"Ooooo"

[Bertie_Doe]

The 350D is a great performer, you should be happy with it

Yep as Dom mentions, it can take some time, to work through the list of destructions. I'm about halfway through and I've yet to load the DVD tutorials.
A bit of sunshine on Tuesday meant I could play with the £15 macros.

I've ordered a new 1460mm tripod, also £15. I think this is a must for the close-ups, especially to get the higher f stops. The following handheld are f.10 ish.

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd22 ... 8131fd.pbw
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd22 ... 8422a0.pbw

Bertie

[Gouezeri]

Ah, Bertie, Quentin, Cumbers, Or whoever you are pretending to be this week

Still killing all those poor insects I see

The subject of tripods is always fun
Thom Hogan has again said it all better than I ever could: Serious Support
Having gone through the painful process of changing tripods on numerous occasions, the text linked above covers every mistake I made.

In the same way that people often think grinders are way overpriced, the same exists for tripods. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for (though gitzos are overpriced! Try the titanium gitzo traveller for size ).

To get the most out of a tripod, don't extend the legs all of the way, and try to extend the largest diameter legs first, before the narrower legs. Don't use the centre column, because otherwise you are just converting your tripod into... a monopod If you want to try and dampen vibrations, then either hang a weight/stone bag from underneath the centre column, or try a bean bag on top of the lens. Last but definitely not least, always try to use MLU and a remote shutter release.

I often carry a bean bag too, just in case. I managed to damage the crown of my last carbon fibre tripod at 2500m alt. an about 8hrs hike from the car and my spare, but thankfully I had a bean bag with me!

[dsc]

Hi Dom,

it was mentioned in various reviews that the new Nikons only take AFS lenses (with motors built in, instead of motor-less ones that use the motor in the body). Bascially it comes down to this:

"Hence the Nikon D40 will only autofocus with newer AF-S type lenses. "

as mentioned here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ND40/ND40A.HTM

As I'm no expert on photography I can only read reviews and judge the cameras based on those reviews. I've read that because of no motor on the body you can't use older lenses without AFS because then you have to manual focus which is a PITA on most peoples opinion.

I was also looking at Canons, but they tend to be smaller than Nikons and a bit more 'plasticy'.

Regards,
dsc.

[Gouezeri]

it was mentioned in various reviews that the new Nikons only take AFS lenses (with motors built in, instead of motor-less ones that use the motor in the body).

Ah, with you now. Thing is, when they talk about the D40 only working with "newer" AF-S lenses, we're still talking about a design which dates back to '96 So that's still plenty of lenses. Personally, I'd favour the D70s or D80 over the D40, for a variety of reasons, not least the lack of AF points. Yell if you want more info.

you have to manual focus which is a PITA on most peoples opinion.

Dread to think what you'd make of me scratching my head whilst trying to employ the hinge rule, or even using a spot meter

I was also looking at Canons, but they tend to be smaller than Nikons and a bit more 'plasticy'.

Having a camera which "feels right" in your hands, is definitely of value, as you need to feel comfortable handling it. Battery/grips can be good for this. If you want something relatively solid then you need to be looking at the D70 as a minimum. The higher up the range, the better the build.

[Beanie]

Absolutely LOVED the D70 btw. I've got teeny weeny hands compared to Brummie's giant ones and we both felt comfy with the camera. Also, it still does have 'auto' functions which we used to take some great holiday pics without being 'really' familiar with the camera yet. I'll admit that the photos might have been 'totally awesome' if we had had it a couple months earlier

I also love my non-SLR digital camera right now... but there are times when I just really REALLY miss the D70 Living right at the beach here, I've missed out on being able to take some incredible photos of breathtakingly beautiful sunrises/sunsets

[dsc]

Hi again,

I was looking at D50s or D70s, but I don't think Nikon produces D50's anymore and D70's are a bit expensive (£350 for the body only?) I know that with the new models, the D40 is the newer D50 (although needs AFS lenses) and the D80 is the new D70. Of course the D80 would be nice, but it's still too much for me, at least at the moment (the body alone is somewhere around £500).

I will have to take a trip around photoshops and see how various cameras feel and whether they fit my hand. I tried the D40 and the 350D Canon and prefered the Nikon out of the two. Of course if someone was to give me the 350D I wouldn't mind:)

Regards,
dsc.

[Gouezeri]

Well, if you're looking for cheap deals on good cameras, then KEH is your friend (especially when you consider the exchange rate). Look for EX or EX+ (their ratings are very conservative). You will get hit for duty though.
If you're coming into town to try things out, then pop in to see the guys at Aperture Photographic. Grey's is fun to, just for the experience I wouldn't buy a camera in London though, the prices are terrible.