Camera & Lens advice
- This topic has 13 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated Jun 6, 2008 at 2:05 pm by
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Matt, I would strongly suggest the 18-200VR. It is not only a great all purpose lens, it is tack sharp and and helps to capture some great professional quality images, a perfect lens to start with. The lens does creep though but this little inconvenience is worth that trouble, simply keep your hand on the lens and keep it from creeping. Fully closed, it may or may not creep but again, it really is a great lens and worth far more than the price, IMO.
Put a great lens on a basic body and you get what? Great IQ
Put a basic lens on a great body and you get what? Basic IQ(IMO)
Your always going to be better off getting the best lens you can. From your post you seem to feel the same, or understand that on some level.My question is more so about the lens.
There is a lot of logic to Johns reply. The 18-55 kit lens, that comes with Nikon, is a very good lens and delivers very sharp images. Unless you plan on doing a lot of slow shutter shots, I don’t think that the VR is worth the extra bucks. Unless you have trembling hands and do a lot of hand held slow speed shots, the VR is a function that you may not use that often. More often than not, the VR feature is best for those slow hand held shots or for hand held telephoto shots.
Don’t let the price of the lens make your decision, the 18-55 is one of the least expensive lenses that you can get from Nikon but the sharpness is very impressive. If you are just looking at wide angle shooting, for a learning curve kind of deal, get the 18-55mm and save your bucks for future upgrade purchases. I haven’t used the 16-85 but from all that I have read, other than the VR functionality and the slight additional range, the sharpness of the 18-55 is very close to the 16-85.
If you want more range, at an affordable price, I again would go back to the 18-200 VR. It is a bit longer than the 16-85 VR but only a little less than 1/2″ and I have seen some great published images from this lens as well. On the same note though, John makes a very powerful and correct argument. if it were me; I would get the 18-55 and spend a bit more for the 80-200 or if you want journalist wide, the 17-55. if you want to go sweater, the 70-200VR for long and the 12-24 would for wide. Again.. just my opinion.
Hi John
thank you so much for the responce… I have learnt a whole lot from this post.
I was given a Olympus E500, which I am enjoying… and you are quite right, Great Lense on an OK body = Great Shots…
I have the Kitt lens 17.5 – 45 (f5), and a 55 – 200 (f4), Remember that Olympus is two time the distance, so I have “110 to 400” lense… they have served me well…
I took the 55-110, because it is a very compact lense, and fits nicely in my day pack when fishing…
Next I am going to add a Wide Angle f2, and a Macro…
I see that there is an Olympus E520 just released… I would seriously investigate it, probably the best bang for your buck, at the low end.
Matt-I am in the same boat you are, except I purchased the Canon G9 as a DSLR substitute and have not been happy with it for a bunch of reasons.
I have really been enjoying this thread because I am in the same boat. I am shopping to buy. I enjoy taking a good photo but have no professional aspirations. I’ll be collecting landscapes, and macros of bugs and plants. Combine this with the shots of my daughter growing up. I collect the “DETAILS” for illustration and design, and that is the purpose this camera.
So here is the million dollar question. Nikon or Canon. I would like to stay in the 10 megapixel range. With this being an Insurance replacement – I have a budget of $900 – $1000. Every SLR I have ever owned has been a Pentax, K1000s and Ps – good beaters that I was not scared to mess up and perfect learning tools at the time. Also the glass was easy to find for cheap.
I have narrowed it down to the Nikon D60 kit with the 18-55 and 70-200 and starting research on the Canons (unless your opinions change that). Every professional photographer I know and work with professionally uses the nikons but none of these folks do outdoor photography.
I like to be able to zoom a little more, I had a 70-400 with my pentax… And macro but all of that is future glass.
My 2c.
You cant really go wrong with either.That said. Every professional and semi professional and advanced amatuer I know uses Canon 🙂
Next time your at a sporting event, get a sense. Its easy to see the sea of white lenses.Personally I think its often a matter of comfort zones and people going with what they know. To the best of my knowledge and theres lots of room for error because unless you’ve shot extensively with each theres no real way to know and its then a matter of heresay, this are a few of the more prominantly, often debated differences.
Mounts:
Canon changed their mounts some years ago, Nikon didnt and some say can’t now without totally screwing millions of owners. Have a look at the Canon and Nikon mounts, decide for yourself if the “smaller” Nikon mount is of any matter. Some say it is with heavier lenses.Noise:
With the exception of the D300, Canon bodies pound for pound do a better job of handling it. Its often a complaint of long time Nikon shooters. I have heard D200 shooters say they are reluctant to shoot above ISO 400. I was fine at ISO 800 with my 30D and with my 1d dont mind ISO 1000 and with a little Noise cleanup can shoot at ISO 1600.Predictive AF.
Some say Canons better.Single AF
Some say Nikon is more reliablePersonally I dont think theres any real way to test and proove either.
Weather sealing.
Nikon is way ahead of Canon n so much as caon really only offers it in their pro bodies, wheras its standard with NikonFlash:
Nikon. Nothing else needs to be saidLenses.
Pixel peepers from both camps will swear up and down until they are blue in face that their side is better. I say, put 100 images in front of them from the same quality fo glass and few will accurately determine (greater than 50%) which maker shot which imagesPrice:
Lenses: Canon seems to have both a larger line up and a cheaper lineup. << This was one of the larger determining factors for me. I looked at Nikons prices for their long lenses vs Canons and made up my mind which system to go with. Bodies: I think Nikon has it right. The difference between their Consumer/Pro sumer/Pro lineups are nicely spaced. Theres a body for everyone. Canon oth doesnt really (imo) have a Pro sumer body.
It goes from the $1200 40D to the $5000.00 Pro bodies, with the exception of the full frame 5d that while priced in between, isn’t really the middle ground but is priced for being a full frame.All of which to say is. I dont think you can go wrong with either. Each seems to have advantages in different area’s.
I have to say that I am more confused than ever.
I need to look at the Canons more and figure out what I really want.
Isn’t shopping for bodies and lenses wonderful 🙂
I know anytime I’ve been on the fense about this or that I’ve about driven myself crazy over analysing it. It’s certainly worth looking at Canon. From there I’d try to determine what “kind” of shooting most interest me and then determining if either system has more strengths in that area.
For a simple example.
If I were a wedding/studio photographer I’d probably go Nikon, where flash is important and fast cameras/af arent and if I we’re a sports/wildlife shooter where shooting at high ISOs and fast focusing /fpsI purchased the Nikon D60 with the 18-55mm and 55-200mm glass. A long lens will be in my future.
Not the easiest purchase that I have ever made.
I test drove the canon XTi and XSi – and compared it to the Nikon N60. I picked the Nikon for multiple reasons. 1 – I have close friends that have the Nikon which makes it easy to ask questions and borrow lenses. 2 – With lenses and all, it was in budget of what I wanted to spend. 3 – and the most important reason to myself -The Nikon feels right in my hands… both canons buttons were all in the wrong place and it was not comfortable for me to hold. Basically – it didnt feel right.
I am excited about this new toy – now I need time to go play.
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