peterd

<p>Amazon is a great company. if you are uncomfortable with it just return the camera and order one from BH or adorama which both sell through amazon. If time is an issue then over night it. Why stress yourself out over this. personally I would not accept it if I did not have the warranty card in the box. My D80 had it and I got it via adorama w serial on the reciept. I just got an 85mm from BH and it had the serial on the reciept also. Just ask Amazon to provide you a new reciept or return it and problem solved.</p>

<p>I am by no means an expert here but I think a lot of the responses dont really fit your needs as far as budget. Personally I would go with the advice given of the 50mm f1.8 and stop there right now. Once you have worked with it you can grow into your next lens. Perhaps as Kent said the money would be better spent in lighting and I dont think anyone mentioned a light meter but I would add that as an essential. Lenses are like heroin habits. Its all consuming and leaves you always wanting just one more. I think you should focus on mastering the 50mm which is really a 75mm for you and disregard fancy accessories etc or more expensive lenses. you may find that you bought something you never wanted or needed and did not realize it at the time. Just my thoughts. Peter</p>

<p>I actually just added an 85mm f1.8 and an SB600 w diffusor. So at this point all nice and neat in the bag i have the flash in the left, D80 mounted face down center with filters laying across the bottom, an 85mm on bottom right, 50mm above it. All nice and neat and not too heavy. I think that would be a sweet as hell setup for you. Peter</p>

<p>USA is 5 years for lenses. Gray market I think is 1.</p>

<p>I actually got the adorama kit with my D80 and it had their slinger bag which I just fell in love with. I went all over Eastern Europe as well as Spain with it. I carried my 18-200VR, a 50mm, assorted crap and more. I could also have accomodated my 70-300 but I chose not to take it. What I loved about it was that I could pack a lot yet it was small and the strap was really comfortable which is more than I can say for a lot. It has a great hidden passport pouch as well as the front larger pouch plus mesh on the side for a water bottle. I just wish I could have gotten one of the cooler colors but it was a package so who is complaining. I lugged this across Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Austria and Spain and it never got too heavy, awkward or slip nor did it stand out too much. I also took a small v shaped bag that wa big enough for the D80 with the 18-200VR mounted and ready as well as a filter or two. I really recommend it. Hope this helps. Peter<br /><a href="http://www.adorama.com/GBSLBK.html">http://www.adorama.com/GBSLBK.html</a></p>

<p>Hi all, looking to see if anyone can recommend a good, accurate light meter for fashion photography. I am looking at doing a lot of indoor controlled lighting scenarios as well as outdoor ambient and augmented lighting. There will also be some flash going. The Kenko KFM-1100 seems to be well regarded at not too bad of a price. Anyone ever use this and if so what are your thoughts? Also what would you recommend if not this? Thanks. Peter<br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/514614-REG/Kenko_KFM_1100_KFM_1100_Auto_Digi_Meter.html#reviews">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/514614-REG/Kenko_KFM_1100_KFM_1100_Auto_Digi_Meter.html#reviews</a><br>

Current Gear:<br>

Nikon D80<br>

SB600<br>

Nikkor 50mm F1.8, 85mm F1.8, 18-200 VR and a 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED (probably trade in toward meter)</p>

<p>I live in Seattle and dont know why you would buy it here. The local price is several hundred dollars more than online and tax is almost 10%. Foolish if you ask me given you can buy from amazon. B&H and Adorama both have their stores there and there is no tax. I know they handle canada sales every day. As a matter of fact I have an 85mm en route from B&H in NYC. I certainly did not go to Glazers to buy that...</p>

<p><em>Plus that will drive down the price of the original significantly if released which is nice for anyone who wants to save money. </em></p>

<p>You forgot the other part of the statement why a new one would be nice. :D It would make the 1.4 much more affordable more than likely. :) I can only hope a refresh would improve the new one but I know that is not always the case.</p>

<p>I would be very careful with the lenses you look at. Check BH because many of them have warning and will not work with the D40\60. You need to check the details and specs carefully. Not sure if someone already covered that but I thought I should say it before you drop a bunch of money on a lens. Peter</p>

<p>I actually would not have minded if Nikon had made the 17-55 a 17-80 or similar with very high quality optics. Seems it would have had a little more flexibility and would be a nice compromise.</p>

<p>All good points. There are a few reasons why I would like the AF-S and VR. If I am doing some fashion shots there are always times that you are moving around and I think VR would be a nice feature. Secondly I do like the manual over ride because there are times I want to play with it more that way. Lastly, the lens is quite a few years old and I like the idea of it getting a complete makeover. I like the reviews of bythom.com because here is someone I think makes a lot of sense and he called out much the same in that it needs a refresh. Plus that will drive down the price of the original significantly if released which is nice for anyone who wants to save money. Overall I think its just time. I think this rev is currently 15 years or so old and camera's are evolving much faster than the lenses and I just wish they would get busy there.</p>

<p>Hey all, I posted a question a year ago about this lens when I was fresh to my D80, made a few homer style doh comments and now and finally coming full circle. I have learned to play with my camera, think AF is nice but learned to do without it and have supplemented myself the basics such as a good ball head mount and tripod, patience, an SLR class and annoying the hell out of my friend with endless questions and thoughts. In that time I had hoped that Nikon would get around to refreshing the 85mm 1:4 or 1:8 but they insist on moving ass slow. My patience is at an end because I really want to get the 85mm. Do you think it would be wise to get the 1:8 on a cost value and then eventually move to a 1:4 or better if Nikon ever gets off their ass and refreshes the lens to an updated version (AF-S and VR)? For the money, it seems a good deal. i have some older lenses I bought way back with my first films slr i got rid of that I decided to part with. They are not kit lenses so they will get me some cash to help on this. i am tempted to get the 1:4, but just like my macbook figure in 6 months they will bring back FW to the 13.3 and I'll be pissed (happened today). Everything I read on the 85 says its still an amazing lens even if not quite the 1:4. I think for what I want to do (fashion style photography) its a great compromise of cost and impatience. Thanks in advance. Peter</p>

<p>Hi all, I have a question concerning buying one of these. I read Thom's article on tripods and the evolution of purchases and why going cheap will cost more over time. Ok got that point fine. But I am curious about one part concerning model and max weight. I am just going to buy a really nice ball head (not necessarily any brand) and I see the medium vs heavier duty (ie 13lb vs 22lb limit) and there is some cost association but not a huge amount at that point, say 350 vs 425. I use a D80 and will one day gravitate to a D300 I assume. Also my heaviest lens is the 18-200 VR but its likely I will get a 200-400 or 300 one day though not on my current shopping list. I figure most of my work will be around an 50mm to 105mm telephoto prime range. I have a tough time figuring out if the medium ballhead will not be enough or if I will likely never need the bigger on. Thoughts? I would think a good comparison would be the RRS BH-40 vs BH-55. Also are there any recommendations on what would be a good clamp configuration on those for doing fashion type photography? Thanks. Peter</p>

Nikon = Heroin. It's just never enough. <evil grin>

If you are sticking with an N80, why bother with AF-S? A lot of people dumping the older lenses as they get the newer ones. Finding inexpensive replacements should be easy.

Doh never mind the 5 year, I misread thinking you got an aftermarket extension. Doh.

I thought all Nikon USA lenses came with 5 year warranties? All of mine did including my 18-200vr. Not sure about that since I always seem to forget to do it. Just fill it out and send it. I dont think they will care. I think you can also do it online. I would double check to make sure that you did not get shorted a warranty card. Who did you buy from?

Before you do this, keep in mind the word (unverified) is that the Nikon 80-400 will be refreshed with an AF-S model this fall according to the guy at the camera shop. Might be worth waiting. That said there are some good forums with pics on flickr for this lens. I too was curious. Peter

B&H just reviewed it and did identify some differences between it and also some gotchas with DX lenses. A good ready. I did not know it would kick you down to 5.1mp if you use a DX lens. If someone already posted this, please accept my apologies as I quickly looked but did not see it before I posted. Peter

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/newsLetter/Nikon-D700.jsp

I popped in today to Tall Camera to get an SB-600 flash and in my conversation with the sales guy, he said Nikon was releasing an AF-S version of the 80-400. This is the first I heard of it but it makes sense. If they do, that would settle this and open up my target for christmas. Anyone else hear about this anywhere?

I just had a conversation with a sales rep in Talls Camera who mentioned that Nikon is releasing a AF-S VR 80-400 refresh in the fall. I had a similar topic in another thread and at that time we were speculating when and if this will happen. I still need to corroborate this but it seems plausible since the 80-400 already has the VR on it. Maybe this will be a more economical lens for you since you want the higher range. I dont think it is on par with that one, but its also thousands less. My 2c. Peter

I am guessing they will finally have it by the time I make up my mind and that will settle the issue. Who knows, maybe now that they got their D700 out, they will really start cranking up the refreshes of their lenses as more people trade in their film bodies and take the digital plunge. I know that convenience and cost are quickly made up once you factor in film and processing, not to mention wasted shots. But then again, Nikon will do as they please and the hell with the rest of the world. :P

Hi I was wondering if anyone has been doing this and how it works out? I am thinking of picking this drive up to throw

in the bag and lug around on my ventures in Europe this month. I assume this would be able to accept the images

without plugging into a PC but I have not tried it. Has anyone? Thanks!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Essential-Portable/dp/B0015WOAVC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?

ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217741770&sr=8-3

I have to say that I lost a lot of great shots because the AF on mine seemed sloppy. I can only blame my experience so much. I am leaning toward looking for another lens though not right just yet. I just found that one to be rather mushy and not as easy to dial in as my VR 18-200 nor anywear near as accurate. My buddy was slinging his 80-200 2.8 and that was a nice lens but I think when the time comes I want more zoom. Thanks for all your input. Peter

Ok I am about to head off to go shoot another 500 pictures at the air show. OMG do I miss film, NOT! I want to thank everyone as I will be taking this all in. In response:

 

Ed: I have thought a little about a teleconverter but with the lenses I have i think I would be better in slowly growing out my options. I dont need any of these, just kinda re-evaluating everything and I got so damn excited shooting planes yesterday that I suddenly wanted a new lens. Reality creep is back and now I am back to evaluating what I need. I think the main focus of my question looking back on it is whether to consider replacing the 70-300 or learn to make it work. I definately see the error of not using the AF but I was experimenting as part of the learning process. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Wilson: I dont own a polarizer for this lens though I was thinking about it. it was pretty sunny yesterday and they are flying pretty close to the water so you can see the benefit in the pics with the 18-200Vr lens with it. Plus I love the color! I am sure I will outgrow the polarizer as I improve in photoshop but I am just playing and having fun with it while I learn to walk this camera.

 

Rene: Good points. I remember your posts on the 85mm I think and you have some great points. I think I my next purchase will be something to fill the 24-120 or similar void. Suggestions? I want something I can shoot people in runways and photo shoots since I am working on something I want to do in that area. PS- love the shots of the fireworks.

 

Tim: Good points. Putting that advice to work today! AF is ON!

 

Todd\Ajay: I dont think that I will reinvest in the newer version of the same lens. For the money I already spent it is a wash. i would rather just upgrade to something nicer even if not in that zoom range. I am learning you live and die by your lenses. Thanks for the input. Good to know they improved it. If I had not dumped the money into this one, it would not be a wash and I just dont want to take a splash if I can avoid it. I dont think I even want to rent one at this point. The old adage is take what you have and make it work. :)