mark_drutz

<p>Alan, thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it.</p>

<p>I subscribe to Popular Photography, Shutterbug, and Outdoor Photographer.</p>

<p>My daughter and son-in-law have two pugs (actually one passed away recently, it was heartbreaking). I've never had a problem with autofocus with them. Outside I would use the 55-250 IS. Inside I agree with the poster who recommended bounce flash. Direct flash will give you those dreaded headlight eyes. When shooting without flash it will be difficult to get high enough shutter speeds. If you shoot at f/1.8 you will get very narrow depth-of-field.</p>

<p>When shooting any animal it helps to know its habits and behavior patterns. It will help you to anticipate the animal's moves.</p>

<p>It's purely a matter of personal taste. I shoot very little B&W and none of my children or grandchildren. I've seen B&W photos of newborns, and they're just not for me.</p>

<p>I wear transition lens glasses all of the time. There's no problem using the viewfinder, but it does effect how well I see the LCD screen. It also effects judging exposure, but I rely on the histogram more for that. I'd rather wear regular glasses, but my eyes have become sensitive to bright light, and the transition lenses help.</p>

<p>Every so often people will ask me to take their picture with their cell phone. I do it, but I tell them that with the transition lenses I can barely see the LCD screen. Last weekend a woman handed me her Sony RX100 to take her picture. It's a great camera but it doesn't have a viewfinder. I could barely see her on the LCD screen. It's hard enough to see the LCD screen in bright light, but with the transition lenses it's next to impossible to use it to compose.</p>

<p>I shoot in landscape or portrait mode depending on which is best for that photo. The shape of the screen is not a consideration. It's a personal choice.</p>

<p>The SL1 is about as small and light as a DSLR gets. Not too heavy and very sharp are the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 OS HSM and Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 with or without VC. The smallest and lightest Nikon would be the D3200 and D3300. The Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 is a big heavy lens. You can use the Tamron or Sigma with the D3200 or D3300 for a light weight combination.</p>

<p>Between the Sigma and the Tamron I bought the Sigma because it focuses faster. I had the Tamron w/o VC and it often focused slowly and hunted. The Sigma is quick and quiet.</p>

<p>You can check Amazon for a guide to your camera. Meanwhile read the manual that came with it. There are many good basic photography books. My two favorites are, "National Geographic Complete Photography", and "Understanding Photography Field Guide" by Bryan Peterson. Peterson's book, "Understnding Exposure" is also good, but his Guide is more inclusive.</p>

<p>For the kind of shooting you want to do I suggest a Nikon 18-105 VR. You can cut the cost by getting a used or factory refurbished one. Try B&H and Adorama for new and refurbished. Try keh.com as well as B&H and Adorama for used. The 17-50 f/2.8 lenses are good lenses, but unless you also have a longer lens, you may find the 50mm end not long enough for many shots.</p>

<p>If your colors are dull, it's likely not the fault of the lens. If you are shooting RAW you can improve the colors in post processing (PP). If you are shooting JPEG's you can brighten up the colors by setting the camera to vivid and/or by setting it to a higher level of saturation. Your manual will tell you how to do both. You can also brighten the colors in PP if you shoot JPEG's.</p>

<p>If you only need the 200-400 range occasionally, consider using a Nikon 1.4X converter with the 70-200.</p>

<p>I agree that we have to accept risk in our lives. I also agree that which risks we accept is a personal decision. I feel that exposing babies and toddlers to direct flash is an unnecessay risk when I can use available light or bounce flash. I only brought this up to inform the OP that there may be a risk involved with direct flash. It's up to the OP to make his/her own decision.</p>

<p>Dave, I believe that it's better to be safe than sorry. As an example, I had chronic prostatitis for years, but I was assured that there was no connection between it and prostate cancer. Now they're not sure. My PSA was under 4 but it was slowly going up. My urologist said it's probably nothing but he said it's better to be safe than sorry, and he did a biopsy. I had prostate cancer.</p>

<p>There's a lot that doctors aren't sure about. I'd rather err on the safe side. I guess I'm just ignorant.</p>

<p>The new issue of Popular Photography has an article on f/4 compared to f/2.8 lenses. F/4 lenses are smaller, lighter, and less expensive than comparable f/2.8 lenses. Also with stabilization and with today's cameras having such good image quality at high iso's f/2.8 is not as important as it used to be. If you are not shooting indoor sports you may not need f/2.8.</p>

<p>In the US labs have reported nude baby photos to the police and there have been prosecutions for child pornography. Even if not convicted, one does not need the trouble. The US is far more puritanical than Europe.</p>

<p>First I recommend that you get a camera with a viewfinder. The LCD screen can be very hard to see and compose on in bright daylight when you may be shooting landscapes. If you want a small camera, there are high end compact cameras that do have viewfinders. The Canon G15 and Panasonic LF1 are two good ones. The Panasonic LX7 with the optional EVF (electronic viewfinder) is also a good choice.</p>

<p>Any entry level DSLR from Nikon, Canon, Pentax, or Sony would be good. You could get the kit lens which is usually an 18-55mm zoom. That gives you a wide-angle to short telephoto. You could also get a kit containing the camera, an 18-55, and a tele zoom like a 55-200 for what you have to spend, or you could get just the body and an upgraded lens. I'm most familiar with Nikon so I'd consider a Nikon D5200 or D5100 with a Nikon 18-105 VR lens.</p>

<p>Smaller than a DSLR and bigger than a compact is a group of cameras called ILC (interchangable lens compacts) or mirrorless cameras. The Sony NEX series, Nikon 1 series, Olympus micro 4/3 series, and Panasonic micro 4/3 series are in this group. I'm not really up on these so I won't recommend a specific camera.</p>

<p>I agree that you should handle the cameras that you are considering before deciding. If you can't, then buy from an online dealer with a good reputation and a good return policy.</p>

<p>Congratulations! I read somewhere that it's best not to use flash with babies so I asked my family doctor who is also a board certified pediatrition, and I asked my eye doctor. My family doctor said it's best not to use flash until the child is two years old. He said if you do use flash back off and use a longer lens. Bounce flash is OK. My eye doctor agreed but he did not give an age when it's OK to use direct flash.</p>

<p>I have twin grandchildren who are now 10 months old. I use a DSLR with a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and a Panasonic LX7 compact with an f/1.4-2.3 lens both without direct flash. I have used bounce flash.</p>

<p>I may be overly cautious, but I feel that it's better to be safe than sorry.</p>

<p>I would get written consent, not use any names, and definately no nude photos. You might offer a small discount if the parent lets you use the photo.</p>

<p>If you're talking about NYC's High Line take the 18-105 and the 11-16. If you're only taking one lens make it the 18-105.</p>

<p>Lewis Hines (not sure of spelling) also photographed the terrible conditions people lived and worked in New York. He especially exposed the evils of child labor at the time. The work of both photographers is well worth looking up.</p>

<p>There is a large public housing project in NYC named for Jacob Riis.</p>

<p>Great photos. When our dachshund died we were too hearbroken to get another dog. I had always had a pet and I wanted our children to have a pet because I think that pets are good for children. We ended up getting a dwarf rabbit who we named Shadow. He was a great companion animal. We had him for 12 years and we were heartbroken when he died.</p>

<p>BTW, we now have another dachshund. I always maintain that dogs (and cats and rabbits) are better than people. People kill people for the stupidest reasons, but there has never been a case of a dog killing another dog because it was a different breed or color.</p>

<p>I'm a friendly person, and I guess it comes across. I usually just ask, "Would you mind if a took a couple of pictures?" People almost never say no. The few times people say no, I take no for an answer and walk away. When I do take someones's picture I always thank them. If I photograph their child or dog I offer to email them a copy. If they want one I always send one.</p>

<p>I don't enjoy postprocessing and I try to do as little as possible. I shot slide film for 40 years so I'm used to getting it right in the camera. As a result I usually just have to do some minor tweaking. One thing that I do differently with digital than I did with film is that with film I shot to fill the frame. With digital, when I'm working fast, I do what B&W shooters used to do, that is, I shoot loose and print tight.</p>

<p>I used one with a Panasonic LX7 and it didn't give any information on how much charge was remaining. My feeling is that in the greater scheme of things battereies don't cost that much so why risk an expensive camera to save a few dollars on a battery? When I couldn't get a Panasonic battery for the LX7 and I wasn't happy with the Pearstone battery I bought a duracell battery from duracelldirect.com. It works perfectly, but it wasn't cheap.</p>

<p>The Nikon 55-300 VR will also AF on your D5100. The 55-300 VR is smaller and lighter. I've had both. The 55-300 VR is a little sharper wide open at 300mm. The 70-300 VR has a more rugged build and focuses faster.</p>

<p>The Tamron 70-300 VC is very sharp and is priced between the two Nikons. Only consider the VC version. You can save some money on the 70-300 VR by getting a used or refurbished one. Check keh.com, B&H, and Adorama.</p>

<p>There are 3 versions of the Nikon 70-300. Only the VR version will autofocus (AF) on your D5100. The VR version is alsothe best by far.</p>