Good day all! New bird reporting

[lon3fly3r]

Glad that i had found this forum and hope to get more advice from the many friendly people here!
I'm looking to invest in a DSLR by the end of this year, and currently i'm looking at the nikon models only because my gf's uncle has a d300 (who might lend me his glasses ).
I've not been able to talk to him on this topic as he is always going overseas for work and i am currently working part-time with not so human shifts.

Needs
I'm looking into taking shots of the city, be it in sg or the places i travel in.
Love to take night-views too, but is it a must to have a tri-pod? candid night shots, is it stable enough w/o a tripod.
And i would also like to make a collection of my future kids growing up right from day 1 in the comfort of my home.
Might like to do a little dynamic shots of birds and planes in the future and macros, but not now.

Budget
Currently a final year student waiting for sch reopen. Doing a part-time job and gonna have a little sponsorship by my gf when im getting it by the end of the year. Thus my budget has not been really done yet.

For both bodies and lens, i hope it fits my needs. and it dont have to be the very high end type but enough to fill my needs and the future expansion if any.

If there's any other brands or model that fulfill my needs, please enlighten me. Only read about N brand due to the uncle's lens. But any other brands are mostly welcome!

Regards,
Klvin

 

[motionstills]

welcome lon3fly3r, nice comprehensive intro there

 

[bloodsucker]

my 2 cents:
if this is your 1st dslr then i would suggest that you get basic model with kit lens and try avoid to 'collecting lens'. this way you won't waste $ and tied to a particular brand.

after using it for a while then you might have a better idea what you really need, by then you should have save enough to get best lens that you can afford

lastly, prob buy only what you need now unless your future expansion plan is less than 1 year.

Good luck

 

[limwhow]

Hello lon3fly3r, a warm welcome to you.
Nikon is a great brand, especially if your girl friend's uncle may be able to lend you some lenses.

 

[lon3fly3r]

Thanks guys. Been reading around whenever i have the time. The guides are really helpful.
When the time comes, hopefully i would make a correct decision

 

[Octarine]

Your basic needs can be fulfilled by entry level cameras of other brands as well. Canon, Sony, Pentax and Olympus also have their entry level models and lens line-up. For a beginner, the differences are not really obvious or important. Nikon lenses can be mounted on Canon DSLR with adapter, using them in full manual mode (set aperture and focus manually). It is good to have a potential supporter with lenses - but finally it's your camera. Be comfortable with it in the first place.
If your gf's uncle uses a lot of old Nikon lenses you might not be able to use them all on your entry level Nikon (or with some limitations). Read more here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm (but take the rest of the website with a pinch of salt.)

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Hi Ion3fly3r.. welcome to clubsnap!
It's certainly good to have someone familiar who owns the same brand of equipment, though it's not a must-have.
If your gf's uncle has some expensive glass, I'd be hesitant to borrow. All it takes is something minor to occur (scratch or bump on lens body) and relationships can be soured.
So I'd say that the only plus point about buying a Nikon is that you can ask him questions and talk about the cameras better, that's about it.

I would say that a 2nd hand entry level model would be ideal, just from a cost-performance perspective. This is provided you don't buy a lemon, of course.
Buying second hand (at the right price) means if you give it up or upgrade, you don't lose much $.

Basically an entry level DSLR and kit lens is sufficient, then go from there.
For night landscapes or even shots with people in them, a tripod is more or less a necessity. Once you require a shutter speed lower than 1/15 or 1/8s in order to achieve enough exposure (brightness), you're going into 'dangerous' territory with regards to hand-shake.

 

[daredevil123]

Yes you need a good stable tripod. And those free ones are not stable.

Set aside around 200 for a moderately good tripod setup. Look at Sirui travel tripods T-1004x or T-1005x. With ball head should cost around 180-200.

If you are looking to go into birds, be prepared to spend big money on lenses, tripods and gimbals.

 

[lon3fly3r]

Your basic needs can be fulfilled by entry level cameras of other brands as well. Canon, Sony, Pentax and Olympus also have their entry level models and lens line-up. For a beginner, the differences are not really obvious or important. Nikon lenses can be mounted on Canon DSLR with adapter, using them in full manual mode (set aperture and focus manually). It is good to have a potential supporter with lenses - but finally it's your camera. Be comfortable with it in the first place.
If your gf's uncle uses a lot of old Nikon lenses you might not be able to use them all on your entry level Nikon (or with some limitations). Read more here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm (but take the rest of the website with a pinch of salt.)

Hi Ion3fly3r.. welcome to clubsnap!
It's certainly good to have someone familiar who owns the same brand of equipment, though it's not a must-have.
If your gf's uncle has some expensive glass, I'd be hesitant to borrow. All it takes is something minor to occur (scratch or bump on lens body) and relationships can be soured.
So I'd say that the only plus point about buying a Nikon is that you can ask him questions and talk about the cameras better, that's about it.

I would say that a 2nd hand entry level model would be ideal, just from a cost-performance perspective. This is provided you don't buy a lemon, of course.
Buying second hand (at the right price) means if you give it up or upgrade, you don't lose much $.

Basically an entry level DSLR and kit lens is sufficient, then go from there.
For night landscapes or even shots with people in them, a tripod is more or less a necessity. Once you require a shutter speed lower than 1/15 or 1/8s in order to achieve enough exposure (brightness), you're going into 'dangerous' territory with regards to hand-shake.

Yes you need a good stable tripod. And those free ones are not stable.

Set aside around 200 for a moderately good tripod setup. Look at Sirui travel tripods T-1004x or T-1005x. With ball head should cost around 180-200.

If you are looking to go into birds, be prepared to spend big money on lenses, tripods and gimbals.

Noted with thanks! Tripods added into shopping list.
I think his lens are fairly new.
For the birdies, i think i would venture into it in the future =)
More reading for now

 

[cleonbus]

Welcome to CS

 

[kriegsketten]

Hello new birdie! Care for some bird seeds?

Yeah, take your time to look for one good tripod for your needs. I'm sure there are more affordable ones out there if you're not brand conscious, but if you can - go all out for it. But make sure they can take your cam's weight well - or else you've just added wings to your DSLR...

Enjoy and welcome!

 

[Anthony Lee]

Hi, welcome to CS.

My recommendation is simple. If you are a total beginner, start with any entry level DSLR with kit lens and this will be more than sufficient to do what you want. Read and practice the important aspects of photography, concentrating on lighting & metering, relationship of aperture, shutter and ISO, and shoot very often. I guarantee you, the time will come when you will decide for yourself how you will want to proceed further into this hobby. You will be your best judge.

 

[allenleonhart]

welcome!

 

[NikF601]

Hi

D5000 should be a good starter for you.

 

[FADZZ]

Welcome to CS

 

[daredevil123]

Welcome to CS.

I encourage you to read more online, and join some newbie outings under the Outings subforum.

Good start here:

Camera basics
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544

Composition
http://www.amateursnapper.com/photography/10-top-photography-composition-rules
http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-composition-tips

More topics covered here:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm