NEED HELP! What Nikon Digitial Should I Buy?

[chris_clark4]

Hello all! You've helped me so much in the past and I need your

once again this X-mas!

 

My gf needs a digital camera (she shoots mostly people and

architecture, but occasionally works in the studio as well). She

wants a NIKON digital, and she's mentioned that she'd like one with

both auto and manual focus capabilities. Can you find nicer used

Nikon digital equipment? If so, is keh.com the place?

 

And last but not least, what model should I buy?

 

Thanks again my friends at photo.net for your help.

[ellis_vener_photography]

D200 -- it will be in stores by Christmas.

[keith_van_hulle1]

Ditto.

[klix]

Given no other restrictions other that it's got to be a Nikon and must have auto and manual focus, interesting that both Ellis and Keith would recommend a D200.

 

Why not a D2X?

[dmitry_a]

what's your budget?

 

also, if you're going to buy used, try your local craigslist.org first.

[jcuknz]

I not impressed with the manual focusing system of the Nikon pro-sumers, and use AF in an intelligent way, which suggests to me that MF unless it is of the DSLR kind with individual lenses with rings on the lens. is not neccessary. One uses the 'half pressure' on the trigger to get the focus you want and then repo for actual shot. Some cameras permit you to use AF to get focus and then have a focus lock option, not Nikon. With the short lenses used in P&S and pro-sumers there is so much depth of field that MF becomes rather hard to accomplish.

I'd suggest the 5400 or 8400 if she is asking you for advice which suggests some lack of knowledge perhaps?

[andrew robertson]

Because it seems that you get 95% of a D2X in a D200?

[mike_grigsby]

My real intention is to wait until Nikon comes out with a reasonably affordable full frame. But today I thought I'd step up from my pocket sized Nikon and buy a D50. I wanted to share my experience after using it for all of 8 hours.

 

All I can say is "wow"! I haven't had this much fun photographing in a long time. My Nikon 35mm equipment has been sitting neatly in a bag while I've been working with Hasselblad and 4x5" formats. Until I bought the D50 today with the 18-55mm lens, I forgot how much fun shooting anything and everything could be.

 

As I photographed head-on into bright streetlights, night scenes, and dimly lit doorways, I rediscovered photography today. It was like the old days of burning a half roll of Tri-x or Ektachrome to see what affect settings had on the final print. After the initial hit $869 and some change (did you know DSLR's don't come with memory cards?!?!), it was cheap to play around again.

 

Only tonight did I really get a chance to read through the manual very thoroughly, but the shooting I did today was effortless. The menus are quite intuitive, and I had a lot of fun with changing ISO settings and could instantly see the depth of field resulting from different aperture settings. The D50 is a pleasure to shoot with. The very first image was the mall where I impulsively bought it (sorry about this one B&H<g>). I transferred the medium sized JPEGs to my computer and ACDSEE and was blown away by the sharpness and color. I found I need to control my stance, breathing and release technique now that I'm shooting hand-held shots.

 

Tonight I figured out how to change the ISO to 1600 and had very little problem shooting hand-held night and dusk shots of lighted streets. I need to look into the noise adjustment though because I did notice some artifacts at higher magnifications of the image.

 

I was originally going to buy the cheaper 28-80mm? Nikkor, but realizing the 18-55mm used 52mm Nikkor filters I already owned, versus the cheaper lens' 58mm, I paid a little more. The fact it was ED and a little wider made the choice easier, though I have to say that I experienced some flare and ghosting that I didn't expect. It could be due to the filter needing a bit of cleaning so I'll work that out tomorrow.

 

As far as manual and auto focus, I was pleasently surprised to find in the manual that I can use most of my old AI'd Nikkors. I was also surprised there was no flash socket on the D50 to use my SB-11 and studio lighting, but did find a reference to a hot-shoe adapter that would let me do so. My eyesight is also not what it used to be 20 years ago or so when I was shooting more 35mm, and I find it a little difficult to manually focus the lens, but it can be done. The ability to creatively zoom with the 18-55mm and let the camera worry about the focus is wonderful. I also like being able to use the spot area metering to lock the focus where I want it, then frame the image anyway I like, letting the background go out of focus. I found the results of the autofocus to be spot on, and I like the way the camera beeps when it acquires the proper focus. I really don't see much need to manually focus anymore, unless it's on a tripod and you can't move the camera around to get the focus and then the framing.

 

I didn't bother looking for used equipment because I know there are enough horror stories about new bodies that have problems. The D50 is very light weight, but I sort of miss the tank-feel of a more pro Nikons. Tomorrow I'll tripod mount it and see how it performs, as well as use normal ISO settings to reduce noise. I know this camera is going to teach me a lot about photography and help me regain some spontaneity I've misplaced over the years with my more rigid large format work. For my needs, the D50 seems fine... until Nikon comes out with a full-frame DSLR.<div></div>

[kuzzy]

It all depends on your budget. Any of the Nikon DSLR's will do the job nicely. I have a D70 ($1200 w/lens) and it has been terrific, easy to use and great results. A freind just bought a D50 ($850 w/lens)and is also very happy with his purchase. If you can afford a D200 (Approx. $1700 without a lens) that looks like it will be quite a camera.

Good Luck.

Marc