Looking for some camera buying advice for a beginner
Discussion
Thanks for even more advice. I definitely feel ready to jump into this now.
I'm sold on the D300. I like the fact it has lots of settings for me to mess with, that is exactly what I want. Mirrorless are nice and all but I can't justify the extra outlay. In fact I actually marginally prefer the grip and feel of the DSLR.
There's a D300 on wex for £175, condition grade 7 and 53,000 actuations. Seems like decent value to me?
I'm also following some on ebay, including one with just over 150,000 actuations. I understand Nikon rated these cameras to 150,000 shutter actuations, so is it worth bidding on highly used models if you can get them for a good price? Or are they pointless and the shutter is about to fail.
I'm sold on the D300. I like the fact it has lots of settings for me to mess with, that is exactly what I want. Mirrorless are nice and all but I can't justify the extra outlay. In fact I actually marginally prefer the grip and feel of the DSLR.
There's a D300 on wex for £175, condition grade 7 and 53,000 actuations. Seems like decent value to me?
I'm also following some on ebay, including one with just over 150,000 actuations. I understand Nikon rated these cameras to 150,000 shutter actuations, so is it worth bidding on highly used models if you can get them for a good price? Or are they pointless and the shutter is about to fail.
Edited by Turbojuice on Thursday 25th January 18:46
Turbojuice said:
Thanks for even more advice. I definitely feel ready to jump into this now.
I'm sold on the D300. I like the fact it has lots of settings for me to mess with, that is exactly what I want. Mirrorless are nice and all but I can't justify the extra outlay. In fact I actually marginally prefer the grip and feel of the DSLR.
There's a D300 on wex for £175, condition grade 7 and 53,000 actuations. Seems like decent value to me?
I'm also following some on ebay, including one with just over 150,000 actuations. I understand Nikon rated these cameras to 150,000 shutter actuations, so is it worth bidding on highly used models if you can get them for a good price? Or are they pointless and the shutter is about to fail.
Excellent. A shutter replacement would probably cost a fair bit more than the camera is going to cost you so personally I wouldn't go for the higher shutter count one unless it is very cheap indeed. It might be fine for many years or it might fail leaving you with a paperweight. Of course this can apply to any camera but the higher the count, the more likely a failure. I'm sold on the D300. I like the fact it has lots of settings for me to mess with, that is exactly what I want. Mirrorless are nice and all but I can't justify the extra outlay. In fact I actually marginally prefer the grip and feel of the DSLR.
There's a D300 on wex for £175, condition grade 7 and 53,000 actuations. Seems like decent value to me?
I'm also following some on ebay, including one with just over 150,000 actuations. I understand Nikon rated these cameras to 150,000 shutter actuations, so is it worth bidding on highly used models if you can get them for a good price? Or are they pointless and the shutter is about to fail.
Edited by Turbojuice on Thursday 25th January 18:46
MBP and Ffordes are worth a look too. Both great to deal with.
Gad-Westy said:
Excellent. A shutter replacement would probably cost a fair bit more than the camera is going to cost you so personally I wouldn't go for the higher shutter count one unless it is very cheap indeed. It might be fine for many years or it might fail leaving you with a paperweight. Of course this can apply to any camera but the higher the count, the more likely a failure.
MBP and Ffordes are worth a look too. Both great to deal with.
I agree 100%. Spend a few extra quid and get a nice example.MBP and Ffordes are worth a look too. Both great to deal with.
Monty Python said:
Turbojuice said:
Makes sense to me Gad, cheers 
@Monty any particular reasons why you think that Sony is better than the D300? I genuinely have no idea what the differences are.
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_a58_review/conclusion/@Monty any particular reasons why you think that Sony is better than the D300? I genuinely have no idea what the differences are.
I agree they look like great cameras on paper but I tried one once and didn't like the EVF. I also have my doubts about plastic lens mounts.
Just my bias though.....
Finally managed to acquire a good D300. Comes with all the stuff (strap, caps, battery, charger, cf cards etc...) and <40k actuations for £170. Now on to getting a good lens.
Singled out a few possibilities. These are:
Nikon AF-S 18-105 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £70-110
Nikon AF-S 18-140 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £140-170
Sigma EX OS HSM C 17-70 F2.8-4 - £190-220
Out of those three, the 18-105 Nikon seems to be the best for me, simply because it's the cheapest and covers a good focal length range.
Anyone have any thoughts on these lenses or have any recommendations of their own? Thanks.
Singled out a few possibilities. These are:
Nikon AF-S 18-105 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £70-110
Nikon AF-S 18-140 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £140-170
Sigma EX OS HSM C 17-70 F2.8-4 - £190-220
Out of those three, the 18-105 Nikon seems to be the best for me, simply because it's the cheapest and covers a good focal length range.
Anyone have any thoughts on these lenses or have any recommendations of their own? Thanks.
D300 is a lovely camera. Congratulations.
As for lenses.... I’m not a fan of either of the 18-105 or 18-140 - I’d start with a 35mm prime dx lens and go from there. It’ll encourage you to work on composition etc. and give you the flexibility of depth of field, sharp at nearly all apertures etc.
If not - as the D300 has a built in af motor, I enjoy using the 35-702.8 Nikon. Granted you can’t go wide - but it’s a nice starter lens and does give some lovely results.
As for lenses.... I’m not a fan of either of the 18-105 or 18-140 - I’d start with a 35mm prime dx lens and go from there. It’ll encourage you to work on composition etc. and give you the flexibility of depth of field, sharp at nearly all apertures etc.
If not - as the D300 has a built in af motor, I enjoy using the 35-702.8 Nikon. Granted you can’t go wide - but it’s a nice starter lens and does give some lovely results.
Turbojuice said:
Finally managed to acquire a good D300. Comes with all the stuff (strap, caps, battery, charger, cf cards etc...) and <40k actuations for £170. Now on to getting a good lens.
Singled out a few possibilities. These are:
Nikon AF-S 18-105 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £70-110
Nikon AF-S 18-140 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £140-170
Sigma EX OS HSM C 17-70 F2.8-4 - £190-220
Out of those three, the 18-105 Nikon seems to be the best for me, simply because it's the cheapest and covers a good focal length range.
Anyone have any thoughts on these lenses or have any recommendations of their own? Thanks.
The 18-105 is a solid choice. 18-140 is great too but if your guide prices are right, not worth twice the price. Not sure about the sigma. Singled out a few possibilities. These are:
Nikon AF-S 18-105 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £70-110
Nikon AF-S 18-140 F3.5-5.6G ED VR - £140-170
Sigma EX OS HSM C 17-70 F2.8-4 - £190-220
Out of those three, the 18-105 Nikon seems to be the best for me, simply because it's the cheapest and covers a good focal length range.
Anyone have any thoughts on these lenses or have any recommendations of their own? Thanks.
Nikon 18-70 is really nice too but no VR.
Brilliant, thanks for the help.
@toohuge i'll probably look at getting a cheap prime in the not too distant future, but for my very first lens i think a zoom is probably better so i can get to grips with it all.
By the way. anyone who has dealt with MPB know what sort of condition lens I should be looking at? There's loads of lenses on there, ranging from heavily used and well used to good and excellent. Obviously the heavily and well used ones are the cheapest, but are they any decent enough or should i spend extra to get a better condition one? As an example, the 18-105 can be had for £64 as a "heavily used" unit, £89 as "well used" and £114 as "good".
@toohuge i'll probably look at getting a cheap prime in the not too distant future, but for my very first lens i think a zoom is probably better so i can get to grips with it all.
By the way. anyone who has dealt with MPB know what sort of condition lens I should be looking at? There's loads of lenses on there, ranging from heavily used and well used to good and excellent. Obviously the heavily and well used ones are the cheapest, but are they any decent enough or should i spend extra to get a better condition one? As an example, the 18-105 can be had for £64 as a "heavily used" unit, £89 as "well used" and £114 as "good".
Edited by Turbojuice on Friday 2nd March 14:37
Turbojuice said:
Brilliant, thanks for the help.
@toohuge i'll probably look at getting a cheap prime in the not too distant future, but for my very first lens i think a zoom is probably better so i can get to grips with it all.
By the way. anyone who has dealt with MPB know what sort of condition lens I should be looking at? There's loads of lenses on there, ranging from heavily used and well used to good and excellent. Obviously the heavily and well used ones are the cheapest, but are they any decent enough or should i spend extra to get a better condition one? As an example, the 18-105 can be had for £64 as a "heavily used" unit, £89 as "well used" and £114 as "good".
The won't sell lenses that they're not happy with, so buy one that isn't mint. If you're not happy you can send it back.@toohuge i'll probably look at getting a cheap prime in the not too distant future, but for my very first lens i think a zoom is probably better so i can get to grips with it all.
By the way. anyone who has dealt with MPB know what sort of condition lens I should be looking at? There's loads of lenses on there, ranging from heavily used and well used to good and excellent. Obviously the heavily and well used ones are the cheapest, but are they any decent enough or should i spend extra to get a better condition one? As an example, the 18-105 can be had for £64 as a "heavily used" unit, £89 as "well used" and £114 as "good".
Edited by Turbojuice on Friday 2nd March 14:37
Every lens in my bag was bought used from MPB, and all have been great. The only new lens I have is the 200-500mm but I bought that new when I got my second D700 from London Camera Exchange as part of a good overall deal.
After playing around with my d300 and the 18-105 nikkor for a couple weeks I can see why this was recommended. The d300 gives you all the advanced adjustments you get on the full fat cameras but in cropped format. This paired with the dx lens and I have a pretty advanced and flexible piece of kit for a novice for about 250 quid all in.
This combo definitely is an ideal learning platform, so many thanks for the advice given. Despite the vast amount of adjustments present on the d300 I've found it very easy to become accustomed to.
Next on the list is a cheap tripod to try some long exposure shots, also maybe a macro lens if I can get a half decent used one for cheap.
This combo definitely is an ideal learning platform, so many thanks for the advice given. Despite the vast amount of adjustments present on the d300 I've found it very easy to become accustomed to.
Next on the list is a cheap tripod to try some long exposure shots, also maybe a macro lens if I can get a half decent used one for cheap.
Good to hear you tried the D300 and are getting on with it. You are, in one sense, future-proofed because it will be a long time before you run off the end of its capabilities. If it came with a manual I recommend you try to read it all, because there are things you won't find/understand just by poking and hoping. In particular go through all the custom menus so you can configure the camera/controls exactly how you like them.
I give you about a year before the 18-105 goes on eBay and you embark on the Fast Glass quest
I give you about a year before the 18-105 goes on eBay and you embark on the Fast Glass quest
Simpo Two said:
Good to hear you tried the D300 and are getting on with it. You are, in one sense, future-proofed because it will be a long time before you run off the end of its capabilities. If it came with a manual I recommend you try to read it all, because there are things you won't find/understand just by poking and hoping. In particular go through all the custom menus so you can configure the camera/controls exactly how you like them.
I give you about a year before the 18-105 goes on eBay and you embark on the Fast Glass quest
Luckily for me it did indeed come with a full manual. As you say, you can only find out so much from just taking random shots. I haven't read it all yet, but most of it at least.I give you about a year before the 18-105 goes on eBay and you embark on the Fast Glass quest
I started looking at f1.4's and 1.8's within the first week of ownership! Was looking at an old 50mm f1.8 Nikon lens for about £70, might be worth a play. The 60mm Tamron f2 macro also looks mighty tempting, but that's quite a bit more expensive so that can wait until i'm much more accustomed to the camera.
Turbojuice said:
I started looking at f1.4's and 1.8's within the first week of ownership! Was looking at an old 50mm f1.8 Nikon lens for about £70, might be worth a play. The 60mm Tamron f2 macro also looks mighty tempting, but that's quite a bit more expensive so that can wait until i'm much more accustomed to the camera.
There is one gotcha with such fast lenses. You think 'Woot, fast lens!', bung it on max aperture, gasp at your shutter speeds - and then find out all your shots are out of focus... shallow DOF needs some care My current general purpose lens wasn't chosen as such, it was bought for weddings at the thunderous price of about £1,000. The Nikon 17-55 f2.8. A crazy price for amateurs but for me it was paid back in one wedding. Luckily for you now it's plummeted to <£400... (I like the instant framing of a zoom but YMMV).
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