I just "pulled the trigger" on a Nikon D7000 with 18-200mm lens kit and am now patiently waiting for it to arrive. This is my first DSLR and I'm pretty anxious and excited in learning this camera. I still must pick up a few more lenses, though. How many of you guys shoot with a D7000?
Awaiting the arrival of my first DSLR
- Thread starter MickToley
- Start date
Pentax is what I shoot due to me having many older lenses I could use. The D7000 is a good body. I would recomend getting some Sigma glass for your body and get some of the Nikon pro glass. The glass can make or break your shots. Kit lenses are ok while learning, but truly don't produce as nice of an image as your better lenses. Don't be affraid to buy used lenses from B&H or Keh.com or other good vendors.
Dave
Dave
Congratulations on the score! I shoot Canon, so I can't comment on the D7000. However, I humbly suggest adding a fixed length lens (perhaps a 50mm) to the arsenal when you get to that point. If the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 is anything like the Canon version, you get a lot of bang for about 100 bucks.
I shoot with a Nikon D600. I would highly recommend you pick up the 35mm f/1.8D. It's a great lens and with your APS-C sensor, the 1.5x crop factor would make the 35mm shoot like a 52mm lens. For about $200 you won't get a better piece of glass for the money. The 35 is incredibly sharp and fast!
For DX glass, if you want to drop some change, the 17-55 is a wonderful piece of glass. The 60mm f/2.8 Micro is a wonderful macro!
For DX glass, if you want to drop some change, the 17-55 is a wonderful piece of glass. The 60mm f/2.8 Micro is a wonderful macro!
I had a 1d mkII but swapped it out for a 5D mkII. The 1d was too heavy for wifey.
Your lens will help you determine which focal length (s) you prefer.
My favorite lens is the 35 f/1.4 L.
Your lens will help you determine which focal length (s) you prefer.
My favorite lens is the 35 f/1.4 L.
I shoot with Pentax....and in the film days, Pentax, Leica and Mamiya medium format. The Nikon D7000 is an excellent DSLR. Comes with the Sony sensor...same as my Pentax K-5 and this is an excellent ASP-C sensor.
What I would suggest is to not buy any lenses at first. It's your first DSLR...get to know it.
You have ordered a good lens for someone starting. The focal length zooms from moderate wide angle (18mm) to moderate telephoto @ 200mm and everything in between. You can use zoom settings from approx. 50mm to 70mm or so for portraits and these are just general suggestions. Try it out ....practice, experiment, practice, experiment. An 18-200 zoom should initially take care of 90 % of the photos you take. I always advise someone new...against going out and buying a bunch of lenses right away. As you grow in skill...you will be able to determine if you want a wider angle...a macro...a longer telephoto...a fisheye....etc.
Think about the types of subjects you like to photograph....experiment taking photo's with different angles, different focal lengths of your zoom. Maybe at first set the camera on whatever it's automatic setting is...which will figure out the aperture and shutter speed and leave you to concentrate on the subject. As you feel more comfortable with your camera...get into more settings...aperture priority, shutter priority, etc.
Enjoy your camera, don't be afraid to ask questions and welcome to DSLR photography.
- Thread starter
- #7
Fist of all, thanks for the comments and helpful tips.
I was already looking into this 35mm lens and I hear a lot of great things about it as well. As for the 60mm, I will keep an eye out for that, too. I will mostly want to take macro shots.
I might just follow your suggestion and learn this camera and getting to know it first. As far as the type of shots, I mostly want to take macro shots (flowers, insects, etc.)
I was already looking into this 35mm lens and I hear a lot of great things about it as well. As for the 60mm, I will keep an eye out for that, too. I will mostly want to take macro shots.
I might just follow your suggestion and learn this camera and getting to know it first. As far as the type of shots, I mostly want to take macro shots (flowers, insects, etc.)
Mick, you mentioned Macro photography. I have a 50 mm macro F 2.8...works well. But if I were going to do it again...I might look at a Macro with a longer focal length...say 100, 105, 180mm...something like that for taking macro's of insects. With the 50mm I find I have to physically get too close and sometimes frighten the bug away. With a longer focal length...you can put more distance between yourself and the aforementioned bug....making it less likely that you will scare it away.
Lenses are very expensive. I would suggest that you may...if possible...want to rent what your considering. See if it's what you want...if it fulfills your photographic needs, before making the financial commitment.
You may also consider joining a local photography club. This will give you the opportunity to meet with other photo enthusiasts...and likely Nikon enthusiasts who may be able to share their experiences...which may help in your purchase decisions.
Hope this helps,
Les
Lenses are very expensive. I would suggest that you may...if possible...want to rent what your considering. See if it's what you want...if it fulfills your photographic needs, before making the financial commitment.
You may also consider joining a local photography club. This will give you the opportunity to meet with other photo enthusiasts...and likely Nikon enthusiasts who may be able to share their experiences...which may help in your purchase decisions.
Hope this helps,
Les
I shoot a D90 - deciding on upgrading to the D600.
One piece of advice being this is your first DSLR - keep at it. you will make MANY mistakes until you understand all the 1000's of combinations of settings. Shoot anything and everything at a variety of settings so you can understand differences. Don't be surprised if your initial "keeper" rate is very low.
Also a DSLR is not a P&S so have a lot of fun and congrats!
One piece of advice being this is your first DSLR - keep at it. you will make MANY mistakes until you understand all the 1000's of combinations of settings. Shoot anything and everything at a variety of settings so you can understand differences. Don't be surprised if your initial "keeper" rate is very low.
Also a DSLR is not a P&S so have a lot of fun and congrats!
+1 on the 35mm f1.8. I bought Bill's one, and there are some sample pic's in this thread.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/319646-Getting-back-to-basics
It is nice and light, and pretty good value for money. You might also want to grab the 50mm f1.8D. Very cheap, it will be a good portrait lens for this camera, and will become your standard prime if you trade up to a full frame
Michael, wow, that seems like a very nice acquisition! Good luck with it and i guess we will be seeing your photos in the SOTD, now! Hee hee.
i use its very small sibling the D3000 which does an adequate job.
i use its very small sibling the D3000 which does an adequate job.
Not to hijack, but I also ordered my first dSLR on Cyber Monday. I had been looking at the D7000 and a local camera shop here was selling it with the lens for $1000 on Black Friday, which seemed like a good deal and they had one left, but my wife didn't want to spend that much and there was definitely a learning curve.
Instead I got the Canon T4i from Amazon with the new 18-135mm IS STM lens. A little more than we wanted to spend at $899, but it was a good deal for the body and that lens, plus the free bag, SD card, etc. Plus it's very similar controls to the Canon G12 we already own with an added touchscreen so my wife should be able to find her way around it without much difficulty, not something I could say about the Nikon - it would require some re-learning.
I was also considering getting the "Nifty Fifty" 50mm 1.8f Canon lens, but I'm unsure of it with the cropped sensor. I'll have to do some more research.
Instead I got the Canon T4i from Amazon with the new 18-135mm IS STM lens. A little more than we wanted to spend at $899, but it was a good deal for the body and that lens, plus the free bag, SD card, etc. Plus it's very similar controls to the Canon G12 we already own with an added touchscreen so my wife should be able to find her way around it without much difficulty, not something I could say about the Nikon - it would require some re-learning.
I was also considering getting the "Nifty Fifty" 50mm 1.8f Canon lens, but I'm unsure of it with the cropped sensor. I'll have to do some more research.
amer- I have a T1i, which is a precursor to your T4i. I also upgraded from a G9, which is an earlier version of the G12. There was somewhat of a learning curve for me with all of the automation, but I really just shoot in full manual mode since I'm used to shooting with film cameras.
As far as the 50mm lens goes, it is great on that camera. Your smaller sensor means it will actually be something like 70 or 80mm (don't know the exact math). Unless you are a very experienced photographer and are used to using a 50mm prime on a full frame or 35mm film camera, its not going to be an issue. Basically, you don't necessarily know what 50mm is, so it doesn't matter. Its still a great lens at an incredible price no matter what camera you are using. Its also considerably faster than the zoom that came with your camera. That translates into being able to shoot indoors or darker situations without a flash at higher shutter speeds.
As far as the 50mm lens goes, it is great on that camera. Your smaller sensor means it will actually be something like 70 or 80mm (don't know the exact math). Unless you are a very experienced photographer and are used to using a 50mm prime on a full frame or 35mm film camera, its not going to be an issue. Basically, you don't necessarily know what 50mm is, so it doesn't matter. Its still a great lens at an incredible price no matter what camera you are using. Its also considerably faster than the zoom that came with your camera. That translates into being able to shoot indoors or darker situations without a flash at higher shutter speeds.
- Thread starter
- #14
Well, it arrived this morning, I haven't played around with it yet. I'm just going to be reading the manual, some other books, and watch a dvd that came with it. I'll be doing this for several days. I just want to have some kind of idea of all the different settings.
Yes, I figured that the 50mm lens might be kind of hard to get good shots of insects due to the distance between the two. I'll be looking into these lenses you mention.
I use the above mentioned 35mm prime lens on my D90 and I love it!
Join nikonions.org
Join nikonions.org
Last edited:
I'm learning with a Nikon D3100. Right now the only lens I am using is the 35mm prime lens mentioned a few times. I have a few lenses and when I was first starting out I kept switching lenses to find the right one for each shot. I found that was not only too cumbersome, but probably didn't improve my photos at all. I find that sticking with one lens allows me to really learn the basics.
Fail.
Went to join their forum. Registered. Tried to log on and got this message;
"ERROR: Your account is deactivated
You can reactivate your account at any time by upgrading to Silver, Gold or Platinum level. You can easily upgrade your account here:"
In other words, pay to play, sucker.
Not paying. Not playing.
I sell Nikon equipment (among others...) for a living.
Sad.
The manual is important, but if it's like the one that came with my Pentax it will make your head swim. It was written by computer people not photographers. It talks about each and every control, and how it works, but not how that can help with a picture or how it relates to any other control. I finally gave up and spent years using my DSLR as a point and shoot. I finally took a basic photography class at the local college, and have not used it on AUTO mode since! You may already be well versed with all the intracies of f-stop, aperture, shutter spedd, ISO, etc. but if not the manual may not be much help. Even a photography book is helpful, but I found the hands on learning the best. With the digital format you can take ashot and have the instructor critique some of it on the spot.
- Thread starter
- #19
Well, I just plan on glancing through the manual, reading about buttons that I'm not familiar with. There is a book that came with the camera called "Nikon School - Guide to digital SLR Photography", I plan on reading that and also watching the DVD.
That sounds like a good book. More on the lines of how to take pictures, rather than what button to push. Wish mine had come with something like that. Difference between Pentax and Nikon!
Similar threads
