Hi folks, another newbie here.
Would like to ask for some opinions. I've already tried to read up as much as possible to avoid asking overly noob questions that keep popping up every few days
I have D40 with kit lens and am now looking to kinda upgrade. My typical use for the camera include casual shooting, overseas trips, car photography, exhibitions (usually car) and sometimes still-life/products. Basically just a hobbyist.
I find the kit lens basically quite good for most needs, but I dunno if it's my shaky hand or because of the f/3.5, I have a lot of blurry photos as a good portion of my shots are in fairly low-light (car interior, car in MSCP, exhibition poor lighting, poorly lit places overseas etc..). I have a tripod but in some cases, it's not always available or convenient, and would like to keep it to handheld. Also, I find the kit lens doesn't seem to be tack sharp (is it true or is it my own noobness?)
1) The question is, should I be looking at using a flash or will a lens such as the AF-S 35mm f/1.8 help significantly with low-light situations? (I do prefer natural lighting as far as possible). I am also looking for a lens that's sharper than the kit lens.
I like to travel light and have already found some situations where even the D40 is a little bulky for my tastes (especially during rainy weather; I wish I just had a small PnS stashed in my pocket) but overall I still find it acceptable.
My questions along this line are :-
2) Would an AF-S 35mm f/1.8 + an AF-S 18-200mm VR seem to cover most of my needs? Or are there better recommendations? (kit lens juz keep as spare or sell; trying to minimise weight)
3) For the $$$ for these 2 lenses + selling my D40 kit away, I can get a D90 kit (18-105mm VR) and get a nice, fast, non-AF-S prime lens (like the 50mm f/1.8) for another couple hundred more bucks. Would this be a better choice?
I am leaning towards upgrading to the D90 but some concerns are that for the same $$, I lose 100mm of zoom and my prime lens is 50mm vs 35mm (although I read the 35mm bokeh sux), which may be a bit far for car exhibition and tight spaces, but of course I have a better platform and better body for future upgrades.
So which combo would be better?
i) (D40) + (AF-S 18-200mm VR) + (AF-S 35mm f1.8)
ii) (D90) + (18-105mm VR kit lens) + (AF 50mm f/1.8D)
I know I can basically 'answer my own questions', but it's always nice to hear some opinions, especially when I might be missing out other equipment combos/choices that I didn't even know exist!
Anyone actually choose D40/D40x/D60/D3000,5000 etc.. as their base body vs D70/80/90 etc? Any advantage of these cams besides smaller size and lighter weight?
Sorry for the long post; would love to hear some opinions!
Would like to ask for some opinions. I've already tried to read up as much as possible to avoid asking overly noob questions that keep popping up every few days
I have D40 with kit lens and am now looking to kinda upgrade. My typical use for the camera include casual shooting, overseas trips, car photography, exhibitions (usually car) and sometimes still-life/products. Basically just a hobbyist.
I find the kit lens basically quite good for most needs, but I dunno if it's my shaky hand or because of the f/3.5, I have a lot of blurry photos as a good portion of my shots are in fairly low-light (car interior, car in MSCP, exhibition poor lighting, poorly lit places overseas etc..). I have a tripod but in some cases, it's not always available or convenient, and would like to keep it to handheld. Also, I find the kit lens doesn't seem to be tack sharp (is it true or is it my own noobness?)
1) The question is, should I be looking at using a flash or will a lens such as the AF-S 35mm f/1.8 help significantly with low-light situations? (I do prefer natural lighting as far as possible). I am also looking for a lens that's sharper than the kit lens.
I like to travel light and have already found some situations where even the D40 is a little bulky for my tastes (especially during rainy weather; I wish I just had a small PnS stashed in my pocket) but overall I still find it acceptable.
My questions along this line are :-
2) Would an AF-S 35mm f/1.8 + an AF-S 18-200mm VR seem to cover most of my needs? Or are there better recommendations? (kit lens juz keep as spare or sell; trying to minimise weight)
3) For the $$$ for these 2 lenses + selling my D40 kit away, I can get a D90 kit (18-105mm VR) and get a nice, fast, non-AF-S prime lens (like the 50mm f/1.8) for another couple hundred more bucks. Would this be a better choice?
I am leaning towards upgrading to the D90 but some concerns are that for the same $$, I lose 100mm of zoom and my prime lens is 50mm vs 35mm (although I read the 35mm bokeh sux), which may be a bit far for car exhibition and tight spaces, but of course I have a better platform and better body for future upgrades.
So which combo would be better?
i) (D40) + (AF-S 18-200mm VR) + (AF-S 35mm f1.8)
ii) (D90) + (18-105mm VR kit lens) + (AF 50mm f/1.8D)
I know I can basically 'answer my own questions', but it's always nice to hear some opinions, especially when I might be missing out other equipment combos/choices that I didn't even know exist!
Anyone actually choose D40/D40x/D60/D3000,5000 etc.. as their base body vs D70/80/90 etc? Any advantage of these cams besides smaller size and lighter weight?
Sorry for the long post; would love to hear some opinions!