New Nikon D40

[4Life]

I am so excited! My first real camera! It is amazing! So many features, so much to learn, so many questions! Help me, I have to slow down!:):)

[rawpaw18]

4Life
Congratulations on your gear. Ask away, plenty of D40 users
and others willing to answer your questions.

Also, we love to help you spend more of your money.:D

[mugsisme]

Hi 4Life! Congrats on your new camera. It is an awesome camera, and I am sure you are going to have a lot of fun with it.

Make sure you post pictures in the D40 thread.

[4Life]

Hi 4Life! Congrats on your new camera. It is an awesome camera, and I am sure you are going to have a lot of fun with it.

Make sure you post pictures in the D40 thread.

Thanks! I did not know that I would be so excited. My wife and I took pictures for at friends wedding, and it was so much fun that I wanted a better camera. She has a Nikon N65 and I have (don't you dare laugh:)) a Sony Mavica FD75. The couple really liked and appreciated the pictures (our gift), and that made us feel really good. So here I am at this forum which helped me make my decision between the Canon Rebel and Nikon. :)


Gotta go, I've been summoned for dinner. Until later!

May Peace Be With You!
Greg

[4Life]

Hi 4Life! Congrats on your new camera. It is an awesome camera, and I am sure you are going to have a lot of fun with it.

Make sure you post pictures in the D40 thread.

Regarding your lens, what does each of the numbers represent.

18-50mm
18-200mm
50 mm


Is it width and distance? What about the 50mm?

Thank

[Rooz]

18-55mm refers to the focal length or "zoom range". here is a good tool for you. http://www.tamroneurope.com/flc.htm

when you see a lens like "50mm", it refers to a fixed focal length lens, or "prime" lens. ie, it does not have a zoom range and is fixed at 50mm.

[coldrain]

the focal point of a lens is an important optics term. It tells us what kind of lens we have, what kind of view we can expect with the lens.

An 18-50mm lens is a zoom lens where you can zoom from an 18mm focal point to a 50mm focal point.
Same with 18-200, from 18mm to 200mm.
And 50mm... just a single focal point lens, often referred to as a prime lens.

To get an idea about what these focal lengths represent in terms of field of view, play around with this page, it will give you hopefully an understanding of the focal lengths and the resulting images one can make with them:
http://www.tamroneurope.com/flc.htm

**edit, I see that rooz beat me to it a few seconds with the post.

[Rooz]

i'm always one step ahead of you coldy. :p

[mugsisme]

Greg, play with the camera first. The kit lens is really great. I take a lot of indoor pictures. I do have the flash, but it is heavy and my hand starts to hurt after a while. I got the Sigma lens (which has almost the same zoom as the kit lens), but it is good for low light situations.

It is so fun when we have new toys to get all the accessories, but first wait and see what you really need. You may want a flash to be your first accessory, or you may find you want more zoom. Meanwhile, just have fun and take pictures.

[fionndruinne]

It's a thrill alright.:D

This camera is so easy that it's basically impossible to go wrong - as long as you work your way out of the auto modes with time (crazy how some folks spoil the fun by staying in auto all the time:)). You get helpful info right in-camera as to what settings affect your photo in which ways, and coupled with the more in-depth stuff in the manual (which is well-put-together and you should read cover-to-cover), so with those resources plus this forum, you should be all set!