Nikon D100 for non pro?

Hi all i need your kind advice.

I am an non pro that uses Nikon 601 (6006) film and SONY717 digital.

I am considering to upgrade to Nikon D100, i have a set of SIGMA 28-70 3.5-4 zoom, from my film Nikon, can i use it on the D100 (it is a 5 years old lense)

I know that the D100 is chalenging to master, however with my familierity with 601 and Sony digital, how hard it is to switch?

Any further advise will be great,

Thanks
Ilan

ilan_k said:

Hi all i need your kind advice.

I am an non pro that uses Nikon 601 (6006) film and SONY717 digital.

I am considering to upgrade to Nikon D100, i have a set of SIGMA
28-70 3.5-4 zoom, from my film Nikon, can i use it on the D100 (it
is a 5 years old lense)

Click to expand...

Provided it is an autofocus lens it should work.

ilan_k said:

I know that the D100 is chalenging to master, however with my
familierity with 601 and Sony digital, how hard it is to switch?

Click to expand...

Jazz man Dexter Gordon once at a recording session said he had an arrangement, that might be suitable. The producer asked how long it was. Dexter then held his hands four feet apart and said "About this long".

It's not possible to say how hard it will be to switch. It depends on how much you accept to do the work needed to learn and how much you accept to do postprocessing. Often pictures don't come finished out of the camera, but they have great potentiial for being pushed in this or that direction, depending on your needs and taste.

ilan_k said:

Any further advise will be great,

Click to expand...

But IF you accept the trial and error learning (that means accepting the errors you make) and do your homework, I don't think you will regret.

I can't help wonder if you are really asking for some good excuse to spend the money on the D100? You will feel a sharp pain in your wallet when the money changes hands in the camera shop, but afterwards you will be glad you did it.

Thanks for the comments,

The Sigma is Autofocus, i will try to have it tested with real D100 in the shop.

I have no problem getting the payment out there, this pain will last untill you get the box into your hands....;-)

I am learning as i go, however there are MANY featuers in the 601 i did not use, and i have the camera for 10 years now.....

Mostly i ilke to address the pic as they come out of the camera, mainly my child, vacations, outdoors ext.

How much processing is needed? from over all amateur pic how many need processing.? will it be that every PIC needs to go through the machine?

I intend to use mainly JPEG, due to storage, is it a disatvantage?

Thanks again,
Ilan

Leif Olstrup said:

ilan_k said:

Hi all i need your kind advice.

I am an non pro that uses Nikon 601 (6006) film and SONY717 digital.

I am considering to upgrade to Nikon D100, i have a set of SIGMA
28-70 3.5-4 zoom, from my film Nikon, can i use it on the D100 (it
is a 5 years old lense)

Click to expand...

Provided it is an autofocus lens it should work.

Leif Olstrup said:

I know that the D100 is chalenging to master, however with my
familierity with 601 and Sony digital, how hard it is to switch?

Click to expand...

Jazz man Dexter Gordon once at a recording session said he had an
arrangement, that might be suitable. The producer asked how long it
was. Dexter then held his hands four feet apart and said "About
this long".

It's not possible to say how hard it will be to switch. It depends
on how much you accept to do the work needed to learn and how much
you accept to do postprocessing. Often pictures don't come finished
out of the camera, but they have great potentiial for being pushed
in this or that direction, depending on your needs and taste.

Leif Olstrup said:

Any further advise will be great,

Click to expand...

But IF you accept the trial and error learning (that means
accepting the errors you make) and do your homework, I don't think
you will regret.

I can't help wonder if you are really asking for some good excuse
to spend the money on the D100? You will feel a sharp pain in your
wallet when the money changes hands in the camera shop, but
afterwards you will be glad you did it.

Click to expand...

ilan_k said:

Thanks for the comments,

The Sigma is Autofocus, i will try to have it tested with real D100
in the shop.

I have no problem getting the payment out there, this pain will
last untill you get the box into your hands....;-)

I am learning as i go, however there are MANY featuers in the 601 i
did not use, and i have the camera for 10 years now.....

Mostly i ilke to address the pic as they come out of the camera,
mainly my child, vacations, outdoors ext.

How much processing is needed? from over all amateur pic how many
need processing.? will it be that every PIC needs to go through the
machine?

Click to expand...

Personally I process almost every picture, but that will depend on your demands. On the other hand, when you get the hang of it, the processing won't take longer than 15-30 seconds for most pictures. What I do is correcting levels and do some sharpening. On some pictures I correct curves as well, and a few will get a boost of saturation. That's it. I doubt that you will leave a picture in a suboptimal state, when you actually know that you can make it sing in less than a minute. Don't be scared of postprocessing. It's not hard - and it's great fun. Use Nikon Capture or one of the cheaper versions of Photoshop (often comes with scanners etc. for free). Get a good handbook on Photoshop, and you are ready to go. If you really get caught by it, get the full version of Photoshop.

ilan_k said:

I intend to use mainly JPEG, due to storage, is it a disatvantage?

Click to expand...

Some has claimed that JPEG is THE format for casual shooting. I don't agree. Casual shooting is often a little sloppy, and it is therefore likely that the picture can benefit from correction. There is greater room for correction with NEF files. NEF files can be saved as JPEG after processing in order to save space. JPEGs are more like film (slide film?). You got to get it right in exposure. So JPEG necessitates a more deliberate and systematic shooting style - and of course it helps if you know somthing about photography in general. But if you know what you are doing you can get excellent results with JPEG mode - just like with slide film. The claims that it is not possible to get good results with JPEG is simply not true, but you need a better technique with JPEGs, because fewer errors can be corrected.

Hi Leif, thank you again.

There are many terms i am not used to (curves, ext.) is there a site to learn these things related to D100.

I am sutting today with 717SONY, most pic are fine out of the camera, so i am less familier with post processing.

I have Photoshop7 on home PC ready to dive into.

Thanks again
Ilan

Leif Olstrup said:

ilan_k said:

Thanks for the comments,

The Sigma is Autofocus, i will try to have it tested with real D100
in the shop.

I have no problem getting the payment out there, this pain will
last untill you get the box into your hands....;-)

I am learning as i go, however there are MANY featuers in the 601 i
did not use, and i have the camera for 10 years now.....

Mostly i ilke to address the pic as they come out of the camera,
mainly my child, vacations, outdoors ext.

How much processing is needed? from over all amateur pic how many
need processing.? will it be that every PIC needs to go through the
machine?

Click to expand...

Personally I process almost every picture, but that will depend on
your demands. On the other hand, when you get the hang of it, the
processing won't take longer than 15-30 seconds for most pictures.
What I do is correcting levels and do some sharpening. On some
pictures I correct curves as well, and a few will get a boost of
saturation. That's it. I doubt that you will leave a picture in a
suboptimal state, when you actually know that you can make it sing
in less than a minute. Don't be scared of postprocessing. It's not
hard - and it's great fun. Use Nikon Capture or one of the cheaper
versions of Photoshop (often comes with scanners etc. for free).
Get a good handbook on Photoshop, and you are ready to go. If you
really get caught by it, get the full version of Photoshop.

Leif Olstrup said:

I intend to use mainly JPEG, due to storage, is it a disatvantage?

Click to expand...

Some has claimed that JPEG is THE format for casual shooting. I
don't agree. Casual shooting is often a little sloppy, and it is
therefore likely that the picture can benefit from correction.
There is greater room for correction with NEF files. NEF files can
be saved as JPEG after processing in order to save space. JPEGs are
more like film (slide film?). You got to get it right in exposure.
So JPEG necessitates a more deliberate and systematic shooting
style - and of course it helps if you know somthing about
photography in general. But if you know what you are doing you can
get excellent results with JPEG mode - just like with slide film.
The claims that it is not possible to get good results with JPEG is
simply not true, but you need a better technique with JPEGs,
because fewer errors can be corrected.

Click to expand...

I can deliver pro results ... but the body is based on a F-80. Pro summer maybe but not pro design ...

ilan_k said:

Hi all i need your kind advice.

I am an non pro that uses Nikon 601 (6006) film and SONY717 digital.

I am considering to upgrade to Nikon D100, i have a set of SIGMA
28-70 3.5-4 zoom, from my film Nikon, can i use it on the D100 (it
is a 5 years old lense)

I know that the D100 is chalenging to master, however with my
familierity with 601 and Sony digital, how hard it is to switch?

Any further advise will be great,

Thanks
Ilan

Click to expand...

--
Yves P.

http://www.pbase.com/yp1/images01

After all it costs little less than the F5 and many amateurs baulk at the thought of paying F5 money for a camera body.

John.

Yves P. said:

ilan_k said:

Hi all i need your kind advice.

I am an non pro that uses Nikon 601 (6006) film and SONY717 digital.

I am considering to upgrade to Nikon D100, i have a set of SIGMA
28-70 3.5-4 zoom, from my film Nikon, can i use it on the D100 (it
is a 5 years old lense)

I know that the D100 is chalenging to master, however with my
familierity with 601 and Sony digital, how hard it is to switch?

Any further advise will be great,

Thanks
Ilan

Click to expand...

--
Yves P.

http://www.pbase.com/yp1/images01

Click to expand...

I had a 6006, and the first time I looked at the D100 in a store, I was sold. So many things seemed familiar already. Once you get your hands on a D100, your point and shoot will collect dust. My 6006 is in the closet, and my Coolpix 995 is collecting dust.

--
Gary
Will Fly for Food

Ilan,

ilan_k said:

I am considering to upgrade to Nikon D100, i have a set of SIGMA
28-70 3.5-4 zoom, from my film Nikon, can i use it on the D100 (it
is a 5 years old lense)

I know that the D100 is chalenging to master, however with my
familierity with 601 and Sony digital, how hard it is to switch?

Click to expand...

I think you're going at this backwards. Instead of asking if you should get a D100, how about telling us what you want out of a camera, and asking which camera would best meet your needs?

I think going with a $1700+ camera just because you already have one lens for it may not be the best approach. I just got a D100 and I love it, but it's (IMHO) the wrong camera for somebody that wants to take snapshots.

--
Dave Batton

ilan_k said:

Any further advise will be great,
Thanks
Ilan

Click to expand...

First of all buy yourself a D100 and don't look back. I bought my D100 in October of 2002. If I didn't have one and knew what I knew now I'd buy another today.

One thing I've noticed that should have been obvious right off the bat but wasn't is that I'm a better photographer using a digital slr. With the D100 I have instant feedback via the lcd panel on the back of the camera and can make immediate adjustments if needed to get the correct settings and ultimately that great shot I'm looking for. Not so with film. The immediate feedback has allowed me to learn about all of the settings that affect and go into making a great image. ISO, shutter speed, apeture, etc.

Although going from say a point and shoot to an slr of any kind has its' challenges I think you'll find that with a digital slr that has an lcd for immediate viewing of your images you're learning will actually be accelerated and less challenging than if you were using a film slr.

I was serious amateur in October 2002 and now I'm becoming a pro with my own distinct style. Have had a couple of businesses purchase several of my concert images to hang on their walls. Also have had a couple 'art' framing type stores interested in my images as well.

Buy the D100 and don't look back. Don't worry about putting custom curves and all the ancillary stuff you can do with the D100 but instead go out and shoot as many images as you can. Bring them back and study the settings for each and determine how you could have made it better. Then go out and shoot more images.

The best learning tool for me being in the 'field' taking images. Whereever that may be. This Friday night it will be at a Ringo Starr and his Allstar Band concert.

When you're tired from shooting all day come here and read what others are doing to get great shots but don't neglect your own practice with your new camera.

Go! Now! Buy it and enjoy!

Tony B.

I had the D100 one day when I took this image. Could be sharper but it was about 75 yards from the stage in front of the mixer board, handheld from within the crowd. Lynyrd Skynyrd - October 2002. D100, 24-85.



Sister Hazel - February 2003.
Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85 f/3.5-4.5G, SB80DX flash, handheld.



Widespread Panic - July 12, 2003
Nikon D100, 70-300mm f/4-5.6, no flash, handheld.



Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader.
Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85 f/3.5-4.5G, SB80DX flash.



Trent Lott - Former Majority Leader at his 5th press conference aplogizing for so-called racist remarks at a birthday party. It was only 30 minutes from where I live. I had the D100 for about a month and thought this would be a good photo op. I was right.

ilan_k said:

Hi Leif, thank you again.

There are many terms i am not used to (curves, ext.) is there a
site to learn these things related to D100.

Click to expand...

There sure is, but I don't remeber the web adresses. But you can do a Google search yourself. You can get a long way reading the manual, or you can order Thom Hogans very good book on the D100 (PDF file) from http://www.bythom.com (not free, but I bet you will find it useful). I could even suggest you get it before buying the camera to get an idea of what it's like. You can also download the D100 manual as a PDF file from Nikons website.

ilan_k said:

I am sutting today with 717SONY, most pic are fine out of the
camera, so i am less familier with post processing.

I have Photoshop7 on home PC ready to dive into.

Click to expand...

The best you can get. Do yourself a favor and buy one of the several good handbooks on Photoshop. It doesn't make sense to spend 1500,$ + on a camera and then save 30$ on a a book on how to get the most out of it. If your local bookshop doesn't have one, check with the internet bookshops.

Yves,

I have always agreed with you, but on this one I don't.

In my mind the term pro relates to whether a person earns his money from photography or not. A pro is a person, who lives solely from photography. A semi-pro has photography as a part time job.

A pro may want this or that camera. I have seen several pros equipped with D100s and D60s. A feature on volcanoes in National Geographic some months ago was shot with a D100. And I have seen quite a number of amateurs with D1X's.

I am sure that editors and costumers won't care less what kind of gear the photographer uses. They are only interested in getting good pictures in due time. They don't care whether the pictures was produced with a digicam or on scanned film. They don't give a damn if the film was developed in D76 or in Budweiser. And so on.

If the D100 can deliver pro results, it can be used for pro work. If you don't need the ruggedness and the watersealing of the D1 series, and can live with the shorter life cycle of the shutter mechanism, the D100 can be a perfect professional tool - with the added benefit of the much lighter weigth.

Yves P. said:

I can deliver pro results ... but the body is based on a F-80. Pro
summer maybe but not pro design ...

Click to expand...

Hi Leif ...

The term pro for photographer is different from the term Pro for equipment ...

Photographers who earn a living and most of their income from photography are considered professional photographer.

Nikon states that the D-100 is not a Professional camera and I also support that statement. It is not built to take any abuse. Just look at the CF card door, the CAM 900 AF Module, the plastic carbon frame (most part), the non weather Isolated body ... Can Pro photographer use a D-100 ... Certainly YES ... I have seen pros using G-2's and Sony 707's ...

I only meant by my statement that the D-100 was marketed for the Pro-summer market, not the professional market.

I see a lot of amateurs using D1X's and 1D's as well ... They are amateurs using Pro equipment ...

I don't think everyone driving a Ferrari Enzo is a race car driver .... On the other hand, I have seen Formula one driver driving NSX's and top Mercedes and BMW's ... Are they race cars for that reason ?

Take care ...

Leif Olstrup said:

I have always agreed with you, but on this one I don't.

In my mind the term pro relates to whether a person earns his money
from photography or not. A pro is a person, who lives solely from
photography. A semi-pro has photography as a part time job.

A pro may want this or that camera. I have seen several pros
equipped with D100s and D60s. A feature on volcanoes in National
Geographic some months ago was shot with a D100. And I have seen
quite a number of amateurs with D1X's.

I am sure that editors and costumers won't care less what kind of
gear the photographer uses. They are only interested in getting
good pictures in due time. They don't care whether the pictures was
produced with a digicam or on scanned film. They don't give a damn
if the film was developed in D76 or in Budweiser. And so on.

If the D100 can deliver pro results, it can be used for pro work.
If you don't need the ruggedness and the watersealing of the D1
series, and can live with the shorter life cycle of the shutter
mechanism, the D100 can be a perfect professional tool - with the
added benefit of the much lighter weigth.

Yves P. said:

I can deliver pro results ... but the body is based on a F-80. Pro
summer maybe but not pro design ...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Yves P.

http://www.pbase.com/yp1/images01
http://www.pbase.com/yves_pinsono23