Good DSLR camera

[tea-guy]

I've been using a Canon XSi since January and I like it quite a bit. I haven't ventured into much glass beyond the two kit lenses and a 50mm 1.8 prime.

What was it that made me think you would be using one of these

[TEAcipes]

I do foodblogging as a hobby, and I must let you know that the Nikon D90 is a favorite. Granted, I just got it in the mail and have difficulty adjusting to its bajillion functions, but its low-light capabilities are just :phenomenal:
Before the D90 came into my life, I've always used a Canon XTi. It does a great job in a lighted studio setting (which you can make for 6 bucks with some sticks and white fabric and a staple gun).

[chingwa]

the more money you save on the body (which you can always upgrade later), the more money you have to spend on good glass.

I have to repost what was said by scruff above... it really is the most important piece of information here. Good camera bodies come and go and get upgraded every year, but there is nothing more worth your investment (both for your wallet and for your pictures) then getting the best LENS that you can. after the lens comes the camera.

imho the faster the the lens the better... I don't have any personal experience with Nikon, but canon makes some good fast prime lenses as does sigma. in my quest for the best lens though, nothing has been able to beat this:



but it really comes down to what type of photography you're doing.

[scruffmcgruff]

A Leica man, eh? Which 50 is that?

[hooksie]

After much intensive studying and mental debating I think I have decided on the Nikon D5000.

[Victoria]

I do foodblogging as a hobby, and I must let you know that the Nikon D90 is a favorite. Granted, I just got it in the mail and have difficulty adjusting to its bajillion functions, but its low-light capabilities are just :phenomenal:
Before the D90 came into my life, I've always used a Canon XTi. It does a great job in a lighted studio setting (which you can make for 6 bucks with some sticks and white fabric and a staple gun).

Does the D90 have a micro/macro setting?

[entropyembrace]

I do foodblogging as a hobby, and I must let you know that the Nikon D90 is a favorite. Granted, I just got it in the mail and have difficulty adjusting to its bajillion functions, but its low-light capabilities are just :phenomenal:
Before the D90 came into my life, I've always used a Canon XTi. It does a great job in a lighted studio setting (which you can make for 6 bucks with some sticks and white fabric and a staple gun).

Does the D90 have a micro/macro setting?

As far as I know no SLR's do, how close you can focus to the camera is determined by which lens you have mounted...so when you're buying lenses check the minimum focal distance. I know the 18-55mm VR lens you can get in a kit with the D90 focuses close enough for macro photography.

[Victoria]

I need a lot of help. I had a Canon lens that I guess had a built in macro setting, I guess that is why I'm confused. But I also had a Sony digital that recorded on disk and I'm sure it had a setting built in.

[scruffmcgruff]

As far as I know no SLR's do, how close you can focus to the camera is determined by which lens you have mounted...so when you're buying lenses check the minimum focal distance. I know the 18-55mm VR lens you can get in a kit with the D90 focuses close enough for macro photography.

This is my impression as well. True macro lenses can achieve 1:1 magnification, which is to say, for example, that a 1cm long bug will produce a 1cm long image on the digital sensor or film. Some lenses labeled "macro" (or micro, or makro, all the same thing) do not do this, so be sure to check the magnification ratio before you buy one.

Also, 1:1 magnification is not dependent on the focal length of the lens; you can have a 135mm macro lens or a 20mm macro lens (or anything in between), the only thing that changes is the distance you must hold the camera from the object, which then changes the perspective.

Because of the perceived perspective change, wide-angle macro lenses will produce crazy distortion effects and telephoto macro lenses will have an extremely small depth of field (DOF gets smaller with BOTH increased focal length and increased image-to-focal plane distance). A lot of people think the "ideal" macro lens length is approximately normal, as long as you don't need to worry about keeping some distance between you and your subject, as with bugs and such. If this interests you, you may want to check out the Nikon 55mm f/2.8 AF macro lens. I think it is only available used, but BH, Adorama, or KEH all have reliable used equipment sales. KEH is best, as their condition appraisals are known to be conservative-- I would not hesitate to buy a BGN item from them.

Nikon now makes a 60mm macro lens in two flavors, if you prefer to buy new, but don't get the "G" version! Don't get ANY "G" lens, actually-- for some stupid reason Nikon decided to remove the aperture ring from these lenses.

[Victoria]

Thanks Scruff! Lots of good info there. I had a macro lens before and never ended up using it that often because I am not good with flash, it was much better outside. I think What I really want (if it exists) is a nice 50-200 range zoom that will also do close up like my previous Canon lens. But I'm not totally opposed to a micro/lens. I just like natural indoor lighting to shoot my jewelry photos and I'd like it for some tea shots too.

[entropyembrace]

If you don't mind DX lenses...there was some discussion on them earlier Nikon has a 18-200mm f 3.5-4.5 lens that is supposed to be quite good...minimal distortion and that zoom range is awesome.

Scruff's right that the 18-55 isn't a true macro lens...it just comes fairly close.

[chingwa]

A Leica man, eh? Which 50 is that?

50 Summilux 1.4

With a lot of SLR lenses you can place an extension ring between the lens and camera to increase the macro ability of a lens. This often gives you a closer focusing distance than you would normally be able to achieve and also enlarges the image a bit on the film/sensor.

For good macro work you don't necessarily need a lens with a short focusing distance... as long as it has enough "reach" to get the subject at the size you're looking for. In any case I would go looking for a brighter lens than not. Most zoom lenses start at f3.5 which is pretty slow, meaning you'll need a lot of external light either on the scene or through flash... especially for macro work. Zoom and it only becomes worse.

I am a bit of a strange one though, in this day and age of high tech dslrs with super auto zoom lenses I find myself preferring the more mechanical manual focus fixed length lens. Zooming is highly overrated

[scruffmcgruff]

I am a bit of a strange one though, in this day and age of high tech dslrs with super auto zoom lenses I find myself preferring the more mechanical manual focus fixed length lens. Zooming is highly overrated

+1

It's true that modern zooms are nearly as sharp as modern fixed focal length lenses (certainly far better than older zooms), but it is still a big compromise. Zooms with large/constant apertures are often outrageously expensive, and distortion is going to be a problem unless you have a short zoom range, which pretty much eliminates the point of zooming anyway! They are a lot more convenient though, especially when changing lenses is difficult or takes too long (weddings and such).

I admit I use my kit zoom for most of my tea photos, but I doubt I would if I had more than that and a 50/1.8 for my dSLR. I have some decent glass for my Nikon film body, including a great 105mm macro, but those adapters are such a pain to use (especially with the small dSLR viewfinder, even with AF confirm) that I just don't bother anymore. There is something nice about slowing down to compose and take the photo, but I don't like fussing with parts and grinding to a halt. (Plus, I've sliced my thumb open too many times trying to remove that da*n adapter, not fun.)

chingwa, what body do you have that -lux attached to? I will probably pick up a classic Leica (M4 would be my pick) at some point in my lifetime, but certainly not in the near future, heh. Especially when Hassys are so much cheaper!

[entropyembrace]

You have nice Nikon glass and bought a different brand body?