New member / First camera

[jpticar]

Soooooooo.....I'm hoping to go to B&H tomorrow morning and pick up a camera, but I am so confused as to which to buy. It's basically between the D5000 and D90. I know what they both have to offer but I just can't decide which I should get. This will be my first DSLR camera.

The D5000 seems like a very good camera for what you are paying. The biggest drawback that I've read about on many review sites is the fact that it lacks an internal AF motor. Here is a website that compares D90, D5000, and Rebel T1i. Nikon D5000 Compared to D90 and Canon Rebel T1i / EOS 500D About halfway down the page they do a spec comparison. Below are a few differences I noticed between the D90 and D5000.

D5000 more scene modes - Will these be beneficial for me since I am just starting out? I would really like to learn manual settings so I can have more freedom with the camera.

D90 more custom functions - I feel like I wont understand most of these at first but I fell like I would miss them once I leanr about them.

D90 depth of field preview

D90 Top info panel

D90 Dual dials to change settings

I've been told by a friend of a friend who owns a D90 that I would just be wasting my money and don't need something advanced. He said I should get a D60. I think that I would definitely get the D5000 over the D60.

The main reason I am still hung up on the D90 is because I feel like it is more of a camera I can grow with. After reading reviews, I felt that the D5000 was more of a camera for a person who just wants to turn it on and be able to shoot good pictures without much effort. I would rather learn the ins and outs and create good shots myself.

I guess what I'm saying is that I would rather under-use the camera in the beginning so I can always try new things and have new options available to me as I learn them, rather than buy a camera that is more suited to a beginner and feel like it cant keep up with what I want as I become more knowledgeable about photography.

Am I completely wrong here? Feel free to bash me lol. Also feel free to post some more important differences between the two cameras from that link above or your general knowledge. Sorry for the long post and thanks for the help!

 

[robertwsimpson]

if you're planning on shooting in manual mode (which is all I use) I'd go for whichever camera has the most non-menu based controls... it's much easier to turn a nob while looking through the viewfinder than to pull the camera off your face and change settings. That's what is frustrating me about my camera at the moment anyway.

 

[jpticar]

Thats what I'm thinking. I'm sure I wont be great in manual mode to begin with, but I dont want to get caught up in only using preset scenes.

 

[robertwsimpson]

I say force yourself to learn manual by using only manual. That's what I did. it will make you learn the relationship between aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. You'll be frustrated at first, but you'll figure it out quickly if you're anything like me. Baptism by fire!

 

[jpticar]

I agree. Taking crap pictures on manual in the beginning will motivate me to learn. I think I'm pretty set on the D90. Unfortunately its alittle over the budget I wanted, but screw it. Now I just gotta choose if I want to go body only and find a lens or get a package with a good walk around lens.

 

[robertwsimpson]

I'm sure I will get hated upon for this, but I say learn on the kit lens. it is good enough for you to learn the relationship between ISO, fstop, and shutter speed. once you've become frustrated with your hardware and you've progressed past the point where the weakness in the system is your skill (which will take a while) that's when you go for a better lens. by then, you'll have some cash in the bank too.

 

[robertwsimpson]

plus you'll figure out what you like taking pictures of the most. if you like doing portraits, a 55-250mm is not going to be the ideal lens for you.

 

[jpticar]

B&H has Nikon D90 SLR Digital Camera Kit with Nikon 18-105mm VR Lens for $1140 and Nikon D90 SLR Digital Camera Kit with Nikon 55-200mm VR Lens for $1115. My priority shots will most likely be cityscapes and architectural since I will be shooting in NYC basically every weekend. I'm thinking the 18-105mm?

 

[PhotoXopher]

If you go with a kit, the 18-105 VR is a nice (and common) option with the D90. It'll give you a nice range and good quality for a fair price.

If you want to go body only and get what I consider the ultimate walk around lens, I'd recommend the Sigma 18-250 HSM OS.

Also, I'd reconsider the manual mode right away... you might get TOO frustrated.

What I'd recommend is shooting in programmed auto for a day, aperture priority for a day or two, then shutter priority for a day or two, then manual for a few days - all the while paying attention to the changes.

Use Auto ISO at first too, you can add that to the mix once you really understand what's going on with shutter speed and aperture.

Manual mode isn't always the best way to shoot, even after you learn the basics... If all you are doing is zeroing in the exposure you can save time by just using Aperture or Shutter priority mode because that's all it's doing anyway.

 

[jpticar]

Are the kit lenses really terrible?

 

[jpticar]

If you go with a kit, the 18-105 VR is a nice (and common) option with the D90. It'll give you a nice range and good quality for a fair price.

If you want to go body only and get what I consider the ultimate walk around lens, I'd recommend the Sigma 18-250 HSM OS.

I'd love to do that, just not right off the bat. My wallets gonna take a hit as it is lol. For a good amount of time my pictures are going to look like ass while I learn manual mode. No lens will help me until I know what I'm doing lol. Thanks for the info though. I will definitely look into a lens like this in the future.

 

[robertwsimpson]

18-105 with VR sounds pretty nice, actually. it will be a good range... 18mm for wide angle city shots, and 105mm if you see something down the road that you want to capture close up.

 

[PhotoXopher]

Not all kit lenses are junk, the Nikon kit lenses are usually pretty decent (18-55, 18-55 VR, 18-105 VR, 18-200 VR for example).

When you can, pick up a 50mm f/1.8 as well - should be able to find one used for around $100 or new for around $140.

 

[robertwsimpson]

I LURVEEE my 50 1.8

 

[jpticar]

18-105 with VR sounds pretty nice, actually. it will be a good range... 18mm for wide angle city shots, and 105mm if you see something down the road that you want to capture close up.

Exactly what I was thinking. Should be a good first lens for what I'm looking for.