DSLR help

[Neal]

So currently I own a Panasonic DMC-ZS7 which when I bought it was really good, and clearly I've not used it much because the reason I bought it was because I was told it takes good macro pictures(yea right). Anyways, I'm heavily trying to justify a reason to upgrade to a DSLR and I think the main thing stopping me is the price. That and I know absolutely nothing about taking pictures. So here's what I kind of figure that I want and all.

I want to stick with Nikon because from what I've read up on over the past few years most of their stuff stays interchangeable unlike Canon and Sony. So with that in mind I know cameras go out dated fast, so I want to be able to still get good stuff and not have to worry about changing the camera in general.

Now with that in mind I'm thinking of going with the D90 and I can either get the body only for a good price, or they sell one that comes with a lens but I have no idea if the lens is good or not.

Here is the macro lens that I'm set on going with:
TAMRON AF272NII700 90mm f/2.8 SP AF Di Macro Lens for Nikon AF

Now I want something for general pictures, say for a party or if I'm just out doors taking pictures of say nature? I know they have standard, telepathy and the telepathy zoom or whatever and that completely confuses me.

For like $200+ more I can get the one that comes with this lens:
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

Is that lens good, or would I do better off saving that $200+ and putting it with another $100-200 and get a better one?

[el8ch]

So currently I own a Panasonic DMC-ZS7 which when I bought it was really good, and clearly I've not used it much because the reason I bought it was because I was told it takes good macro pictures(yea right). Anyways, I'm heavily trying to justify a reason to upgrade to a DSLR and I think the main thing stopping me is the price. That and I know absolutely nothing about taking pictures. So here's what I kind of figure that I want and all.

I want to stick with Nikon because from what I've read up on over the past few years most of their stuff stays interchangeable unlike Canon and Sony. So with that in mind I know cameras go out dated fast, so I want to be able to still get good stuff and not have to worry about changing the camera in general.

Now with that in mind I'm thinking of going with the D90 and I can either get the body only for a good price, or they sell one that comes with a lens but I have no idea if the lens is good or not.

Here is the macro lens that I'm set on going with:
TAMRON AF272NII700 90mm f/2.8 SP AF Di Macro Lens for Nikon AF

Now I want something for general pictures, say for a party or if I'm just out doors taking pictures of say nature? I know they have standard, telepathy and the telepathy zoom or whatever and that completely confuses me.

For like $200+ more I can get the one that comes with this lens:
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

Is that lens good, or would I do better off saving that $200+ and putting it with another $100-200 and get a better one?

I have the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens, it's a good lens for every day photography and decent for quality. My go to lens for daily shooting is the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX. I love this lens and have a variety of B&W ND, UV, and POL filters that just add to its versatility. It comes with a bigger price tag though at around $650. The one minus is that this lens cannot be used with any of the NIKON teleconverters where as the standard 18-105 can.

[Neal]

I have the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens, it's a good lens for every day photography and decent for quality. My go to lens for daily shooting is the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX. I love this lens and have a variety of B&W ND, UV, and POL filters that just add to its versatility. It comes with a bigger price tag though at around $650. The one minus is that this lens cannot be used with any of the NIKON teleconverters where as the standard 18-105 can.

Yea, that's quite pricey. I was thinking maybe $400ish or something like that.

What macro lens do you use? Also what do you mean all the filters? I'm assuming B&W is black & white and no idea what the rest are.

[Mike41793]

The price tag is too high for me lol. I've been seriously toying around with the idea of getting a dslr, but just dont know if id use it enough to justify the price tag.

[Neal]

The price tag is too high for me lol. I've been seriously toying around with the idea of getting a dslr, but just dont know if id use it enough to justify the price tag.

Exactly dude, that's my struggle. I have a digital camera that I never use now, I've had it for over two years and I can count on two hands the times I've actually used it.

[el8ch]

Yea, that's quite pricey. I was thinking maybe $400ish or something like that.

What macro lens do you use? Also what do you mean all the filters? I'm assuming B&W is black & white and no idea what the rest are.

B&W is a specific brand of filters that I use.

UV = UV Filter blocks the invisible UV component of light from the sky, which can cause blur and to which many colour films react with a blue cast

ND = A neutral density filter or ND filter is a filter that reduces or modifies intensity of all wavelengths or colors of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition. It can be a colorless (clear) or grey filter. The purpose of a standard photographic neutral density filter is to allow the photographer greater flexibility to change the aperture, exposure time and/or motion blur of subject in different situations and atmospheric conditions.

POL = The polarizing filter used with most modern cameras is a circular polarizer. The first stage of the polarizer is a linear filter which filters out light that is linearly polarized in a specific direction. The second stage, for technical reasons related to the auto sensors within the camera, then circularly polarizes the light before it enters the camera.

The polarizing filter has two applications in both color photography and black-and-white photography: it reduces reflections from some surfaces, and it can darken the sky.


Here is the wiki link to photographic filters if you are up for some reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_filter

Here is a link that shows some of the filters I am talking about. If you are just going out an shooting i'd suggest you get a UV filter for your lens. Helps protect your lens from dust, moisture and scratches.
http://www.vistek.ca/search/-B~W+Fil...20Filters.aspx

Currently I don't have a macro lens, but I rented the NIKON 105MM 2.8 MICRO AF-S VR and it was fantastic! Again heavy price tag at about $900. I had a NIKON AF-S DX MICRO 40MM F2.8G LENS that I liked, but it got 'mis-placed' on vacation. They are a lot more affordable at around $300.

[M&H]

So currently I own a Panasonic DMC-ZS7 which when I bought it was really good, and clearly I've not used it much because the reason I bought it was because I was told it takes good macro pictures(yea right). Anyways, I'm heavily trying to justify a reason to upgrade to a DSLR and I think the main thing stopping me is the price. That and I know absolutely nothing about taking pictures. So here's what I kind of figure that I want and all.

I want to stick with Nikon because from what I've read up on over the past few years most of their stuff stays interchangeable unlike Canon and Sony. So with that in mind I know cameras go out dated fast, so I want to be able to still get good stuff and not have to worry about changing the camera in general.

Now with that in mind I'm thinking of going with the D90 and I can either get the body only for a good price, or they sell one that comes with a lens but I have no idea if the lens is good or not.

Here is the macro lens that I'm set on going with:
TAMRON AF272NII700 90mm f/2.8 SP AF Di Macro Lens for Nikon AF

Now I want something for general pictures, say for a party or if I'm just out doors taking pictures of say nature? I know they have standard, telepathy and the telepathy zoom or whatever and that completely confuses me.

For like $200+ more I can get the one that comes with this lens:
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

Is that lens good, or would I do better off saving that $200+ and putting it with another $100-200 and get a better one?

The price for a DSLR is always a bit scary. It's a lot of money, well for most of us, and I think we all feel like we wouldn't use it to its maximum usage. You can only learn so much before trail and error and getting your hands on one though. The quality in the pictures from a good camera just does not compare to anything else.

I have a Cannon so sadly cannot help you with the exact model you are looking at. Usually kits are a good deal for a "everyday" lens. 90 mm will be good for shots of people, places, and wide angles. I personally sold my "kit" lens once I bought a 18-200mm lens which I'm very happy with. It's the one I use most often out and with the snakes. Personally of I could only have one lens it would be it. It has a great range so it saves me from switching lens to often.

There are places around here where you can rent lens and try them out or I suggest going to the store at least and playing with the camera if you can.

I would suggest if you can purchasing the body and an upgraded lens with the largest range that you can. It saves you from lugging around a lot of lens and gives your the greatest edge capturing what you want. If you are wanting to do macro I highly suggest you purchase a separate lens with just macro in mind.

Hopefully this helped and I didn't ramble on to long. Good luck!!

[el8ch]

The price tag is too high for me lol. I've been seriously toying around with the idea of getting a dslr, but just dont know if id use it enough to justify the price tag.

Hey Mike - I felt the same for a long time, but now there is a lot more competition in the market and that has made getting a DSLR for a more affordable price. I understand going out and dropping $600 or $700 for a camera is still decent coin, but it is a good purchase IMO. I'm really outdoorsy and have a 2 month old though so it gets used every day.

The only thing that you have to prepare yourself for is that if you buy a nice DSLR one day it is highly probable that there will be a bigger better model released just a short distance down the road that will be just as comparable in price, but this is the case for all 'technology' I guess.

[DooLittle]

I have a Canon as well, so I cant help with the Nikon model questions. However, I will say that I use the crap out of mine. But I have always been a picture taker. Just way more now that its such amazing quality.

[Mike41793]

$600 or $700 is another snake haha! :p