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	Username   Password FM Forum Rules Nikon SLRs, primes, and zooms lenses reviews FM Forums | Nikon-mount SLRs | Join Upload & Sell    end    Archive 2011 · New lens or...

Jewced Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #1 · New lens or... So basically I'm looking at getting either a new lens or an older film body (Nikon F5). I currently have a D3100 with a 24/2.8D, the kit 18-55, a 55-300/4.5-5.6, and an 85/1.8D on the way. I sometimes have access to a 17-55/2.8 and 70-300/4.5-5.6. I have around $400 to work with. I'm fairly sure that getting a film body will help me improve my photography more than a new lens, but I'm not sure. Is there a lens I should pick up to add to my setup, or should I just get a film body? OR should I get speedlight? I really don't know what will help me out the most, so that's why I'd love advice from more experienced guys/girls out there. Thanks! Dec 16, 2011 at 03:12 AM

ryankarr Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #2 · New lens or... Get yourself a F80/N80 for $50 and save the rest of the money until you feel you need a specific item. Never buy anything just for the sake of buying it. Dec 16, 2011 at 03:27 AM

Jewced Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #3 · New lens or... I should have worded my post differently. I feel like I need a quality wide angle, but I won't be able to afford something like the Tokina 11-16 for a long time (broke highschool kid FTW). The quality of the kit lens at 18mm isn't cutting it. Since I already have a 24mm, on a full frame body that would be wide enough (equivalent of 16 on a crop I think). Combine that with my desire to start experimenting with film, and it seems like a film camera is a good option. The reason I want an F5 is so I can take it in the rain/snow while skiing without having to worry about it, and because it has fast AF and burst which is a must for shooting sports like skiing. But, I also want to get more serious about portraits, which makes me want a flash to start using. I'm not sure if I'll be able to take quality portraits without a flash, but I'm also not sure if I can go any longer without a quality wide angle. Which is where my trouble arises. Dec 16, 2011 at 03:47 AM

maneatingshark Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #4 · New lens or... Have you been manual focusing the D lenses? You could look into getting a body with a motor for autofocus. Dec 16, 2011 at 03:53 AM

jeterfan3 Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #5 · New lens or... How about a set-up with a fully manual body, like the Nikon FM, and a few manual focus primes to get you started? Max Dec 16, 2011 at 03:55 AM

Jewced Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #6 · New lens or... Yep, which is another reason why I want an F5 body. Although I could sell my 3100 and try to pick up a D90 or D300... Dec 16, 2011 at 03:59 AM

Two23 Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #7 · New lens or... Trust me, you don't want to be hauling around an F5 while snowboarding. I dont think a film camera will help you learn any faster than any other kind of camera, really. If you're interested in portraits, I'd advise buying a couple of used Nikon SB-25 flash on eBay, some used lightstands, umbrellas, and a pair of cheaper radio triggers such as RF-603. Also buy a book on portrait photography, or the classic textbook "Light: Science & Magic." Don't go buying things just to buy them. think it through very carefully, and choose based on your goals and needs. Kent in SD Dec 16, 2011 at 04:02 AM

mikesrc Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #8 · New lens or... Jewced If you really want a film camera I have a N90 and SB-25 that I bought new years ago I will sell you for a hundred bucks. Even has the Data Back on it. Dec 16, 2011 at 02:52 PM

thursdaylsr Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #9 · New lens or... Jewced wrote: Yep, which is another reason why I want an F5 body. Although I could sell my 3100 and try to pick up a D90 or D300... Do you do video? If not, I would sell your D3100 and pick up a used D200. Has weather sealing, decent AF, built in motor, faster fps. Overall it's a great upgrade despite it being older tech. A D90 is usually what I recommend since it's just an awesome camera for the price, but if you want to go snowboarding you want sealing. Don't get an F5, it will not improve your photography for action, you'll just waste money on film, which you don't want to do since you're in high school. Pick up an old film body when you have more time and money. Listen to Kent and get an old SB25 and some triggers, you'll have fun playing around with that. Wider than 18mm for cheap is difficult. I have a Sigma 15-30 I've been trying to get rid of for cheap (evil plot to take your money), could also try and find a cheap 10-20. Keh has an alright selection if you look under non-mfg zooms. If I was you, I would sell the D3100 and kit lens for like $450 (I think that's what they're selling for) and have a total of $850 to spend. I'd grab a D200 ($400-500), an ok wide zoom ($200-300) and a 50 1.8. You would have a decent kit that you'd enjoy I think. Dec 16, 2011 at 05:36 PM

BlueBomberTurbo Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #10 · New lens or... Unless you're using it professionally, I'd stay away from spending the money on an F5. I've got a used N80 ($60 on eBay in excellent condition), and really, the only thing I miss from my D7000 is the AF points. The N80 has 5, and so does the F5. If I could afford the film, I'd also miss the 6fps from the D7000, but yeah, the cost. That, in turn, reduces my need for other F5 features that I'd be using to shoot sports/fast moving objects. Beyond that, the N80 has a traditional Nikon DSLR layout, so you'll feel right at home from day one. I also have an old Nikkormat FT2 I got for $20 off of eBay, which is fully manual and heavy as a brick. Works just fine, and I love the split viewfinder for focusing. So much so, I'm gonna pick a KatzEye one up for my D7000 next year. The only real difference in film bodies are the amount of features (and the weathersealing). Technically, you can get the exact same image out of both the lowest and highest end Nikon film bodies using the same lens and film. Technology (ironically ) is what has caused digital SLRs to go obsolete so fast. This doesn't really apply to film SLRs. And yeah, I bought the film cameras to hopefully instill some level of discipline in my picture taking instead of blasting away at everything with my DSLR. Since each shot costs money to buy and process, I'm much more stingy about what I shoot! I also like B&W photography, and it's hard to match the appearance of true B&W film in digital. If I were you, I'd get a cheap film body and a flash or two. Both will help you expand your abilities more than just another lens. At worst, rent a lens if you go on vacation or something. Just get a small camera bag with a weatherproof cover for skiing, and bring whatever camera you want. Dec 16, 2011 at 06:02 PM

galenapass Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #11 · New lens or... I'd think carefully about a film body. When I was in grad school I gave up photography entirely due to the cost of film, film development and then enlargements; and I had more money in Grad school than high school. Today the cost of film and development is higher. Have you input theses considerations into your cost equation? Once you have the equipment digital is much cheaper IMO and I really don't think shooting film will make you a better photographer. When you shoot film you have to wait for the development process to occur before you know if that shot was good or not. I grew up shooting film and I can't count the number of times I thought I had a great shot and it turned out later that something was screwed up. With digital one get's instant feedback and therefore one can adjust and learn in real-time rather than waiting. Furthermore, if one exercises discipline shooting digital is not that much different than shooting film. One possibility is to use a smaller CF card, shoot in RAW and PP afterward. That way you are limited in how much you can shoot and if forces you to slow down and choose shots carefully - essentially very similar to film. Now if you had access to a school darkroom and wanted to learn B&W printing, that would be an entirely different story. But from what you have said so far I see no reason why you should spend money on a film body. Rokinon (Samyang etc...) makes a cheap, but fantastic wide angle 14mm lens. It is all manual, and THAT would force you to slow down, shoot manual and understand the use of hyperfocal focusing. Dec 16, 2011 at 06:35 PM

Jewced Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #12 · New lens or... So I just found out my dad has 2 old film bodies (a K1000 and a Nikon one) that I can use, so I'm set there. And isn't the Rokinon 14mm equivalent to 21mm on a crop? Any samples I've seen from it honestly don't look $400 better than the kit lens I already have. I think the only wide angles/fisheyes I'm really interested in are the 11-16 or the Nikon 10.5 fish. I think my best options are either selling the D3100 for a D200/300, or just picking up a few SB25s. Dec 16, 2011 at 09:05 PM

galenapass Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #13 · New lens or... Jewced wrote: And isn't the Rokinon 14mm equivalent to 21mm on a crop? Any samples I've seen from it honestly don't look $400 better than the kit lens I already have. Are you serious? Have you checked out this thread: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1056192 Then take a look at the sample shots in this review. You can download an look for yourself. http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/532-samyang14f28eosff?start=2 Corner sharpness on this lens is phenomenal, and the contrast is good as well. Price - ~$480. Dec 16, 2011 at 09:58 PM

BlueBomberTurbo Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #14 · New lens or... Check out the Rokinon 8mm F/3.5 fisheye, too. Under $300 new, super sharp, and nice colors. I have one, but rarely use it (more than a couple shots of something is overkill with fisheye ). Here are a few shots to get an idea: Dec 16, 2011 at 10:19 PM

Jewced Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #15 · New lens or... galenapass wrote: Jewced wrote: And isn't the Rokinon 14mm equivalent to 21mm on a crop? Any samples I've seen from it honestly don't look $400 better than the kit lens I already have. Are you serious? Have you checked out this thread: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1056192 Then take a look at the sample shots in this review. You can download an look for yourself. http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/532-samyang14f28eosff?start=2 Corner sharpness on this lens is phenomenal, and the contrast is good as well. Price - ~$480.Ok, point taken. But I feel like my $480 would be put to better use towards a body with an AF motor or some flashes. The lens is good, but since I already have the kit lens that is just as wide/wider, I think my money is better spent elsewhere. Dec 16, 2011 at 10:24 PM

Jewced Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #16 · New lens or... BlueBomberTurbo wrote: Check out the Rokinon 8mm F/3.5 fisheye, too. Under $300 new, super sharp, and nice colors. I have one, but rarely use it (more than a couple shots of something is overkill with fisheye ). Here are a few shots to get an idea: Didn't see this post, or know about this lens. This is exactly what I'm looking for! Thanks! Dec 16, 2011 at 10:40 PM

M635_Guy Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #17 · New lens or... I think the lenses and the body you have, having coming or have access to are pretty good. The question is what are you doing to improve your photography? The beauty of a DSLR is getting immediate feedback on what you're doing without burning up a lot of money on film. Get a film body once you're really comfortable with photography and have a clear idea of what you're creating each time you press the shutter release. You might find the handling on a D90 or a D200/D300 better than a D3100. Two books helped me a ton with my photography (despite being 42, I'm still a beginner Enthusiast Photographer ): Scott Kelby's "Digital Photography" trio and Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure". Both of these books are worth reading and re-reading. I'd get Scott's books under your belt and then read Bryan's work. Dec 16, 2011 at 10:48 PM

galenapass Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #18 · New lens or... BlueBomberTurbo wrote: Check out the Rokinon 8mm F/3.5 fisheye, too. Under $300 new, super sharp, and nice colors. I have one, but rarely use it (more than a couple shots of something is overkill with fisheye ). Here are a few shots to get an idea: Cool shots. Yet another Rokinon lens to think about! Dec 16, 2011 at 10:58 PM

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