Camera Questions

[papasmurf]

I've been looking at the Nikon D200 or the Canon 40D. I've also thought about a D80 since I'm just starting out and it is less expensive. Would I be better off getting the D80 and spend the rest on some lenses? Or just bite the bullet and get the D200/40D

[kawabunga]

I was in your situation about a year ago. I ended up buying a D80 and I'm quite happy with it. I would love to have a D300 but couldn't/can't afford it. So that's why I went with the D80, spend your money on the lenses.
I got one lens with the camera and I've bought 2 others since and looking at my fourth now. Lenses are really what make the pictures. You can have a D200 with a crap lens on it and that's what you'll get...crap.
But what it really comes down to is how you use it. Lenses and cameras don't take pictures, people take pictures.
If you wanna get a little bit better camera for not much more you could look at the D90.
It all really depends on what you want and how bad you want it I guess, also what you plan on using it for. If you plan on going commercial with your work, you might want to spring for the D200, if you're just shooting for hobby, the D80 will be more than sufficient. Lenses are more important to me. I've seen amazing pictures come out of D40's. Those are considered to be the best "budget buy" camera. Throw a good lens on it and you can get darn good pictures too.

[Pappy]

You can find D200's cheap right now

and good glass most always will beat out a more expensive camera body!!

[papasmurf]

What would you recommend for lenses on either the D80 or the D200? I will be shoting ATV/ Motorcycle racing MX and desert and then my kids' sporting events. I'm not planning on making a career but want to get some great photos. My point and shoots just don't cut it.

[Pappy]

We use 2 main lenses....

70-200mm 2.8 and a 24-70mm 2.8

[Snowskidr]

it depends what/how you will be shooting. the 50d shoots at about 6.5 fps where the nikons you mentioned only shoot about 3 fps. if you will be taking alot of sequences, get the faster one. if not, all of the cameras you mentioned are about the same. i would go with whatever one you like best and like others said, get some good lenses.

[Snowskidr]

sorry, i meant the 40d shoots at about 6.5 fps.

[papasmurf]

Originally posted by Pappy
We use 2 main lenses....

70-200mm 2.8 and a 24-70mm 2.8

Thanks Pappy


it depends what/how you will be shooting. the 50d shoots at about 6.5 fps where the nikons you mentioned only shoot about 3 fps. if you will be taking alot of sequences, get the faster one. if not, all of the cameras you mentioned are about the same. i would go with whatever one you like best and like others said, get some good lenses

My friend has the Canon 40D and really likes it. The D200 also shoots 6.5fps. He said that Nikon and Canon are both really tops and that one couldn't go wrong with either one.

[Snowskidr]

i agree with your friend. both cameras are very nice. i have always shot nikon and just got my first canon, the 50d. i love it although it did take me a little time to get used to their controls. it takes amazing photos and is super fast. not a whole lot different from the 40d really.

[kawabunga]

The best way to pick which one to get is to pick each one up and see how it feels in your hands. You're the one that's going to be shooting with it so you want to be comfortable with it. They're a horse a piece, otherwise. I personally don't care for the way Canon's controls are, so I got the Nikon. Just personal preference. Go someplace where you can handle both and see whatcha think.

[QuadJunkies]

I bought the 40D last year and I am so pleased with it that Im going to buy another one as my second camera. Its a Fast Camera! I was shooting with a rebel prior and my sport lense did not work as well with it as my 40D.

Good glass I have learned overtime is worth the added price tag , a combination of the two and you will find yourself having alot more fun shooting your photos.

[papasmurf]

Thanks for everyones replies.

After all the reading and internet research I ended up getting a Nikon D60 with the two kit VR lenses. It was more in my price range with lenses and everything. I know the lenses aren't as fast as the ones Pappy recommended. but, holy cow $1,700 for just one lens!!! I guess I'll be saving up for that one in the future. Maybe for Christmas.

It's due to arrive tomorrow and I'm pretty stoked about the new camera. Is there a good basic setting to start with?

[kawabunga]

Congrats on the purchase! You're gonna love it.
There is a completely auto setting that does everything for you. Otherwise there are aperture and shutter priority modes. When you get it read all the literature and just play with. Reading as much as you can about will help a lot but practice too.
And yes, the high quality lenses are quite pricey, but they are worth it. Save your pennies:)
And happy shooting!

[papasmurf]

I got my manuals and have been reading through them. I was hoping to bounce a couple of quesitons off here about the camera operation to make sure I am understanding what I am reading.
ISO=is basically the amount of light allowed the enter the picture. Low light conditions require a higher ISO while good light conditions can be shot at lower ISO settings.
Aperature=how much light is allowed to enter through the lens. The higher the aperature the more light that is allowed to enter and the lower the aperature the less light is allowed to enter. This also affect the depth of field (how much of the background is out of focus in relation to the focal point)
Shutter speed is how fast the shutter moves over the sensor. This also affect the amount of light on the picture. and also affects depth of field. Also my shutter speed shouldn't be less then 1/focal length of the lens.

In general then if I am shooting a moving target (my kid playing basketball) indoors, then I would need to have a high shutter speed so I don't blur the picture and at the same time I need to increase my ISO so that the picture isn't under exposed? How does the apperature affect this too?

On another note how do I upload my pictures so I can get some criticism??

[Pappy]

This might help you get started

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/

[kawabunga]

Originally posted by papasmurf
I got my manuals and have been reading through them. I was hoping to bounce a couple of quesitons off here about the camera operation to make sure I am understanding what I am reading.
ISO=is basically the amount of light allowed the enter the picture. Low light conditions require a higher ISO while good light conditions can be shot at lower ISO settings.
Aperature=how much light is allowed to enter through the lens. The higher the aperature the more light that is allowed to enter and the lower the aperature the less light is allowed to enter. This also affect the depth of field (how much of the background is out of focus in relation to the focal point)
Shutter speed is how fast the shutter moves over the sensor. This also affect the amount of light on the picture. and also affects depth of field. Also my shutter speed shouldn't be less then 1/focal length of the lens.

In general then if I am shooting a moving target (my kid playing basketball) indoors, then I would need to have a high shutter speed so I don't blur the picture and at the same time I need to increase my ISO so that the picture isn't under exposed? How does the apperature affect this too?

On another note how do I upload my pictures so I can get some criticism??


You've pretty much got it. I don't know if you just have some things worded funny, but I'll go through each of them for you again.

ISO is the sensitivity of the image sensor to light, not really how much light gets to it. So the higher the ISO, the more sensitive the image sensor is to light, meaning you can use a higher f/stop or faster shutter speed. The downside to a higher ISO is more noise in the image. Use low ISO in good light, higher ISO in low light or when you need to use really fast shutter speeds, or when you want to use really small apertures.
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Digital_Imaging/Sensitivity_01.htm

You've got aperture pretty down I think.
Aperture, or f/stop, is the diameter of the opening that the lens allows light through. It also affects the depth of field. Low f/stop numbers (f/2.8) is wide open, allowing the most light in. It also has the shallowest depth of field. Higher f/stops, such as f/16 is allowing less light in, but increasing the depth of field. For each f/stop number you increase (f/2.8 to f/4) decrease the amount of light by half.
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Exposure/Aperture_01.htm

Shutter speed is how fast the shutter opens and closes. Use fast shutter to freeze motion and slow shutter to blur motion. Shutter speed does not directly affect depth of field. However, there is an indirect correlation. If you use a faster shutter speed, you need more light, a lower f/stop. Because of the lower f/stop, you will have a shallower depth of field.
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Exposure/Shutterspeed_01.htm

All of your camera settings are give and take. To increase one, you'll have to decrease the other. It all depends on what you want in the end.

Read through this glossary if you have questions about things, I found this site helpful when I started out with photography.
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/glossary/

For shooting a basketball game, use a higher shutter speed to freeze motion, a larger aperture opening (lower number), and adjust ISO accordingly to get the correct exposure. The lower the ISO, the clearer your pictures will be.

Hope this helps!

[papasmurf]

Thanks, for the links.