Sunday, December 28, 2008

What to do with my Christmas money?

So between my parents and my in-laws I now have a bit of extra spending money. Thanks guys.

Anyway, the question is, what to do with it? I really want to get a camera lens, but which one?

The options include
  • zoom lens - 55-200ish for my DSLR.
  • perspective correction lens
  • 3-D lens
  • pinhole lens.
Now what can these do for me?

Well, until I switched to Nikon I had a telephoto zoom lens, it was a 75-200 for my regular SLR. It was what I used for more than half my photo's, picking out detail in architecture, getting closer to wildlife etc. I really don't think I can go much longer without adding one of these to my camera kit. I can just do a digital zoom when I offload the picture to the PC, that does for on-line displaying of photos, but a proper zoom would be an asset.

A perspective correction lens will reduce or eliminate converging verticals on photos of buildings. I take a lot of photos of buildings, so this should be an asset. I've never had one before, and I don't know if I have the patience to use one. You can also use perspective correction software after the fact too.

3-D lens. This is actually a pair of lenses that give a stereoscopic view of the world. When the photos are done, those of us with the right sort of vision can see some depth in these photos. It sounds like a fun deal. There again, my wife and a few other people I know cannot look at 3-D images without getting put off balance, and feeling queasy. Where is the fun in taking photos you cannot share?

Pinhole cameras are an interesting breed. They are meant to offer excellent depth of field, but due to the ridiculously small aperture they require careful use, and cannot really capture action scenes. I still think it would be fun to try one. Of course you can make your own pinhole. They never end up perfectly round, and the rough edge gives each pinhole camera a unique feel. I somehow think a laser cut pin hole takes some of the charm away from the image, but it will give a clearer image I believe.

These are just the camera related options. Other options include a new rocking chair (glider), or something towards the computer, or a new car stereo - the old one is having trouble ejecting discs now, and having a Bluetooth capable stereo for hands free cell usage sounds like a good idea.

6 comments:

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

The Nikon 70-300mm VR is nice.

(captcha: "ingfed")

Alex said...

Looks like a nice lens. Any issues using a lens for a full frame camera on a DLSR with APS-C size sensor?

Unknown said...

The Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens is a 35mm full-frame lens,
not a DX lens ("DX" is Nikon designation for 1.5 factor sensor, ie 24x16 sensor);
so you have to apply the 1.5x conversion to get the apparent zoom factor if you
use this lens on your D80.

This means that the Nikon 70-300mm on your Nikon D80 will give an apparent zoom equivalent
of a 105-450mm lens.

So, what does all this mean in actual shooting?

This lens will project a larger image than the D80's sensor so it will cut down on (pixel) vignetting,
which I think is great. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vignetting]

I got my 70-300 from Amazon together with a neutral pass-thru filter (for the sole purpose of protecting the lens):

$449 Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HJPK2C]

$46.95 B & W 67mm UV (Ultra Violet) Haze Multi Coated (2C) Glass Filter #010
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000BZL8H]

Alex said...

All sounds good, but what about the amount of light received and the aperture settings?

Does the image being spread over a larger area dilute the light? Probably not since the light meter is measuring what will be in the image.

How does the "mis-matched" lens impact auto exposure settings, is the aperture setting still correct? Just a paranoid thought.

Unknown said...

Interesting concerns about auto exposure (when using FX lens on DX body), hmmm....

There should not be any problem with full-frame lens on DX sensor since the light meter sensor points will all be within the projected image area. [The opposite, however, will not be true; that is, if you use a DX lens on an FX camera and you set your sensing points really wide.]

The aperture is totally independent of all this. With f/4, you will still need twice the exposure time than with f/2.8, given the same light meter reading.

Here are a few links of discussions on FX/DX lens vs FX/DX camera (and also a bonus link on Nikon CCD sensor cleaning guide.)

1. A discussion of the opposite of your concern - on what happens when DX lens is used on Full frame camera.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/dx-lenses.htm

2. DX camera and full frame lens...what does it mean
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikon_d300_users/discuss/72157608639405311/

3. The 35mm "Full-Frame" vs. DX size digital sensor controversy
http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/full-frame/review.html
http://www.planetnikon.com/Article-DXVersesFF.asp

4. Nikon CCD Sensor Cleaning guide
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-avoid-a-dirty-dslr-image-sensor/

My recommendation is still the same - if you can afford it, get full frame lens always - it'll work now for the D80 (DX sensor) and for your future full frame camera if/when you decide to get one.

Alex said...

I opted for the Rocking Chair.

Dutalier Matrix Too, glider recliner. Light wood finish and blue fabric.

Very comfy, will be used every day, and will last 20-50years. Seems like the best move right now.