NEW PICTURES FROM MY XS!

[clownfish1124]

hey all! i was wondering if buying a refurbished Nikon, or any other dslr for that matter is worth it. Obviously, they are a lot cheaper, about $100-200. Thanks!

[cuboy]

for me, I would try finding a used camera on craigslist. Most photo enthused people want to try and keep their equipment in tip top shape.

 

I think things are refurbished for a reason (because it didn't work right the first time) and I tend to stay away from it.

 

My friend got a few refurbished canon lenses over a year ago and he hasn't had a problem.

[05XRunner]

ehh..nothing wrong with factory refurb..Its backed by the factory and usually has its full warranty

[rean_jem]

its really tricky buying refurbished stuff. i would only buy refurbished items in store not online or somewhere that accepts returns. you might want to check it out first in person.

[latazyo]

one of my bodies is a refurb and a demo and I bought it used so its the triple whammy and it is perfect and I love it

 

YMMV

[clownfish1124]

thanks for the input! i am probably gonna buy my cam from prestige camera, here.

$309 shipped isn't a bad deal for a cam with lens and 1 year warranty. now i just have to start collecting my moneys! $100 down, $210 more to go. but my birthday is coming soon so that will be an added boost.

[latazyo]

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Photo

 

1.18/10 lifetime rating

 

probably not a good place to buy

[coralcor]

yea id do it just make shur it has the warent. love my d40 the only thing is it dosent have an auto/manual focus switch on the body so my 300mm is always manual. when on my dads older nike on i forget what D it it but his has teh switch on it. just make shure when you buy lenses that they have the auto/manual focus switch built in.

 

was just reading reviews on that site abouve me ^ and i wouldent buy from them after reading those reviews

[clownfish1124]

oh. doesn't look like great service on their part. oh well, might as well save up some more or try ebay auctions. its a good thing i posted here first before i bought it ( which will be sometime next month)

[latazyo]

the problem comes that if you can barely afford the lowest end camera, I fear you may not be able to get much out of the hobby, especially when you start pricing out lenses

 

kind of like barely being able to afford to buy a dog, but there is still shots, food, vet, toys, etc etc etc

 

just having a DSLR will not magically produce great images

 

edit: what IM trying to say is - have you thought about why you want a DSLR in the first place?

[coralcor]

the problem comes that if you can barely afford the lowest end camera

 

just having a DSLR will not magically produce great images

it is a lower end camera but for the $ it is a verry good quality camera i bought mine when they 1st came out and i started out rely bad but now i can tank ladscape pics and i showed my neighbor and my dad a few and they wanted them blown up and framed and im still working on tank pics practicing on my fresh tank still cant get a deicent pic

 

and you have to learn your camera like i said i sucked then i got better but u just gota try and get a good tripod is my biggest tip they make it so much ezer to take pics

[latazyo]

having a DSLR yourself you probably already know that macro lenses are all more expensive than the D40 itself

 

even the tammy 90 is more than $309 new and the others are double that

 

edit: ezer? really?

[coralcor]

im 14 and just cant spell ok lol not best in english class and yup macro lenses are a tun thats y i just use my dads. maby ill ask for 1 for my birthday

[dshnarw]

^^^^^

 

I submit as proof that "No Child Left Behind" is a failure

[clownfish1124]

i was wondering, how good is the nikkor 15-85 lens that comes with the camera? if it isn't that good, any recommendations for buying a better lens in the $100-200 range? i have looked into the 55-200 mm and the 70-300mm lenses. also, if the lens isn't that good, i don't want to waste my money on it and would rather save for a better one (but i am not looking to spend $500 at the moment on an amazing macro lens)

[05XRunner]

for under 200 and if you want a tele photo lens I would say the Sigma 70-300 APO DG is the best one in that range of the budget tele's..but make sure its the APO DG.

[latazyo]

assuming you meant the 18-55 there are two versions

 

there is the VR and the non VR version

 

I have the non VR version, its ok, but it only retails for like $70 new so that tells you something too

 

the VR version is about $150 IIRC, also super cheap

 

I also have the 55-200 VR which isn't bad, but is slow like most cheap zooms

 

it depends one what you are looking for though, if you are shooting things outdoors in daylight then IM sure they'll work fine, if you're trying to shoot aquarium pics then you might want some faster lenses ($$$$$$$$)

[clownfish1124]

thanks for the positive input everyone! i was looking for lenses and i found this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...1637&is=REG

would it be a good beginner lens? it is definitely in my budget

[05XRunner]

I wouldnt buy that one...this one would be a better lens

http://sigma4less.com/sigma-zoom-telephoto...nikon-af-d.html

 

Ohh wait I just realized you have a d40..Neither of these lenses will AF for you since the d40 does not have the internal screw drive lens motor and is what these lenses use to AF

 

Your going to have to stick to a lens that has the focus motor in the lens.

[latazyo]

I was wondering why you didn't mention HSM in your previous recommendation

 

clownfish, the 55-200 VR which does auto focus on the D40 is potentially in your budget

 

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-55-200mm-4-5-6...1358&sr=8-1

 

I bought mine used for $170 back in june

 

they also have a 55-200 non VR for $149 but I would recommend VR since you'll likely be hand holding and the glass is slow

 

edit: if you want to know which lenses autofocus on your camera look for:

 

nikkor : AF-S or AF-I

sigma : HSM

[summers.enemy]

I wouldnt buy that one...this one would be a better lens

http://sigma4less.com/sigma-zoom-telephoto...nikon-af-d.html

 

Ohh wait I just realized you have a d40..Neither of these lenses will AF for you since the d40 does not have the internal screw drive lens motor and is what these lenses use to AF

 

Your going to have to stick to a lens that has the focus motor in the lens.

 

I have that lens, while it's not great it is decent for the price. My reason for posting though... when I bought it about 4 years back it was only $99... seems kind of odd that the price is going up. Although Windows XP is now retailing for more than Windows Vista so maybe it's quality.

[clownfish1124]

thanks everyone so much! i will be shopping around and see what happens. if i have anymore questions, i will definitely post them here!

[coralcor]

^^^^^

 

I submit as proof that "No Child Left Behind" is a failure

thanks your really nice its called dyslexia thanks.............

 

but id go for it

 

and make shur the lens has the auto/manual switch on the lens

[05XRunner]

thanks your really nice its called dyslexia thanks.............

 

but id go for it

 

and make shur the lens has the auto/manual switch on the lens

it doesnt matter if it has an A/M focus switch..neither lens will autofocus due to the fact a d40 does not have the in body focus motor needed for the lens.

[coralcor]

it doesnt matter if it has an A/M focus switch..neither lens will autofocus due to the fact a d40 does not have the in body focus motor needed for the lens.

but the lens it came with auto focuses and so does another lens ive used