Jumping into the DSLR world. (I think?)

I agree with Gary, I wouldn't consider it a dealbreaker. ; It's really a personal decision. ; It's not something that I ever used to any great extent. ; If depth of field is critical, I set the aperture manually and bracket.

If you want some more information on the camera before you commit, you can download the D5000 manual from the Nikon web site, or read an in-depth D5000 review at dpreview.com.
 
I also agree DOF button may be nice, in reality few use it that often and it is a bit more superfluous in the digital era where you can preview your shot so quickly. ; I've lived without one for 2 years, and I don't really feel like I'm missing anything. ; I either preview a shot to make sure the DOF is what I want, or bracket like Dennis.
 
it's not a dealbreaker imho, i almost never use mine, i tend more to bracket, and /or fire of a test shot, if it's not what i want, most of the time experience gets me close and i only need a minor tweak to settings
 
Thanks everyone!!

One more thing, the second lens I was looking to get with this was the Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Zoom Nikkor Lens...my point and shoot Canon SX110 had 10X zoom and I used that alot, what is the zoom like on the 55-200mm lens?

I used zoom alot on my p&s, so I am sure I will use it just as much on a DSLR, do you agree? And is 200mm a good zoom for a starter?

thanks
 
The 200mm will be about the same as 300mm full frame, which is a little bit shorter than what you had on the SX110. ;

Is it good as a starter? ; Yes.


Is it going to be part of a kit? ; If not, perhaps you should wait and pick up a 70-300VR. ; Higher quality and you'll have about 100mm longer FOV than the SX110. ; But the other lens is lighter and smaller.
 
The D5000 with the kit lens and the extra 55-200mm lens is rougly, $849, good price from what I have seen online.

I dont have the money for the 300mm lens, and I have seen it in person, I think it is really too big for me at the moment, too.
 
Well like I said, it is a good starter lens. ; You'll probably see better results at the long end of the zoom with the D5000 over your SX110 as well....
 
get what you can afford and will use right now, right here, too much gear will in fact slow down your learning, too many things to master at once. the best thing you can do for yourself is get the camera, start with 1 lens, read and re-read that instructional manual, then read a few books on photography from the public library, maybe pick up a kelby book or two, experiment, look at the exif data,take 10 shots of the same thing, ruthlessly throw out 9, take another 10, same process, repeat until you have 10 from 100, now review, why did i keep these 10 versus some of the others, was it technical, did i like composition , etc,
one of the best things you can do for yourself is get a 50mm prime, and shoot everyday for about 6 months with it, even if it's just 1 shot a day, of a family pet or the car, whatever, the concept of the exercise is to develop you eye for composition, remember, no zoom, so if you want it different, you do the moving. teaches a ; lot about angles, field of view and composition, it's something i do all the time myself, always looking to strengthen my artistic skill, technical is easier to master than artisitic, especially with digital
 
Just to add to gary's very good advice: ; the 50mm prime you'd be looking at is actually the 35/1.8, which runs about $200 new (if you can find it).
 
Hi again!

Alrighty...since I am going to go with the D5000, I had a question about lenses.

I tried the 55-200mm lens on it and it didnt seem that "fast" in all instances. By fast, I mean that it took longer to autofocus, and the person at the store told me that it can be a slower lens in low light. I am thinking that Disney world shooting is low light, so would this be a good zoom lens for Disney and other low light situations?

I want a zoom lens that is good in lower lighting conditions, if that is possible, that way my parents can forgo buying the 55-200mm lens with it and just purchase a different lens that will be a zoom/good in low light instead.

Please let me know if you have any recommendation or any review on the 55-200mm VR lens. I already know the limitation of the AF motor not int he body, so it would need to be in the lens to benefit from AF. Please help me, if you can, so I can let my parents know ASAP.

Thanks everyone for the great help here!
 
A "faster" lens is going to be $1700-2100 or more from Nikon unfortunately.

I'm not sure if the 70-300VR would focus any faster mainly because for an AF-S lens, AF speed is a combination of two things:

1) Lens AF speed
2) Body AF module


Nikon/Canon has three levels of AF on the body: ; Entry level, mid-range and pro. ; Nikon's pro level are on the D3s, D300s, and D700. ; Canon's are on the 1D, 1Ds, and I guess the 7D.

So you have the entry level AF working against you - but it is exponentially higher than a P&S. ;

Also, what were you focusing on? ; Store lighting usually isn't the greatest and is problematic for many cameras to test out. ; It can affect the contrast which isn't how it's supposed to autofocus but it is a factor.
 
Wow, that kind of price is something that we just cannot do....arghh.

I have been looking at other options but havent really found anything worthwhile...I really need help with this. I love the camera feel and features, but I am unsure if the 55-200mm lens will be good for Disney/low light situations, unless I do manual focusing.

Any reviews on the nikon 55-200mm lens from Nikon?

Thanks
 
I don't think that the 55 will be fast enough for some situations. ; There is a small chance that you will get lucky. ; I try with my lenses when I am there all the time. ; Sometimes it works, and others are abominations, but to me it is like a game and always worth the try.
 
OK...I know that this is going to be really bad to even mention here...BUT I wanted to mention it. http://www.techforless.com/cgi-bin/tech ... mv_pc=3037 That lens is by Quantaray and I know it will be NOWHERE near the quality of other lenses, but I wanted to try to get that to see if I like the zoom range, practice MF, and I can take it outside in the snow, to the beach, other places from what I have read people online do with it because its so cheap. This would just be a practice lens, and I would get another lens a bit after I use this one.

I am sure everyone is going to say "NO" to getting that, but I would only get it because of the reasons I said above. I would get a much better lens after trying this for a bit.

I am also a bit disappointed that the 55-200 lens may not be the best for low light-no real other options for me since I am within a tight budget right?

EDIT: Nevermind about the Quantaray, it will not AF with the d5000.
 
1) For low light you'll need something fast, like f/2.8 or faster. ; When you say "Disney", what kind of pics do you mean? ; The 55-200 should do fine outdoors during the day.

2) Sigma makes the Quantaray brand; they also have a couple telephoto lenses with a built in motor for not that much money. ; There is nothing wrong with starting out with a "starter" lens, and moving up from there.


Ken Rockwell loves the 55-200 VR:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/55-200mm-vr.htm

9 Reviews at FredMiranda (user submitted)
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/show ... =28&page=2

(it is the VR version, right?)
 
By Disney, I mean the low light situations like maybe on a dark ride, a parade, etc.

And yes, the 55-200 is the VR that I was looking at, but I will also look at the Sigma lenses as a "starter"
 
For dark rides, to start out with I would use the 35/1.8, or if funds are there try the Sigma 30/1.4. ; You'll need the speed of those lenses.

Same lenses can be used for Spectromagic, although a 2.8 lens can be used with that parade. ; Sigma makes a few 2.8 lenses, and most of them should have motors in them now....much cheaper than the Nikons. ; Other parades during the day the 55-200 should do fine.
 
OK, I will look at those...they seem to be a little high in price to purchase at this time but certainly something I can purchase down the road.

Out of the lenses on this page...http://www.techforless.com/cgi-bin/tech4less/process Yes, I know they are cheaper quality and stuff, but just looking for that "starter" lens so I can then make a better decision on my next lens. Those are all really cheap in price, I know quality wont be there at all, but any of those you think you would be good just for an "overall" starter forgetting the need for low light and all?

Thank you!!
 
http://www.techforless.com/cgi-bin/tech ... mv_pc=1352

Price is perfect for a starter; only downside is that you won't have image stablization. ; It *looks* like the current model, which has a built in AF motor....

But hopefully you could try it in the store; the address piqued my interest, I went to Jr. High down the road from them off Fillmore. ; (still remember the hill going up Fillmore from I-25 as well! ; In the snow!)
 
Alright, thanks for the help.

I hope to research more about the lenses...as of now, I am going to try to get the D5000 with the 2 lenses, and then possibly add one of the lenses from that site later on. Even if its a cheap less than $100 manual focus lens just to play around with, take to the beach, outside in snow, etc.

EDIT: My parents would like to know how this would be?

http://www.techforless.com/cgi-bin/tech ... &mv_pc=601

We already know its of a much lesser quality and all, but just to have a lens that I can take with me to the beach or outside in snow/winter, etc. Is it even worth spending the $20 on it, even if its of less quality and all? She thinks it may be good to just have, I can practice with it, take it places where I may not take the others, etc.
 
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