Hi,
just wondered if we had any expertise on here - we seem to have everything else?
Am looking at upgrading my Nikon D70 at work for a D7000, already have an 18-200 vr1 lens, may be able to push them to a new lens possibly a wide angle which we often could use.
The work is mainly for events which are often poorly lit for photography (cheapskates that we are)
Was hoping to improve my non-flash indoor shots, and have a new toy of course.
I know there are advantages with better ISO, megapixels, video feature, etc
I am a complete amateur so any thoughts/advice/recommendations in as simple language as possible most welcome
Many thanks
R
Comments
I currently own a Nikon D90, the D7000 is it's successor. I also own the 18-200 VR1 which I rarely use these days, it's a perfectly fine alround lens but wouldn't be classified as fast enough for low light situations. I've got a Sigma 24-70 f2.8 for that now and it's rarely off the body (I'd love the Nikon version but it's way out of my price range).
From what I have read the D7000 is excellent in low light with the enhanced ISO performance. It's a big upgrade from the D90 and also has lots of features that the D300S had. It's a very good camera by all accounts, although I've not actually seen one myself I am just going from the forums that I am on.
I'm very much an amateur myself Razil and am sure that there are others much more experienced than me on here who can offer you excellent advice, Blackheath Addick is one for sure, his pictures are fantastic.
What Stig says above is absolutely spot on as well. I also own the 50mm 1.8 and value for money wise it can't be beaten.
I missed the wide angle bit Razil. I also have the Sigma 10-20 which I love as well, gives you a compltely different view of any subject and is great fun. It's not particularly fast for low light (I've only used it outside so far) but I do like it a lot. You're welcome to have a look at my pics on Flickr which are all taken on the D90 with either the 24-70 or 10-20 to get an idea of the lenses.
Hope this helps.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23813987@N03/
Great advice there Stig. I would give another big thumbs up for Bryan Peterson's book, it's helped me understand everything so much more.
Just waiting for his new understanding flash photography to come into stock.
Razil,
Go here in person and never look back, well worth a visit if your going to purchase something Nikon.
THE best Nikon shop in the World.
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/welcome.php
Hi Ken,
Fixation is also a wonderfull place to go and Park cameras whilst good in no way have the depth of stock or knowledge of Nikon products that Grays do.
Due to disaster in Japan all camera/lens prices are on the increase.
Razil,
You have been given some good advice on this thread but you ought to be aware of a few other things.
The 50mm F1.8 D lens has just been discontinued and has now been replaced by the 50mm F1.8 AFS G type lens and is about £200.00.
Your D70 and the D7000 Nikon camera that you are considering buying are both Nikon DX format, in other words they will crop the image by a factor of 1.5 so the 50mm lens in effect has the same field of view as a 75mm lens not exactly the wide angle lens you are looking for.
With Nikon DX cameras you have very few DX wide angle lenses to choose from.
The Nikkor AF-S 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED DX zoom being one and the other choice is the Nikkor AF-S 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED DX zoom both a bit pricey.
The Nikon D7000 is a vast improvement over the D70 particularly when it comes to ISO. You can use the D7000 up to ISO 6400 without any problem regarding noise/grain in your photographs putting this camera firmly in the Pro D3/D700 territory regarding ISO speed.
Hope this helps you.
Steve.
Registered Nikon Professional user and founding member of the Nikon owner magazine.
The AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX Nikkor (about £180.00) will give you a field of view similar to that of a 50mm lens on a FX or film camera.
This link will help you.
I would go for the 35mm for a DX camera.
http://www.bythom.com/Nikkor-35mm-DX-AFS-lensreview.htm
Steve.
Assuming that all other features are equal (I'm not sure if this is the case or not) the key question is how wide an angle do you want. It might be worth looking at the exif data for the shots you take with the 18-200 to get an indication of your needs. If your shots tend to be at 50mm+ then the 50mm lens may be a better option. If they are under 50mm, then you'll want the 35mm lens to fit everything in.
Similarly if you think about the shots you want to take. If you're looking to take in the whole scene the 35mm will be better. If your focusing on details, you might want the bigger lens. If in doubt though, I'd expect the 35mm to give you more flexibility.
As for the price, have a look on ebay and do some comparisons.
Just got to check with the Mrs's friend how reliable the guy selling it is now, as friend of a friend selling!!