dSLR shopping

[dsc]

Hi guys,

so I've spent a reasonable amount of time with the D90 and I have to say it's a very nice camera. I got used to the viewfinder and like the way the camera sits in my hand. It's a joy to take pics with it and I even took a couple of that I'm happy with.

A few days ago I bought a 50mm Nikkor simply to try out and see how good it is compare to the kit glass:



It's got a manual aperture ring, but I can't seem to be able to use it no matter what mode I'm in. I know that when using auto/aperture/shutter priority modes you need to have it set to F22, but I thought that I'll be able to use it in full Manual. Or am I mistaken and it's all done inside the camera via the dials close to the shutter release button (full auto, so you don't have to touch the aperture ring)?

Regards,
dsc.

[JonS]

Different modern Nikon bodies have varying levels of support for mechanical lens behaviour and I don't believe that you can use the manual ring on the D90.

That doesn't stop you from using the camera in full manual mode, you just use one camera dial for aperture and the other for shutter speed as you guessed.

I'm sure you'll be really pleased with the 50/1.8. You ought to see quite an improvement over the brightness of the viewfinder image and the DOF control you have, both an advantage of the bigger max aperture over the kit lens. That's before you get to the differences in the actual shots taken.

Jon

[dsc]

Hi Jon,

thanks for your reply. The lens is a CPU type, so I'm guessing it's all being done automatically through the camera, that's why you have to block the aperture ring at F22.

I now this will sound stupid but I've just discovered the DOF button on the front of the camera. Now this is seriously awesome:)

Regards,
dsc.

[JonS]

If you put the camera in aperture priority or full manual mode, and tweak the camera dial for aperture to eg. f8 or f11 and press the DOF button, you will surely note how much darker the viewfinder gets (and also how much harder it would be to focus) So, unless you routinely shoot only at the wide end of the aperture range, the fact that the aperture is stopped down automatically under camera control only when you actually take the shot, is a pretty convenient way of working really.

Anyway, enjoy your new lens ! Regarding DOF, I used to find this useful when thinking about selecting apertures for different types of shots. Not that I'm saying that doing it by the numbers is the way to go, it's more subjective than that, but I think this is a useful illustrative tool nontheless.

Jon

[motoman]

I know that London Camera Exchange had some good deals on Nikon and Canon over the net and I got my Nikon SB200 Flash £100.00 cheaper than anywhere else. It is worth checking http://www.7dayshop.com from the channel Islands. The only problem with buying overseas is that they may be grey imports with no warranty cover in the UK(I found that out with my little Coolpix). Google type search engines do not always find the best price due to commercial interest so look carefully for the right model and price.

Oooops, just checked 7 day shop, no cameras but lots of Canon bits.