Pls Help ..... Nikonian ......!

[andy9110]

hi all Nikonian

i've been thinking of going into DSLR but still quite new to it. still have some question in mind that i cant get through. Can all the experienced kind soul here pls help before i go and buy a DSLR camera (thinking of getting D70). Thanks :think:

- when buying SLR, the price always come with lens kit or without lens kit. what is the meaning of lens kit???? is it the lens itself ???

- the other question is there is a lot of reading and number on a lens. what does the number really means??? e.g Nikon AF-S 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5G DX and Tamron 28-75/2.8 SP Nikon Mount and Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX Aspherical DF (Nikon mount) ??? :bigeyes:

- LAstly i saw some magazine that say lens with F mount, Type G or D ??? WHat does it really means too ??? :embrass:

hmm did i miss out a lot of things..... but this is the thing i can think of. Pls advise .....


thnks

 

[czeyang]

1) The kit lens refers to a lens that the manufacturer bundles with the lower end cameras. For the D70 it is the 18-70mm. For the canon 300D it is the 18-55mm.

2) Numbers before the / refer to the focal length. Numbers after the / refer to the largest aperture of the lens.
http://www.tamron.com/lenses/fundamentals.asp

3) http://www.maxwell.com.au/photo/nikon/nikkor/nomenclature/

 

[nightwolf75]

ermmm... are u new to photography, as in this is ur first cam?

may i suggest that, instead of jumping straight into DSLR, perhaps u might want to start off with a full-featured point-&-shoot cam (eg nikon coolpix series) with manual controls to learn abt aperture and shutter speeds, or a prosumer cam (eg nikon 8700). these cams allow u to learn more abt setting up ur camera for a pic without spending a huge wad of $$$. remember, getting a DSLR is not as easy. u'll end up buying a hellvau lot of stuff b4 u're done - bag, CF cards, filters, lens, flash etc...etc...etc... its not as easy just spending the initial $2k and dats it. by the time u're done, u might just spent close to $4k... :faint:

 

[espn]

Actually, a DSLR is just like a film camera only digital, it's the price that people's wary of. Heehee.

The D70 can set off a learning curve as well but the costs are high and many a-hidden. Thanks to nightwolf75 (who recently just thought of converting to Nikon :bsmilie: ) for highlighting the costs issue.

However, with careful planning & endurance, the money you wanna spend can be minimised and suit yourself best... heehee.

 

[nightwolf75]

The D70 can set off a learning curve as well but the costs are high and many a-hidden. Thanks to nightwolf75 (who recently just thought of converting to Nikon :bsmilie: ) for highlighting the costs issue.

espn... :kok: :flame:....

mebbe not nikon DLSR but nikon SLR.... :think:

 

[KNIGHT ONG]

espn... :kok: :flame:....

mebbe not nikon DLSR but nikon SLR.... :think:

Time to change your avatar to Darth Vader ... :bsmilie:

 

[cphile]

Hi,

The lens mount type is the protocol of how the lens connects (mechanically, electronically) to the camera body. For eg. Canon uses the EF- mount, Olympus uses the 4/3 mount, Nikon uses the F- mount.

Basically the brand of camera restricts ur choice of lens to that particular mount. Except in the case of lens mount adaptors. Hehe...

In the case of D or G type, basically there are DIFFERENT categories of lenses within the SAME lens mount/ brand. The D and G lenses are both under AutoFocus (AF) lenses with Distance chips and without the aperture ring(Type- G) or with aperture ring(Type- D).

There are many more categories eg. Ai-S, Ai-P, AF-S etc under the Nikon F-mount standard as per other manufacturers do as well. A good reference was once posted here in ClubSnap.

Try this for starters.
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=50394

As mentioned above, DSLR has a lot more hidden cost involved. But buying eqpt and regretting is a route that is advised against. Try to map out a budget and be prepared to exceed it in the near future as the deadly "Buy Buy Buy!!" virus strikes u to the greatest annoyance of your spouse and family.

*whew* tt was a long text.... next fighter pilot please!!!

 

[espn]

- the other question is there is a lot of reading and number on a lens. what does the number really means??? e.g Nikon AF-S 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5G DX and Tamron 28-75/2.8 SP Nikon Mount and Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX Aspherical DF (Nikon mount) ??? :bigeyes:

- LAstly i saw some magazine that say lens with F mount, Type G or D ??? WHat does it really means too ??? :embrass:

hmm did i miss out a lot of things..... but this is the thing i can think of. Pls advise .....


thnks

All about Nikon Lenses

Typically,

AF - Autofocus
S = SWM - Silent Wave Motor
VR - Vibration reduction
DX - Lenses created specifically for Digital SLRs (unsable on film at wide)
G - Lenses without aperture ring (unable to use on MF cameras)
D - Distance chip, relays distance information for calculating flash exposures etc
IF - Internal focusing, the front element doesn't move when focusing.
ED - Extra-low Dispersion, a special glass created by Nikon

AF-S 18-70DX f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED means:

This len is a AF with SWM, DX format, without aperture ring (G), has internal focusing and ED elements. 18-70 is the range 18mm to 70mm. f/3.5-/4.5 means the aperture will be at f/3.5 max when it's at 18mm, and by 70mm, it will be f/4.5 max.

Hope it helps.

 

[andy9110]

ermmm... are u new to photography, as in this is ur first cam?

may i suggest that, instead of jumping straight into DSLR, perhaps u might want to start off with a full-featured point-&-shoot cam (eg nikon coolpix series) with manual controls to learn abt aperture and shutter speeds, or a prosumer cam (eg nikon 8700). these cams allow u to learn more abt setting up ur camera for a pic without spending a huge wad of $$$. remember, getting a DSLR is not as easy. u'll end up buying a hellvau lot of stuff b4 u're done - bag, CF cards, filters, lens, flash etc...etc...etc... its not as easy just spending the initial $2k and dats it. by the time u're done, u might just spent close to $4k... :faint:

thanks for the advice. Currently i am using Panasonic Fz-10. as this cam come with an adapter so it allowed me to put on lens and filter. also i had been shooting using the manual mode so setting of aperture and shutter spped is not much of prob. therefore this few day i am thinking of selling my FZ10 an d upgrade to a DSLR, once and for all. heehee spend too much money on upgrading of cam. :cry:

 

[nightwolf75]

thanks for the advice. Currently i am using Panasonic Fz-10. as this cam come with an adapter so it allowed me to put on lens and filter. also i had been shooting using the manual mode so setting of aperture and shutter spped is not much of prob. therefore this few day i am thinking of selling my FZ10 an d upgrade to a DSLR, once and for all. heehee spend too much money on upgrading of cam. :cry:

ah! apologies. i thot u're new becos of the questions on the lens. pia seh.... :embrass:

haha... no wonder u want to upgrade! my colleagues who bought the FZ10 almost to a man wished to upgrade after playing with the FZ10. they were seduced by the fact that the FZ10 is almost like a DSLR, except u can't change the lens. all were blown away by the fact that they can do so much with FZ10 that they wish to explore more!

guess u wld have seen by now. so, do count ur pennies on the hidden costs? u can save a fair bit by going for a 2nd-hand D70 kit in buy/sell. other option would be the fuji s2Pro, which also uses nikon mount. like dat, u can stretch your dollar in assembling ur gear. find out wat u wld be shooting most often (not hoping to shoot most often), and buy the stuff accordingly. ie - are u a landscape shooter, macro shooter, portrait shooter etc.... different shooting needs different lens. by knowing wat u would be shooting most often will help u save a bit as u'll avoid buying the wrong equipment, then making a loss by selling them off later.

welcome to the DSLR club! :thumbsup:

 

[espn]

Nikon Council anybody? :devil:

 

[johnyu]

thanks for the advice. Currently i am using Panasonic Fz-10. as this cam come with an adapter so it allowed me to put on lens and filter. also i had been shooting using the manual mode so setting of aperture and shutter spped is not much of prob. therefore this few day i am thinking of selling my FZ10 an d upgrade to a DSLR, once and for all. heehee spend too much money on upgrading of cam. :cry:

If you indeed upgrade to a DSLR, be prepared to spend a lot of time in front of Photoshop, Nikon Capture or similar editing software. That's one hidden cost. Besides, if you browse this forum or forums on dpreview.com, you will realize there're many people asking questions about unsharp images, underexposure, lack of contrast, etc. Apparently, to master and get most out of a DSLR, there's a steep learning curve. (Did I say "curve"? ) That's another hidden cost. I didn't expect them.