russharris

<p>Hi Cynthia</p>

<p>You write you will be "using it for macro / detail images and portrait."</p>

<p>The 85/1.8 G and 1.4 G are not macro lenses. Your 105 is.</p>

<p>If you want an 85mm lens that is also macro, go for the 85/3.5 AF-S VR.</p>

<p>I have the 60/2.8 AF-S Micro and it is a great super-sharp macro and portrait lens.</p>

<p>Yup. I shoot paintings for galleries that want to advertise their clients art on the web, fliers, posters, etc.</p>

<p>Just to let you all know that I went for the D300 + a used 18-70 AF-S. Haven't shot it in low light yet but I am very pleased with the camera's AF-response and exposures. Thanks for all your help!</p>

<p>I took the attached jpeg of my nephew was shot in natural light, 70mm, F/4.5; 1/100 s, ISO 500, AP.</p><div></div>

<p>Dave Lee, David Haas, Eric thanks for the suggestion to keep the S3 as a backup body. I think that's a great idea!</p>

<p>As I travel a lot on business I don't have time to auction things online so I will also visit another store for a quote and to see what they have to offer.</p>

<p>Eric, I agree, the 16-85 seems to be overpriced for what it is. In the short run I am planning to come out of this with a decent body to use with my 60/2.8 AF-S Micro, 35/1.8 DX & 18-55 VR.</p>

<p>Having debated the issue for the last two months I am finally heading to the store to make my purchase. I have a bunch of kit to trade and some cash to spend*.</p>

<p>On offer at the camera store:<br /> D7000, new (R14000 / +$2000)*<br /> D300, used (R10000/ +$1400)*<br /> D90, new (R8500/ +$1200)*<br /> D5000, used (R4500/ +$650)*</p>

<p>Or, I can go for a new 16-85 (R7500/ +$1300)* and SB 400 flash.</p>

<p>Here's the kicker. The sales assistant said, "For your type of photography (gallery copy work & street) I'd keep the Fuji S3. The D7000 is good but still doesn't match the Fuji in terms of dynamic range or colour. I don't mind selling you the D7000, it will make me R3000 profit. But hey, it's your choice."</p>

<p>Is he firing on all cylinders? I like the camera, LOVE its colour, but it is slow as heck when it comes to viewing images.</p>

<p>This is my first real opportunity to invest in decent equipment; I don't want to make a mistake on this so I'd really value any input you can give me.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Russ</p>

<p>*I'm now in South Africa so am spending local currency (Rands) which is valued at a R6.9 / $1 Dollar exchange rate</p>

<p>I always liked mine. With only 4MP to play with you learn to shoot tight - what's wrong with that?</p>

<p>The only problem I had was with the battery life but you seem to have that covered.</p>

<p>I like the noise reduction in NX2. And the application seems easy to use. I'm experimenting with DxO now</p>

<p>Nope. But I've an S3 that's gathering dust that I'm about to sell/trade towards a new lens. It's a nice camera, slow, but nice. Love the colours!</p>

<p>Maybe I'll take her for a spin with my 35DX this weekend, see what fun we can have!</p>

<p>Whenever I<em> </em>travel outside of Israel, weight / bulk is a major factor so I always take my G9 from a size/ IQ point of view. Shutter lag is not an issue for me with travel pics and, as quite a few subjects will be camera shy, it's easier to take a candid shot with a compact.</p>

<p>Also, travelling today means having to unpack frequently for security checks, etc, hence the desire for a point n shoot. All I have to take is a small flash, an extra fully charged battery or two and a number of smaller cards - you never know you will get a chance to recharge or when a card may pack up or get lost.</p>

<p>As an update to anyone who might have similar problems this necessitated a circuit board replacement to the tune of $180.<br>

<br />I intend using my G9 for a while so I had the repair done.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone. I have some time to make my mind up on this. I am leaning more towards a lens purchase and if I can find a 2.8 zoom that meets my budget I will probably go for it. However, as I am on the road and with my D40 I will have to make sure it has a built-in motor which means it will be costlier.</p>

<p>Thanks for all your answers guys. You have made me think about this a little more.<br /> <br /><br /> David, sadly D300 pricing outside of the US is beyond my budget. While I am attracted by the low-weight and inherent portability of the D40, the main thing that bothers me about it is the lens limitations issue.</p>

<p>BJ, my EXIF data shows that the bulk of my photography over the last 6 years has been done between 16-50mm range; with 80% of that between 16-35mm. Less than 2% of my shots were at 1600 ISO, most were around 200 ISO and seldom higher than 800 ISO.</p>

<p>I think that in terms of ISO I was certainly working under the limitations of my equipment. I would have gone higher to get a certain shot if I could. I think i would have gone for better glass to if I could afford it.</p>

<p>I shoot travel photography a lot, which means a lot of street, mostly in daylight. I do on occasion attend concerts / presentations indoors or in the evenings hence the need for fast glass, or a camera capable of handling high ISO comfortably.</p>

<p>Here's a link to some of my work: http://www.flickr.com/photos/russel_harris/page2/</p>

<p>I just got paid for a freelance job I took on earlier this year and am now finally in a position to rationalise my kit.</p>

 

<ul>

<li>I have three bodies: D80; D40 & a Fuji S3 Pro, and</li>

<li>I have three lenses: 18-70 (damaged front element); 18-55 VR and 35 DX.</li>

</ul>

<p>In the long run, the only thing I intend keeping is the 35.1.8 DX. Everything else can go. Or maybe not</p>

<p>I am considering ONE of the following options:</p>

 

<ol>

<li>Option 1: Nikon D90 (which, if I buy, I will match up with my 18-55 VR* and 35 DX)</li>

<li>Option 2: Nikon 16-85 VR (which, if I buy, I will match up with my Nikon D40* and 35 DX)</li>

<li>Option 3: Sigma 50-150/2.8 HSM (which, if I buy, I will match up with my Nikon D40* 18-55 VR* and 35 DX)</li>

</ol>

<p>I guess it's the old lens/ body question, and what I want to know is - considering my current setup, which option would benefit my photography (mostly travel) the most.</p>

<p>*All the kit I don't keep will be traded in towards another equipment purchase but for now I'm looking at paying cash for one of the three options I described above.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Russ</p>

I photographed this homeless guy in Jerusalem last year. He bummed a smoke from me and then asked me to take his photo. He was VERY photogenic and I ended up taking a few shots.<div></div>

<p>And a 100%-ish crop</p><div></div>

<p>Matt B</p>

<p>The Tamron 17-50 (I had the non-VC version) is a very fine lens. Still heavy tho, even when compared to the Nikon equivalent.<br>

No problems with sharpness...</p><div></div>

<p>I've had the 18-135; but I never found it to be that sharp at the long end (this is a lens that needs VR) and the CA was so obvious I traded it towards a used 18-70, which I still have.</p>

<p>Sadly the 18-70 was damaged in a fall with my S3, the filter was smashed, the hood cracked and the front element of the lens was chipped :(</p>

<p>I still use it but if I shoot towards a light source the damage becomes apparent. So I went to the store to buy a stand-in for my damaged 18-70. I tested the following:</p>

<ul>

<li>Nikon 18-105 VR (nice) and </li>

<li>Sigma 18-125 (non-VR). The Sig struggled to lock focus but funnily enough I got more keepers with it that day than the 18-105.</li>

<li>The 18-55 VR. It cost the least (and compared to the Sig, locked focus with very little effort) so I bought it. </li>

</ul>

<p>Comparing the 18-70 to the 18-55 VR, I'd say go for the 18-70. The latter locks focus faster, produces sharper images and has better contrast. Oh, and it's faster than the 18-55 which makes the choice a no-brainer to me.</p>

<p>VR, IMO, only has a role to play out at +100mm. Anything shorter you can comfortably shoot hand-held.</p>

<p>Thanks Peter. I know Joao through the PictureNET agency in Johannesburg (and the JustUs) bike club. He's a great lil guy and I wish him the best.</p>

<p>I'm currently travelling with this lens, a Nikon D40 and.. 18-55 VR as backup. That's it. Been on the road four months now. Dropped it once and had to send it in for repairs here in Tel Aviv. They did a fine job but I had to buy a cheap zoom while it was in the shop. I use it day and night and have not been disappointed by the results.</p>

<p>These jets have been patrolling the skies here in northern Israel day and night since the weekend. Usually too high up for me to photo but yesterday morning I saw them making doughnuts in the sky.</p><div></div>

<p>Shot with a Nikon D40; 18-70 AF-S lens @ ISO 400 in the mountain village of Tzfat, Israel.</p><div></div>

<p>I tried using my G9 in a low light scenario at a concert instead of my dSLR - result: a wasted opportunity as the noise levels were so high the images are unusable.</p>

<p>I now use a Nikon D40 + 35/1.8 lens - it's ultra-portable and I get the shots I want in most lighting. I'll never use a point n shoot again</p>

<p>I have started getting a "memory card error - card locked" error. After checking that the card wasn´t locked I tried three other cards but keep getting the same message.</p>

<p>I reset the camera and the message persists so I concluded the problem lies with the camera not the cards.</p>

<p>Any ideas what I can do short of sending her in for repairs? I suspect this is a G9 software issue.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>R.</p>

Well Dave I am not sure what you ended up with but I am also about to start down the path of astrophotography - using a '86 Nikon EM with a 75-150/3.5 E-series zoom.

Hi Daniel

 

I agree with Stefan. Tel Aviv is a World Heritage site as it has the world's largest collection of Bauhaus architecture. The city (country) is also full of beautiful people. You will have plenty of photo opps.

 

The time you will be here is mid-summer and the light will be very harsh ( not to mention, extremely hot) so be prepared for that. Which means very early morning and late evening photoshoots (after 8am 'til about 4pm it's too hot to be about anyway)

 

When you are here pick up a copy of the weekend editions of the Jerusalem Post and HaAretz newspapers to get an idea as to what is happening culturally.

 

As for the issue of security, Israel is very safe. I've lived in Johannesburg and America and feel completely at ease walking the streets of Tel Aviv.

 

For more you may take a look at my site http://ru55el.com/

 

Have a great trip.