Brand New Nikon D40 DSLR: 1st Photos

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Evan!

Evan!

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We finally broke down and picked up a DSLR last night. Been hoarding Circuit City gift cards that we get from our credit card rewards program, and some other coupons, so we got a great price at the end of the day for the package, which included 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. I took a few pics with it already, and it is just unbelievable. The quality might not be fully realized with compressed jpg's in the HBT gallery, but it is one hell of a camera!

Xander...

4914-DSC_0003.JPG


And the Tripel Twins (Chimay on the left, Rochefort on the right):

4914-DSC_0006.JPG
 
I got the same camera earlier this year Evan, how do you like the 55-200 lens? (I only have the 28-55 at the moment.)

I've really been liking the pictures I've been getting with mine, but I need a zoom lens and in general I need something a little faster than what the camera came with out of the box.
 
Evan! said:
We finally broke down and picked up a DSLR last night. Been hoarding Circuit City gift cards that we get from our credit card rewards program, and some other coupons, so we got a great price at the end of the day for the package, which included 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. I took a few pics with it already, and it is just unbelievable. The quality might not be fully realized with compressed jpg's in the HBT gallery, but it is one hell of a camera!

Xander...

4914-DSC_0003.JPG


And the Tripel Twins (Chimay on the left, Rochefort on the right):

4914-DSC_0006.JPG
Click to expand...

Damn fine pics.

I don't know what's more amazing, the picture quality or the fact that you have two beers fermenting that appear to be below 20 SRM. :D
 
TheJadedDog said:
I got the same camera earlier this year Evan, how do you like the 55-200 lens? (I only have the 28-55 at the moment.)

I've really been liking the pictures I've been getting with mine, but I need a zoom lens and in general I need something a little faster than what the camera came with out of the box.
Click to expand...

The 55-200 is simply amazing. I mean, between the two, I can go from very wide at 18, which means great indoor close-up shots, to zoomed across a parking lot with 200. I highly recommend it. What do you mean by "faster"? Is the lens reaction just too slow? Because mine has about the same reaction time as my analog SLR Nikon.
 
ohiobrewtus said:
Damn fine pics.

I don't know what's more amazing, the picture quality or the fact that you have two beers fermenting that appear to be below 20 SRM. :D
Click to expand...

I know, who'da thunk it? They're both 5.6 SRM!
 
Did the D50 refurbed in ebay with the 2 lenses. If you have kids you MUST have a DSLR and a zoom. Shutter lag = missed moments. We went from a few pictures per football and karate lesson to the team picture taker. Just awesome. I think either brand (Canon or Nikon) is close in product, just whatever the price and store has. Oh.... and if you are looking, might I recommend the bay to find deals onthe stuff (thought I know how those rebates and gift cards make things almost free when you do it right).

Congrats on a purchase you will only grow fonder of!
 
Evan! said:
The 55-200 is simply amazing. I mean, between the two, I can go from very wide at 18, which means great indoor close-up shots, to zoomed across a parking lot with 200. I highly recommend it. What do you mean by "faster"? Is the lens reaction just too slow? Because mine has about the same reaction time as my analog SLR Nikon.
Click to expand...

By fast I mean ability to take photos in low light due to lower f/number. For example, I'm looking at a 50mm lens with f/1.8 which will let in enough light that I can use a fast shutter speed even inside so I can take indoor action shots if I really want to.

I'm thinking about getting the 55-200 f/4-5.6 with vibration reduction. It's like $50 more than the regular 55-200.

My favorite thing about digital SLR (although others feel the exact opposite) is that it raises the apparent zoom of lenses (20 a 50mm becomes a 75mm). I like it because it means 200mm becomes 300mm.

Anyway, enjoy the new camera man (I got mine right before my sister-in-law's wedding; what a great excuse to avoid everyone).
 
TheJadedDog said:
By fast I mean ability to take photos in low light due to lower f/number. For example, I'm looking at a 50mm lens with f/1.8 which will let in enough light that I can use a fast shutter speed even inside so I can take indoor action shots if I really want to.

I'm thinking about getting the 55-200 f/4-5.6 with vibration reduction. It's like $50 more than the regular 55-200.

My favorite thing about digital SLR (although others feel the exact opposite) is that it raises the apparent zoom of lenses (20 a 50mm becomes a 75mm). I like it because it means 200mm becomes 300mm.

Anyway, enjoy the new camera man (I got mine right before my sister-in-law's wedding; what a great excuse to avoid everyone).
Click to expand...

Oh, I get it now. My 55-200 is 1:4-5.6 and the 18-55 is 1:3.5-5.6. Very nice. Oh, and here's a pic that I just took from my office window with the 200 zoom. That's Monticello you're looking at up there. Wow, I LOVE the zoom. You should see this picture full-size...you can see the individual windows up there...

4914-DSC_0009.JPG
 
Very nice pics. Did you get the D40 or the D40x? I've been scoping out the D40x package they have at Costco, just haven't had the dough to spend on it yet. Maybe I get it the first part of next year.
 
Nice camera, Evan! Pretty soon you'll be buying more zoom lenses and all sorts of accessories. Don't fight it. :D

TheJadedDog said:
For example, I'm looking at a 50mm lens with f/1.8 which will let in enough light that I can use a fast shutter speed even inside so I can take indoor action shots if I really want to.
Click to expand...
I have the "thrifty fifty" as they call it, and I love it. I have a Canon, but I've heard they're good for the Nikons as well.
 
jdoiv said:
Very nice pics. Did you get the D40 or the D40x? I've been scoping out the D40x package they have at Costco, just haven't had the dough to spend on it yet. Maybe I get it the first part of next year.
Click to expand...

Just the D40. Looks like the X's upgrade is megapixels, which is not really as important as most people make out. Plus Circuit City had the D40 and not the X, and we had gift cards, so...it was well worth it. I'm blown away by the quality on just the standard jpg quality, so I doubt I'll be kicking myself about missing those 4mp for an effective upcharge of $200. But if you could find a good deal at Costco, go for it.
 
Can you upload the raw image somewhere and let me view it? I've been looking to get a 10mp + camera for a while now so i'd love to see some first hand image quality. I do professional prints, but i usually use a 4x5" Linhof, which if you know, is about as high resolution as it gets. But at 5-7$ a shot, i only do it for the shots i know i will be framing.
 
Klainmeister said:
Can you upload the raw image somewhere and let me view it? I've been looking to get a 10mp + camera for a while now so i'd love to see some first hand image quality. I do professional prints, but i usually use a 4x5" Linhof, which if you know, is about as high resolution as it gets. But at 5-7$ a shot, i only do it for the shots i know i will be framing.
Click to expand...

I took those pics in standard jpg quality mode. I can't open the raw image formats that it takes with p-shop. But here's a 6.1mp NEF Raw image I just took. The D40 is only 6.1mp. If you've never used mediafire before, just download the file. It's a zipped NEF file. :fro:
 

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