D60 purchase. What should I buy 1st...

Talon

Talon

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Jon
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Morning all.

I posted on here a while back for advice on which camera to purchase. Since then everythings gone crazy and I have had no time to do anything but work and sleep (and thats been hard work too, but that's another story).

Well hopefully things are slowing a little and I might have time to actually try get into the Photography lark. I've been keeping up on posts here (trolling) under the cover of QA'ing our internet connectivity :naughty:

Anyhow, I bought a 2nd hand Nikon D60 from another popular forum for what I hope is a reasonable price - £250.

Nikon D60 for sale with 18-55mm lens (non VR lens), 4GB SD card, strap, battery, charger, bag, flash diffuser and tripod. Excellent condition and light use (1400 photos)
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Now the only thing I had reservations about was the none Image Stablising lens, will that be a major stumbling block?

If I was to go out and purchase another lens what would you recommend for general learning use for landscapes and the odd animal ?

I'm also interested in a macro lens but dependant on the question above that might have to wait.

Any other gear I should look at like remotes etc....

Cheers folks.

Jon.
 
Jon

I don't think a lack of VR would be a problem, unless you are shooting in low light without a flash. Like you I have a D60 and I have just picked up 2nd hand a Nikon 18-70mm lens, aminly to get a few more features and "hopefully" a touch more sharpness.

If I did any telephoto style work (wildlife,motorsport etc) I would have probably stuck with my kit lens and gone for something longer.

Other stuff- well a tripod for certain, some filters (well landscapes anyway) and a remote release could be useful but far from essential.

I am more inclined to spend money on days out/away to give me some new subject matter to photograph before I go much further.
 
The 55-200 at around £160sh or the 70-300 at £400 would be good, I like the extra reach the 70-300 gets me.

I would also look at the sb600 flash for 200 if you do a lot of indoor stuff as it makes an amazing difference to the picture quality.
 
Been looking at the older interwebs and a couple of shineys caught my eye.

Tarmon 90mm Macro
Sigma 105mm Macro

I kinda like the idea of the macro stuff and was thinking of stumping up for one of these. Now I understand the Nikkor naming convention and what to look for (I think) and the D60 needs a AF-S lens due to not having an internal auto focus dodad. What about Sigma and Tarmon?

Also anyone recommend good shops to but one from?

Cheers.
 
Not sure but I think the earlier Tamron did not have a built in motor but the latest one definately does - I have got one!
 
Sigma is HSM.
Tamron have just started producing lenses with a built in motor. (They call it VC).
 
Tamron's VC marking stands for Vibration Control - their version of VR, IS or OS.

Now the only thing I had reservations about was the none Image Stablising lens, will that be a major stumbling block? ** At shorter focal lengths, not having VR shouldn't be a problem.

If I was to go out and purchase another lens what would you recommend for general learning use for landscapes and the odd animal ? ** Unfortunately, those 2 disciplines generally need different lenses, with wider angles being favoured for landscapes and telephotos for wildlife. To be honest, the kit lens should be OK for most landscape needs so I would go for a telephoto as the next lens to buy. The 55-200 would leave you with no gap between the kit lens and the tele but a 70-300 would give you extra reach.

I'm also interested in a macro lens but dependant on the question above that might have to wait. ** As a cheap introduction to close up and macro, you could try some close up "filters" (actually supplementary lenses that screw onto the front of your lens). They won't give as good results as a dedicated macro lens but will be a LOT cheaper!

Any other gear I should look at like remotes etc.... ** The ML-L3 IR remote is a handy gadget as is a spare battery.
 
Thanks for the advice folks.

I really do fancy the Tarmon 90mm Macro but the newer ones with integrated motor seem to be in short supply atm so I'll put that on the back burner for a few months.

I have looked at the 70-300mm lenses and this one seems a decent buy - http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1008565

Is it worth getting something like this or paying the extra for a Nikkor?
Also is the shop above reliable or is there anywhere better?

Cheers.
 
Talon said:
Thanks for the advice folks.

I really do fancy the Tarmon 90mm Macro but the newer ones with integrated motor seem to be in short supply atm so I'll put that on the back burner for a few months.

I have looked at the 70-300mm lenses and this one seems a decent buy - http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1008565

Is it worth getting something like this or paying the extra for a Nikkor?
Also is the shop above reliable or is there anywhere better?

Cheers.
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Never owned a Sigma, there have been cases of poor build quality but there also seem to be plenty of happy users. I have the 70-300 and it is a nice quality lens.

I have bought from Warehouse express in the flesh as I work in norwich sometimes. Good service and have loads of canon, nikon, sony, tamron, tokina and sigma lenses to play with plus no end of bags, lighting etc... would strongly recommend them based on that.
 
Talon said:
Morning all.
Anyhow, I bought a 2nd hand Nikon D60 from another popular forum for what I hope is a reasonable price - £250.

Jon.
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that's a good price for that camera and combo, was almost too good to be true type.

just correct some of the posts. Tamron has motors in some of their lenses, I do not know exactly which ones, but i do know the 70-200 definitely does...however the VC is a completely different thing. VC refers to image stablisation technology, short for Vibration Compensation so it is similar to the VR abbreviation. you will need the motor for your D60.

The 70-300mm and the tamron 90mm are completely different lenses for different kind of work. 70-300 is for far away stuff like animals, landscapes, motor sports or sports. 70-300 suffers from the relatively small aperture thus cannot isolate the subject too well. where the 90mm is for portraits and macros with its large aperture you get very good pronunciation on the subject, its a tele-prime so very limited in terms of landscape as you need to be doing a fair bit of running to get the composition you want :LOL:

before you buy new lenses from anywhere, do a price comparison and check out the 2nd hand markets...most lenses are decent enough quality to last a life time. (well maybe not a life time but a bloody long time! you still see those old cameras knocking about in mint condition ...)

price comparison sites...camerapricebuster; idealo.co.uk and the good old google shopping
 
tamron does the 70-300mm range as well with motor and without VC. might be worth investigating...i am an avid tamron fan :) love the optics from them, very sharp very vivid colors.
 
that's a good price for that camera and combo, was almost too good to be true type.
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I'm hoping not, but I'm alway doubtfull when buying any 2nd hand stuff on the net, until I get it in me hands.

Thanks again for the info.
 
Well I got the Camera and it seems to work ok so thats good.

I also went with some recommendation and bought a 70-300mm lens, went with a Nikkor AF-S VR lens in the end though it was prolly worth the extra reddies.

Now comes the hard part, the learning.

Cheers.
 
Talon said:
Well I got the Camera and it seems to work ok so thats good.

I also went with some recommendation and bought a 70-300mm lens, went with a Nikkor AF-S VR lens in the end though it was prolly worth the extra reddies.

Now comes the hard part, the learning.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Get hold of a copy of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

It will help with the understanding.
 
With regards the Tamron 90mm, don't be put off by the ones that don't have a built in motor. I find (and I'm sure others do too) that you only tend to focus the once on your subject and then that's it. It's not as though you're tracking a fast moving object or something similar is it. Just a thought.
 
Thanks I have that book ready to be read.

I just got home and been in the back garden having a coffe while playing. My 1st attempts at photography (not sure if I'm suppose to post photo's here or start a new thread)

Lazy pigeon (1 of 1).jpg



busy bee (1 of 1).jpg



...bear in mind all I know about this stuff is what I have read on here.

Cheers.
Jon.
 
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