Hoping for some DSLR advice...

[Panter]

Sorry, just another quick question...

Would there be any real benefit in upping the budget slightly to include a D90?

 

[Melvil]

Have you tried second-hand dealers? These dealers have a good reputation and a 12month guarantee on second-hand goods:

http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/products/secondhand.php

Failing that, Ffordes https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm or Mifsuds http://www.mifsuds.com/acatalog/Second_Hand_Equipment.html are supposed to be pretty good.

 

[Panter]

Have you tried second-hand dealers? These dealers have a good reputation and a 12month guarantee on second-hand goods:

http://www.graysofwe.../secondhand.php

Failing that, Ffordes https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm or Mifsuds http://www.mifsuds.c..._Equipment.html are supposed to be pretty good.

No, I must admit I'd only been looking on ebay, thanks for the links.
They obviously attract a bit of a premium, but I'd far rather pay a little more and get some sort of guarantee if going 2nd hand so I shall keep an eye on those.

 

[CopperBrompton]

They obviously attract a bit of a premium, but I'd far rather pay a little more and get some sort of guarantee if going 2nd hand so I shall keep an eye on those.

To be honest, the price differential is so great it's a very expensive warranty for protecting a very reliable piece of kit, so think about whether or not it makes sense.

On your D90 question, yes, absolutely: if you can stretch to a D90, then buy one. It's a fabulous camera for the money. My father, brother and several friends have all bought one on my recommendation and all are delighted with them.

 

[Panter]

Thanks for that, I shall bear it in mind.

Although *sigh* it looks as if the budget will have to extend to the D90 then. It's a bit like bicycles isn't it? there's always a bit more to nudge the budget!

Thanks again for the help,

 

[amasidlover]

Thanks for that, I shall bear it in mind.

Although *sigh* it looks as if the budget will have to extend to the D90 then. It's a bit like bicycles isn't it? there's always a bit more to nudge the budget!

Thanks again for the help,

Although you may well get marginally better images out of the D90 and have a lighter camera to carry around, there were a few features which for me made the D200 a better bet:

Mirror lock-up i.e. where you can mirror up, then fire the shutter after any vibration has settled down
dedicated AF-on button
Cabled shutter release
Metering/focus assist on non-CPU lenses

They may of course make no difference to you....

I bought my D200 just less than 3 years ago for £500, I've loved it and found it a massive upgrade over the D70 in terms of usability and resolution (although actual image quality is very similar as this was one of the strengths of the D70 and resolution and image quality are not the same thing!) plus second hand values are still holding very well should I want to change...

Alex

 

[CopperBrompton]

Mirror lock-up i.e. where you can mirror up, then fire the shutter after any vibration has settled down

The D90 doesn't have MLU, but it does have Exposure Delay Mode which does the same job (you press the shutter release, it lifts the mirror then waits one second before opening the shutter). Reviews suggest this is every bit as effective.

dedicated AF-on button

You can set the AE-L/AF-L button to operate as an AF-on button.

Cabled shutter release

This was most commonly used for tripod shots where there is no time-critical element, so you can get the same result from using the 2-second delay.

Metering/focus assist on non-CPU lenses

Useful if you have any non-CPU lenses that can't be chipped, but most definitely not a mainstream requirement.

I loved my D200, and still carry it as a backup body, but if someone offered me a straight swap with a D90, I'd bite their hand off. :-)

 

[Panter]

Thanks both, I was panicking then that I'd have more to worry about!

Ok, decision made, I'm going to sell all of my existing kit and make a fresh start with a D90.

Now I just need to work out how to pay for it all!

 

[CopperBrompton]

Enjoy :-)

 

[Black Sheep]

You also need to move quick for a D90.

It's replacement is coming soon so stocks are reducing

the better package is the 18-105 kit lens, don't bother with the tameron 80-300 lens for zoom as it has no image stabilisation and so must be used on a tripod

 

[CopperBrompton]

the better package is the 18-105 kit lens, don't bother with the tameron 80-300 lens for zoom as it has no image stabilisation and so must be used on a tripod

I wouldn't bother with either lens, to be honest.

 

[Panter]

Thanks guys, I'm not sure when I'll be able to go for it but shouldn't be too long.

Trikeman, do you mind if I drop you a pm nearer the time so that I don't pick a duff lens?

 

[CopperBrompton]

Sure, feel free.

 

[Black Sheep]

I wouldn't bother with either lens, to be honest.

I wouldn't go body only on a D90, it comes in three forms:

Body only, or Body and a choice of lens between an 18 - 105mm lens is one of the kit options, the other is shorter. Out of the two lenses you can have when buying the body, the 18-105 is the better lens on optical quality and vibration reduction and stabilisation


some places are offering a discounted tameron zoom lens for half price when you buy the camera - it's not worth bothering

 

[CopperBrompton]

They're both poor-quality lenses. Body-only and a 50/1.8 would be my starting-point. The 18-70DX is also surprisingly good and can be picked for about £150.