New Equipment

[mimartin]

My last thread has disappeared so I'm starting a new one. I will be buying my first SLR within the next week. Thanks to everyone that helped me out the past couple of days. I went to Wolf Camera last night and decided that I liked the Nikon D80 better than the Canon Rebel XTi. The pictures seemed to turn out with a lot more light. It also 'felt' better to me. The package that I've put together so far is:

Nikon D80 w/ 18-200mm D3.5-6.3 Nikon lens, Nikon 50 mm/f1.8 D lens, Lexar Professional 2G card, extra battery, a camera bag (not decided on yet), and a Quantary PZ-1 D SZ Series TTL Power Zoom flash.

Any comments on the flash, or other suggestions? I will more than likely purchase from Wolf (either online or at a retail store). My photography will be mainly of sports and weddings (low-budget, for family and friends).

 

[shingfan]

My last thread has disappeared so I'm starting a new one. I will be buying my first SLR within the next week. Thanks to everyone that helped me out the past couple of days. I went to Wolf Camera last night and decided that I liked the Nikon D80 better than the Canon Rebel XTi. The pictures seemed to turn out with a lot more light. It also 'felt' better to me. The package that I've put together so far is:

Nikon D80 w/ 18-200mm D3.5-6.3 Nikon lens, Nikon 50 mm/f1.8 D lens, Lexar Professional 2G card, extra battery, a camera bag (not decided on yet), and a Quantary PZ-1 D SZ Series TTL Power Zoom flash.

Any comments on the flash, or other suggestions? I will more than likely purchase from Wolf (either online or at a retail store). My photography will be mainly of sports and weddings (low-budget, for family and friends).

i'm not familiar with the flash that you specify....but i would recommend the nikon SB600/800 to benefit from their CLS.....afterall.....nikon+nikon should work better than nikon + Quantary...unless you are doing everything manually....also....dont forget to get a diffuser for the flash.....it works very well for both bouncing and direct

also nikon doesnt have a 18-200mm d3.5-6.3 lense?....

 

[Big Mike]

It also 'felt' better to me.

That's good...this is probably more important than comparing the specs.
Not to throw a wrench into things...but did you look at a Canon 20D/30D? The Nikon D80 is their mid level DSLR...while the XTi is Canon's entry level model. Maybe not a fair comparison.

Looks like a pretty good flash for the price. It looks like it has TTL metering that will work with your camera...so that's good. The Nikon SB600 would probably be a better choice...but it's more expensive.

 

[Big Mike]

nikon doesnt have a 18-200mm d3.5-6.3 lense?....

That's just a typo...18-200 F3.5-6.3

dont forget to get a diffuser for the flash.....it works very well for both bouncing and direct

A diffuser will rob power when bouncing. However, there are plenty of products that are made to throw some light forward while boucing...which is a very good idea. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM"]See Here[/ame]

 

[JD in Socal]

That sounds like a good package to me.

I'm a Canon guy, so I don't know anything about that flash. The body and lens combo should give you the ability to do a bit of everything. The zoom will be tough to use for indoor action/sports, but the 50mm will do fine for that within its range (non-telephoto). With photography, as with many other things, a small upgrade in equipment capability (such as to a low-light zoom, for example) comes only with a large increase in expense.

The set-up you describe should give you excellent all-around capability. If you get hooked on some area of photography (macro, indoor sports, landscapes) in the future, you can add to that collection and spend all the money you want.

For the others out there that may be considering the same topic, I have to add that the Canon equivalent of this package is also a great choice.

Good luck out there.

JD

 

[mimartin]

i'm not familiar with the flash that you specify....but i would recommend the nikon SB600/800 to benefit from their CLS.....afterall.....nikon+nikon should work better than nikon + Quantary...unless you are doing everything manually....also....dont forget to get a diffuser for the flash.....it works very well for both bouncing and direct

also nikon doesnt have a 18-200mm d3.5-6.3 lense?....

It looks like I'm buying everything that you've got! The 200mm lens is a Nikkor (sorry about that!). I don't know if I can afford the SB600 (definitely not the 800) flash. I would like to, but will have to wait and see what my total is. I didn't know that I'd need a diffuser. What do they cost? When would I use it?

Thank you so much for your post!

 

[mimartin]

I am going to compare the Nikon D80 with the Canon 20D and 30D. Just to make sure before I fork out this money. I'm also going to see if I can squeeze this SB600 flash in as well. I'm an accountant by trade, so I'm pretty penny-pinching (LOL). But, I don't want to buy something and then a couple of months later beat myself up for being stubborn.

 

[shingfan]

It looks like I'm buying everything that you've got! The 200mm lens is a Nikkor (sorry about that!). I don't know if I can afford the SB600 (definitely not the 800) flash. I would like to, but will have to wait and see what my total is. I didn't know that I'd need a diffuser. What do they cost? When would I use it?

Thank you so much for your post!

ironically....if you can afford the 18-200 VR lense ($750 US)...you can afford the flash ($200 US).....lol

the diffuser is about $20....in simple terms....is a transparent nylon cup that you put around the flash head

and yes.....circular polarized filter would be great for outdoor shots to get nice blues and greens...UV filter would be nice for extra protection for your lense...but buy high quality ones

 

[MPowerM3]

Dont forget filters!! Uv def and maybe polarizer for great outdoor shots.

 

[Big Mike]

I didn't know that I'd need a diffuser. What do they cost? When would I use it?

It's not something that everybody uses...but it's something that can certainly help. Having the flash sitting up high on the camera is much better than the small built-in flash...but the flash is still a rather small light source...which means that it can have a 'hard light' quality to it.

A diffuser would be something that increases the size of the light source...thereby making the light softer. Bouncing off a wall or ceiling is essentially making the light softer...as well as changing the direction that it hits the subject.

There are many, many products to help with your flash photography. Check out these sites...
http://www.stofen.com/
http://www.lumiquest.com/
http://www.dembflashdiffusers.com/
http://store.garyfonginc.com/lightsphere.html

Most of these products work in some situations and not so well in others...unless you know when & how to use them...they are kind of a waste. I'd suggest going with just the flash for a while...then if & when you see a need...get the product that will suit your style.

 

[mimartin]

Yeah, the filters and diffuser seems pretty cheap. The UV and polarized filters really sound good. Does it matter what brand?
I looked at the Canon 30D and it's really out of my price range right now. The Nikon D80 is more than I wanted to spend, but really close to the price of the Rebel. My original budget was $1200-1500 max, and I'm already way over budget. That's why I'm fretting on the flash.
Should I not get the Nikon 50mm/f1.8D lens and spend that on the better flash? I would think the lens would come in handy more....

 

[shingfan]

Yeah, the filters and diffuser seems pretty cheap. The UV and polarized filters really sound good. Does it matter what brand?
I looked at the Canon 30D and it's really out of my price range right now. The Nikon D80 is more than I wanted to spend, but really close to the price of the Rebel. My original budget was $1200-1500 max, and I'm already way over budget. That's why I'm fretting on the flash.
Should I not get the Nikon 50mm/f1.8D lens and spend that on the better flash? I would think the lens would come in handy more....

lol .......your current combination is already exceeding your budget by miles...

(in US dollars)
lense = $750
body = $899

these two alone alreayd $1650....and i would recommend getting separate lenses if you want to save money.......hence better quality and lower in cost.....trade off would be convenience......i do have the 18-200 and i love it.....just little pricy

Hoya would be a nice brand to choose......B+W would be the ultimate goal...but too expensive (at least for me)...dont buy cheap filters

 

[Big Mike]

The UV and polarized filters really sound good. Does it matter what brand?

I'd skip the UV filter and just get a polarizer. Some brands have more/better coatings...some brands have a range. Don't worry too much about it. B&W is good but expensive. Hoya and Tiffen are both good brands as well.

Should I not get the Nikon 50mm/f1.8D lens and spend that on the better flash? I would think the lens would come in handy more....

It really depends on the type of shooting that you will do. I agree that a fast lens will come in handy more often than a better flash (assuming that still you get the quantaray).

 

[mimartin]

lol .......your current combination is already exceeding your budget by miles...

(in US dollars)
lense = $750
body = $899

I think you're thinking about the wrong lens. The one that I'm getting isn't quite as good. It's a Nikkor 18-200mm D3.5-6.3 (instead of the one like yours). It cost about $360 or 400 - depending on where you get it.

 

[shingfan]

I think you're thinking about the wrong lens. The one that I'm getting isn't quite as good. It's a Nikkor 18-200mm D3.5-6.3 (instead of the one like yours). It cost about $360 or 400 - depending on where you get it.

ok...now that's why i said originally nikon doesnt offer this lense.....are you sure you are getting 18-200mm?...or other focal range?...because nikon only offer the 18-200mm VR lense.....no other of that focal range....or it is not listed on nikon website?

http://www.nikon.ca/lensesandspeedlights/