I left the dark side :) New Nikon user here

[OregonT3i]

I have shot Canon for several years now, and have finally grown tired of them.

My biggest gripe with Canon is that their low and mid grade cameras/lenses just do not produce great images. My first DSLR was a Sony a300, and the images I shot with that setup literally blow my last Canon out of the water. I did not want to upgrade to L lenses and a Canon 7D because I do not make a living shooting photos, and after doing a lot of research, decided on Nikon.

Many people have seemed to be very happy with Nikon and the images they can shoot with them.

I ultimately decided on the d300. I know it is a few years old, but for the type of shooting I do, it fits the bill nicely. The d300 has a ton of great features. I really like the 51 focus points with 15 cross points. This, along with the ability to shoot 6fps, will be awesome for taking pics of birds of prey, which is my favorite subject to shoot. I do a lot of landscape, birds, and wildlife shots in general. I also do a lot of city scenes.

I found a like new d300 w/three oem batteries, screen protectors, box, and all paperwork for $605. The body only has 2200 actuations on it. I felt like I got a heck of a deal.

For lenses, I decided on the Nikon 18-70 3.5/4.5, Nikon 60mm Micro, and the Nikon 70-300 4.5/5.6 VR. From what I've read, these lenses are well built, produce sharp images, and will cover my needs nicely.

Any thoughts on lenses? I am going to be purchasing them in a few days. Any suggestions over what I've got listed?

My budget right now was limited to around $1500 because my fiance and I just purchased a house last week. I spent $605 of that on the d300, so I've got $900 left for lenses.

Here is a pic of a red tailed hawk I did last year :mrgreen:

 

[Andrei_316]

Maybe get a 50mm but you are already getting a 60mm prime so maybe not. Also I'm not sure but I think that 70-300 is actually FX so you will get like 100-400 focal range. I'm not quite sure about the 17-70 because you might be getting a 50mm or 60mm, maybe get a wide angle? Tokina 12-24

EDIT: Also if you have big hands look for a battery grip

 

[coastalconn]

I'm also one of the people that picked up the D300 recently and I am a bargain birder. I have not shot the 70-300mm Nikon, but many people say it is soft over 200mm. Most "bargain" birders say the 300mm F4 af-s is the best "bargain" bird lens, however it is $1300 or so new and $1000 or so used. I have the 70-300mm Tamron VC which is pretty sharp but not long enough for birding imho unless you get really close. This is at 300mm wide open but only from about 12 feet or so..

Sparrow Portrait - 2 by krisinct, on Flickr

I was lucky and found a Tamron 200-500 SP AF F5-6.3 for $415 in January. It does have limitations like no VR and the AF is slower than an AF-S lens, but it is the lightest 500mm and easy to handhold at least for me. You can look at my flickr if you want for real world examples of this combo.

I love my D300, btw and my bird photography and amount of keepers has skyrocketed since I got it. My Osprey shot was the winner of the photo of the month on this forum in August it is on the front page here. It was shot at ISO 800.. I do however find that unless you can fill a good amount of the frame, noise does become an issue over 800 with heavy cropping. If you have any questions about your d300 give me a shout. I'm pretty familiar with mine with 20K clicks in the past 3 months or so.

 

[Yantropov]

Welcome to the family !

 

[coastalconn]

Also, btw Fantastic deal!!!

 

[OregonT3i]

"My Osprey shot was the winner of the photo of the month on this forum in August it is on the front page here"

Wow! Great shot! Were you using the Tamron for that shot?

 

[OregonT3i]

Also, I forgot to add in my earlier post, I am also planning on picking up the 35mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4, and 85mm 1.8 in the near future. The 18-70 I'm getting now will be my walk around lens, and the 60mm I'm getting will be mostly for macro photography. I prefer to shoot prime lenses when I'm out, but if I can't carry all of my stuff along, I will take the 18-70 instead.

Last but not least, I am also looking at buying the Nikon 10-24 f4 for shooting wide angle landscapes. Anybody have any experience with this lens?

 

[coastalconn]

Yes the 200-500 is always strapped on my camera except when I sent it to Tamron for a cleaning last month... I love Ospreys! Sometime the Tamron floors me with the quality, but not always. It is a light hog as all the consumer 500mm lens are.. But considering a 500mm F4 runs around $8k I can't complain too much.

The good
Osprey at 60 feet

Osprey Belly of the Beast by krisinct, on Flickr

Osprey at 30 feet

Osprey at 33 feet by krisinct, on Flickr

The Nosiy

Osprey Diving by krisinct, on Flickr

 

[lemonart]

Congrats on coming over to the "dark side"!


As an owner of the 70-300 you will LOVE it on your D300. Great lens on DX and you will love the reach.

As far as a wide-mid zoom I can't say enough about the 16-85 DX VR. I'm an amateur and have had professionals comment on the sharpness of photos I've taken with it. The VR is fantastic and i've Gotten the most useable shots In my portfolio from that lens. It's a little overpriced new, but used it's a bargain! Highly recommended.

Lem

 

[OregonT3i]

Did you mean the 16-85 lemonart?

 

[lemonart]

Haha, yes. Sorry about that!


Lem

 

[lemonart]

I've edited my original post to use the correct lengths.

Lem

 

[OregonT3i]

Well, I ordered my lenses up yesterday. I ended up getting the 18-70mm 3.4-4.5, 50mm 1.8D, and the 70-300mm 4.5-5.6 VR. From the reviews that I have read, all three of these lenses have gotten great reviews.

Next on the list will be the 35mm 1.8 and the 85mm 1.8. I will see how I like the 18-70mm, and maybe upgrade to the 17-55mm 2.8.

 

[greybeard]

Welcome to the light!

 

[snowbear]

Welcome to the Nikonians. Now you'll have to change your screen name!