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welshgirl21

welshgirl21

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Sarah
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Hi there,

I want to start taking photography more seriously after shooting on a point and click digital camera with my dad for the past 10 years.

I've been doing some research and I would love the Nikon d90, however budget just won't allow unfortunately. Therefore I am considering a second hand D80 - what are peoples opinions on these? I'm not worried about things like video, I'm just looking for something entry level with a good range of lenses available for future use.

Advice much appreciated

Thanks, Sarah
 
all depends how much you have to spend really.

if you are only just short of D90 funds you may find its price falls significantly between now and christmas due to it being replaced by D7000.

if you want to spend less than 200 notes and don't have any existing lenses you could get something like a D40 with std zoom lens to see how you like using an SLR - you might find the weight and bulk compared to your p/shoot is not for you. If in a few months time you want more features you could sell the D40 for about what you've paid as they hold their value well.
 
My first dSLR was a Nikon D40 - great starter camera. I paid £200 and that included the 18-55 lens.

I subsequently bought more lenses, all of which transferred over to the D90 when I upgraded.

It's true about the D7000 though, as soon as it is out the D90 will come right down in price. You've waited 10 years, why not abother month or so?

Can I ask what your absolute max budget is?
 
Have to say, I disagree. I don't believe the D90 will drop in price, at least not in the short term.

The newer camera is rumoured to be £800+, so there will still be a place for the D90 at around £560.
 
The D80 will be fine. Spend as much as you can on the REALLY important bit - the lens or lenses. A D60 will give better results with a good lens than a D90 with a crappy one.

I reckon! :thumbs:
 
If Nikon follow Canon (cf. the 50D-7D, as it would seem they are) then the D90 could be the last 'proper photographers' Nikon at this price point with the 'media' D5100 becoming the camera in the £5-600 region (cf. the 60D). So, it's possible that demand for the D90 goes up.

Anyway, as to the original question - the D80 is a great camera and will do everything you want. If money is an issue you could consider a D50 which are pretty cheap nowadays and have the advantage over the D40/60 in that it has a built in focus motor and a top info panel which are really worth having.
 
Hi :)

I think if you are starting out, it's good to buy 2nd hand and as you build up your confidence, knowledge etc you can begin to start buying into the system of your choice. When I started I got the Nikon D70s with the 18-70mm kit lens and the 50mm f/1.8D. It taught me a lot, and the pictures I got out of it were more than adequate. Here are a few examples from my gallery -

Nikon D70s - Nikon 50mm f/1.8D



Nikon D70s - Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5



The camera was only 6 megapixels at the time, and I managed to print them at A4 with no trouble :) For now, forget about the "latest and greatest" as that will always be there. Focus on the learning and grow in to it :thumbs:
 
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Nawty said:
If Nikon follow Canon (cf. the 50D-7D, as it would seem they are) then the D90 could be the last 'proper photographers' Nikon at this price point with the 'media' D5100 becoming the camera in the £5-600 region (cf. the 60D). So, it's possible that demand for the D90 goes up.

Anyway, as to the original question - the D80 is a great camera and will do everything you want. If money is an issue you could consider a D50 which are pretty cheap nowadays and have the advantage over the D40/60 in that it has a built in focus motor and a top info panel which are really worth having.
Click to expand...

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
 
I just bought a new camera from JESSOPS as they offer 6 or 12 months 0% credit which helps to pay for a better camera over a year ( jessops are dearer than some male order ) i know but cant get a better credit deal than 0 % cheers paul :)
 
Thank you all so much for the information - I was set on the D80 but even that was stretching my budget. Looking at the information given though I'll now look at and consider the D70 which might open out more options for me at the moment.

I was going to wait another month or two but I'm so keen to get started and the autumn is coming which provides great opportunities for photos, I'm just so impatient to get started.

Would a D70 be ok quality wise?
 
welshgirl21 said:
Thank you all so much for the information - I was set on the D80 but even that was stretching my budget. Looking at the information given though I'll now look at and consider the D70 which might open out more options for me at the moment.

I was going to wait another month or two
Click to expand...

Don't forget the VAT will go up in January which may mean a small increase in the cost.

.
 
Buy now, get started. As Ray says the D70s is more than capable. No reason at all you won't get great Autumn shots with it.

A word of caution though. Getting hooked on photography can be very expensive !
But also very rewarding. Practise and read all you can. Then practise, practise and practise.
Don't be tempted to upgrade until you've reached the limitations of your kit, remember, better lenses always before a body upgrade.
 
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I know, I'm getting impatient and want to get going as soon as possible, especially with the Autumn coming up. Payday Wednesday so that will help ;)

The D70 has no more megapixel as my current point and shoot camera; does this matter? I thought the more megapixel the better the photo quality - is this the case? :thinking:
 
The megapixel thing is very confusing. However the sensor on your point and shoot is very small. The equivalent number of pixels on a larger sensor means bigger pixels. In this hobby bigger pixels = better image quality.
 
Don't worry about megapixels at all. The only thing they affect is how big you can print, and still maintain good quality when you look very closely at them.

I'd expect you could make A2 prints out of a D70s, and still have fantastic quality unless you looked really hard, very close.
 
Thats great, thanks. I'm watching a few D70 and D80 cameras on Ebay at the moment so just a waiting and bidding game now.

Unless anyone here is selling a D70 or D80 kit around the £250 - £300 mark? Haven't got enough posts to post in the Wanted forum at the moment.
 
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