D-SLR and lenses - newbie needs help !

Sir-James · Feb 11, 2003

The question has probably been asked before and if so (I haven't found it yet) please direct me as appropriate.

I'm pretty much decided that my camera of choice is the Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro.

I'd rather go for something cheaper, but nothing quite combines the functionality + quality that I require.

I've managed to get see good price for the S2 Pro. One issue with an SLR however, is of course the additional cost of lenses.

I understand this particular camera is based on a Nikon chassis and will therfore require Nikon (nikkor?) lenses.

Is there anyone out there who can recommend a good place (preferbly online) to purchase said lenses.

Whilst ypu're there, er, what lenses will I need? I mainly do conference type events but would like to keep my options open.

Thanks in advance for your help..

James Williams (a D-SLR newbie!)

Luis E Limon · Feb 11, 2003

http://www.bhphoto.com
http://www.adorama.com
http://www.keh.com

I have goten things at good prices from http://www.hotbuyselectronics.com they have imported lenses fairly cheap but. they will call you to sell you a "better version". I have a good experience with them. But know they are not a very respectable company (but prices are unbeatable).

Sir-James said:
The question has probably been asked before and if so (I haven't
found it yet) please direct me as appropriate.

I'm pretty much decided that my camera of choice is the Fujifilm
Finepix S2 Pro.

I'd rather go for something cheaper, but nothing quite combines the
functionality + quality that I require.

I've managed to get see good price for the S2 Pro. One issue with
an SLR however, is of course the additional cost of lenses.

I understand this particular camera is based on a Nikon chassis and
will therfore require Nikon (nikkor?) lenses.

Is there anyone out there who can recommend a good place (preferbly
online) to purchase said lenses.

Whilst ypu're there, er, what lenses will I need? I mainly do
conference type events but would like to keep my options open.

Thanks in advance for your help..

James Williams (a D-SLR newbie!)

--
S2 Pro + Sigma 28-70 + Sigma 15-30 + Tamron 90 macro

Petteri Sulonen · Feb 11, 2003

Sir-James wrote:
[snip]

Sir-James said:
I've managed to get see good price for the S2 Pro. One issue with
an SLR however, is of course the additional cost of lenses.

I understand this particular camera is based on a Nikon chassis and
will therfore require Nikon (nikkor?) lenses.

Is there anyone out there who can recommend a good place (preferbly
online) to purchase said lenses.

Whilst ypu're there, er, what lenses will I need? I mainly do
conference type events but would like to keep my options open.

Thanks in advance for your help..

First off, I'm sure the S2 is a good choice. Out of curiosity, why did you choose it over the D100? Between the two, I would've picked the Nikon because of its better low-light capabilities.

As to the lenses, Nikon isn't the only one making Nikon mount lenses. Manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina make them as well. Their quality is variable, but the best ones are up there with Nikon's best, and usually a good deal more affordable.

Which ones you'll need depends on what and how you'll be shooting. You have a couple of options:

1. Wide-range zoom (e.g., 28 -- 200, equivalent to about 40 to 300 on the S2).
Pros: Flexibility, reach, reasonably affordable.

Cons: Optical trade-offs (sharpness, distortion, flare, bokeh, aberrations); limited brightness limits available-light work; no wide-angle capability.

2. Set of primes spaced at even intervals, e.g 20 mm, (30 mm eq.), 50 mm (75 mm eq.), 150 mm (225 mm eq.).

Pros: No optical compromises, suitable for low-light work, can be cheaper than zoom of comparable range, and you can expand capabilities later by buying MORE LENSES!!!
Cons: Swapping them is a hassle and will get dust on the sensor, bulky, heavy.

3. Set of medium-range zooms covering desired range (e.g., wide-angle 14-35, normal-short tele 28-90, tele 100-400)

Pros: Almost as good optically as primes, flexibility of zooms, can be brighter more affordable than single lens covering entire range
Cons: Darker than primes, swapping is still a hassle.

Note that you can also get lenses used for a lot less than they cost new. Do a search on eBay to see the going rates, and be prepared to pay somewhat more at dealers.

My instinct would be to go for the primes, but then again I'm retro.

Good luck,

Petteri
--
http://www.seittipaja.fi/index/

HaloFX · Feb 12, 2003

Wander on over to the Fuji SLR forum and do some searchs. There have been several threads recently discussing lenses on the S2. It is a very sensitive machine and requires good glass. A poor lens will be very noticable on the S2, but a good lens will shine.

As for the low light, the S2's ISO 1600 is amazing! Even at 400 it has very little noise. Much better than the D100. The DPReview of the S2 has some excellent comparison shots.

Petteri Sulonen said:
First off, I'm sure the S2 is a good choice. Out of curiosity, why
did you choose it over the D100? Between the two, I would've picked
the Nikon because of its better low-light capabilities.

Sir-James · Feb 12, 2003

Thanks for all the response so far..

I'm based in the UK so would appreciate any UK retailers...

I'll check back..

Thanks

JW

Sir-James · Feb 13, 2003

I've managed to pin the camera down to

£1399 ex vat

and my choice of lenses is to follow your advise and go for a small set of zoom lenses.

I'm looking at

Nikon 18-35mm F3.5-4.5D IF-ED £323.40

From http://www.berridgemail.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=215

Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 DAF £246.80

From the same place

and ideally I'd also get a...

Nikon 80 - 200 MM F2.8 AFD LENS £710

From http://www.dalephotographic.co.uk/nikon.htm

The 80 200 will probably have to wait as that would push the price over 2k, I'd have difficulty justiying THAT to the boss.

Have my selections been wise ? Anyone know of better prices in the UK ?

Being it's a buisness purchase second hand lenses though attractive wouldn't be well received I don't think.. I.e. Warrenty issues.

Anyway Total price with the wide(ish) angle lens and the mid range lens comes to

£1987 I'll have to buy a bag and possibly some batteries/charger, but I can whack them on expenses so they will "dissapear" as such.

(I've got microdrives and Smart media already..)

Not a bad price... IMO Hopefully you experts out there will agree ?!

JW

Petteri Sulonen · Feb 13, 2003

Sir-James said:
I've managed to pin the camera down to

£1399 ex vat

and my choice of lenses is to follow your advise and go for a small
set of zoom lenses.

I'm looking at

Nikon 18-35mm F3.5-4.5D IF-ED £323.40

From http://www.berridgemail.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=215

Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 DAF £246.80

From the same place

and ideally I'd also get a...

Nikon 80 - 200 MM F2.8 AFD LENS £710

From http://www.dalephotographic.co.uk/nikon.htm

The 80 200 will probably have to wait as that would push the price
over 2k, I'd have difficulty justiying THAT to the boss.

Have my selections been wise ? Anyone know of better prices in the
UK ?

[snip]

Sound good to me. A couple of comments:

Are you sure you want an 80-200? You don't need to cover the entire range of your lenses; cropping will fill in the blanks. If you're getting a mid-range zoom up to 105, I think you can easily skip the gap from 100 to 200, and get a 200 prime, or a 200-400 zoom for even more reach.

I'd also add a bright (f:1.4 to f:1.8 50 mm) "normal" (on this camera, short tele) lens for available-light work: they're cheap, optically awesomely good, and give you a lot more freedom in low light when you want it and are willing to give up the flexibility offered by the zooms.

Petteri
--
http://www.seittipaja.fi/index/

keith · Feb 13, 2003

are you really sure you want a dslr? the cameras like Nikon 570 / sony 717/minolta 7hi would probably be good enough for most purposes unless you really want to get serious.

keith

Petteri Sulonen said:
Sir-James said:

I've managed to pin the camera down to

£1399 ex vat

and my choice of lenses is to follow your advise and go for a small
set of zoom lenses.

I'm looking at

Nikon 18-35mm F3.5-4.5D IF-ED £323.40

From http://www.berridgemail.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=215

Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 DAF £246.80

From the same place

and ideally I'd also get a...

Nikon 80 - 200 MM F2.8 AFD LENS £710

From http://www.dalephotographic.co.uk/nikon.htm

The 80 200 will probably have to wait as that would push the price
over 2k, I'd have difficulty justiying THAT to the boss.

Have my selections been wise ? Anyone know of better prices in the
UK ?

Click to expand...

[snip]

Sound good to me. A couple of comments:

Are you sure you want an 80-200? You don't need to cover the entire
range of your lenses; cropping will fill in the blanks. If you're
getting a mid-range zoom up to 105, I think you can easily skip the
gap from 100 to 200, and get a 200 prime, or a 200-400 zoom for
even more reach.

I'd also add a bright (f:1.4 to f:1.8 50 mm) "normal" (on this
camera, short tele) lens for available-light work: they're cheap,
optically awesomely good, and give you a lot more freedom in low
light when you want it and are willing to give up the flexibility
offered by the zooms.

Petteri
--
http://www.seittipaja.fi/index/

Sir-James · Feb 13, 2003

Keith Smith said:
are you really sure you want a dslr? the cameras like Nikon 570 /
sony 717/minolta 7hi would probably be good enough for most
purposes unless you really want to get serious.

keith

Good Point keith and Yes I've looked at the Sony 717, The Nikon 5700, the Minolta 7Hi and the Olympus E20. The New Olympus 5050 also seems excellent.

However I'm really after a number of features that they possess, but not in one package.

Excellent imagery - obvious really and I think most of the above camera's possess this. However The "noise" levels for many of them especailly for low light shooting seem unacceptable given the resolutions they shoot at. With the DSLRs, it's a Different story ! I really could use those 6mp + images !

Manual "stuff" I'm fed up with slow electronic zooms.... need I say more? LOL

I need to be able to use a microdrive. For gods sake Sony would get my vote.... and All my other kit DV Camera (TRV900e) Monitor (21" G520) etc is all SONY and quality kit. I love it and I'm a real fan...

BUT WHAT ARE THEY THINKING with the memory stick RUBBISH ! god knows we need BETTER standards, not MORE.
Rant over... LOL

Continuous shooting + 'lag to shoot' is just not conducive to getting that spontaneous spilling of drink, puking, snogging or whatever shot ! I want the camera to shoot when I press the button not when it feels like it or has finished saving the last teeny weeny jpeg... (real bug bear of mine this one !)

There are more reasons and I readily admit (if yopu couldn't already tell) I WILL be getting a better camera than my present skill level calls for but in my experience, motorbikes - used to race a bit, Computers - I now insist on building my own rigs, women - say no more

if you start low, you stay low. If you aim high, occasionaly you crash and REALLY hurt yourself, BUT you will Definitely grow into the better "model" and come to rue the day you even pretended with the lower stuff...

Sad but true fact of life I find...

Anyway enough philosophy...

Thanks for the comment on the lenses. Again you are absolutely right and I will look for a "Simple" high quality 50mm fast lens and forget the telephot stuff for a moment.

Thanks for the comments and keep em coming

JW

Luis E Limon · Feb 14, 2003

I can only say one thing the E20 has way to much noise that's why I got rid of mine.

If you start with a camera that is to much for you you will lose interest since is a little difficult to understand the dinamics of all the variables (F stop, shutter speed, ASA, focal lenght, compensations, etc etc). Something you could do is just use the camera in "p" mode but you will be under using the camera.

Respect to bikes. If you start high you WILL hurt your self and get scaered of it in the best scenario!!..

I for one started low with a Nija 250r. It was a wonderfull bike fast for the engine with a top line of 14,000rpms (to keep the engine happy you have to be at arround 8k to 9k rebs).

Now I drive a F4i and I was thinking on getting an Aprilia Mile Ville but I realy like my F4i so I will keep it for a couple of years more!

Sir-James said:
Keith Smith said:

are you really sure you want a dslr? the cameras like Nikon 570 /
sony 717/minolta 7hi would probably be good enough for most
purposes unless you really want to get serious.

keith

Click to expand...

Good Point keith and Yes I've looked at the Sony 717, The Nikon
5700, the Minolta 7Hi and the Olympus E20. The New Olympus 5050
also seems excellent.

However I'm really after a number of features that they possess,
but not in one package.

Excellent imagery - obvious really and I think most of the above
camera's possess this. However The "noise" levels for many of them
especailly for low light shooting seem unacceptable given the
resolutions they shoot at. With the DSLRs, it's a Different story !
I really could use those 6mp + images !

Manual "stuff" I'm fed up with slow electronic zooms.... need I
say more? LOL

I need to be able to use a microdrive. For gods sake Sony would get
my vote.... and All my other kit DV Camera (TRV900e) Monitor (21"
G520) etc is all SONY and quality kit. I love it and I'm a real
fan...

BUT WHAT ARE THEY THINKING with the memory stick RUBBISH ! god
knows we need BETTER standards, not MORE.
Rant over... LOL

Continuous shooting + 'lag to shoot' is just not conducive to
getting that spontaneous spilling of drink, puking, snogging or
whatever shot ! I want the camera to shoot when I press the button
not when it feels like it or has finished saving the last teeny
weeny jpeg... (real bug bear of mine this one !)

There are more reasons and I readily admit (if yopu couldn't
already tell) I WILL be getting a better camera than my present
skill level calls for but in my experience, motorbikes - used to
race a bit, Computers - I now insist on building my own rigs, women

say no more

if you start low, you stay low. If you aim high, occasionaly you
crash and REALLY hurt yourself, BUT you will Definitely grow into
the better "model" and come to rue the day you even pretended with
the lower stuff...

Sad but true fact of life I find...

Anyway enough philosophy...

Thanks for the comment on the lenses. Again you are absolutely
right and I will look for a "Simple" high quality 50mm fast lens
and forget the telephot stuff for a moment.

Thanks for the comments and keep em coming

JW

--
S2 Pro + Sigma 28-70 + Sigma 15-30 + Tamron 90 macro

Sir-James · Feb 14, 2003

Luis E Limon said:
If you start with a camera that is to much for you you will lose
interest since is a little difficult to understand the dinamics of
all the variables (F stop, shutter speed, ASA, focal lenght,
compensations, etc etc). Something you could do is just use the
camera in "p" mode but you will be under using the camera.

I'm a technologist by profession which is a posh way of saying "I'm a techie" so I'm not worried about getting to grips with the higher levels of the camera. That's really where I wanna be.

Luis E Limon said:
Respect to bikes. If you start high you WILL hurt your self and get
scaered of it in the best scenario!!..

I for one started low with a Nija 250r. It was a wonderfull bike
fast for the engine with a top line of 14,000rpms (to keep the
engine happy you have to be at arround 8k to 9k rebs).

Now I drive a F4i and I was thinking on getting an Aprilia Mile
Ville but I realy like my F4i so I will keep it for a couple of
years more!

I started right at the bottom when I was 16 with 50 cc screamers and moved up 125, 250 400 and then got into racing with a stage 2 tuned ZX6 (J1 y2k model) It was great.. but too fast for the road and not fast enough against R6s on the track... I ended up selling it.... reluctantly ! Though bits of the racing kit are still being run by a mate of mine in the open class series.. He gets his ZX through by sheer force of will I think. It's the only one still competing in that class.

Anyway I'll try and link a piccie !

Sir-James · Feb 14, 2003

Thats the last corner coming out of donington Park...

bit slippy that one !!

LOL

(i went on to TRASH the bike big style that afternoon and broke me Scapoid!)

JW

Luis E Limon · Feb 14, 2003

Cool! you started on the right way. The problem with ZX6 is that they are to heavy!! and that afects in the track. My bike is just as fast as i want it to be for the city! meaning that even the ol 250r was very fast for the trafic if you wanted to!

I want to get me one of those pics!! Lets hope next time I'm at laguna
Seca I get a good shot!

Sir-James said:
I started right at the bottom when I was 16 with 50 cc screamers
and moved up 125, 250 400 and then got into racing with a stage 2
tuned ZX6 (J1 y2k model) It was great.. but too fast for the road
and not fast enough against R6s on the track... I ended up selling
it.... reluctantly ! Though bits of the racing kit are still being
run by a mate of mine in the open class series.. He gets his ZX
through by sheer force of will I think. It's the only one still
competing in that class.

Anyway I'll try and link a piccie !

--
S2 Pro + Sigma 28-70 + Sigma 15-30 + Tamron 90 macro

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D-SLR and lenses - newbie needs help !

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