tech-pan

<p>I think this guy is history.<br>

I had numerous conversations with him prior to Dec 31st and he answered all of them very quickly. I purchased an RB67, which still has not arrived. If you look at his stats he stopped leaving feedback or posting new auctions on Dec 31. As someone else said he is ether in jail, hospital or dead. Since I paid through PayPal I am protected and have filed a claim to recover my money. This guy had a pretty stellar record from 2006 up until Dec 31, 2009, so I don't see why he would go MIA without a good reason.<br>

I hope Ebay shuts him down because he has auctions that I am sure people are still buying from.</p>

Man...those look nice.

 

I am so bummed Tech-Pan is no more..

 

I shot a ton of this stuff in the 80's...<div></div>

A friend of mine has a Canon 20D with the Tokina 12-24/4 and gets fantastic images. I played around with it and it seems to be very well made. Looking at her images I cannot see that the Nikon would be any better. Personally I would get the Tokina if it was my money.

I used to work for a clothing company in the early 90's. Went to a few shoots for Rusty, OP and Stussy. The photographers, while using 35mm film were using long primes higher then 200mm. There were reflectors, lights cables etc that forced the photographer to walk the lens and stay away from the model. I brought my F3 just to take a few candid shots and my 105/2.8 didn't cut it.

 

Now a runway shoot would benefit a fast Zoom, but a planned fashion shoot allows the photographer to walk the lens and use the fast f/stop to their advantage, and no matter how good zooms are these days they have far more distortion then a prime.

 

My wife loves to watch Americas Next Top Model. A few weeks ago they did a shoot on a beach and the photographer was using what looked like a 300mm prime on a D2X body.

Richard. I see your point. Even though I don't see a clear cut reason to get a D80 as an upgrade to a D70, I do see getting one if one had a D70 for awhile. If for any reason just to have a change.

 

I shot with a F2 for years, then got a F3. Did I see a difference, no. But when I got the F3 I shure as heck started taking more pictures..mainly because it was so cool.

Didn't totally clarify. I would only use primes if I was doing fashion. No zooms as I would want as little distortion and faster f stops that I would only get with primes.

105/2.8, 180/2.8, 200mm f/2G VR

Richard...true.

 

But even the slightest notion that something is better is enough for some people to empty their bank. For some the D80 is closer to a D2Xs then a D70s is, and for some that is enough.

I say keep the D70. The only reason I could see upgrading would be to get the larger viewfinder. The 6 vs 10mp thing is way to close to call. The focus points are moot, since I haven't had a time where I thought the D70 was lacking. I looked at my images taken with a D200 that I had on loan, compared to my D70 and at 100% crop it's miniscule. I even showed my wife....and she couldn't tell the difference.

 

I think most people that are upgrading from a D70 to a D80 need the latest and greatest toys. I feel they focus way too much on hardware and not taking photos. I have seen so many great photos taken with D30's and D1's that I find it impossible to believe that they would somehow be even better if taken with a 5D or a D2X.

"Sigma has a line of fast primes, 20mm/1.8, 24mm/1.8, 28mm/1.8, & 30mm/1.4."

 

People have a tendency to discount Sigma, but personally I have never had a problem with the Sigma lenses I have used in the past. I have a Sigma 18-50mm/2.8, whie not a prime is a great fast zoom and plan to buy the 30mm/1.4 in a few months. While I would like to have an available Nikon, I have no problem using a third party lens if available.

 

Looking at peoples galleries here, I'll see a photo I really like and then look at what camera did the shot. If they used a Sigma lens I never thought...wow that photo would be so much better if taken with a Nikon.

 

How many photo have you seen taken with a Sigma....and knew it was a Sigma.

 

Best Foods or Kraft?

I went back to this thread after looking a a D80 kit yesterday. The 18-135 that I saw had a metal mount. Took it off the camera to make sure.

 

Is Nikon making different versions?

Another decision to stick with Nikon for myself was the fact that my Father-in-Law and Brother-in-Law both use Nikon systems. Before I bought my D70s I got to use both a D70's and a D200 side by side for a day.

 

Anyhow, if you have friends and family that already use a certain system, then that might help in your buying decision.

If you feel it is art, it is art. Art can only be defined by the person observing it.

 

If I think something is art, there is no way you can disprove it.

Well let's hope Sony does better with Minolta then Minolta did.

I see no reason to shoot in B&W when can edit in PS and do whatever you want to a color image. I would hate to lock out the color info and loose a color image that might suprise me.<div></div>

Robert

 

I know that the sensor is made by Sony, but Sony is not the only sensor manufacturer that Nikon can work with.

 

Sony also has their hand in many cookie jars, where Nikon is only involved with optics/photography and imaging. Sony has a history of dropping a product line when things become unprofitable. Rembember the Clie?. Sony also loves to have 100% control over accessories like memory, cables etc with their products by making them propritary. While the Alpha uses CF cards now, you can bet they will be Memory Stick only in the next version.

 

I hope Sony and Pentax well...but I am sticking with Nikon.

The D80 probably had no power and the lens was stopped down, which is why the viewfinder was dark.

 

When you get a DSLR you are buying into a system. I see a lot of people who only go by specs and think that tells the whole story. Available glass should be a huge factor in your buying decision.

 

I tell people to choose either a Canon or a Nikon system because of the huge support both in first party but also in thrid party hardware and software. Now I am not saying that Sony or Pentax won't ever be on the same level as Canon or Nikon, but they have to prove it first. Pentax has a long photo history and I am sure they can be a good system over time, but I don't see them ever getting to the level of Canon or Nikon.

 

As cool as the Pentax and the Sony look now...they will be overshadowed by other cameras very soon.

While I favor Nikon SLR/DSLR's, I love Canon Digicams and am currently loving my A620. I have been getting fantastic shots with it.

 

I am not the type of person who goes on vacation with a SLR/DSLR. I perfer to mold into the crowd and not look like every other tourist with a camera hung around their neck.<div></div>

A self cleaning sensor. That's it. As for their equipment, I haven't been hindered in anyway by their lineup. Hate to say it, but choosing either Nikon or Canon gives a huge lineup of 1st and 3rd party products to choose from. The other camera companies can only dream of that. Also, If you can't take great pictures with the equipment available, then no amount of new equipment will make you a better photographer.

 

As for a full frame sensor. I sure hope Nikon stays away from that and keeps developing the APS size. I think Canon's splitting of the sensor size between their pro and consumer cameras is going to bite them in the ass someday. If they move to 100% FF then their digital only lenses become trash as would Nikon DX line. So I hope Nikon continues to expand their DX line and fills the holes up needed by pro's and non-pro's.

Well since your budget is $100-250, I say just get the same 18-55. Personally I don't feel the 18-70 is worth the upgrade. I would get the 18-55 and put the change from 250 away and save for a better lens later. I just bought the Sigma 18-50 2.8 and am very happy.

I was at the same road. I ended up choosing the D70s over a D80. I got to use a D200 and a D70s side by side for a day. The viewfinder was great on the D200, but when I sat down and looked at the pics, there was not that big a difference in image. In fact in the 300 shots I took that day with both cameras I realy cannot tell which camera took which pics. Personally I am using the money saved by not buying the D80 and putting it into glass. Glass is an investment, bodies are disposable.

 

When I shot film I always framed my shot in the viewfinder and used my lenses and legs to crop. Even in my brief digital life I barely crop, so the D70s works great for me.

I looked at the Tamron, but ended up buying the Sigma 18-50, 2.8. I liked the build of the Sigma better and also found a ton a great reviews on it. I used it this weekend and am extremely happy with the results. Even though it does not have an internal focus motor, it is ver quite. While I didn't do any formal testing, from what I can tell it is pretty sharp even wide open at 18mm.

I got a chance to use a D200 and a D70's for a day and ended up buying a D70's. I really liked the D200, but felt the D70's would do what I wanted and alow me to invest in nice glass. I find some of the D80 and D200 posts very funny where people only have enough money to by cheap glass after their D200/80 purchase.

 

Honestly when I looked at the D200 and D70's images side by side I couldn't justify the money difference, even in buying a D80.

My great uncle on my Mom's side is Earl Theisen (Google him for info). My uncle on my Dad's side was a advanced amature, who shot arial photography for the Flying Tigers while stationed in China during WWII. He shot film until he died around 77. He taught me quite a bit and gave me my first Nikon...a F3HP that he never used...He was a Minolta man.

 

During my photo class at Pierce College in 1984ish, my teacher used handouts written by Earl Theisen when he was a teacher at USC. I found that kinda funny.

I would pick the lens. You can put that on your 24mp Nikon in a couple years.