To all our photographers Iv just Bought my self a Digital SLR I was upgrading from my iPhone lol . Im not looking to take up photography or anything , just wanted something to take some half decent pics of the bike, car and to use when I'm out with my boy I didn't get nothing special , just an entry level Nikon. Its a D3100 and came with a 18 to 55 mm lens Im jusy wondering what is the best all round lens i should have for taking pics of the bike and car and if said lens would also be suitable for general use when out with my son or do i need a different lens Or is what i have fine and i need not bother ?? Cheers in advance
I have a 40D and love it, its a little old now but still the bizz, Ive had a good few DSLR's and SLR's over the years.. Good move on your part mate to capture some pics of your kids and the bike.. That 18-55 will do you well..
I'll have a sken tomorrow at what's recommended for the 3100, Dan. In the meantime, check out here. Digital Photography Review This is the best camera review site there is. The pro's pick their kit on what this geezer says.
Just snap away mate and you will soon suss it out, best thing I have for my DSLR is a Firewire 1394 CF card reader by SanDisk its SUPER fast Dan, I mean 4Gb in around 10secs..
What you have is fab. Get to learn the camera, aperture, lighting, speed and exposure. Then when you have done that, say goodbye to a few quid once you start buying primes, zooms, flash's and fisheyes LOL! it's an addictive hobby once you get going. Try and get a hold of "understanding exposure" it really does help.
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera: Amazon.co.uk: Bryan Peterson: Books I believe you can get this free from something called the internet, and rhymes with queer to queer.
The 18-55 is a great place to start mate, get to know your camera, don't be afraid to really experiment, that's the benefit of digital. In my day, when I earned money at it, we were much more cautious at what we fired away at, trying to make it count. Enjoy, it's a wonderful hobby once you get your 'eye in'. JD
Yep I use it with the Extreme cards but it is super fast mate, each time I use it I think f##k thats fast! Its so fast you can edit images on the card no problem, one of the things with digital photography is the edit stage, I love PS and the two go hand in hand.. To give you an idea firewire 400 to laptop 4Gb SanDisc Ver V card in 35secs, USB same files +5 mins...lol Firewire 800 to desktop in 16 secs..lol
I had the D90 for awhile but could,nt get on with the mini screen on the top so I downgraded to a D50 with a sigma 18-200,nice little number but I so wish I,d kept my 300mm lens.............I was looking at your one the other day,a lot of places are puntting them out cheap but funds are low at the moment .Have fun...................the last time I went racing I took 2000 images..................and once I,d trawled through them I kept 50!!!
Remember that your 18 ~ 55 correlates to 27~ 82.5 on the 3100. 80mm is a good portrait focal length in the 35mm format, so you're getting an okay landscape wide angle and portrait lens in one. Kit lenses aren't the best, it must be said, but the extra subtlety the more sophisticated glass will give you over that in a compact camera will certainly be noticeable right away.
Noticing the difference in the stuff iv shot on auto already to be honest . Iv had a play about with the scene settings and reading up on Apeture , shutter speeds etc etc ready for the weekend
True. I've polaroided set ups and then shot 5" x 4" transparency film before now with bracketed exposures and had the exposed film biked to the lab for clip testing. Waited for the bike to arrive back at the location so I could pick the correct result to finish the shoot. Good old days my arse.
