D200 vs. EOS 40D for Yearbook

[Abstract]

^^^That's what I thought too.

Must be an American high school.

 

[javabear90]

If I were you, I'd get the Nikon 85 mm f/1.8 and Sigma 30 mm f/1.4. Why get the 50 mm f/1.8 if you have the 85 mm f/1.8, and you want to get the most range with your budget?

Hmm... thats not a bad idea. Although I'm not sure that we would do to much wide(er) fast action shots with the 30mm. I guess for basketball it wouldn't be too bad though.

-Ted

 

[Digital Skunk]

^^^That's what I thought too.

Must be an American high school.

Hey now... not every American high school has that much cash!

You meant to say it was a suburban white picket fence school inside of a closed community that politically and social excludes other from entering.

My high school had a budget of $1000 to print the entire book. Photogs had to bring their own bodies and glass.

 

[Abstract]

Hmm... thats not a bad idea. Although I'm not sure that we would do to much wide(er) fast action shots with the 30mm. I guess for basketball it wouldn't be too bad though.

-Ted

Well for basketball.....yes it would be bad. However, for indoor events, or even outdoor events your highschool may host, where you want to walk around and take photos of people , I think it's a great option. 50 mm is too long in crowded places, really. If you have space to take shots of people from further back, then you may as well pull out the 85 mm f/1.8. If you can't afford to get the Sigma 30 mm f1.4 + Nikon 85 mm f1.8 (due to the higher cost of purchasing the Sigma 30 mm rather than the Nikon 50 mm), then you could get the Sigma 30 mm + Nikon 50 mm instead of the Sigma 30 mm + Nikon 85 mm. The Nikon 85 mm lenses may be classic portrait lenses, but on DSLRs, a 50 mm is almost as good.

I realize that I said "Why get the 50 mm f/1.8 if you have the 85 mm f/1.8, and you want to get the most range with your budget?", and the difference between the 30 mm and 50 mm focal range is an even smaller difference, but I think the difference between the 30 mm and 50 mm focal lengths may actually be bigger than the difference between 50 mm and 85 mm (in terms of usefulness, anyway).

 

[termina3]

Hey now... not every American high school has that much cash!

You meant to say it was a suburban white picket fence school inside of a closed community that politically and social excludes other from entering.

My high school had a budget of $1000 to print the entire book. Photogs had to bring their own bodies and glass.

I don't really want to direct the thread this way (i.e. into a more political discussion), but because I'm so tired of hearing people judge our school based solely on money, I have to respond...

First off, you're right about most American schools not having this much money... we're lucky, and I won't deny that.

suburban? No. We're actually inside one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.

I don't know how you can politically exclude someone from entering a school–what, do they test the kids "are you a republican, democrat, or other" in Kindergarten? We're non-denominational with roots in Episcopalian tradition (this works out surprisingly well, despite the contradiction)

Social exclusion? A more accurate term would be socio-economic exclusion. While there are kids on scholarship (academic only, to the coaches' chagrin), most of the students are in the upper-mid or upper classes. Because of this we are lucky to get large budgets in various areas, and because of what the school has come to expect from us we often get to decide where that money goes.

And we're most definitely exclusive as to intelligence. Considering my point of view, this must sound conceited, but if you aren't talented in the classroom, you don't get in. Obviously there are people who are just as smart–who learn in a different environment–who just don't "fit".

Closed community? Absolutely. But we're also tight-nit, which has many benefits.

Long story short, it's a diverse, but majority WASP (to use such an incredibly un-PC term), school which is lucky to be well funded by many generous donors. Over the internet, your tone is lost–but my previous experience would extend you one of envy or disgust. Or both. I'm fiscally conservative, and strongly believe in the right of successful parents to try and raise their children for success (i.e. spend boatloads of money on the kids' education). Do you? (rhetorical if you like)

 

[Crawn2003]

In the fall, that's precisely where these cameras will be for 25-40% of the time. Other fast-paced sports are in the Winter and Spring too.

I take that statement back. I just did a photo shoot for this couple that their kid is a quaterback for a local high school.

I went out, took the S5 and a 70-200mm 2.8 VR and I was REALLY, REALLY, REALLY happy with the results. I was able to capture every moment and didn't loose any frames and got really good results.

Soooo... I was wrong at first but found that it really is pretty good for FPS.

Just my 2 cents.

~Crawn

P.S. Some Examples

 

[Digital Skunk]

I don't really want to direct the thread this way (i.e. into a more political discussion), but because I'm so tired of hearing people judge our school based solely on money, I have to respond...

First off, you're right about most American schools not having this much money... we're lucky, and I won't deny that.

suburban? No. We're actually inside one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.

I don't know how you can politically exclude someone from entering a school–what, do they test the kids "are you a republican, democrat, or other" in Kindergarten? We're non-denominational with roots in Episcopalian tradition (this works out surprisingly well, despite the contradiction)

Social exclusion? A more accurate term would be socio-economic exclusion. While there are kids on scholarship (academic only, to the coaches' chagrin), most of the students are in the upper-mid or upper classes. Because of this we are lucky to get large budgets in various areas, and because of what the school has come to expect from us we often get to decide where that money goes.

And we're most definitely exclusive as to intelligence. Considering my point of view, this must sound conceited, but if you aren't talented in the classroom, you don't get in. Obviously there are people who are just as smart–who learn in a different environment–who just don't "fit".

Closed community? Absolutely. But we're also tight-nit, which has many benefits.

Long story short, it's a diverse, but majority WASP (to use such an incredibly un-PC term), school which is lucky to be well funded by many generous donors. Over the internet, your tone is lost–but my previous experience would extend you one of envy or disgust. Or both. I'm fiscally conservative, and strongly believe in the right of successful parents to try and raise their children for success (i.e. spend boatloads of money on the kids' education). Do you? (rhetorical if you like)

Don't worry. It was merely a joke. I don't disagree with parents supporting their children financially or in any other way. All in all I was just making a statement that times have changed slightly and schools have much more money than they did in the past. My former High School does multi-media productions now... and it was an engineering prep school so they have really branched out.

There is a way to politically/socially exclude someone from doing things but that is another conversation that is no where computer oriented. As for those students that don't get the boatloads of cash from their parents... they actually end up doing a lot better in college and living on their own than the ones that get VISAs from their parents. The college I work for has both types... and the ones with the cash tend to skate through school with a "C" average. The ones that are paying for school themselves and working full-time do much much better.

 

[rubbersoul]

get a D200

The fuji is a sweet machine, but not for a highschool yearbook. You need something tough and fast, the D200. The 30d is an OK camera but the images are too plasticy for me. Nikon has better glass for the price, and if you say L series you can sit down, L series might be great but not for a $500 minimum premium.

 

[termina3]

The college I work for has both types... and the ones with the cash tend to skate through school with a "C" average. The ones that are paying for school themselves and working full-time do much much better.

I'm in complete agreement. I can see the attitude and inherent results start to form in High School, firsthand.

 

[milozauckerman]

sigh... wonder what life is like at my high school now.

When I graduated (2000), the newspaper (same equipment as yearbook) was still using the beige all-in-one Macs w/ PageMaker and Photoshop from ~1992. Paste-up was by hand, on the rickety light tables we built years before.

Whipper-snappers.