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05/21/2008 10:01:36 PM · #1 |
hey guys,
been lurking the site for a while now. you all seem to be a great bunch of folks. im 36 and have been in and out of photography for 20 years. 2 years ago i bought my first p+s digital camera which was a casio ex-z120. the only thing that camera has done was reignite my passion for photography. im old school...i have loved my old minolta x-9 35mm film. however im in love with the digital age. ive been researching dlsrs now for a few months an am struggling as to what to buy. i have scowered every shop where i live touching and handling them all...and i love the nikons. i am not branded but nikon has a "chi" about them that the others dont have.
given my working man income, the d80 is out. should i go with a d40 or stick it out in search of a used d70?
any other suggestions?
i have alot to learn and brush up on. i understand the need to purchase good lenses....i deffinatly need a good macro.
thanks for reading this...any advise would be greatly appreciated!
i have a bunch of photos on photobucket...are those welcomed here in url form?
look forwrd to meeting you
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05/21/2008 10:05:03 PM · #2 |
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05/21/2008 10:17:59 PM · #3 |
No advice for you, sorry, but a big Welcome to the Madhouse!
And yup, I don't think there's any problem with photobucket urls :) |
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05/21/2008 10:25:54 PM · #4 |
Welcome to the wild world of DPC Matt. I went the Nikon route and after viewing endless debates about the various companies, most go with Nikon or Canon, then follow the Fuji, Sony, and Olympus crowd (I'm sure that I've missed a few). Most agree that if a Nikon feels good in your hands then you can't go wrong taking that path.
If you like the D80 then my suggestion is to definitley not compromise and get it. If your budget is the limiting factor and a new D40 is within your budget then I highly recommend getting a used D80. Since the D200 came out, and especially since the D300 came out, the price on the used D80's has dropped significantly and I believe that you are taking only a very slight risk in purchasing one used.
I like my D80 and my D70 and I would take either of these cameras over a new D40 any day. I don't like the unique limitations in lens choice (autofocus issues) with the D40. Besides, you could probably get a great deal on a used D80 now, save your money for a year, and then resell the D80 for the about the same price.
Good lenses are a must. In hindsight I wouldn't have wasted my money on several lenses that I bought in the beginning 'just to get by for awhile', lenses that I NEVER use anymore. BTW, a good macro alternative to the expensive Nikon 105mm is the Tamron 90mm macro.
Yes, photos that you have posted on other sites are welcome here in URL form. Good question since many newbies post gigantic pics in the forums which dial-up users find frustrating because it slows the loading of the forum page. Personally, I much prefer to see a thumbnail linked to a member's portfolio and sometimes won't click on a URL to view a photo on another site. The key word here, however, is "member" since you need to be member to have a portfolio.
I hope that this helps and that you enjoy coming out of the shadows to be a full user of this great site.
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05/21/2008 10:30:53 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by BeeCee:
No advice for you, sorry, but a big Welcome to the Madhouse!
And yup, I don't think there's any problem with photobucket urls :) |
W |
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05/21/2008 11:00:19 PM · #6 |
thanks for your quick comments!
oh how bad i want the d80....however..due to my seasonal income, i was wondering. see ive seen some great deals on lenses that i could snatch up, but i have no camera to put them on....would this be smart to wait on d80 till d90? theres not alot of used d80 right now....
to pursue this art i will need to sacrifice to make it happen.
Message edited by author 2008-05-21 23:02:55. |
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05/21/2008 11:04:51 PM · #7 |
| I got my D70s camera body on ebay for 400 dollars. That was about a year and a half ago, I'm not sure what they're running now. |
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05/21/2008 11:06:02 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by matcherbach:
hey guys,
given my working man income, the d80 is out. should i go with a d40 or stick it out in search of a used d70? |
It's not the gear, it's the forethought, the eye, the detail, and the execution. Buy what you can, get what you want.
Originally posted by matcherbach:
any other suggestions?
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Canon.
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05/21/2008 11:10:28 PM · #9 |
| The Pentax K100D and K10 are reasonable in price, plus all Pentax lenses will work with them. I picked up my camera brand new for about $600 then found a decent set of lenses on Ebay for $100. Not the "state of the art" equipment but nice enough for a "working man's" salary!! |
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05/21/2008 11:16:33 PM · #10 |
Used D 70s are pretty darn cheap now.
EBAY has lots of them. Everyone is moving up to the newer models.
For 300 bucks or so, thats a pretty good deal.
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05/21/2008 11:36:23 PM · #11 |
im pretty pissed at that damned little casio.
id put the sd card in and hiss at my photos..then i started messing with the settings...im really a film guy. i think a great shot is exactly what the artist wanted at that moment in time.
but blast! process film?....now i gotta buy a camera
Message edited by author 2008-05-21 23:36:58. |
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05/22/2008 12:42:09 AM · #12 |
I'd say the d70 or d70s would be a great start. The lenses are the long term investment that will hold more value and you can always upgrade the body later.
Note: Be sure to ask how many shutter actuations the camera has before buying. |
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05/22/2008 12:59:39 AM · #13 |
One good thing about the Nikon and Fuji pro cameras is that retro Nikkor Ai lenses will fit and work on them. At least most of the Nikon bodies will work with the older manual focus glass. If you are on a budget, this alone may be a factor in choosing a good camera body, as the older lenses can be found for a lot less cash and some of them produce beautiful images, hard to equal, even with the newer DX lenses. My S3 pro Fuji does not meter with the Ai's, but I still love them, and use them more often than the AF and DX Nikkors that I have.
ETA, Welcome to DPChallenge. It is a great site if you want to learn about photography and share images with a lot of good people here.
Message edited by author 2008-05-22 01:03:05.
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05/22/2008 08:02:43 AM · #14 |
| Welcome, former lurker. Ever heard of the saying "out of the frying pan..." ;-) Have fun (how can you not??!) |
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05/22/2008 08:18:01 AM · #15 |
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05/22/2008 08:39:12 AM · #16 |
Welcome to DPC Matt.:) Wishing you a lot of fun here
And go looking for a D70(s), forget about the D40.
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05/22/2008 12:39:41 PM · #17 |
| thanks everybody. on your advise ill be saving for a d70s...and if i can successfully sell a few things ill just get the d80. thanks so much again. im amazed at the talant in here. |
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05/22/2008 12:59:52 PM · #18 |
hey matt!
you might also consider the d50, i had one for like almost a year and loved it! the advantage over the d70(s) is usb 2.0
i promise you the d70(s)'s usb 1.0 will be a pain in your ar$e in no time if you get one.
edit for an extra "s" ;)
Message edited by author 2008-05-22 13:01:22. |
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05/22/2008 01:01:57 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by Mephisto:
hey matt!
you might also consider the d50, i had one for like almost a year and loved it! the advantage over the d70(s) is usb 2.0
i promise you the d70(s) usb 1.0 will be a pain in your ar$e in no time if you get one. |
He could just get a card reader. :-)
My vote is for the D70s I just sold mine to a buddy with the 18-70 for $500 USD so there are great deals out there to be had. |
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05/22/2008 01:05:24 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by thegrandwazoo:
Originally posted by Mephisto:
hey matt!
you might also consider the d50, i had one for like almost a year and loved it! the advantage over the d70(s) is usb 2.0
i promise you the d70(s) usb 1.0 will be a pain in your ar$e in no time if you get one. |
He could just get a card reader. :-)
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you're damn right he could ;) |
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05/22/2008 06:04:41 PM · #21 |
lol card readers are cheap!....sigh...went out with my casio today...took some cool shots nothing to brag about....here in georgia usa, flowers are out doing their thing...and they are my favorite subjects.
damn i want a new camera. like right now.
ive checked out the d50..id buy it if i had the lenses. see i have 500 bucks to spend. i know thats not alot of money in this game. but lenses are investments and time will tell...the universe im sure will provide me the proper camera...lol..so shouting out...if someones selling i might be buying!....in a couple of months ill have a grand. so i need to calm down and be patient.
oh, will my old great manual minolta lenses fit on the new sonys?...i did not like the feel of the new sonys at all...btw
im pretty patient by defalt. and i really dont mind waiting a bit. i really dont want a body that ill be wanting to upgrade in a year....even if its an older camera, i want to grow into something. im purely into photography for the art of it. i dont give a rats ass about megapixles..i just want the thing to take pictures like my old x-9 did.(does)
thanks again for all the input.
//i152.photobucket.com/albums/s195/makers13/latest/052.jpg
//i152.photobucket.com/albums/s195/makers13/latest/110.jpg
//i152.photobucket.com/albums/s195/makers13/latest/064.jpg
Message edited by author 2008-05-22 20:26:04. |
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