HI D200 body VS. Better Lens?

[chrisbonney]

Alright lets get right to it,

 

I own a Nikon D50 which ive had for a little for more than 4 years now, now ive been wanting to upgrade to the

D200. the D300 looks "wow" but no longer in my budget. Now the Question: i was wondering should i save my

money a little more for the D200 or purchase better lens and if so which one(s)? My budget is $800 as of right now.

Also im heading into the Navy in Dec. as a photographer, im sure they'll pay for equipment and what not, should i

save more for a shorter time use with the D200 before the navy or just continue with the D50 for now?

 

Thank you and much apperciated,

 

Chris Bonney

[Matt Laur]

Well... what lens(es) DO you have right now, and what sort of stuff are you shooting?

[Peter_in_PA]

What do you need to be able to do that you can't? And what other gear do you have?

[tri-x1]

The Navy will issue you equipment if you are a photographer but I don't know that there is any guarantee it will be Nikon and they don't let you keep it when you get out.

[summitar]

I am not familiar with the D50, but my D200 was a significant upgrade over my D70. I don't know your situation but if you are going to assignment where the Navy provides the gear, I would just wait and see

[chrisbonney]

yes well My lens include Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens - f/4 to 5.6

as well as a AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED, Im currently shotting mostly Landscape but im having to shoot more and more portraits as i continue

[SCL]

Once in the Navy you will have not only PX privileges, but if you go overseas, there are often major camera factory reps which come aboard ship and offer great deals, or you can get very good deals in the ship stores. I picked up my first Leica and lenses this way...got about a 50-60% discount. At the time Nikon, Canon, Minolta and Olympus were active participants in the program.

[eric_arnold]

hi chris,

sounds like you need better lenses. the d200's main advantages are faster fps, mag-alloy body, and second command dial. but the d50 has great dynamic range and fairly low noise at high iso--it's better than the d200 in this regard--so you'd be better off waiting until you can get a d300 if that's a concern.

 

IMO it makes more sense to upgrade the body after you have killer glass, and right now you dont have anything for low-light.

 

i'd think about a fast 2.8 you could also use for portraits.

best deal going right now is the sigma 24-60, look for it on amazon for around $200-$225.

i've also found the tamron 28-75 to be stellar, as well as the tamron 17-50, but the 28-75's longer reach is better for portraits. the 17-50 is about $400, the 28-75 a little less.

 

i'd also scoop up a 50/1.8 or 50/1.4 for extreme low-light stuff. the 1.8 is a fantastic deal for the price (under $120), the 1.4 is about $200 more.

 

also, if you dont already have a flash (sb-600/sb-800) that would be a wise investment. maybe a tripod too...

 

for landscape work, an ultrawide is always nice, and the tokina 11-16 is a 2.8 so it could work for interior no flash shots around the ship. at almost $600, it would eat up a big chunk of your budget, though.

[chriscourt]

I'd say forget the new body, s'long as the old one remains fully functional. Look at glass instead. The D200 is an

excellent body (I shoot with one), but will open up fewer NEW photographic horizons for you than wider or faster lenses.

 

Given your current lens selection I'd suggest a Sigma 10-20 (about $500), and put the change towards either a flash or a

good solid tripod and head.

 

Also, with a budget of $800 I assume it's a second-hand D200 you're considering. Personally, I'd avoid this given the

possibilities for disappointment. Second-hand lenses, sure. Bodies? Well, it's a bit of a crap-shoot really.

 

Hope this helps.

C

[nolan_ross]

The D50 is only a 6mp camera. I believe it has a dark and small viewfinder but am not sure of that. I would go with the D200 and add lenses as you can afford. When I purchased my D200 I only had some AIS lenses to use. Then I added the 50mm f1.8 AFD and other AF lenses later. It's a growing system with the D200 as the heart.

[ajay_ukidve1]

Go with the D50 and better lenses as Eric has suggested. As far as 6mp limitation is concerned not to worry. That is unless you want posters. What is your end use? I have a D70s right from the time it was introduced, never had a problem due to 6mp. Sigma 10-20, nikon 18-70/Sigma 17-70 DC HSM Micro as a General Purpose lens, Sigma 30/1.4, a fast 2.8 in the 28-75 range for portraits and lastly Nikon 70-300 VR/ Sigma 150-500 OS would complete my bag wishfully. :-)

[bernie moore]

Christopher, It sounds like the lenses you have are fine for personal use. You don't know what the Navy has planned for you. Photographer's Mate is a pretty wide open field. You might find yourself shooting an Admiral's dinner or stuffing high speed film canister into the nose of a fighter-bomber on a carrier. But I promise you, you will be one versatile photog when they're through with you. Regards, Bernie

[carl_becker2]

I think I would save my money until I got a great deal (PX or overseas) on something I knew I needed. Sounds like you may shortly be equipped by the Navy.