Digital SLR camera question (upgrade)

[househead]

I'm asking this for my wife since all the photography forums she browses are full of snobs and meanies. Figured I'd try my luck here since everyone here is cool.


"i have a nikon d50 which i love but since i'm getting more into photography i was wondering if it was worth it to buy a better camera (looking at the d300) or just buy better lenses. does the camera body really matter all that much?

i would love to have something with a higher iso setting for low light situations, currently mine only goes up to 1600 and basically i never use anything over 400 because after that the photos look way too noisy. i know that the lens matters most but should i even bother putting a nice expensive lens on a d50???? "

Thanks for any help or recommendations.

[mikejet]

If you get the more expensive lens then they can be used with all future and current Nikons. If you just get the body then you are still stuck with the same lens.

What are the shortcomings of the D50 that she doesn't like besides the ISO?

[groovyone]

Lenses are the more important, but an upgrade to the body may help. It depends on what she considers the limitations of the D50. The newer Nikons have amazing noise handling properties if she is stooting high ISOs (which it looks like she is). Unless she needs the rugged body of the D200/D300, the D90 is a great option.

The other path would be 'faster' glass to help her stay in the lower ISO range. What lenses is she using now?

More importantly perhaps, what is her budget?

Here is my current lineup (cut and paste my sig from a photo forum)
A900+VG|F58|F56|F42x2|16/2.8Fish|16-35Z/2.8|24-70Z/2.8|50/1.4|70-200G/2.8+2x|135/1.8Z|28-75/2.8|50/1.7x2|70-210/4|100/2.8MacroD

I have gone through several steps along the way so I have used all kinds of lenses. I have friends shooting Nikon and Canon as well as my own A-mount selection.

[ground chuck]

only the expensive lens that are F2.4 and lower is really when you'll need a better body and it also depends on what type of photograph she does. if its your kids out in the backyard forget about it and save some money. if she's doing professional sporting events then yes, upgrade.

[b0bby]

i would suggest keeping the d50 unless your wife is planning on being a wedding photographer or doing something with her photos to get reimbursed. the d50 is adequate if she's doing it for fun/hobby. what i would spend money on is a better lense with a large aperture (atleast f2.8). this is a huge budget issue also as all the uber lenses come at a hefty price. it also depends what she shoots also. im into macro photography so 1-2 lenses fully suits my needs but she may be into other things that will require several to fill in the range.

[phantompwr]

What kind of low-light situations are you talking about? If the stuff you are shooting is reasonable close and you aren't trying to use natural light on purpose, I would recommend getting a good flash, at least the 600. A good flash will make a huge difference before a new lens or better camera would in your situation.

[groovyone]

If you look at the basic prime lenses you can get below f/2 for little money. Nikon just released a new 50mm f/1.4 which seems to work very well, or you can probably get a good deal on the older model. The 50s are a low cost way she could try faster glass to see if she gets what she is looking for. Also, on the 1.5 crop factor APS-C Nikons, it is functially 75mm focal length, which makes a great lens for portrait style shots.

PopPhoto 50mm Stats

PopPhoto 50mm Article

One of my first purchases after my original kit SLR was a 50mm f/1.7. It was cheap but a great lens to use. The 50mm f/1.4 is always in my bag, even with all my f/2.8 zooms.

[househead]

thank you guys for all the responses. When we get home tonight I'll have her read all the great info in the thread . MUCH APPRECIATED!

[groovyone]

Did she decide on anything?

My 135STF arrived and is great fun to use.

[Ferris]

Originally Posted by groovyone

Here is my current lineup (cut and paste my sig from a photo forum)
A900+VG|F58|F56|F42x2|16/2.8Fish|16-35Z/2.8|24-70Z/2.8|50/1.4|70-200G/2.8+2x|135/1.8Z|28-75/2.8|50/1.7x2|70-210/4|100/2.8MacroD

What photography forum do you use? I'm fairly new (very amateur) at SLR photography, and want to learn more about it, and about entering contests. I've got some of my work if frames around the house, and people keep telling me I should enter contests.

It's sort of amazing to me, since I use a Sony A300K and have the 18-55 stock and a Sony 75-300 lens, and Sony is been looked down upon in the "real photography world."

Thanks groovyone!

[groovyone]

I am primarily on two. dyxum.com is a worldwide A-mount forum (Minolta and Sony) and has been an incredible source of information for me. TexasPhotoForum.com is my other hangout since many of the members ar ein the Houston area.

Dyxum has some great photo challenges that really did give me some new ideas.

I got back into SLRs with an A100, 18-70 kit lens and 70-300 Sigma. The great thing about digital is how much it helps the learning process, since you get immediate results when you adjust settings and snap the shutter.

Also check out the book Understanding Exposure. You can usually get it from Amazon for something like $15 (actual ~$17). It is a great reference. My copy is on loan to a friend who bought an XSi and within days she was shooting on Manual mode. Also check out Gary Friedman's books. You can get them in PDF form for like $25 and the are specific to your camera model. You can learn a lot when he walks you through the settings and menus of your exact camera.

Read a lot, shoot a lot, and don't be afraid to experiment. Remember, you can delete the bad ones!

One more thing....as for teh contests, saying this without having seen your work, be prepared to take not winning. I entered many with stuff that I was happy with and others insisted were amazzing, but photography is so subjective you never know. I took the first few non-placings pretty hard.

[Ferris]

Originally Posted by groovyone

I am primarily on two. dyxum.com is a worldwide A-mount forum (Minolta and Sony) and has been an incredible source of information for me. TexasPhotoForum.com is my other hangout since many of the members ar ein the Houston area.

Dyxum has some great photo challenges that really did give me some new ideas.

I got back into SLRs with an A100, 18-70 kit lens and 70-300 Sigma. The great thing about digital is how much it helps the learning process, since you get immediate results when you adjust settings and snap the shutter.

Also check out the book Understanding Exposure. You can usually get it from Amazon for something like $15 (actual ~$17). It is a great reference. My copy is on loan to a friend who bought an XSi and within days she was shooting on Manual mode. Also check out Gary Friedman's books. You can get them in PDF form for like $25 and the are specific to your camera model. You can learn a lot when he walks you through the settings and menus of your exact camera.

Read a lot, shoot a lot, and don't be afraid to experiment. Remember, you can delete the bad ones!

One more thing....as for teh contests, saying this without having seen your work, be prepared to take not winning. I entered many with stuff that I was happy with and others insisted were amazzing, but photography is so subjective you never know. I took the first few non-placings pretty hard.

Thank you for all of this information. I'll definitely look into Friedman's books for the Sony. This will help me immensely, as I spend too much time on Auto (though not all of the time). The "Understanding Exposure" book has been recommended to me before, and I'm not sure why I've not picked it up, but I will certainly be doing this.

Most of my time is spend making pictures of animals (my cats have been GREAT test subjects) and some landscaping, so understanding exposure is key here.

Thanks again for the information!

[Chevypower]

I would go Full Frame 35mm digital sensor. Then the next criteria would be Nikon or Canon, though the Sony A900 looks good too. The DX/EFS sized sensors (16mmx24mm) are losing popularity really quickly with the full frame cameras (36x24mm sensor) increasing popularity at a fast rate.
Then I would narrow it down to either 12mp Nikon D700 or wait for the 24.5mp D800
Canon either get the 12mp 5D or 21mp 5DmkII which you can get for about $2600 for the body.
Nikon lenses:
14-24 f/2.8,
24-70 f/2.8,
70-200 f/2.8 VR
50 f/1.4 OR 1.8

Canon:
EF 16-35 f/2.8L
EF 24-70 f/2.8L
EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS
EF 50 f/1.4 OR 1.8

And the question: Is it worth buying expensive lenses, with a D50? Depends. If you are going to stay with Nikon and never go to Canon or other brands, then YES!! Lenses you can keep forever, the cameras change all the time.