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[Grimlock]

So, these are our remaining options:

Sony Cybershot W150 $180

Canon Powershot SD790 IS $250

Canon Powershot SD1100 IS $199

Kodak Easyshare Z1012 IS $250


Thoughts?

Depends on what yer going for. They're all relatively idiot-proof, but I'd say the Canon's are more idiot-proof than the others. For batteries & memory cards, I'd go with the Kodak 1st, followed by both Canons, then the Sony (SD cards are easier to find, and cheaper, and the Kodak can run on AA batteries, while the others use specialized (and pricier) battery packs). The Kodak would also be easier to grip for longer, in addition to having more zoom, if that's important. While all the cameras have "scene" modes, the Kodak is the only choice that has a full Manual mode, allowing complete control of aperture, shutter speed, & ISO. It is the bulkiest of the 4 you're eyeballing, if that's a problem.

 

[mosaic]

Thanks for the reply. We actually went with the Kodak Z1012 IS. It was $219 instead of $249 (that sale is still on), and they threw in a free KLIC-8000 rechargable. Ironically, that didn't include the charger, but hey....

The "smart" mode seems idiot-proof enough for my GFs needs, and I'm taking baby steps right now by taking pictures with the P mode -- basically lets me change the ISO setting (and exposure compensation, if I want). I'm trying to get the hang of the S mode, which lets me throw shutter speed in with ISO, but I'm not quite there yet... still a bit too under or overexposed.

But I'm having lots of fun. And the 12x Zoom is proving more useful than I ever imagined. Very handy even when a subject is only 10 feet away.

We almost went for the Canon SD1100 instead. I was FLOORED by how fast it boots up and takes pictures. Seriously, one second bootup and INSTANT picture taking. I'm honestly thinking of buying one in a month or two just to have a pocket camera. I've been reading about the SD770 also, and think I may go that route, because it's supposedly the 10mpix / battery battery life version of the SD1100.

 

[Crab Shaker]

We almost went for the Canon SD1100 instead. I was FLOORED by how fast it boots up and takes pictures. Seriously, one second bootup and INSTANT picture taking. I'm honestly thinking of buying one in a month or two just to have a pocket camera. I've been reading about the SD770 also, and think I may go that route, because it's supposedly the 10mpix / battery battery life version of the SD1100.

Yea I have an SD790 that I bought on sale on black friday and I love it. Always have it on me, fills in for a lot of gaps where I don't want to carry my XTi and probably soon to be 50D

 

[mosaic]

Yea I have an SD790 that I bought on sale on black friday and I love it. Always have it on me, fills in for a lot of gaps where I don't want to carry my XTi and probably soon to be 50D

I like the 790 a lot... but the darn jog dial and funky non-button buttons scared my girlfriend. I bet that's why they put out the 770 (since it's basically a 790 in the 1100 shell).

I fear I may be in the early stages of a digital camera addiction. I mean, let's say I get a Canon pocket model to go with the Kodak Z1012? Sooner or later, I'm dropping $800 on a Rebel with extra lens or something.

 

[Forsete]

Ok I've fallen in love with this lens.. The Sony 135/2,8 STF lens.

The STF is a manual focus lens, though designed for use on the auto-focus Minolta AF/Sony Alpha mount. It's engineered specifically to produce pictures with great bokeh (Bokeh is the name for the rendition of unsharp areas in the picture). When an image displays good bokeh, it is characterised by smooth transitions between sharp and unsharp areas... bad bokeh includes lines being doubled when unsharp, donut or hexagonal highlights. The 135 STF creates smooth, aesthetically pleasing out-of-focus backgrounds that make sharp-focus subjects stand out more vividly.

The STF (Smooth Transition Focus) telephoto lens incorporates an apodization optical element that distributes light rays to create smooth, aesthetically pleasing bokeh. The apodization element reduces light transmission by 1.5 stops, so actual brightness (transmissive) is expressed as T4.5. Manual exposure ring enables precise, continuous adjustment
from T4.5 to 6.7.

http://www.the135stf.net/index.html

I found some great examples on its Flickr group.

http://flickr.com/groups/stf135/pool/

So awesome.

Its all manual which will probably be a pain at first. I was thinking of going with the CZ 135 F1.8 at first but its so expensive.

 

[Dice]

Wow that is fantastic. I only use manual anyway.

 

[SnakeXs]

Yeah that's some creamy, sexy bokeh alright.

 

[BlueTsunami]

If y'all are into the creamy bokeh, checkout the Sigma 50/1.4.

 

[Rentahamster]

Wow, the bokeh on that Sony lens is pretty cherry. I'm thinking of picking up the new Nikon 50mm 1.4 AF-S lens while I'm in Japan since it's rather hard to come across in the US.

 

[SnakeXs]

Wow, the bokeh on that Sony lens is pretty cherry. I'm thinking of picking up the new Nikon 50mm 1.4 AF-S lens while I'm in Japan since it's rather hard to come across in the US.

I think it's pretty easy to get now. B&H had them last time I went.

I'll be nabbing one at some point, but I have a few other, more important purchases first.

Hopefully.

 

[traveler]

Just received the Nikon D40 along with an additional 55 - 200 mm lens and a tripod. First time ever using any time of camera equipment. (And I mean ever- never even touched a point and shoot) It came with a helpful DVD though, and the features seem pretty intuitive, so, with any luck, I should be popping up in the GAF Photography threads sometime soon.

 

[Bog]

I have a Sony A100 body. What's the best zoom lens for it? And not like a 3.5x bullshit zoom. A REAL lens.

 

[woeds]

I have a Sony A100 body. What's the best zoom lens for it? And not like a 3.5x bullshit zoom. A REAL lens.

Some would argue that prime lenses are the REAL lenses. What kind of lens you need totally depends on the type of photos you take.

 

[woeds]

I sold my old trusty Tamron 17-35 f/2.8-4 earlier this week, and bought a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. The 35mm end of my old Tamron was just a tad too short in a lot of situations. The 17-50 range is just right.

And also, the fixed aperture doesn't hurt.

 

[Forsete]

I have a Sony A100 body. What's the best zoom lens for it? And not like a 3.5x bullshit zoom. A REAL lens.

Check out this site: http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/index.asp

They have a database of many if not all lenses compatible with the A-mount, sample images for many of them too.

Zoom lens as in up to telephoto lens? Well I like the Minolta 70-210mm F4, you should be able to find it on Ebay, I dont think they are quite as expensive as they were a year ago.
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11307

For a zoom lens that covers all areas from wide angle to telephoto I'd say the Sony 16-105mm SAL-16105, this is a DT lens though.. so its designed with APS sensors in mind (from A100 to A700).
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21174

 

[giga]

I have a Sony A100 body. What's the best zoom lens for it? And not like a 3.5x bullshit zoom. A REAL lens.

wow :lol

 

[killertofu]

I'm looking to get a SB-600 for my Nikon D40, but I heard that you can't fire the flash wirelessly. Is that true?

 

[Zeth]

my new lens, 50mm 1.4

1.4 is CRAZY on full frame but it's definitely soft until 1.8.

 

[Pizza Luigi]

I have two lenses for my camera, a Sony A300, the 18-70 kitlens and the Sigma 70-300 lens.

Both are very good, but I'm looking for a lens that can start a little bit higher than my normal lens, like, around 30 or something is fine, and reaches a bit further.

Anybody an idea?

Minolta, Sigma, Tamron and Sony fits.

 

[Forsete]

I have two lenses for my camera, a Sony A300, the 18-70 kitlens and the Sigma 70-300 lens.

Both are very good, but I'm looking for a lens that can start a little bit higher than my normal lens, like, around 30 or something is fine, and reaches a bit further.

Anybody an idea?

Minolta, Sigma, Tamron and Sony fits.

Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 24-70 F2.8 ZA SSM is fucking godlike, but the price is thereafter around 1800USD. *cries bitter mantears*

In the realistic budget department you have quite a few to choose from. Once again I recommend Dyxum.com splendid database over lenses for the A-mount system.

Sigma has one, the Sigma - 28-70 F2.8 EX DG. It has positive reviews on the site.
Samples: http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15447

 

[SnakeXs]

I'm looking to get a SB-600 for my Nikon D40, but I heard that you can't fire the flash wirelessly. Is that true?

The SB-600 can. The D40 can't act as a Commander, though.

 

[Rentahamster]

The SB-600 can. The D40 can't act as a Commander, though.

You need an SB-800, SB-900, or an SU-800 to act as a commander to fire the SB-600.

I hardly use the Nikon wireless system with my D40. I bought an SB-800 and use its built in SU-4 optical slave mode. It will fire whenever it sees another flash go off. Very simple, but you gotta do it all in manual mode.

Go to www.strobist.com for more info.

 

[Stormwatch]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good tripod/head for my Nikon D80? I would want something that is fairly durable, but light enough to carry around if I needed to. My budget is around $250.

 

[The Storyteller]

Great timing for a bump of this thread. My camera just broke, so I really need to buy a new one because I'll be going to Beijing soon.

I had a look today. I know very little about cameras so your help is needed!
Whats the general consensus on the Sony DSLR cameras? I don't want to spend anymore than 4000yuan (i'm in China right now), the DSLR A200 costs 3600yuan ($530US) and the DSLR A300 costs 4000yuan ($585US). So is it worth it?

I also had a look at the Canon Powershoot SX10IS for 3465yuan ($500US).
I was also looking for the Nikon D40 but they only had D60 and D90 which were way out of my price range.

Which ones do you recommend, guys?

 

[eso76]

I also had a look at the Canon Powershoot SX10IS for 3465yuan ($500US).

I'm hearing excellent things about the Canon G10, should be around the same price

 

[mrkgoo]

I'm hearing excellent things about the Canon G10, should be around the same price

The g9 has a few more features, I think. I understand they removed a time lapse feature and lowered the resolution for video.

 

[Phoenix]

I'm hearing excellent things about the Canon G10, should be around the same price

I had been tracking it on dpreview.com and they hadn't been entirely kind to it.

 

[Rentahamster]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good tripod/head for my Nikon D80? I would want something that is fairly durable, but light enough to carry around if I needed to. My budget is around $250.

Eh, as long as you aren't doing super long exposures in strong wind or anything, you can get by with a $20 tripod for most hobbyist photography.

For most purposes, I usually take my cheap tripod since it's lighter and not a pain in the ass to carry around.

 

[Stormwatch]

My only concern with getting a $20 tripod is that I don't feel too safe putting a $800 camera with a $900 lens on a $20 piece of plastic. I was playing around with my parents cheap camcorder tripod and I found that the adjustments had a lot of "sag" to them. I would lock in a certain angle and then a couple seconds later the camera would start tilting without me even touching it.

 

[Rentahamster]

Well, try it out at the store before you buy it. Make sure it can support whatever you are putting on it.

If you can afford it and don't mind the weight, then by all means, buy the expensive tripod.

 

[Forsete]

Whats the general consensus on the Sony DSLR cameras? I don't want to spend anymore than 4000yuan (i'm in China right now), the DSLR A200 costs 3600yuan ($530US) and the DSLR A300 costs 4000yuan ($585US). So is it worth it?

With the A300 you get LiveView which means you can use the LCD screen for taking pictures. But the viewfinder becomes smaller (as the A300 has an extra CCD sensor by the viewfinder). Other than LiveView the cameras seem to be very similar.

Sony has been pumping a lot of money into the Alpha systems and has quickly become the 3rd biggest dSLR manufacturer. You can find a lot of used Minolta lenses for the system (there are about 12 million Minolta lenses out there I think ), these are often of excellent quality, so you wont have to buy new Sony lenses. Lenses from Sigma, Tamron etc. are also supported.

If you wish in the future you can grow with the system. Alpha just got the first 24MP full frame dSLR.

 

[JzeroT1437]

I'm looking for a new point-and-shoot digicam; I already have a dSLR in my Rebel XT and am still working on getting my lens sets. Right now I'm looking to replace my Canon S3--it's been a great camera but it has a scratch on the lens and the SD flapdoor has been held on by duct tape for a while.

I was looking at the Canon SX10 IS which seems to be the appropriate evolutionary transition--basically, it's the same camera only improved by 3 or so years of R&D. Anybody have opinions on this cam?

 

[JzeroT1437]

Also, if anyone has advice on artistic lens filters to purchase, I'm in the market. I'm already purchasing both a UV and Polarizing filter, and will soon be picking up a Cokin Tobacco Graduated Filter as well.

 

[mrklaw]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good tripod/head for my Nikon D80? I would want something that is fairly durable, but light enough to carry around if I needed to. My budget is around $250.

Manfrltto 190proxb. Might be bogen branded in the US.

Sturdy, easy to adjust, centre column can go flat for very low shots. I have one and it's excellent and is very often recommended

 

[Wario64]

I just ordered this like 20 minutes ago:
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005LEN4/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Couldn't pass it for that price. Only problem is that I'm using a 40D so I'll have to manually focus. I dont think it'll bother me that much.

 

[mrkgoo]

I just ordered this like 20 minutes ago:
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005LEN4/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Couldn't pass it for that price. Only problem is that I'm using a 40D so I'll have to manually focus. I dont think it'll bother me that much.

Wow, I didn't know the Nikon 50mmf1.8 was normally so expensive (note: the Canon one is cheap in build, and does feel like a toy). Just a note - you'd be surprised how difficult it is to actually manual focus a narrow DOF lens in a small viewfinder. But DO keep at it - because you will learn it eventually. Every time I get new gear for my camera, I am slightly annoyed that it doesn't work as I imagined, but after practise, you DO figure it out, even if it takes months, or even years.

 

[luoapp]

Great timing for a bump of this thread. My camera just broke, so I really need to buy a new one because I'll be going to Beijing soon.

I had a look today. I know very little about cameras so your help is needed!
Whats the general consensus on the Sony DSLR cameras? I don't want to spend anymore than 4000yuan (i'm in China right now), the DSLR A200 costs 3600yuan ($530US) and the DSLR A300 costs 4000yuan ($585US). So is it worth it?

I also had a look at the Canon Powershoot SX10IS for 3465yuan ($500US).
I was also looking for the Nikon D40 but they only had D60 and D90 which were way out of my price range.

Which ones do you recommend, guys?

Don't know which kit you're getting (a200/a300). The price sounds little bit high. Check it out here:

http://www.360buy.com/products/652-654-832-4152-0-0-0-0-0-0-1-1-1.html

 

[Rentahamster]

I just ordered this like 20 minutes ago:
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005LEN4/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Couldn't pass it for that price. Only problem is that I'm using a 40D so I'll have to manually focus. I dont think it'll bother me that much.

While that lens is usually on my D700, I use it time to time on the D40 too. Manual focus is kind of a bitch, but at least it will improve your skills.

 

[mrkgoo]

While that lens is usually on my D700, I use it time to time on the D40 too. Manual focus is kind of a bitch, but at least it will improve your skills.

OMG OMG. When did you get a D700? See, I haven't been paying attention recently.

 

[Rentahamster]

OMG OMG. When did you get a D700? See, I haven't been paying attention recently.

Few months after it came out. Bought it for about $2700 on Amazon (a week and a half-ish before a big price drop too. Damn Amazon didn't price match it for me either, bastards)

Best camera I've ever used so far. It rocks my socks.

 

[Spudbo]

so I've decided on a D90...I'm a first time user of a DSLR

I wondered where the best to get it is at. Amazon, B & H, retail store, etc? I'd love to get it tomorrow at a local store but I know I'd pay a higher price. Also, I read some about the "gray market." That was a bit concerning for me. I want to make sure I'm getting a product that is covered under a warranty. Speaking of which, how long is the warranty on the body?

One more question...I was thinking of the 18-200mm lens from Nikon. Any thoughts on this, recommendations? I thought about the two kit lens package from Costco but I don't want to be changing them. I've read a lot of good things about the 18-200mm.

Thanks guys,

 

[SnakeXs]

so I've decided on a D90...I'm a first time user of a DSLR

I wondered where the best to get it is at. Amazon, B & H, retail store, etc? I'd love to get it tomorrow at a local store but I know I'd pay a higher price. Also, I read some about the "gray market." That was a bit concerning for me. I want to make sure I'm getting a product that is covered under a warranty. Speaking of which, how long is the warranty on the body?

One more question...I was thinking of the 18-200mm lens from Nikon. Any thoughts on this, recommendations? I thought about the two kit lens package from Costco but I don't want to be changing them. I've read a lot of good things about the 18-200mm.

Thanks guys,

Congrats on your expected foray.

Anywhere's fine. Anywhere big and reputable. Amazon's rarely given anyone issues, and B&H is sorta one of the biggest photography stores in the world. Grey market means it's from elsewhere, so you save a few bucks, but yeah you do forfeit your warranty. Go with regular USA market one.

I think the D90 has a 1 year warranty.

Lens choice depends on your ultimate goal. If you just want a do-it-all lens that performs alright, it's fine. I tried to talk 2 different friends out of getting it, but they didn't listen to me. Both of them sold it within 6 months and moved on to better things (primes for one, and high end zooms for the other). It's a fine lens, and having a range that huge is nothing to take for granted, but I personally think the image quality concessions aren't worth it.

But again, it depends on your budget, what you'll be shooting, how "seriously", and a bunch of other things.

 

[fart]

hey dudes. long time no fart lolz

ok no seriously dudes,

i'm beyond tired with my d80. i was never happy with the high iso, and i'm really pissed i missed the big depreciation boat now as well. the ridiculous thing is that i had it pegged down to the day 6 months in advance (if i could trade in equipment price futures...). anyways, i've decided that i'm just going to take the loss on the d80 (should go for 400 or so) and move on up and out. currently, other than the d80 body i have and sb800 and a 35-70 2.8. i don't use either one that much (haven't strobisted as much as i wanted to and can't get over the zoom's size) and i won't have to take a monetary hit on either, so i'm up for putting either/both up for sale.

i've discovered that i like to shoot normal to wide and dislike zooms. i cannot stand 75mm (50mm on APS-C). i haven't been able to play around with ultra wide (< 24mm) yet, but i'm leaning in that direction for future.

in decreasing order of practicality, current candidates for new are (+possibilities for future):

nikon d90 + 35/2 or voigtlander 40/2 (+tokina 11-16 2.8 or nikon 12-24)
canon 5d + 50 1.4 (+24 or 35 1.4)
nikon d700 + 50 1.4 (+35 2, 24 2.8 ais, etc)

other than the obvious lens compromises for crop sensor, the d90 clearly seems to be the best value right now at about 1k$ for the package (< 1/2 the others). my worry on continuing down the crop sensor path (eg buying a crop ultra wide) are that the slr market seems to be somewhat inevitably moving toward full frame sensors. it seems somewhat inevitable that the big sensor EVILs next year will start seriously cannibalizing the low-end slr space so i think the obvious strategy if you're a camera company is to trickle down the big sensors to prosumer bodies as fast as possible to get current SLR users to upgrade and stay in their current system (which is what yields the more meaty lens sales). hence, all crop sensor purchases now are necessarily going halfsies on future, since you'll be doubly motivated to upgrade as new bodies are released (and each body purchase carries a significant depreciation hit).

the result of this is that i'm stumped. due to some generous benefactors, i could stretch and get the high end kit if i really felt it to be optimal, or i could also man up and stick with my current body (which has not been completely devoid of keepers) and pursue the crop lens collection above.

also about tripods to someone above not about me: for a little more than 250, if you can stretch you budget, the 60" feisol carbon fiber legsets can be found on ebay for ~250 after MS cashback. these are well reputed for being good travel tripods, but i have no first hand experience since i've still managed to resist buying a tripod. there are also these manfrotto knockoff amvona tripods on ebay for like 50$. heavy but reliable.

 

[BlueTsunami]

I say, stick with what you got and wait to see if Canon/Nikon do introduce Full Frame to the lower end bodies. Its what I'm waiting for. If your set on spending money, I say get a Normal Prime to fug with for the time being.

 

[mrkgoo]

hey dudes. long time no fart lolz

ok no seriously dudes,

i'm beyond tired with my d80. i was never happy with the high iso, and i'm really pissed i missed the big depreciation boat now as well. the ridiculous thing is that i had it pegged down to the day 6 months in advance (if i could trade in equipment price futures...). anyways, i've decided that i'm just going to take the loss on the d80 (should go for 400 or so) and move on up and out. currently, other than the d80 body i have and sb800 and a 35-70 2.8. i don't use either one that much (haven't strobisted as much as i wanted to and can't get over the zoom's size) and i won't have to take a monetary hit on either, so i'm up for putting either/both up for sale.

i've discovered that i like to shoot normal to wide and dislike zooms. i cannot stand 75mm (50mm on APS-C). i haven't been able to play around with ultra wide (< 24mm) yet, but i'm leaning in that direction for future.

in decreasing order of practicality, current candidates for new are (+possibilities for future):

nikon d90 + 35/2 or voigtlander 40/2 (+tokina 11-16 2.8 or nikon 12-24)
canon 5d + 50 1.4 (+24 or 35 1.4)
nikon d700 + 50 1.4 (+35 2, 24 2.8 ais, etc)

other than the obvious lens compromises for crop sensor, the d90 clearly seems to be the best value right now at about 1k$ for the package (< 1/2 the others). my worry on continuing down the crop sensor path (eg buying a crop ultra wide) are that the slr market seems to be somewhat inevitably moving toward full frame sensors. it seems somewhat inevitable that the big sensor EVILs next year will start seriously cannibalizing the low-end slr space so i think the obvious strategy if you're a camera company is to trickle down the big sensors to prosumer bodies as fast as possible to get current SLR users to upgrade and stay in their current system (which is what yields the more meaty lens sales). hence, all crop sensor purchases now are necessarily going halfsies on future, since you'll be doubly motivated to upgrade as new bodies are released (and each body purchase carries a significant depreciation hit).

the result of this is that i'm stumped. due to some generous benefactors, i could stretch and get the high end kit if i really felt it to be optimal, or i could also man up and stick with my current body (which has not been completely devoid of keepers) and pursue the crop lens collection above.

also about tripods to someone above not about me: for a little more than 250, if you can stretch you budget, the 60" feisol carbon fiber legsets can be found on ebay for ~250 after MS cashback. these are well reputed for being good travel tripods, but i have no first hand experience since i've still managed to resist buying a tripod. there are also these manfrotto knockoff amvona tripods on ebay for like 50$. heavy but reliable.

While I agree with full frame being the inevitable future, I still think crop has a strong following. A high resolution crop is like an even higher resolution fullframe, but dedicated towards the tele end. For example, a 12 MP APS-C sized camera is the equivalent of a like 19-20MP full frame camera. A lot of people like to stick with crop if they are birder's, for example, where the crop gives them that artificial bit of extra reach, as well as typically higher frames per second. I say you should, in my opinion (and it's something I will be heading towards, but with Canon) man up and stick with what you have, and save those pennies towards full frame. Avoid APS-C only lenses for now, and see how the market matures. Remember, the prosumer full frames (for non-Canons) are only just entering their first iteration.

P.S we miss you in the photo thread. Not so much in the assignment threads, because then our photos look a bit better without your ones next to them

 

[fart]

voices of reason duly noted. i should mention that i've been through a d40 kit (long story) and a 50/1.8 already.

hmm.. imo the worst part of shooting crop is the paucity of good normal equivalents:

nikon
35/2 AFD (corners suffer at f2, but cheap, close focus)
28/{2, 2.8} AIS (MF on small VF, f2 copies are pricey)
35/1.4 AIS (expensive, lots of coma)
voigtlander/cosina
40/2 (cool pancake but a bit long, pricey)
sigma
30/1.4 (well known for focus errors out of the box, corners very soft)
zeiss
35/2 (large, expensive)
canon
35/2 (slightly worse than nikon equiv, but even cheaper)
35/1.4 ($$$, big)

and wides (FF):

nikon
12-24/4
(14-24/2.8)
(14/2.8) (rare!)
(17-35/2.8)
tokina
12-24/4
11-16/2.8
sigma
10-20/4-5.6
(14/2.8) (rare!)
zeiss
(something ridiculously expensive)
canon
10-22/4-5.6
(14/2.8)
(16-35/2.8) (I, II)
(17-40/4)

am i missing anything? i skipped the tamrons because they're apparently terrible.

 

[Rentahamster]

hey dudes. long time no fart lolz

I say, stick with what you got

man up and stick with what you have, and save those pennies towards full frame. Avoid APS-C only lenses for now

Yeah, is the high ISO really that much of a deal breaker for you? If that and "i cannot stand 75mm (50mm on APS-C)" are weighing you down, then you gotta go with the D700 (Freaking awesome high ISO performance) or the 5D.

The thing is, I think you could probably just stick with the D80 for now. I don't think an upgrade to a D90 would be worth it. Either go all out or not at all.


High ISO a problem? Dial it down and use a wider aperture. Use a slower shutter speed. Work on your technique at holding a camera so that you can get decent shots at 1/60, 1/50, and 1/40 sec. and so on.

Not enough light? Find some. Place your subjects near windows or other sources of light. Still no good? Bring your own light. That SB-800 you have should be great for most of your needs. Use it with the combination of your on camera commander to make for some interesting two light setups. (Personally I don't bother with Nikon or Canon's IR wireless lighting system anymore. I just go all manual with radio triggers or optical triggers. The SB-800 is awesome since it has a built in highly sensitive optical trigger. Just set it for SU-4 mode.)

Bounce your flash off the ceiling, wall, anything. Get a lightstand and umbrella. Have someone hold your flash or a reflector (don't even have to buy one. It can be anything - posterboard, paper, whatever. While on vacation, I used a large hotel bath towel in a pinch).


Regarding your dislike of 50mm on APS-C: It's not that bad, is it? Take a few steps back. I have the Sigma 30mm 1.4 that you mentioned and I use it all the time on my D40. It gives me great shots. Granted, I used to hate it since it was always front focusing. I had to send it and my D40 to Simga for recalibration. Once it was fixed, though, beautiful.

Stick with the D80 unless you got money to burn. It's a great camera.

 

[fart]

Yeah, is the high ISO really that much of a deal breaker for you?

yes and no. the FL problem is actually the bigger one for me. when the light leaves i can put the camera away and life generally goes on. the FL problem has been affecting how i see the world. 75mm isn't long enough to separate the details from the distractions but also not wide enough to match my natural FOV. It was fun and interesting to work around for the first year and a half (obviously i've done a lot of stepping back into plants, walls, etc.), but now it's just tiring and no longer fun. (before: "wooo!" now: "jesus christ i'm not that poor")

i'd like to have clean/usable iso up to 800-1600 (to match the d40 i shouldn't have given to a family member, but ok), but i'm not delusional enough to think anything beyond that is required for my shitty photos. part of this is sample specific since i have a very early d80 which has the worst of the amp noise issues.

Not enough light? Find some. Place your subjects near windows or other sources of light. Still no good? Bring your own light. That SB-800 you have should be great for most of your needs. Use it with the combination of your on camera commander to make for some interesting two light setups. (Personally I don't bother with Nikon or Canon's IR wireless lighting system anymore. I just go all manual with radio triggers or optical triggers. The SB-800 is awesome since it has a built in highly sensitive optical trigger. Just set it for SU-4 mode.)

i played around with the sb800 quite a bit (to the annoyance of everyone around me) when i first got it. i've been drifting towards PJ-style natural light and landscapes recently so it's been sitting since then. i happen to have gotten it for ridiculously little, so it's not that big a deal. someday i figure i'll put together enough courage to work with subjects that take direction, i guess.

I have the Sigma 30mm 1.4 that you mentioned and I use it all the time on my D40. It gives me great shots. Granted, I used to hate it since it was always front focusing. I had to send it and my D40 to Simga for recalibration. Once it was fixed, though, beautiful.

i went as far as buying one and when properly focused i liked it at big apertures, but at the time i refused to send it in for service on principle, so it went back. i haven't tried again because i don't think the extra stop is worth it for me if i have to exchange it for the corners at all apertures.

ps, for those who don't know, used 5ds are down to 1000-1300$ range used.

 

[nitewulf]

i shoot pretty much exclusively w/ the 35mm f/1.4L (mated to a 40D), and its the best lens in the world as far as i'm concerned. that + a 40D could be one alternative for you.

i'd go with the 5D + 35mm f/1.4L, it's an expensive lens paired w/ an older camera, but the picture quality you'll get w/ that combo will be untouchable, for the amount of money spent. but you'll be losing the normal perspective...

Edit: you're missing the 14mm L prime for canon, it IS a 2 grand lens, but apparently fabulous.

 

[Rentahamster]

i've been drifting towards PJ-style natural light and landscapes recently

Well, if you are really into landscapes, and if you can score a 5D for $1300 ish, then by all means - 5D takes great landscapes.

Otherwise, you can still take great landscapes with the D80. A good tripod, multiple exposure blending and panorama stitching can all be used with great effect to compensate for a lack of a better camera.

Other than that, what are your photographic objectives, anyway? When you say "PJ-style natural light" what are you shooting? Events, parties, street, individual portraits?