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Nikon owners give me your thoughts

Discussion in 'Photography' started by MTgirl, Dec 20, 2011.

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  1. Dec 20, 2011 at 2:26 PM
    #1
    MTgirl

    #1
    MTgirl [OP] too many frogs, not enough princes... Moderator

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    I decided that it is time to upgrade to a 'real' DSLR and I have settled on the D5100. I say real because I have owned a Sony Alpha for the last few years and while I love it I know that Sony is sort of frowned upon by the pros (which I am anything but) and not a leader in the industry. Regardless of all of that my main reason for wanting a different camera is lenses - finding good quality lenses for the Sony is next to impossible. I hope to have better luck with a Nikon. Which leads me to my question. I am looking at the pre-packaged D5100 body and 18-55 & 55-300 lenses here
    What is the quality of the Nikkor AF lenses? And would I be better off to get the body and lenses separately?
     
    MTgirl, Dec 20, 2011
    #1
  2. Dec 20, 2011 at 2:33 PM
    #2
    09tacorunner

    #2
    09tacorunner Well-Known Member

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    Personally I love Nikons products! You'll save a hell of a lot more money by looking at http://www.keh.com/
    The link you posted for your choice is about 1000 bucks where as you could save about 2 to 3 hundred for the same camera and lens together from my link. I have bought multiple items from them and highly recommend them!
     
    09tacorunner, Dec 20, 2011
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  3. Dec 20, 2011 at 2:35 PM
    #3
    chris4x4

    #3
    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

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    We have a Nikon, and am quite happy with it. My Wife has shot a couple weddings with it, and I have taken some pics that have impressed myself with!
     
    chris4x4, Dec 20, 2011
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  4. Dec 20, 2011 at 2:36 PM
    #4
    OZ-T

    #4
    OZ-T You are going backwards

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    My wife has a Nikon D5000 , she's pretty happy with it .
     
    OZ-T, Dec 20, 2011
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  5. Dec 20, 2011 at 2:54 PM
    #5
    ChamYota

    #5
    ChamYota Crash Bandicoot Or Groot AKA Cham "Scottalot" Yota

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    My dad has one as well. Its a quality camera and takes good photos as far as im concerned.
     
    ChamYota, Dec 20, 2011
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  6. Dec 20, 2011 at 2:56 PM
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    MTgirl

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    MTgirl [OP] too many frogs, not enough princes... Moderator

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    I will check them out! Thanks for the link.

    Well if it can survive you then it must be damn near bullet proof. :cool:
     
    MTgirl, Dec 20, 2011
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  7. Dec 20, 2011 at 3:10 PM
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    chris4x4

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    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

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    She only allows me to use it under supervision :(
     
    chris4x4, Dec 20, 2011
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  8. Dec 20, 2011 at 3:18 PM
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    DrewH

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    DrewH Well-Known Member

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    :laugh:
     
    DrewH, Dec 20, 2011
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  9. Dec 20, 2011 at 3:23 PM
    #9
    lawless

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    lawless the rent is too damn high

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    i have a D90 and i got the kit with the 55-200. i love the kit lens and i will probably pick up the 18-55 on ebay one of these days. i would choose the 18-55 over the 55-300 because of speed. i don't have any first hand experience with the long lens but i have heard it is pretty slow for everyday use so if you don't have any other glass it may be annoying to have to deal with that big-ass slow(ish) lens. you can probably find both kit lenses at a camera shop and see if either suits you. a big thing to consider us weight. the 55-300 is pretty big.

    aside from the 55-200 i bought a 30mm and 50mm prime lenses. you don't really need two but you should definately pick of one of these. the 50 is one of the cheapest lenses out there (not the 1.4) and it's super fast and tons of fun to shoot.
     
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    lawless, Dec 20, 2011
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  10. Dec 20, 2011 at 3:29 PM
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    Banff2007Tacoma

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    Banff2007Tacoma Well-Known Member

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    I left my Nikon D70 and two lenses in a cab when I got back from my trip to Miami. Never got it back so just purchased a new Nikon D7000 so looking forward to using it. You will not be disappointed with the Nikon. I went with the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lense as it was a good all around lens to begin with. Have to start all over but plan on getting a zoom lens in the future.

    Hope you enjoy it and look forward to seeing your pictures in the photography thread.
     
    Banff2007Tacoma, Dec 20, 2011
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  11. Dec 20, 2011 at 3:32 PM
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    steve o 77

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    steve o 77 braaap

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    Only thing about that body is if you decide to get a cheap fast prime (50mm f/1.8) you will not have auto focus due to the fact that that lens does not have an AF motor, and neither do the low end Nikon bodies.

    Now Its been a while since I was researching DSLR's so this may have changed but that is one reason I decided to go canon.
     
    steve o 77, Dec 20, 2011
    #11
  12. Dec 20, 2011 at 3:34 PM
    #12
    Walter541

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    Walter541 the game is the game

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    I have a D300 takes great pictures and lots of nice features. Its all about the lens thou 50mm f/1.4G FTW!
     
    Walter541, Dec 20, 2011
    #12
  13. Dec 20, 2011 at 3:40 PM
    #13
    MTgirl

    #13
    MTgirl [OP] too many frogs, not enough princes... Moderator

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    I'm not surprised :rolleyes:

    :thumbsup:
    I have both a 18-70 and 55-200 for my Sony and the 200 just isn't cutting it for me, hence the step up to the 300 with the Nikon. I do a lot of wildlife photography and for my safety and out of respect for the animals I keep my distance.

    I do have a local camera shop that keeps a good inventory of new and used lenses I just haven't been by lately to see what they have.

    Thanks for the info - sucks that you lost your other camera! I would be furious if mine ever got lost/stolen.


    Your post reminded me of another issue too....going with a different brand I'm going to have to learn a whole new user interface...menu system...ughhh! Any recommendations for books or online tutorials? The owners manuals just seem to skim the surface and aren't really useful.
     
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    MTgirl, Dec 20, 2011
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  14. Dec 20, 2011 at 4:00 PM
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    Banff2007Tacoma

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    Banff2007Tacoma Well-Known Member

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    Banff2007Tacoma, Dec 20, 2011
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  15. Dec 20, 2011 at 4:12 PM
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    Seabass

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    Seabass Give it to me. I'll break it for you

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    Just a bunch of old crap
    I also picked up a D5100 a couple months ago and I love it. It came with the 18-55 lens as a kit, and I got it on Amazon for less than $800. Get yourself familiar with shooting in all conditions in Manual mode and you will be a master. You'll get far better results than in any Auto mode, and you'll learn the ins and outs of your camera pretty quick. It only took me about 2 weeks to master manual settings, and this was my first DSLR.
     
    Seabass, Dec 20, 2011
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  16. Dec 20, 2011 at 4:23 PM
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    wildjerseyfirefighter

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    wildjerseyfirefighter I sell fishing and fishing accessories

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    Ive got a d3000..love it when i find time to use it..i shot some nice pics last year, impressed me for being such a novice.
     
    wildjerseyfirefighter, Dec 20, 2011
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  17. Dec 20, 2011 at 6:02 PM
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    Gitmo

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    Gitmo Well-Known Member

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    It really depends on your budget. You get what you pay for. The only reason why Sony isn't preferred by "pros" is because like you said, they're not one of the leading companies...yet. Their A900 is a nice camera especially if you pair it with some Zeiss glass. What is your budget? I owned a Nikon D80 for 3 years and it was an awesome camera. It had really great white balance control and awesome picture quality (depending on the lens).

    I would look at Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Olympus for lower end consumer cameras. Try to get a feel for each camera in person. That will really help your decision process go a lot smoother. Honestly, there are a ton of great cameras out there, you just have to figure out what you want in a camera.

    Good luck!
     
    Gitmo, Dec 20, 2011
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  18. Dec 20, 2011 at 6:04 PM
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    rcbs204

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    rcbs204 Well-Known Member Vendor

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    rcbs204, Dec 20, 2011
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  19. Dec 20, 2011 at 6:12 PM
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    Andres

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    Andres Well-Known Member Vendor

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    I'm happy with my Nikon D7000

    Back in July/August I took a trip to Ireland. Before the trip I wanted to capture some awesome pictures but my point-and-shoot camera wasn't going to do the job. I bought a Nikon D7000 with the 18-200 telephoto lens in Costco for under 2K. I am not a professional protographer, far from it but I am very impressed with the type of pictures I took on my trip.

    Sony Alpha is not bad either, one guy in Ireland told me that Nikon cameras have Sony components inside :eek:. They're all good cameras, it all comes down to how much you want to spend and buying the right camera for the right job. Also, no camera will make you a pro, you really have to do your homework and learn to use your camera. Go to a camera store and ask lots of questions, those guys are usually passionate about cameras and they can talk cameras all day just as we talk Tacomas = ].

    Good luck with your purchase

    -Andres
     
    Andres, Dec 20, 2011
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  20. Dec 20, 2011 at 9:25 PM
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    youradhere

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    youradhere Well-Known Member

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    I've shot Nikon for several years now professionally-- I made my dive into digital with a D40 late 2006 if I remember right

    The 18-55 that was released back then was above and beyond what most of the other manufacturers were putting out as far as a bundled lens went. This should definitely be your go-to lens.

    There are plenty of offerings by third party companies as well (sigma, tamron, tokina), but with the exception of maybe Tokina, they just don't perform as well as the kit nikon lens, though they may have more flexibility, being constant aperture or wide range. the 55-300 came out well after I switched to a 70-200 for telephoto, but I did own the 55-200 in the early days.

    Pretty strong performer for its category, but if you can afford to hold off on the telephoto to pick up something a bit more hefty later, I believe it would pay off well. Most of the cheaper telephotos won't stop down below 5.6 or 6.3 at full extension, this can really make it hard to get sharp photos at range without optimal lighting or use of a tripod. They also fail to take advantage of having that 3.5 (still kinda large) aperture available at range.

    Just my two cents, feel free to PM if anything!

    Happy shooting... no matter what lenses you have, what really matters is getting out there, getting practice and getting better
     
    youradhere, Dec 20, 2011
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