My camera upgrade rant - AEB

jammy_c

jammy_c

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James
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Just thought i'd get it off my chest how frustrated I am.
having spent weeks deciding on my next upgrade I have decided to go for a Nikon D3100 as it looks better in the specs than the D5000, which is the only other body in my price range. Infact, the D3100's cheaper! most places you can pick it up for under £400 with the VR kit lens.
sorted! Bargain! (or so I thought) until i read that the D3100 has no Auto Exposure Bracketing function! Grrrrr! :bang: for most people that wouldn't be an issue, but when i'm just getting into HDR photography it's a tad annoying.

had my heart set on the D3100, but this may now have swayed it again.

does anyone know if Nikon have something coming out soon that is for a similar target audience also with AEB?

Think i'll just have to bite the bullet...:thinking:
 
oh, and does anyone know why the D90 is still so expensive in comparison?
 
Surely you can just manualy change the exposure after each shot to get the equivilent of AEB?
 
d3100 - entry level
d90 - slightly older - mid level (pro consumer?)
d300s - entry pro


Hence d90 more expensive. But I wouldn't get the d3100 if you've progressed through the basic level. It will hinder you.

D80/d90 second hand perhaps, or if you can afford it the d7000.

If dosh is not too much of a problem, then look towards the d300/s or d700 (although the latter may restrict your lenses).


Depends on what you are shooting, and your budget.
 
The lack AEB wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. If you're doing HDR then your camera should be on that 3 legged monster anyway, and as Tom says, just do it manually.

In fact when I'm doing multiple exposure work that's exactly how I do it despite my camera having an AEB function.

In any event the D3100 is a significant step from the D40, and there'll be other abilities of the D3100 that you'll probably find more useful than AEB.
 
I was out last night doing AEB photos for HDRing and must admit having the AEB function on my 40D is a massive help. Have previously been doing it manually (ie, changing the exposure between shots) but since having AEB its a lot quicker, easy and the results are better as the time between shots is decreased dramatically.

For example, last night I tried a HDR car light trail - ok the results werent amazing, but without AEB it would have been impossible..
 
If you have Lightroom or photoshop can you not save the file with different exposure settings then do your HDR thang after?
 
futureal33 said:
I was out last night doing AEB photos for HDRing and must admit having the AEB function on my 40D is a massive help. Have previously been doing it manually (ie, changing the exposure between shots) but since having AEB its a lot quicker, easy and the results are better as the time between shots is decreased dramatically.

For example, last night I tried a HDR car light trail - ok the results werent amazing, but without AEB it would have been impossible..
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Turning the shutter speed (or aperture) dial 3/6/9 notches would have been impossible...:cuckoo::lol:
 
For £400 you could get a D80 or D200 with an 18-70 lens. Older tech than the later entry level Nikons but very capable cameras still. No scene modes on the D200 so that tells you its aimed more towards the pro end. The 18-70 lens is miles ahead of the later kit lenses too.
Allan
 
TCR4x4 said:
Surely you can just manualy change the exposure after each shot to get the equivilent of AEB?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I do currently. but it would be soooo much nicer to have the camera do it for you. not just being lazty, but for moving subjects, etc...
 
ecniv said:
d3100 - entry level
d90 - slightly older - mid level (pro consumer?)
d300s - entry pro


Hence d90 more expensive. But I wouldn't get the d3100 if you've progressed through the basic level. It will hinder you.

D80/d90 second hand perhaps, or if you can afford it the d7000.

If dosh is not too much of a problem, then look towards the d300/s or d700 (although the latter may restrict your lenses).

Depends on what you are shooting, and your budget.
Click to expand...

I do quite fancy a D90, but it kind of exceeds my budget at the moment, so to answer your next question, dosh is a bit of a problem. unfortunately :lol:

might be worth having a look into the 2nd hand market, but you never know how much life is left in an older body, and zero warrenty :(

I shoot prettymuch everything. Macro, Sport/Motorsport, Portraiture, cars, buildings, etc so that's more down to the lens, but i'd really like to get into HDR more and feel that something that will AEB will be a help
maybe :thinking:
 
AndyWest said:
If you have Lightroom or photoshop can you not save the file with different exposure settings then do your HDR thang after?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the Nikon software (ViewNX) lets me alter the RAW by + or - a couple of EV and I quite often do it like that now, but it is time consuming if i'm doing a whole batch. but true, it can be done. however, i've always found that the best results are always from bracketing properly rather than adjusting the RAW.
 
allanm said:
For £400 you could get a D80 or D200 with an 18-70 lens. Older tech than the later entry level Nikons but very capable cameras still. No scene modes on the D200 so that tells you its aimed more towards the pro end. The 18-70 lens is miles ahead of the later kit lenses too.
Allan
Click to expand...

where is the best place to look for something like a D80 or D200 second hand? is there a recommended retailer(s)?
 
There only real important difference is the body is a bit more durable and from some posts I recall the noise performance in the D300 is better.
 
wazy15 said:
D90 and D300 are both DX

There only real important difference is the body is a bit more durable and from some posts I recall the noise performance in the D300 is better.
Click to expand...

Ah, my mistake. I thought the D300 was FX. fair enough, but as i'm not a pro I think i'd probably benefit more from a shiny new D90 with a 18-105mm VR ;)
 
I ended up getting a D90. The lack of AEB discounted the D3100 for me, then the lack of an internal motor on the D5000 put that out of contention.

If I'm honest, I'd probably have been happy with the D5000, but a very good friend of mine is a semi-professional photographer and lent me a D200 and also showed me some of his kit and I got a bit of gear envy. For ages it was a toss up between the D200 or D90, but a few minutes playing with the D90 in the shop swung it for me. So far I'm very happy with my choice, in fact another friend had a go with mine and promptly went out and upgraded to a D90 from his D40!
 
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