Would you recommend a different camera?

[Trailcamgirl]

Thank you, yes, I've been browsing a list. I'm sure after practicing a bit I will get another lens.

 

[Derrel]

One nice feature about the entry level Nikon cameras is that the D40 and the D40x,The D60,The D 3000 series and the D 5000 series is that they can use pre-Ai lenses made from roughly 1959 to 1976, without any modification to the Lens.

This means that you can use some very affordable lenses which are not usable on higher-end Nikons. The catch is that these older, manual focus lens is give you no Metering of either continuous light or of electronic Flash. All control over light,meaning aperture and shutter spee, and all control of the amount of flash used must be done by the user, with no metering. You must adjust the amount of flash power manually using the manual flash output selector, and with the f-stop and ISO level, and when shooting conventionally without flash, you must determine the correct shutter speed and f-stop by either using an external light meter or by the trial and error method.

If you look at large photographic equipment sites, you will see these lenses listed as either a non-AI, or as pre-Ai. As I said this was Nikon's 1959 through 1976 standard lens type and there were several million of them made. Just as a for instance example, the 105 mm pre-AI Nikkor, or the 55 mm pre-AI Micro~Nikkor are two really nice lenses from this era. The 55 mm is a macro lens, and needs a PK 11 extension tube added to the Lens to make full one to one ratio life-size macro close-ups, but the good thing is that this lens is around $35 on the used market

 

[Derrel]

in terms of being able to mount and shoot with Nikon lenses, the baby Nikons are without a doubt,the best. The Nikon D40x will mount pretty much any lens Nikon has ever made From 1959 until the present day, so 60 years worth of Nikon F mount lenses Will bayonet onto your camera, and will allow you to shoot pictures, with varying degrees of automation.

Because the baby Nikons do not have an in-body focusing motor, the first generation of Nikon auto focus lenses ,the AF and AF-D models, do not give you automatic focusing, but because they have a CPU, and electrical contacts, they do connect to the camera light meter. Focusing however, must be done by hand. The D 40X requires a lens that has a built in focusing motor in the lens, which means the lens will be designated as an AF-S or as a G series lens ( with just one or two exceptions on the G series ). Suffice it to say that the D40x gives you access to around 65 million or so F-mount lenses made by Nikon, and millions of other third-party lenses

Although this may sound confusing, there are compatibility chart at several places around the web, and the vast majority of Nikon lenses made since the mid-1990s and most all lenses made within the past five years are of the AFS or a G-series type, so do not worry, you have purchased a Camera that will be easy to find millions upon millions of lenses for.

 

[Trailcamgirl]

Yes, it does sound a little confusing at first but I'm slowly getting more familiar with everything and that sounds great. Thanks for all the helpful info! I'm happy I will have allot of options to explore.

 

[ac12]

You "may" have to get a new battery. That battery if probably pretty old, and may not hold a long charge.
Charge it up and see how much you can shoot. If you are lucky it will still hold a decent charge.
Although if you go on a long hike, you probably want to bring a spare battery.

Now go play with the camera, and have fun

 

[Trailcamgirl]

That's a good point. Maybe I should go ahead and get a 2nd battery now, either way it wouldn't hurt to have a spare on hand.

I did opt for free shipping so it's going to take a little time to get here but I certainly will once it arrives!

 

[ac12]

That's a good point. Maybe I should go ahead and get a 2nd battery now, either way it wouldn't hurt to have a spare on hand.

I did opt for free shipping so it's going to take a little time to get here but I certainly will once it arrives!

With a used batteries, you don't know the condition of it.
There "might" be a battery status screen in the menu of your camera, to see the condition of the battery.
On my Nikon it is >menu>wrench>battery info.

A good battery in a dSLR will last quite a while. I normally get a full weekend on one charge, no flash used.
On my D7200, I did not switch to my spare battery until a few years later, after I think I wore out my 1st battery from a LOT of use.
I never did wear out the battery on my D70. But I did not shoot it as much as the D7200.

Label the batteries #1 and #2.
So you can keep track of which is the old and new battery.

Download and read the manual, so you have a head start on learning the camera, before it arrives.

 

[JonFZ300]

My first DSLR was the D40, which is kind of the little brother/sister to the D40x. I think you'll love it. I know I really enjoyed mine. I only have a bridge camera nowadays and I'm good with it but I do miss my D40 sometimes. Congrats! You've made a solid choice.

 

[Derrel]

I bought a Nikon D2x brand new on May 3, 2005....the battery STILL works!!! Genuine Nikon batteries are very good, and genuine Nikon chargers have sophisticate battery charging and checking and refreshing routines that prolong the life of batteries. There is a real REASON that Nikon's batteries and chargers cost substantially MORE that cheapies Made in China...

However, aftermarket batteries that cost $7.99 or $14 and last two years...not a bad deal.

>menu>wrench>battery info.

**Shows # of shots taken, percent of battery charge left, and battery age, with hashmarks that show a NEW battery (left-most) and one that you need to "REPLACE" (right-most status). When this was introduced in the early to mid-2000's, it was a BIG step up in battery technology and user confidence.

The D2x had perhaps the biggest, best battery life Nikon has ever released, and the after the lithium-ion fire paranoia, the Japanese camera industry deliberately cut batteries BACK in capacity, over mainly, airline fire concerns.

 

[The_Traveler]

There are so many options to consider. I'm not sure if I'm closer or further from purchasing a camera now.

I'm sorry I didn't get to read the entire thread (I quit about page 3 where you made this statement) so I may be repeating something someone has already said.

Going from taking pictures with a phone to taking pictures with an actual camera involves much more than money - although there is that.
When you decide to take real pictures, you are embarking on a huge learning course and investment of time in both taking and editing photos.
It is the conceptual equivalent of being an aunt in comparison to actually having one's own child to take care of.

11 Tips for Beginning Photographers - How to Start Taking Pictures

Shooting in P mode & Why photographers defend their methods

 

[Trailcamgirl]

With a used batteries, you don't know the condition of it.
There "might" be a battery status screen in the menu of your camera, to see the condition of the battery.
On my Nikon it is >menu>wrench>battery info.

A good battery in a dSLR will last quite a while. I normally get a full weekend on one charge, no flash used.
On my D7200, I did not switch to my spare battery until a few years later, after I think I wore out my 1st battery from a LOT of use.
I never did wear out the battery on my D70. But I did not shoot it as much as the D7200.

Label the batteries #1 and #2.
So you can keep track of which is the old and new battery.

Download and read the manual, so you have a head start on learning the camera, before it arrives.

Thanks, I'll get a spare battery and yes I thought reading the manual was a good idea too.

My first DSLR was the D40, which is kind of the little brother/sister to the D40x. I think you'll love it. I know I really enjoyed mine. I only have a bridge camera nowadays and I'm good with it but I do miss my D40 sometimes. Congrats! You've made a solid choice.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it!

I bought a Nikon D2x brand new on May 3, 2005....the battery STILL works!!! Genuine Nikon batteries are very good, and genuine Nikon chargers have sophisticate battery charging and checking and refreshing routines that prolong the life of batteries. There is a real REASON that Nikon's batteries and chargers cost substantially MORE that cheapies Made in China...

However, aftermarket batteries that cost $7.99 or $14 and last two years...not a bad deal.

>menu>wrench>battery info.

**Shows # of shots taken, percent of battery charge left, and battery age, with hashmarks that show a NEW battery (left-most) and one that you need to "REPLACE" (right-most status). When this was introduced in the early to mid-2000's, it was a BIG step up in battery technology and user confidence.

The D2x had perhaps the biggest, best battery life Nikon has ever released, and the after the lithium-ion fire paranoia, the Japanese camera industry deliberately cut batteries BACK in capacity, over mainly, airline fire concerns.

Awesome information. Thank you!

I'm sorry I didn't get to read the entire thread (I quit about page 3 where you made this statement) so I may be repeating something someone has already said.

Going from taking pictures with a phone to taking pictures with an actual camera involves much more than money - although there is that.
When you decide to take real pictures, you are embarking on a huge learning course and investment of time in both taking and editing photos.
It is the conceptual equivalent of being an aunt in comparison to actually having one's own child to take care of.

11 Tips for Beginning Photographers - How to Start Taking Pictures

Shooting in P mode & Why photographers defend their methods

Thanks! I'll check out the articles after work...definitely been reading allot, more never hurts. I didn't go into my whole history as taking pictures started when I was a little girl. I've had experience other then my phone and no worries, I don't expect it to be like my mobile. I understand there is a difference and am ready to learn more.

 

[Derrel]

good articles. i like point 11 a lot, and the thread Lew linked to got 18 pages (1,200) of responses here on TPF, back in 2012.

Biggest differences between a d-slr and a phone:

1) less DOF with a d-slr. A phone has deeeeeeeep DOF!
2) sensor spots at small f/stops on a d-slr

3) phone--arms outstretched framing n shooting
d-slr--offers thru-camera eyepiece viewing OR live view

4) phone is now almost invisible as a camera, while d-slr arouses more wariness among many people

 

[beagle100]

With a used batteries, you don't know the condition of it.
There "might" be a battery status screen in the menu of your camera, to see the condition of the battery.
On my Nikon it is >menu>wrench>battery info.

A good battery in a dSLR will last quite a while. I normally get a full weekend on one charge, no flash used.
On my D7200, I did not switch to my spare battery until a few years later, after I think I wore out my 1st battery from a LOT of use.
I never did wear out the battery on my D70. But I did not shoot it as much as the D7200.

Label the batteries #1 and #2.
So you can keep track of which is the old and new battery.

Download and read the manual, so you have a head start on learning the camera, before it arrives.

Thanks, I'll get a spare battery and yes I thought reading the manual was a good idea too.

My first DSLR was the D40, which is kind of the little brother/sister to the D40x. I think you'll love it. I know I really enjoyed mine. I only have a bridge camera nowadays and I'm good with it but I do miss my D40 sometimes. Congrats! You've made a solid choice.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it!

I bought a Nikon D2x brand new on May 3, 2005....the battery STILL works!!! Genuine Nikon batteries are very good, and genuine Nikon chargers have sophisticate battery charging and checking and refreshing routines that prolong the life of batteries. There is a real REASON that Nikon's batteries and chargers cost substantially MORE that cheapies Made in China...

However, aftermarket batteries that cost $7.99 or $14 and last two years...not a bad deal.

>menu>wrench>battery info.

**Shows # of shots taken, percent of battery charge left, and battery age, with hashmarks that show a NEW battery (left-most) and one that you need to "REPLACE" (right-most status). When this was introduced in the early to mid-2000's, it was a BIG step up in battery technology and user confidence.

The D2x had perhaps the biggest, best battery life Nikon has ever released, and the after the lithium-ion fire paranoia, the Japanese camera industry deliberately cut batteries BACK in capacity, over mainly, airline fire concerns.

Awesome information. Thank you!

I'm sorry I didn't get to read the entire thread (I quit about page 3 where you made this statement) so I may be repeating something someone has already said.

Going from taking pictures with a phone to taking pictures with an actual camera involves much more than money - although there is that.
When you decide to take real pictures, you are embarking on a huge learning course and investment of time in both taking and editing photos.
It is the conceptual equivalent of being an aunt in comparison to actually having one's own child to take care of.
ods

Thanks! I'll check out the articles after work...definitely been reading allot, more never hurts. I didn't go into my whole history as taking pictures started when I was a little girl. I've had experience other then my phone and no worries, I don't expect it to be like my mobile. I understand there is a difference and am ready to learn more.

yes, some differences and a spare battery never hurts
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[NnamAries]

Wow! Taking pictures with of living organisms show that you love nature. The aspect of photography that intrigues me the most is real estate photography. I often find information on the best visa consultancy service so as to travel across different continent and take landscape photos of real estate.

 

[Trailcamgirl]

Hello everyone,

I got my camera. I just had a chance to take some quick pictures today. I had watched some videos on basics in settings so went outside and started clicking in my backyard...I tried pretty much every mode including M mode, just playing around and seeing what the results were. They were not good... blaming my inexperience and not the camera itself. There's heaps of room for improvement. I definitely will be practicing allot more to achieve pictures I'm happy with...All in all I think this was definitely a great choice for me to get started with. I'm having allot of fun and that's the main thing.

Here are some of my very first photos, including my best friend Cypress (the dog ).

Just wanted to say thanks again for helping me get started, I will improve in time. Happy with my decision.