The DSLR Information Thread

[Highway Ranger]

Will there be any quality/clarity difference between With VR & Without VR ? Other than the vibration reduction. Wanted to know from guys who have used it. Google search says there is a difference . Anybody experienced ?

I always have the VR on. But then, I have shaky hands.

Quality and clarity of the picture depends upon a lot of factors... like the focus, lighting, exposure, ISO, the size of the subject, subject movement, distance and the lens used for that shot, etc. Camera shake is just one of them. Surely hand held pictures will be more sharp with VR on than off, as it reduces the effect of camera shake. Especially so, if your subject is not very near. But, it does not by itself get us quality pictures as the other factors also have to be taken care of.

 

[appus]

Thanks Highway_Ranger.

Another one !

What lens you prefer while going to some hill station ? A Wide Angle or a prime lens (other than 70-300). Thought of renting some fast lens. Not only for the journey, but to get the feel of other lenses (fast/bokeh etc etc).

 

[Highway Ranger]

(Surely a fast 400mm 2.8 with a 1.7x tele converter. But, that is because I want to shoot birds.) See if you can rent something wider than 16, say 14 or 11mm. But take care about the wide angle distortion while framing landscapes. Having said that, I would be pretty happy with my kit lens for landscapes.

You can try and get the 105mm or 85mm macro for this trip and see how it works for you.

And if you haven't tried a 70-300 VR, you can try that. As these 2 lens are comparatively cheaper and affordable to buy if found useful.

I wouldn't recommend a 50 or 35mm prime for this trip. But then, I do not know your type of photography. 50mm will be useful if you are into portrait or street photography. I never found any use for it and my 50mm stays in the box.

For my trips, 95% of my photos are taken either at 18mm or 300mm. I would be happy if I can go as wide as 14mm and at the other end around 500mm. (wishful thinking)

Most of your shots will be of landscapes where wide angle will give your compositions great depth. Telephoto will be used in the parks when you want to shoot flowers or animals.

 

[appus]

Thank you Highway_Ranger. They have 11-16 Tokina 2.8 lens. Wanted to shoot some portrait too. Thought of clicking few photos in low light (night). That is why i thought of 1.8 or 1.4 (A birthday cake lit with candle ? .19th is her B'day)

I do not know any bird other than crow / parrot /myna / pigeon . What to do. Too old to learn :)

As you said, macro lens can be tried if they have available. If not, I may just travel with my 18-105 & 70-300.

 

[Highway Ranger]

Wanted to shoot some portrait too. Thought of clicking few photos in low light (night). That is why i thought of 1.8 or 1.4 (A birthday cake lit with candle ?)

You can use 18-105 on a tripod for that. And if you have space, you can shoot at 105 and you will get a good bokah too. I would have lent you my 50 1.8D if you were staying anywhere close by.

I do not know any bird other than crow / parrot /myna / pigeon . What to do. Too old to learn :)

I am not asking or even suggesting that you should go shooting birds. Everybody has their own interest.

But I do not agree with the reasons you pointed out.

In Jan when we visited Kochi/Allepy, my wife pointed out so many birds, but I was not interested in even looking at them. I saw my first Myna @ Valparai 4 months ago through the 70-300 and since then there is no turning back.

As for age, I bet you a hundred bucks that you are not as old as me.

As for the trip 18-105 alone would be good enough and 70-300 will be a bonus. If you do rent a 11-16, please do post some pictures taken with it.

Enjoy your trip. Keep those wheels rolling and the shutter clicking.

 

[edios]

I've a problem now. It is that when I take pics near to where the light is coming from or direct sunlight, the pic doesn't get right. Any use of filters here?

#SorryformymeagerEnglish

 

[shrey75]

@edios : #tags don't work here

I'm getting Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm VR Lens @27K
Budget <30K

 

[appus]

@edios
Did you try clicking at higher shutter speed? Can you post some photos.

@shrey75,
Try for 18-105 lens instead of 55.

 

[Highway Ranger]

95% of my photos are taken at either at the max zoom or at the widest, as I like wildlife and landscapes. I am not into people photography and may take a few street photos during travel.

I felt that I was missing out taking landscapes because I had to change from 70-300 to 18-105 and change back for every landscape shot (I am that lazy while traveling). Though I can change the lens under one minute on my D90 in the field.

I got to thinking about image quality of compact P&S around a budget of around 30k for landscapes and then the thought slowly drifted to another DSLR, say D3100 or 5100, as I already have a 18-105 lens. As I didn't like the feel of those in my hands, (they felt like toys in my hand), I had an option of going in for another D90 - which feels great in my hands and I am happy with the image quality.

Finally after a lot of deliberation, I bought a D7100. Heavy, good feel, better chances for crops, autofocus at lower light and dual cards were what weighed in it's favor.

So, now my 70-300vr gets the D7100 body and 18-105, the D90. Call me crazy for my decision.

I haven't tried this combination yet (this weekend I will see if my strategy works. Else it will prove be a costly error in my judgement)

I haven't taken any real photos with D7100 yet, but from just playing with it I found that I have to get used to the Focus mode and Zoom (playback) buttons' positions, as also the shooting mode dial on this camera. I will also have to test the buffer/write speed. I will be happy if it can take continuous shots as fast as D90.

Now, I need to buy a bag, (either a sling or a shoulder bag, as I need to be able to access the cameras on the go), to cart both the cameras with the lens attached. One option is Tarmac velocity 10x.

Thanks to appus for helping me with the purchase of the camera...

 

[appus]

Congratulations on your new purchase ! Waiting for photos from it :D
I think burst mode will be definitely better in D7100. I get up to 18-19 shots continuously in my D7000 before the buffer gets full (with RAW & JPG)

Ha ha. I have not helped you at all in anyway :( . In fact, I learned few things on your purchase.

Happy Clicking & more wildlife photos expecting in coming days :)

 

[Highway Ranger]

Congratulations on your new purchase ! Waiting for photos from it :D
Ha ha. I have not helped you at all in anyway :( . In fact, I learned few things on your purchase.
Happy Clicking & more wildlife photos expecting in coming days :)

Thank you. I will be trying it out this weekend. Maybe a TL next week with some pictures from it.

I think burst mode will be definitely better in D7100. I get up to 18-19 shots continuously in my D7000 before the buffer gets full (with RAW & JPG)

The reviews say otherwise. Due to the huge file size. (In fact, that is the main pain point of D7100 according to them). Anyway, so far, I have only used the 4gb class 4 card that came free with it. And I will be using it in the 1/3 crop mode most of the time. So the file size should be manageable.

 

[appus]

Class 4 !! Grrr ! Get some 'extreme pro' with at least class 10 or higher. 4Mbps speed will highly affect the burst mode
I have read the 'cons' of d7100. You can always overcome to an extend by reducing by clicking only RAW instead of RAW + JPG . Lesser resolution etc.

If you get a good card, i am sure you will get higher images. look for something like this if you worried about burst mode. Avoid Verbatim (I am using class 10 and not a reliable one l).
I use 4GB card which came as a overflow option & kept on second slot. When ever i use that for burst mode, I get a delay between shots in burst mode.
I will come to your place one day to hire that 1.8D for few days . I really wanted to see the quality /fastness it can offer before buying it


By the way, if anyone wants to buy d5100 , http://www.ebay.in/itm/Nikon-D5100-...=item27d891ded4&pt=IN_Compact_Digital_Cameras available for 26,000 (18-155) lens using STERLING08 coupon

26K is a decent price for this camera

 

[Highway Ranger]

I have class 10 cards. This class 4 came free with the cam. So I just used it to test the cam. I will surely use the class 10 on this cam.

Surely you are welcome to take the 1.8D any time as I don't use it at all. In fact it does not suit my current type of photography. It was an impulse buy along with the 70-300. I was offered a nice discount for it at that time.

 

[edios]

I want to know something.

Is the 1100D a great camera (I don't think so but one without it is boasting that it's my fault of not getting good shots)?

Is IS of no use?

 

[Highway Ranger]

I want to know something.

Is the 1100D a great camera (I don't think so but one without it is boasting that it's my fault of not getting good shots)?

Is IS of no use?

Can you please elaborate your concerns regarding the camera?

Why do you think that your camera is not good? And in what way are you not getting good shots?

I mean, do you find the image quality bad? If so in what way? noise? clarity? color? contrast?

or do you find the camera performance not good? like the speed, auto focus, metering, etc?

What mode do you use and what kind of photos do you take?

Do you use the VF or the LCD to take pictures?

Do you shoot RAW or jpeg?

BTW, your camera does not have IS. Some of the lens that you use with the camera have IS.

Can you post some samples?

1100D does take some great shots. Check here