FAO Photographers: DSLR choice

Got some cash to splash on a new DSLR to replace my buggered D70. I have £600 from the insurance on the D70 and dont mind adding a little extra within reason (I'd go to £1K).

Looking at Nikon cameras primarily as my lenses are all Nikon fit ones.

Im tempted by the D90 with 18-105mm VR lens but a friend of mine reckons I should spend the extra cash and get a D300s. However another mate reckons I should get the D90 and buy an extra lens. I have read reviews to the point where Im overloaded and totally stuck. Knowing that there are some photographers here I thought I would seek out some advice from other people.

Lens wise I have a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 and a Tamron DII 55-200 4-5.6 (crap).

I also need to factor in the cost of Photardshop as well.

So has anyone got any experience of the D300 or the D90?
Is it worth looking at alternative makes such as Canon?

Thanks

I also need to factor in the cost of Photardshop as well.

Assuming you want to do this legally, isn't it about £700?!?

student version is only £150 give or take

Is it worth looking at alternative makes such as Canon?

Depends on how much investment in lenses you have, and maybe how much of that is in DX-format only lenses, as you may upgrade to full frame at some point.

If you look at other brands, consider Sony – good value FF sensor models.

d90 and the extra lens + adobe lightroom!

I use it and wouldn't be fussed for a d300. d90 does all I need, only thing that would tempt me up would be a full frame sensor.

D90 + CaptureNX and an extra lens.

It's the last day of the Focus on Imaging show in Birmingham. Get yourself there for a damn good deal, if its closeby!

I went from a D70 to a D300 and never been happier. Went to the D300 for better weather sealing and less plastic. Full magnesium body.

Bloody love it although dreaming of a D700 for full frame at the moment.

You should be able to pick up a second hand d300 (not 300s) for around 700.
try grays of Westminster, the pro centre or apeture nr british museum for reputable 2nd hand with warranty. Otherwise eBay.

otherwise d90 is a good choice. Would certainly recommend a better lens to replace that zoom

Why not just hire a professional and stop dicking around? 😛

Would certainly recommend a better lens to replace that zoom

[tard mode] my own Tamron lens or the one with the D90? [/tard mode]

Why not just hire a professional and stop dicking around?

That nearly resulted in an unpleasant tea-monitor interface 😆

I would base your decision on the type of photography you do. I am considering an upgrade to the d300s for 3 main reasons;
1. Can do 7fps (8 with battery grip) I do lots of sports photography.
2. Better weather sealing – lost count of the number of times I have had to put my camera away due to drizzle.
3. Metering of old manual lenses – I have a few older lenses which I really enjoy using.

There aren't many other reasons to buy the d300s over the d90.

lost count of the number of times I have had to put my camera away due to drizzle.

I've been snowboarding with my D80 numerous times. Shooting with it while riding and just tucking it into my jacket when not in use. No problem with weather sealing that I saw.

If you're that worried about it then just stick the body in a freezer bag. Not pretty but cheaper than a D300!

Well at the moment my photography is mostly crap…I mean scenery guff.

I have experimented in the past with bits of sports photography such as showjumping, surfing, skating, kitesurfing but this hasnt been a great deal.

Im looking to do some timelapse stuff when I get a new camera sorted out (but as both cameras have timelapse settings this is by the by).

The D90 is looking like a better prospect at the moment, although the D300s magnesium body might withstand my butterfingers moments a little better and I wont have to replace my CF card either.

Well at the moment my photography is mostly crap

Learn to be a photographer, THEN buy a bling camera? Just a thoguht.. 🙂

Good point.

Might just save the cash and use the compact for the time being

You're more likely to notice the difference between a great lens and a crp lens than the difference between a d300 and d90, so a d90 and a really good lens.

Just another thought….but isnt the d5000 a d90 sensor in a cheaper body?

I agree with tommy. I'd get a D90 and faster/better quality lens. From my (moderate) experience the step up in lenses makes more of a difference to a new body. The lenses also depreciate less. If you decide in a few years's time you want a better body you can get one second hand for more of a discount.

Also, consider looking at used kit. I've picked up a couple of used lenses recently. They're in great nick and reasonably priced.

Why not not look at all the brands, have a try in the hand and see what you reckon

Without sounding too harsh, its not as though you have a selection of great lenses and could sell yours for a few quid

Some great cameras out there, the Nikons you mention, Canon 7D or 50D, Pentax K7 and a couple of Sony's too
All will produce great pics, more down to personal preference than which is best

D90 and better glass…… Like most others have said.

Why not not look at all the brands, have a try in the hand and see what you reckon

Funnily enough Im heading into Jessops tomorrow to see if they have any of the Canon 550D's in stock. They are the same price as the D90 but metal body.

Going to compare the two in store tomorrow hopefully 🙂

in my dim distant comment above, I meant replace the tamron – not sure what with…depends on what you shoot, personally I am currently being tempted by the following

sigma 10-24 mm (like shooting buildings and at 24 mm this lens seems to be fairly nice for environmental portraits)

nikon 85mm f1.4 or 1.8 – would prefer the 1.4 but the price difference is huge

but both of these fit what I like to shoot portraits and architecture.

the 18-105mm which comes with the d90 will be a compromise- not sure what it is like as a lens, but I have an 18-200 (tamron) which I picked up knowing full well that this wouldnt be the best, but would provide me with a walkabout lens for days out when I only want the camera and not to lug a bag full of lenses around 'just in case' – personally I hate it – its soft, distorts really badly at the wide end, lots fo fringing and is everything I knew it might be – but I still get good pictures from it (and it has a nice sweet spot at about 70mm). Currently shooting with that, 50 f1.8, and some old manual tamron adaptall lenses 135mm f2.8 and 90mm f2.5 – nice for portraits but not the greatest for fast moving situations when you have to manual focus

maybe look at sigma 17-70 – not a bad lens for the money (quality nikon will be better, but probably 2 -3 times the price) – had one for my pentax system before I sold it all and it had a few failings (bit soft) but a good lens.

You're more likely to notice the difference between a great lens and a crp lens than the difference between a d300 and d90

I wonder if that's true ? The quality of the image is so often compromised by the shooting conditions – amount, contrast and direction of light that the ultimate resolution of the lens is frequently not achieved, whereas the handling and ability of the camera are immediately obvious. Mind you, I've never handled a D90…

On the other brands front I did see that PCWorld has a few Olympus E3s for £899. Weather sealed body. The 12-60 is a cracking lens (one of the best zooms available). E3 was pitched at D300 (not s) so is a couple of years old. The 12-60 is awesome though (see dpreview for write ups).

On the subject of ultimate image quality (ie lens quality) what are you going to do with the pics? If you are just sending them to your inkjet photo printer, are you going to really notice the difference between excellent quality and even better excellent quality?

Can't see the point in changing brands TBH – I'd go mad having to re – learn the position and function of all the buttons.

As for the original question, I bought a D80 the day after they were released, and whilst it's a great camera, I wish I'd saved a bit more and bought the D200. Have got the D80 wet on a couple of occasions and would have preferred the peace of mind of weather sealing.

If you shoot a lot in bad weather, get the D300, if not, I can see no reason to spend the extra – could get a cheap holiday for the difference! 🙂

In my (limited) experience I'd go for the D90 + lens. You can pick up the D90 plus either an 18-55 or 18-105 kit lens on Flea-bay for 600 notes if you search around a little (I got mine for 599 with the 18-55).

You could then spend the extra on either a wide angle lens or a zoom depending on what you want to take photos of (Sigma 10-20 f3.5 and the Nikon 70-300 are both available for under £400) making good use of your £1000.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-DSLR-D90-Body-18-55mm-VR-Lens-8GB-Bat-6Gift-UK_W0QQitemZ230436035861QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item35a70edd15

£627 with 8gb SD card and a spare battery….

(It's where I got mine from as well and the service was very good, took a few days to get here but then it is coming from Hong Kong. I got stung for VAT just to warn you but it was the princely some of 12 quid!)

Well I went into Jessops earlier and spent some time with the cameras handling each one.

I liked the D90 and was tempted with that over the 550D which although was very nice felt very small and fragile in my hands. Although it was packed with features its small size and delicate feel didnt inspire confidence in me at all.

It came down to the D90 or a Canon EOS 50D.

I went for the 50D. Yes it was more than I wanted to spend (although still cheaper than a D300s and came with a decent lens) but I wanted something new anyway (dont want the hassle of getting something off eBay or second hand and having it fail on me). Its a very chunky camera that feels solid and stable…it felt "just right" I thought. I also got some discount on a new memory card, filter and spare battery.

Changing brands didnt bother me as I didnt know the Nikon all that well. In 3 years of ownership it was only a couple of months ago that I stopped pissing around with the presets and actually used the camera in manual modes. I dont print my pictures out, they all get posted on Flickr. In the past I printed some out to enter into a competition but I doubt Ill be doing that again anytime soon.

Overall Im pleased with my choice and Ill post up some pics over the weekend.

Thanks to everyone who contributed, some valuable information there that gave me some food for thought.

nice one – get those Nikon lenses on ebay and enjoy the proceeds, and most of all get out and enjoy your new baby!

zokes – Member

I also need to factor in the cost of Photardshop as well.

Assuming you want to do this legally, isn't it about £700?!?

correct – i'm sure they work on the basis that everyone who can ever justify buying it to use professionally has already learnt on a sly copy 😆

Excellent, another Canon convert …… Now those L lenses look sweet.

I wonder if that's true ? The quality of the image is so often compromised by the shooting conditions – amount, contrast and direction of light that the ultimate resolution of the lens is frequently not achieved, whereas the handling and ability of the camera are immediately obvious. Mind you, I've never handled a D90…

Well obviously the skill of a photographer and the conditions will have a greater effect than anything on an image, but if you were to compare two images- exactly the same images- taken by a d90 and a d300, there would be pretty negligible differences, compared to a d90 with say the lens that comes in the kit of a D40 and a top quality prime lens, the difference would probably be apparent or atleast greater than the d300

I wonder if the OP tried anything other than Canon and Nikon?

I feel like an outcast now, a rebel determined to swim against the flow..!

that I stopped pissing around with the presets and actually used the camera in manual modes.

an interesting construction – I'd have said actually using the camera was taking pictures, not fiddling with settings 🙂

you can get photoshop elements for about £60 ish. Does most of the things you need for RAW / jpeg editing/converting. You can get third party plug ins to gain some of the functions of the full photoshop packages (layer masks,curves etc).

Glad you got sorted, as I mentioned earlier handling the different cameras is the only way to really decide
I was the opposite and having unusually small hands for my size went for the 500D

Nikon's never feel right for me and no point buying a camera that isn't comfortable in use.
Read once the best camera is the one you have with you (and want to use too)

From what I have read to get the best results from your new purchase you might want to turn off the Auto Lighting Optimizer and High ISO Noise reduction

How long before you have a liking for the 7D?

Ahhhhh 7D …… now you're talking!

(though have decided to invest in glass and stick with my 450D body – for now at least ….).

molgrips – Member
I feel like an outcast now, a rebel determined to swim against the flow..!

It's that approach to photography that leads to some of the best pictures in my view. Know the rules, bend the rules…experiment and see what happens.

Yeah – buy Olympus or Panasonic or something 🙂

As for the taking of the pictures.. that's another thread.