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New to dSLR,£700 budget, what do you recommened?

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parajba

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
513
269
In the end I went for the D90 with the 18-105 VR kit lens. I picked it up yesterday, have been using it since then and am loving it.

I'm really glad I bought this camera, the LCD is just so crisp, the body feels so solid, the 2 dedicated dials are spot on.

Even if I'm an amateur, I tend to use the aperture and shutter speed dials quite often, well, in theory every time you shoot a photo...

Thanks everybody for the advice! Next item a 35 or 50mm lens, a new memory card (I'm still using my old 1GB 66x memory!) and a tripod.
 
P

parajba

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
513
269
El Cabong said:
It's very important that a camera feels right in your hands, so the D90 is probably your best bet. Waiting for a new model is time better spent learning how to use your new camera.

As far as other/better lenses, the 18-105mm is great for general purpose use, but if you can cough up another 100 quid (going by Amazon.co.uk prices), you could get the excellent 50mm f/1.8 AF-D (which can't autofocus the D5000, but can on the D90), or for another 200, you could get the also great 35mm f/1.8 DX AF-S (which can on both). Nothing like some shallow depth-of-field for portraits of your new baby.
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I'm going to buy an additional lens as you recommended.
I found the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX AF-S at Calumet for £175. Shall I? Shall I look for the AD (non S) version and it might be cheaper given that I have the D90 and don't need AF-S lenses?
 
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El Cabong

macrumors 6502a
Dec 1, 2008
620
339
parajba said:
I'm going to buy an additional lens as you recommended.
I found the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX AF-S at Calumet for £175. Shall I? Shall I look for the AD (non S) version and it might be cheaper given that I have the D90 and don't need AF-S lenses?
Click to expand...

The AF-D 35mm f/2 actually tends to be more expensive (by ~75%) than the AF-S DX, probably due to it being a full-frame lens, and, despite its age, the most recent full-frame Nikkor 35mm prime available. The AF-S markup for the full-frame 50mm AF-S vs. its full-frame AF-D predecessors does not apply here, unfortunately.
 
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leighonigar

macrumors 6502a
May 5, 2007
908
1
I have used the 35mm f/2 and it's a wonderful lens, most people think the f/1.8 DX is better for DX cameras, I would get that. AF-S is genuinely useful, and you can correct for the extra distortion, but sharpness comes in handy.
 
P

parajba

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
513
269
El Cabong said:
The AF-D 35mm f/2 actually tends to be more expensive (by ~75%) than the AF-S DX, probably due to it being a full-frame lens, and, despite its age, the most recent full-frame Nikkor 35mm prime available. The AF-S markup for the full-frame 50mm AF-S vs. its full-frame AF-D predecessors does not apply here, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

leighonigar said:
I have used the 35mm f/2 and it's a wonderful lens, most people think the f/1.8 DX is better for DX cameras, I would get that. AF-S is genuinely useful, and you can correct for the extra distortion, but sharpness comes in handy.
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Thanks both for the kind replies...but am I bit confused.
Which one should I buy then...?
 
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El Cabong

macrumors 6502a
Dec 1, 2008
620
339
parajba said:
Thanks both for the kind replies...but am I bit confused.
Which one should I buy then...?
Click to expand...

They're both good lenses, but the 35mm f/2 is more expensive than the 35mm f/1.8, and for a DX camera, such as your D90, the difference in performance seems to be negligible. For a full frame camera, the 35mm f/2 is the only option, so if you plan to switch up to FX in the near future ("near" because Nikon may just decide to release an update of the full frame 35mm soon) you might consider it.
 
P

parajba

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
513
269
funkboy said:
Canon just flooded their UK-only EBay outlet with a load of refurbished models.

Have a look...

Personally I think a 450D + 18-55 IS for £480 is a pretty good deal.
Click to expand...

Thanks but I went for a Nikon D90, I didn't like the feel of the 450D/500D/550D in my hands, they all felt like pure plastic and empty boxes.
 
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