- Messages
- 8,193
- Name
- Pat MacInnes
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Have been an EOS user on/off for about 12 years (but mainly used Cambo 5x4, Bronica ETRSi and Mamiya RB67 for a few years) and need to actually own some digital stufff now that i want to do some semi-pro stuff.
I use EOS digital kit for my work (as a photojournalist on a magazine) but I am being drawn towards Nikon for weatherproofing, build quality and just general niceness of lenses.
I currently use a EOS 30D, 100mm macro f2.8, 17-40mm f4, standard 70-300mm and 28-90mm for work. I want to buy a comparable Nikon model and my budget is about £1,500 for body, battery grip, flash, wide-angle zoom and standard zoom. Will buy batteries, tripod, backpack seperately.
I shoot a lot of landscape but also do a fair bit of indoor snowboarding photography, and I'm hoping to get out to the Alps a few times this winter to do some photography.
I cant afford any of the single digit models (D2 etc) and cant afford the new D300 either. I can however afford the D200 and D80, which look excellent, and the FUJI S5 Pro (at a stretch). Ive done a bit of homework and I think the Fuji might be better suited to landscape work because of the SR SuperCCD sensor with the ability to pick out more highlight detail. The D200 does look good though.
I suppose I need decent frames-per-second (for the action stuff) so that puts the D80 at the back of the pack, but one of the most important things to me is what lenses I get with the camera.
The set-up Im considering comprises the Sigma 10-20mm for all wide-angle stuff but I cant settle on which standard zoom to get. The 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 has the better apertures but I also like the look of the 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 at the same price and with the extra reach. Ill look at the Sigma EX range when it comes to choosing a long lens, although some comments on the Nikon superzooms (like the 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 VR DX) would be helpful. A lens like that would do away with the need for a standard zoom AND a telephoto zoom but I need to know youre opinions on whether there are any major problems. Im set on the Sigma 10-20mm, as I have seen the results and for the money its a steal.
Also, Ill be buying a second flash head at some stage for the snowboarding shots. I currently use 550EX Speedlights from Canon, which have wireless slave capabilities - does the Nikon SB600 have the same options (or do I have to buy extra stuff?) or should I hold out for a SB800?
I want a kit thatll see me good for a few years and that will still be valid if I happen to upgrade (when I have the dosh) to something like a D2 in a year or so. I can forsee lens changes in the distant future, but for now I need some quality lenses that wont let me down image-wise but without paying the earth.
I use EOS digital kit for my work (as a photojournalist on a magazine) but I am being drawn towards Nikon for weatherproofing, build quality and just general niceness of lenses.
I currently use a EOS 30D, 100mm macro f2.8, 17-40mm f4, standard 70-300mm and 28-90mm for work. I want to buy a comparable Nikon model and my budget is about £1,500 for body, battery grip, flash, wide-angle zoom and standard zoom. Will buy batteries, tripod, backpack seperately.
I shoot a lot of landscape but also do a fair bit of indoor snowboarding photography, and I'm hoping to get out to the Alps a few times this winter to do some photography.
I cant afford any of the single digit models (D2 etc) and cant afford the new D300 either. I can however afford the D200 and D80, which look excellent, and the FUJI S5 Pro (at a stretch). Ive done a bit of homework and I think the Fuji might be better suited to landscape work because of the SR SuperCCD sensor with the ability to pick out more highlight detail. The D200 does look good though.
I suppose I need decent frames-per-second (for the action stuff) so that puts the D80 at the back of the pack, but one of the most important things to me is what lenses I get with the camera.
The set-up Im considering comprises the Sigma 10-20mm for all wide-angle stuff but I cant settle on which standard zoom to get. The 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 has the better apertures but I also like the look of the 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 at the same price and with the extra reach. Ill look at the Sigma EX range when it comes to choosing a long lens, although some comments on the Nikon superzooms (like the 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 VR DX) would be helpful. A lens like that would do away with the need for a standard zoom AND a telephoto zoom but I need to know youre opinions on whether there are any major problems. Im set on the Sigma 10-20mm, as I have seen the results and for the money its a steal.
Also, Ill be buying a second flash head at some stage for the snowboarding shots. I currently use 550EX Speedlights from Canon, which have wireless slave capabilities - does the Nikon SB600 have the same options (or do I have to buy extra stuff?) or should I hold out for a SB800?
I want a kit thatll see me good for a few years and that will still be valid if I happen to upgrade (when I have the dosh) to something like a D2 in a year or so. I can forsee lens changes in the distant future, but for now I need some quality lenses that wont let me down image-wise but without paying the earth.