N00b needs a bit of help

rikki1q

rikki1q

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Rik
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i've been enjoying taking a lot of pictures recently with my trustly fuji s5600 and i think its time i upgraded my questions are as follows

ive been looking at getting either a nikon d40 or a pentax k100 which would be the best for everyday snap shots yet good for sports(motorcycle ones in particular) and wildlife

the second point is im not really sure about lenses and what they mean ive been indoctrinated by the compact cameras and their x3 optical zoom ratings and the like so im not sure what 18-55mm means

and last of all which of the 2 cameras im interested in has the cheapest lenses for it ? a silly concern maybe but i dont want to have to sell the house to buy more gear

thanx in advance for any help

Rik
 
Welcome to TP.....

Simple enough..... to start with :thinking:

Both cameras will do what you're asking them to do. 18-55mm is a 3x zoom! 18mm being reasonably wide while the 55mm end will work as a nice portrait 'length'.

You can buy 'independent' lenses for either camera and they will be the same....Tamron, Sigma etc.

Nikon glass will be dearer but the range is quite extensive.

No doubt someone will come along and tell you need to buy a Canon :cautious:
 
I use a canon (there you go chuckles) and never had trouble with it. A mate of mine shoots with a nikon and never had trouble with that. So ... neither would be wrong, nor would the pentax ;) Go into Jessops, pick them all up, read some reviews.

To figure out the zoom, it is 55 / 18 = 3 (roughly). The smaller the first number, the wider your shot can be - you'll fit more in. The bigger the 2nd number, the more you can zoom in.

Something else to look at with lenses is the f stop. This indicates how much light gets in through the lens. Smaller number = more light = better shooting in darker conditions. This is very rough explanation, but this is the basic idea. A smaller number also means you can shoot quicker, eg for sports as less light is required for a good pic.

Your point n shoot camera will have all these numbers too, check the manufacturers site or the manual (if you can find it ;) ) That should give you some idea of what you are used to, although dslr's are more capable than the equivalent spec compact.+

I started out with the kit lens (18-55mm) which did me proud all around australia. I've now upgraded because I want a bit extra ( and I damaged the lens).

Hope that sort of helps ;)
 
Do you know - I thought, until recently, that the D40x and 350D/400D were comparable cameras. I looked through the Canon's viewfinder..... sorry, but I thought I was looking down a tunnel... :(

Anyway, don't make a decision until you've felt them in your hand. You'll never be happy with something that just doesn't feel 'right'.
 
It would be wise to consider what accessories you'll be buying after some time.
Nikon and Canon have quite an extensive range, bigger than the other brands (talking about new stuff).

Pentax has the advantage that 2rd party lenses (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina) should work on them like native lenses (in terms of compatibility), same for Olympus (4/3 system is an open specification, afaik).

If you'll be happy with just two or three lenses and a flash, it doesn't really matter which system you'll choose.

Should you succumb to lens lust, Nikon and Canon are the better paths now.

You also have to realise that the K100D is no speed demon, D40 is likely to be faster in most things, you can compare a few things here: http://www.imaging-resource.com/

That said, I prefer the output of the K100D over the D40 (less aggressive noise reduction), but if speed and snappiness is your priority, grab the Nikon, you'll have more upgrade choices as well.
 
Thanx for all the help guys and gals i sorta know what im doing now i think im gonna get the nikon d40 and lens kit which can be picked up for about £300 or so then i will probably add a 55-200mm lens at some point for further away things :)

Rik
 
chuckles said:
Anyway, don't make a decision until you've felt them in your hand. You'll never be happy with something that just doesn't feel 'right'.
Click to expand...

This has got to be quote of the week.

I read this and fell off my chair :LOL::LOL::LOL::LOL: Superb.
 
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