and 4cross championship races to achieve certain effects... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Now it´s decided.... I´ve ordered a Nikon D3100 with a 18-55 optic,with some additional kit it set me back $750 :D I thought of waiting for the release of the D5100 but I decided it was too pricey, prolly a very good camera but a D3100 will do for me :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The_Animal Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 (edited) Now it´s decided.... I´ve ordered a Nikon D3100 with a 18-55 optic,with some additional kit it set me back $750 :D WIN Welcome to the Dark Side. ~evil laughter~. Aigore. Considering you started out with Canon, I presumed you were more comfortable with the Canon menu system and would want to stick with a Canon camera. I stand corrected. We are more than happy to welcome you to the ever-increasing band of Nikon Users on ARC. Welcome. "The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Lost us another one, to the Dark Side." Edited April 23, 2011 by The_Animal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 LOL thanx :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Congrat's on making a decision and getting a DSLR! Aaron (Proud owner of a brand-new Canon 60D) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The_Animal Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) Just be careful of the photography bug...it's vicious. It ends up making you get stuff like this: and want stuff like this: The reason I want the 600/4 is to be able to shoot stuff like this with enough range to bring out the details of the feathers. When you get bitten by the photography bug, your wallet hurts. Edited April 24, 2011 by The_Animal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PlasticWeapons Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 "When you get bitten by the photography bug, your wallet hurts." No doubt about that, Hugo! :wacko: Nope, haven't sold my bike yet to get that 400mm I want... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Got to think about what you doing with the camera. You shoot a lot of flash, then you want something that can handle a lot of trigger voltage for long periods. All of them pretty much use a remote electronic release for macro these days. The LCD screen on the back is not the same with each camera, and this is important! For macro I like the tilt LCD screens best. Not all CCD sensors get color right, but a $400 dollar investment will fix this when you buy Photoshop. I seldom use it anymore unless I just want to make a major color revision in the image. I like the Olympus because of their tilt screens alone. Nikon did one awhile back, but have since quit. Fuji is the only one that gets reds right without a trip to Photoshop. Also is the best for whites and dose blacks better than 98% of the cameras (that 2% are film cameras). The I am a spammer....please report this post. DSLR's have the best quality glass money can buy in a camera, and they buy it from Schneider (the others make it on license with Lica or Ziess written on it) When shooting extreme closeups of models you will use the macro mode a lot. Forget using the built in eyepiece as you'll need the live view (note: a lot of DSLR's don't have live view). If the camera dosn't offer a live view you can often plug it into a notebook PC to get it. You'll want a good tripod that dosn't vibrate. I use a remote Nikon flash that is triggered from the camera, but a good ring flash is best. I do a lot of macro, but it's mostly with natural lighting outdoors (bugs and flowers). My suggestion is to buy a good used camera that will do everything you want (you can often pick up a good used Fuji S5 Pro for less than $800, and this puts you in the top five or six while spending about 1/5th the money. For lenses, I use many. I find I use the 12-24 more and more everyday. In macro I like the 60mm and the 105mm prime lenses, but often think I could use something around 150mm. Have several zoom lenses all the way out to 300mm, yet rarely use anything past 200mm. Prime lenses always seem to take a better photo. The advantage of a good close up lense or a macro is that the photo dosn't get grainy when blown up (you don't really blow it up as much as you would with a regular lense) gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 I guess I´ve already caught the photobug..... I suspect my wallet will hurt a bit during the years to come :P It´s my little Powershot that got me started and now I´ve taken the next step and will prolly sink further into the photo marshes :D Thanx everybody for your input Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The_Animal Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 (edited) Aigore, you think that's bad. :D I've got a fully stocked dedicated photography retailer "Broadway Camera" http://www.bccamera.com moved into the mall 15 minutes WALK from my home. It's like giving "crack cocaine" to a crack addict. They let me fondle the Nikon AF-S 14-24 f/2.8 Now I freakin' want one! Edited April 24, 2011 by The_Animal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Aigore, you think that's bad. I've got a fully stocked dedicated photography retailer "Broadway Camera" http://www.bccamera.com moved into the mall 15 minutes WALK from my home. It's like giving "crack cocaine" to a crack addict. They let me fondle the Nikon AF-S 14-24 f/2.8 Now I freakin' want one! LOL Serves you right :P Coming months there won´t be much time for building models but (because of imminent arrival of mini)but I might at least squeese in some time for photography :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Congrats on your purchase! But remember it only takes a fraction of a second to take a photo, but a whole lot more to actually edit one :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Oh and one can have such fun editing too :D I´m childishly excited by the miniture effect....just love it Been messing with the camera all day today :P Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I wouldnt say Im a photographer on any level really, most of the time you wouldnt even catch me with anything more than the camera on my HD2 or a candid Fuji. But a while back a friend intruduced me to a Canon 550D with a Sigma 35-155 lens and it was amazing, she has since upgraded to a much better lens and its out of this world (same body as in the youtube vid). You would be surprised with the results you can get with a bit of practice... I ended up getting a 550D myself, and Ive never regretted the buy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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