evannorth

<p>personally, i would go for a used d90 with a warranty. you will out grow the d5100 sooner rather than later. take plenty of pics, learn composition, learn how to get the best out of aperture and manual modes, then go for an upgrade.</p>

<p>i have the 105 af-d, (and he 60mm af=d).both are classic japanese built, pin sharp lenses. the reduction of maximum aperture is normal at close distance. working distance will remain the same with a TC. magnification at minimum distance will increase. i cant say which TC is usable, but it does state which nikon ones that suit it in the lenses manual. </p>

<p>tokina 11-16 can be bought at discount now a new version has been released, no af on the 3200 but with a lens this good who cares? better than either of the other two.</p>

<p>i have the 105 af-d lens, it is a great performer. i chose it over the vr version because it is smaller, lighter stops down a little better than the vr version, and knowing that vr is of little benefit at close distances. classic japanese glass too.</p>

<p>i have heard mixed reviews regarding both lenses. the nikon was the first tele zoom to incorporate vr and also lacks af-s. this makes it a little slow. also, beyond 300mm its IQ drops a little.<br>

the sigma however, may, or may not, have a better, ( but noisier) optical stabiliser. IQ is known to drop beyond 320mm leaving centre sharpness at 500mm rather poor whatever the aperture..<br>

i have considered both of these lenses and decided to go for the nikon 300mm f4 plus a 1.4 tc. although it has no optical stabiliser image quality is far superior. i would rather this fixed focal length with a good reputation rather than take a chance with either of the other two.</p>

<p>i can remember paying £1645 for the d100 body shortly after release, last year i bought the d7000 at £785,(body only). much more than twice the camera for just under half the price. although i certainly cant complain about more recent pricing i would like to see lower prices. if you are in the market for a state of the art dslr it always pays to wait a little while for discounts and deals to become available, or better still, forget the latest model and its usual teething troubles and get an outgoing tried and trusted model, learn how to use it and enjoy!</p>

<p>i take it all with a pinch of salt. the guy is only trying to make a living!</p>

<p>stepping up from the d80 you may notice the d7000 seems a little bit harder to get pin sharp images straight out of the box due to its pixel density. ( then again, maybe you wont). the d7000 is a superb camera although a lot less forgiving if you have a sloppy technique. most complaints are down to user error/poor handling/unwise AF settings. <br>

i have had mine for nearly a year, (i used the d90 for 2 years and kept it as a back up) and whole heartedly recommend it. </p>

<p>i have been thinking long and hard about getting an ultrawide for my d7000 and d90. reading various reviews and studying sample pics it is clear to me that most, if not all dx ultrawides have some kind of drawback. these are usually distortion, ghosting, chromatic aberration and flare. if you really are serious about lanscapes and creative wide angle work i would forget dx and go full frame. (i am a dedicated dx user). ultra wide angle photography is the dx users achiles heel.</p>

<p>i have seen very good results with the j1 and 70-300 vr. if i could get the j1/v1 and an afs lens converter for under £500 i would probably go for it! with @ 810mm focal length equivalent it would be handy for bird photography on a tripod. i suppose the 10-30mm lens would be ok provided it would fit in my pocket for street photography, although a wider option would cap it off.</p>

<p>i have recently acquired a micro nikkor 105mm af-d. which 1.4/1.5 tc is guaranteed to work with it, and how good will it perform?</p>

<p>remove the end cap!</p>

<p>on a budget, i would say d40/d70. 18-55vr. or 55-200vr. maybe 50mm f1.8 af-d.</p>

<p>300 what? pounds, dollars, yen, dinars, francs?</p>

<p>i am quite sure that there are remote, (hot shoe mountable) lcd screens on the market that can connect to most modern dslrs via a hdmi cable available for the price of a used camera body. you would have to be almost insane to modify and quite likely ruin a camera by doing the alterations you are suggesting! </p>

<p>if your sure its legitimate go for it. ask him to show the receipt, or if he has lost this, ask for the serial number before you meet. </p>

<p>i have moved up from the d90 to the d7000, and yes, at first i noticed that you do need to take a little bit more care when hand holding due to the extra pixel density, it will also show the limitations of your lenses. i would imagine the d800 being 36mp would need top quality glass and a very steady hand before you see ultimate results. </p>

<p>i am looking for an UWA lens too. after a fair bit of research on the internet i have narrowed my choice down to the tokina 11-16, or possibly the tokina 12-24. both of these lenses are rated above the nearest nikon equivalents in both sharpness and chromatic abboration. distortion is less and easier to correct too. the sigma 10-20 is very popular but also renowned for softness and distortion. dont make the same mistake as i did and buy the tamron 11-18mm. its crap! tokina have recently released motorised versions of these lenses, so, if your using them for your d7000, get the earlier version as they may be discounting them.</p>

<p>a 300mm f4 and 1.4tc is on my wish list, the one thing stopping me getting one is a; cost. b; lack of vr. by the time i had saved and bought them i am sure a vr version, which is overdue as canon have had an os version for years would be planned. personally, i think something like 200-400mm vr would be a better option if shooting in good light.</p>

<p>try putting it a bag of rice for a week. or you could just leave it somewhere warm, lens off (without body cap), flash up and battery door open for a week and have another look at it. you are lucky it still works at all.</p>

<p>go for the 70-300 vr, great walkabout lens. also, something that you can get in close, like the 50 1.8, or, close plus wide like the 18-55, this way you will have a lot of bases covered.</p>

<p>re cleaning the nikon protector. in my teens i used windowlene glass cleaner to remove scratches from the perspex lid of a hi-fi turntable. worked like a charm, if you have a similar product in the home it may work. (i am from the UK, and talking about the bottled pink stuff, not the spray).</p>

<p>i am also interested in the d300s/d7000 replacement, but going by nikons recent track record i would wait at least 6 months after release to see any bugs or issues that arise. i would like a d7000 upgrade with maybe 24 mp dx sensor, (not that the pixel count is that important). weatherproofing, built in motor, better range finder for manual focus, and faster af. </p>

<p>nikon use the fact that the d7000 shutter is capable of 150,000 actuations, (as far as i remember) as a major selling point for the camera. i would ask them nicely, if it is out of warranty. if you live in the uk eu laws will help protect you for up to 5 years, but you will have to approach the retailer not the manufacturer, (although the retailer will try and fob you off).</p>

<p>macro is my fave photography topic, i have had four macro lenses, and the only one i have got shot of was the tamron 90mm. it has very good optics, but at the expense of cheap build quality, noisy AF, flimsy switches, issues with the d90, plus the fact that it doubles in length when shooting at minimum distance. i sold it and bought the nikon 105 af-d. (i also have the 60mm micro nikkor and love it). i have never regretted selling the tamron, although it is a good starter macro if you are on a budget. also, from the reviews i have read the the af-s vr version of the 105mm suffers more when stopped down than the af-d, is bulkier and heavier too. (size and weight being a major factor as i often carry 2 cameras plus 4 lenses).</p>