kfoster70

Wow, you guys are tough today. I guess thats what you get when you make broad statements as Morgan did.

How about Canon offers a 1 yr warranty on that monster and Nikon offers 5 yrs????

Nikon makes a mounting bracket for the ML-3 which allows you to mount hte ML-3 next to the camera, its $16.

 

If you dont like the MC-36 you can also use the simpler MC-30 wired remote, or there are many cheap single button alternatives on the market.

 

There is also a company called Dot Line Corp that makes a RF wireless controller that costs less then Nikons ML-3 and has a 100' range. It looks like the cord that goes from the 10pin connector to the reciever is long enough that you could mount it on your triopd, it does not mount to the hot shoe. You can find them at B&H.

 

Whats really funny is that everyone who had a D70 complained about its wireless remote and the lack of a wired remote.

The SB-80dx was desinged for use with the D100 and I believe earlier D1 series DSLR's using the D-TTL system. This was not a very good system. Nikon has abonded that system for the i-TTL system which is used in all newer DSLR's since the D2 series as well as the D40/50/70/200.

 

As Michael mentioned you would only get non-TTL and manual capabilities with the SB-80dx. You are way better off in purchasing a SB-600 or SB-800 flash. I recommend the SB-800 flash for the D80 since it can be used as a commander to fire other flashes with Nikons Creative lighting system wirelessly or it can be triggered wirelessly using the built-in flash of the D80.

 

Kevin

Not sure about the D80, but on the D70 there is a switch next to the 4 way selector that has a L and a dot on it. If you move it to the L position then it will Lock the AF sensor to that position. If you like to just use the center AF position, like I do, use the 4 way selector to select that sensor, while the switch is in the dot postion, then after selecting the center AF sensor move the switch to the L positon to lock it. It will not move after that.

Everyone is having issues with the Windows Vista. Lots of programs written before the release of Vista dont work correctly. The same thing happened when XP came out. This is microsofts fault. Vista should be able to run these programs without issues.

Dont waste your money on a cheap tripod. You certainly dont want to see your new camera come crashing down. If you dont have the cash for something like a bogen/manfrotto, gitzo, or slik then wait until you do have enough. Also get a good card, like the sandisk ultra II or the Lexars. Some off brand cards, which havent been tested by Nikon, dont always work correctly. And get a bag big enough to grow with.

 

Other wise I think you off to a good start. Enjoy your D80.

 

Kevin

Even if you dont get the CD with the camera I believe you download the Picture Project software from Nikons site for free. I dont believe there is any other software included on the disk.

Not sure about PS elements 3 on supporting NEF files from the D70/s.

Main differences between the two cameras is the D70s has a slightly larger LCD and the ability to use a corded remote cord. Other then that the D70 is the same camera as long as it has the current firmware upgrade. Which can be downloaded from Nikon for free.

Put the two lenses side by side and the difference in price will become very clear.

 

The extra money comes from superior build quality, the best glass, AF-S motor for super fast AF, and metal body.

The Nikon is a A/B cable, but it is a 5-pin mini B cable. This cable is widely used in the digital camera market. There is also a 4-pin mini B cable which looks a little different and is used on smaller cameras. What you bought was a standard A/B that is primiraly used for PC to Printer applications.

 

You will probably have a hard time finding a longer version of the Nikon cable. Your best bet is to use a extension cable that is male A/female A. This allow you to use the Nikon but will give you a longer length.

The correct hood for the 50mm f/1.4 AI-s is the HS-9 according to the Nikon compendium. It is a snap on hood.

 

B&H has them in stock.

Most people recommend the 50mm f/1.8 because its good for low light and its only a $100. Its a lens that is usually a couple stops faster then most lenses a newbie would have. But since you have a 35mm f/2 you wouldnt really gain much. If you went with a older MF 50mm f/1.2 then you may see how much an extra stop will help.

 

You mentioned going wide, what about a 20mm f/2.8. Its not a fisheye, which is pretty much useless in my opinion, but will be much wider then what you have.

 

One thing you didnt mention was tripod. If you dont have one it may be time. Dont get a walmart tripod. Bogen/Manfrotto, gitzo, and slik all make nice stuff.

With the advent of the D40 and now D40x it seems Nikon may be telling us something, I hope. Since these do not have interal motors to drive the AF on non-AF-S lenses then maybe more AF-S are to come. Every new lens to come to market the past few years has been AF-S and many have had VR. Im sure that this trend will continue. Hopefully, many of the prime lenses will benefit as well.

 

Kenny, what Im trying to say is, just because the D40x will not AF non-AF-S lenses doesnt mean you dont have good options for lens upgrades. Nikon's best zoom lenses are AF-S, and now many of the more affordable lenses are too. The real limitation is using any older lenses and the prime lenses below 200mm. The D40 and D40x seem like great ways to get into a DSLR. The D80 will give you more options.

 

If money is an issue, and it always is, your better off spending it on the lens then the body. Try to get which ever body you decide on with at least the 18-70mm lens, stay away from the 18-55 or 18-135mm. The quality of the 18-70mm is way superior to the other lenses.

Saying a lens is digital can mean lots of things. If it is a DX lens (nikons designation) then it produces a smaller image circle then a non-DX lens. If you use a DX lens on a film camera it will not completely fill the frame of the film resulting in lots of vignetting.

 

Sigma and Tamron also make DX type lenses. Simga calls theirs DC lenses and Tamron calls thiers Di II. Both companies also make digital optimized lenses that can be used on digital and film cameras. Sigma calls these DG lenses and Tamron calls them Di.

 

What lens is such a great deal?

f/6.3 is 1/3 of a stop slower then f/5.6, 2/3 of a stop would be f/7, just to clarify.

It needs to be in the $600-700 range. It doesnt feature any AF-S/USM feature like Sigmas 70-200mm HSM macro lens which goes for under $900.

Try shooting in slow sync flash mode. This will allow the camera to expose the background correctly while the flash lights up your subject. In this mode the shutter speed will not stay locked at 1/60, it will decrease the proper speed to expose everything better.

Do u use your camera to schedule appointments? If so then you will want to change the internal clock, if not, I wouldnt worry about it.

The 80-200mm is an awesome lens for the money. It will destroy the 18-200mm in the 80-200mm range. However, you will obviously need something wider to go with it. The 18-200mm is a nice walk around lens, but its slow. If you already have a 18-70mm then the 80-200 compliments the 80-200mm very nicely.

Your 1st clue about bwayphoto.com is that they want $61.22 to ship the camera UPS ground. Thats and easy $40 bucks to much. And take a look at their prices for compact flash cards. A 2gb CF card for $749? Wow, thats only a $700 mark up.

 

If you think your going to get that D200 for $1166 without overpaying for something else, think again.

 

These guys are total scam artist's

From what Ive read, Sigma reverse engineers Nikons technology rather then buying the rights to it. Because of this some of sigmas lenses arent always 100% compatable especially when Nikon comes out with a new body.

 

Sigmas flashes also have problems with the D200. And many of thier HSM lenses wont autofocus with the D200 when you use the AF button on the grip or body, but work fine when you push the shutter release to focus.

Very few cameras actually have 100% coverage. Most are Highend pro models.

 

I have used a D70 for lots of macro shots. I never had a problem getting in focus shots manually using a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8.

John,

 

I went through this same thing your going through just recently. I ended up getting the 17-55mm for a couple reasons. First, because of the extra reach. I thought the 17-35 was too limited for the type of shooting I was going to use it for. If I got the 17-35 I thought I would either be switching lenses more then I wanted or be cropping more then I wanted if I couldnt get closer to take the shot I wanted.

 

2nd, I wasnt planning on using it for film, so no big deal there.

 

3rd, Im not worried about the FF DSLR issue in the future, By the time they are cheap enough for me to afford I will have more then gotten my use out of this lens. Not to mention, Nikon may come out with something better like a 17-70mm f/2.8 full frame.

 

4th, I really bought this lens to be shot wide open at f/2.8. From everything I read, every review, of both lenses the 17-55mm was said to be sharper at f/2.8. Im not sure if this is true, but it is sharper wide open then my other lenses.

 

As far as using the 17-55mm, I love it so far. It was made to go with

a D200, or D2x.

 

Either way you go you cant go wrong. These are cream of the crop lenses. Good Luck.

I plan on enjoying my d200 for a couple more years. I would say that we are probably at least a few years from seeing a Nikon full frame sensor camera drop below $2000. This is my idea of affordable, Not $5000.

You can also shoot in apeture priority mode, or shutter priority modes.

 

In appeture priority mode, you can stop down the lens which will cause the camera to slow down your shutter speed to get the right exposure. In shutter priority mode, you can stop down the shutter speed which will cause the camera to stop down the lens to get the right exposure. Flash should be off in these modes.

 

If you use manual mode you will have to adjust both the shutter speed and apeture to get the right exposure. Just watch the meter in the viewfinder to get the right exposure.