gettin me a new D300!!

[phatkid77]

gunna go pic her up weds.... selling my D200 and grip for $1100..

my D200 was becoming frustrating, hot pixels, low light focus, action shot focus...and lately when i go to take a shot, it would beep in focus, but not take a photo??

i have no money, newborn son, not really taking any pics... but my wants always wins over my needs.....dammit!!!

phats

[rawpaw18]

Congrats,
Seems to be great camera, its owners list just keeps growing.
Post up the newborn shots, they will make a great pair.

[LR Max]

I have one and I know you'll like it a lot. Trust me :D.

[phatkid77]

well, i called in sick and grabbed the camera today..

some quick and dirty ISO 6400, just cause

[phatkid77]

another of the newbie

[phatkid77]

one of my four felines

[phatkid77]

some bamboo

[phatkid77]

one iso 400 i think? with flash, crazy detail

i just have to figure what jpeg setting i shall use and what AF settings

im thinking

standard, plus 6 sharpen and up 1 saturation...

phats

[rawpaw18]

Good looking crew, I hope you feel better:D

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Congrats on both.

Glad I'm not buying your camera on ebay the positive spin you put on your old D200. Hot pixels and not taking the photo.;)

I have been longingly watching those discounted 2nd hand D200's. I'm not sure they're such a deal now.

[phatkid77]

just picked up the grip...NICE...not sure im big on 1 battery still in camera..oh well

[phatkid77]

that last one and this one was with archaeic D200...lol

[hokeyguy]

Glad I'm not buying your camera on ebay the positive spin you put on your old D200. Hot pixels and not taking the photo.;)

That's what I was thinking, wondering who the sucker is that gets it.

[phatkid77]

well, the two hot pixels may not bother him, but i take high ISO shots, so they were there...and i also have 6mnths warranty left of the D200, should he find anything wrong with it, i will send it back to nikon for him..

phats

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

You still haven't changed your signiture to include the D300. Don't tell me your lacking time and sleep now.

I liked that 1st D200 shot, I wish I had some like that of my own kids. I've got to stop pixel peeping and invest in that DSLR before they grow any older.

[Rooz]

the d200 was generally regarded as the best prosumer dslr ever made. that didn;t change all of a sudden just cos the d300 came out. no point waiting around imo. think of all the pics you're missing. :)

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Phats my wife just walked in while I was admiring that 1st D200 photo of your son. She loved the composition and said "stop wasting time and just buy your fancy camera". Good outcome. What lens did you use?

Roo as every wanabe photographer I've got champagne tastes and a beer budget. Fortunately I've got a mate going to the USA in Feb. By waiting 4 weeks I hope to either save around 20% or let me get the next body for the same cash. In the back of my mind I'm figuring there may be price movement because of the forthcoming exhibition. My kids range from 3.5 to 9 years so it's not like I'm missing their newborn period but heck they do grow fast.

[Rooz]

have you tried ?
http://www.d-d-photographics.com.au/nikond200.htm
i have used them extensively and they first rate. :)

[phatkid77]

just the little ol, sigma 18-200 lens...

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Thanks for the tip Rooz, it's good to get a recommendation. They're not much different in price to the US sites and it keeps it simple buying here. I'll still want to wait till my mate is about to go overseas though so I can claim back the GST. Yeah I know I'm cheap but it's still $250 (or an SB600) in my pocket.

Phats I guessed from your sig that it was the 18-200. I can judge that I like the shot composition but I don't yet know enough about photography to judge lens quality.

Is it worth getting the 50mm f1.8 for candid indoor shots like this one or is it too hard to compose shots with a prime? I notice you use two zooms on a top of the line body. Everyone else says get good glass and a cheaper body but I'm not sure thats what you've done.

[Rooz]

the 18-200VR is a great all purpose lens. it's not a patch on the 50mm for pure optical quality though. the "nifty fifty" is just a brilliant piece of kit. its my most used lens by quite some distance.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Sorry Phats I'm not deliberately trying to hijack your thread.

I'll put my question differently I'd like to take photos of kids indoors relatively well lit of the quality of Phats' (when he's not using ISO1600 that is).

Now kids (at least mine) don't exactly stand still like a portraight model might so I'll be struggling to compose shots without zooming let alone thinking about depth of field and the like. Would your nifty 50 work well in that situation?

One of the kids is disabled and can't pose so to get a flattering shot of him I'm going to be stuck using continous shooting mode. This is one reason I like the idea of the 50mm prime (I assume fast focus and less flash) and the D200.

In case it's relevant my proposed starting kit would then be:
D80/D200/D300 (probably D200)
Nikkor 18-200 VR, Nikkor 50mm f1.8 and a SB600.

The 18-200 would be my walkaround lens (bushwalking with 2 kg around my neck should get me fit).

Oh and the D200 would be new after reading Phats' comments at the start of this thread!:D

[Rooz]

not sure what your budget is but i would say that a d80 may actually be all you need. i owned one and i loved it. iso 1600 ? well i'm not a fan i must say. i rarely use it, even with the d300 which is excellent at hi iso. why ? becasue the quality of your images are NEVER as good at hi iso as they are at lower iso's. you say you are getting an sb600 well thats all you need. the d80 has off cam flash built in aswell so you can put the flash somewhere and bounce it off the ceiling to take much nicer pictures which are crisp, clean and retain all the detail and colour you need.

here's a couple of 50mm f1.8 shots.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

I have been curious Rooz why you upgraded from the D80 (I've been trolling this site for a while now)? Was it because that underwater camera body you like only fits the D300? I'm looking forward to seeing those water bug shots from below with a sky background.;)

I'm considering the D200 over the D80 because it's not that much more money ($500 or so) and I'm unsure of where I want to take my photography, it seams to be becoming my main hobby/interest. My budget is a bit flexible but around $3,000 AUD give or take. Heck the money would only be in the mortgage otherwise.:D

I NEED to capture the kids well to keep my wife happy with the expense.

I need as a minimum to do landscapes in a point and shoot kind of way when out and about. I'd prefer to have some artistic flexibility though.

I WANT to try macro photography for fun (I like some of your bug shots). I've heard but don't know if it's true that the 18-200 VR is lousy at macro but that it does focus in close at least. I'm hoping it would do me for starters.:)

[Rooz]

lol there is a very long thought process in that which i won;t get into that in detail cos its convoluted and i'll probably be the only one that understand it ! it involves a decision on the nikon system over the canon system cos the d3 came out giving me a FF option for the future and some of my shooting buddies who shoot canon have jumped onto the d3 which means my lens options have suddenly opened up aswell. btw: i can;t tell you how frustrating it is to have almost all your friends shoot one system over the other. its really quite a pain in the ass.

but essentially...the AF system is what i really wanted. 51AF points and more speed and accuracy in AF is very appealing to me and something that makes my life easier. a close second is the metering which is superb on the d300. i started selling some work so i had the money and i always preferred the weight/ feel/ ergonomics of the d200.

not sure that made any sense. :p

[erichlund]

Hey Rooz,

If you like that 50mm so much, you should try the 35mm f2. It's a bit more money, but I actually like it better than the 50 f1.8. I think it gives more pleasing color reproduction.

[Rooz]

i just added the 85 f1.8 which i'm really enjoying ATM. although i'm finding the contrast to be quite low at large apertures. the 24-35mm range is next on my "prime" radar. :)