Thoughts 20 Jun 2008 01:16 pm
Camera Gear
Cameras are just like motorcycles. The cost of the base unit is just a down payment for the accessories.
I have an old Nikon D70 that now sits in a bag as a back-up. When I bought it I got the Nikkor 60mm macro, a 70-300mm Nikkor and then purchased a 24-120mm VR Nikkor as a portrait lens.
Now I own a Nikon D300 and have added a 12-24mm lens by Sigma for wide angle shots. The Sigma is almost as sharp as the Nikkor and since I bought it used, about half as much money.
My dilemma is in my choice of glass.
I recently borrowed a friend’s Nikon D40 with a Nikkor 18-200 VR lens. Now I want that lens so bad I can almost taste it. (B&H has a demo model as of this morning for $599, as opposed to $679 for the USA model and $649 for the import -gray market)
The 18-200mm weighs nothing, has fast af-s autofocus, and gives me just enough more length over the 24-120mm to be noticeable. The other end, at 18mm is just about as wide I generally shoot. –There are not a lot of places to shoot really interesting wide shots around here without climbing on a roof.
The VR is worth its weight in gold. In the real world it gives me a legitimate 2+ stops and even takes care of those days when I’m not as steady as I would like. (The VR doesn’t like tripods, but on a cheap monopod in the wind it worked well.)
The problem comes from my also wanting a long macro lens. I want a lens that will give me some distance from bugs and butterflies, and still give me a 1:1 ratio (the object appears life size on the sensor).
The older 200mm f4 mf Nikkor is around $400 and will give me 1:2 ratio. The new af 200mm Nikkor f4 is currently priced at $979 used, and will give me my required 1:1.
I’m also considering a Sigma 180mm at about $799 that reviewers are saying is exceptionally sharp.
For macro shots the bells and whistles like autofocus and VR mean very little to me because I prefer to manually focus on very close subjects and the VR needs quite a bit of distance in order to work.
This just leaves the 1:1 ratio I’ve taken to obsessing on, good glass, and budgetary constraints.
This morning I compromised with myself and ordered a set of inexpensive Kenko extension tubes for $169, with free shipping, from B&H to try a bit more macro before I spend a small fortune on lenses and exotic flashes/flash brackets.
In the mean time I need to buy a good ball head for my tripod. My current head is great for studio work but it’s too slow and cumbersome for field work.
As of this morning I’m leaning towards the Kirk BH-3 at $255 direct. This means I will also need plates and soon a carbon fibre tripod, etc, etc, etc.
As an aside:
The Nikon D40 combined with the 18-200mm lens feels like it weighs less than my D300 body alone. —In reality its 36.2oz with lens as opposed to 29.2 oz for the D300 body.
The D40 takes superb pictures, it’s light, fast and at the end of a long day the difference in weight is noticeable.
So unless you need the advanced feature set of the D300 buy the D40 and save enough money for a plane ticket to Vegas.