[DaptChatterjee]

Originally Posted by swissknife

I was looking for a Gotox TT685 for my Nikon. However, the feedback on Amazon about dead on arrival / not working after a short period of time coupled with no service centers in India, stopped me from buying one

Third party speedlites are gamble. Godox seems to have less failures (checked DPreview, JJMPF) and provides one year warranty but it's upto the seller to honour the warranty. Or we have to ship it to China. So far (little over two months) my copy has worked well.

Originally Posted by nishkamm

I will check with the renting option and trying out the lenses.

In case you are unaware of, Tamron has two versions of 150-600mm, G2 being latest. Fellow member M35 had the lens and was very happy with it (The DSLR Thread)

[Aiel]

Originally Posted by Anindya_Anni

Thanks for suggesting an option. Can you please tell from where did you purchase your diffuser. I searched on amazon, but it's showing diffusers for external flashes only. Secondly, is there a way to fix diffuser on top of the tiny camera flash.

With Regards
Anni

I did not buy it and it is actually a remnant from the package for my electric shaver. I slip it over the pop-up flash, whenever required.

The product:

How it is mounted on the camera:

[condor]

Question to those who shoot Macro:


What is a decent magnification ratio ? Is 1:4 good enough ?

[gopikb]

I have a Nikon D5200 which is not recognizing any SD card recently. It happened after one of the SD had had the outer casing broken and a piece of black plastic was stuck inside. I managed to clean it. However, now none of the SD cards are being recognized by the camera. I want to take it to a service center to check. Any pointers on which is the best service center in Bangalore for Nikon DSLR and also if anyone has faced the same issue before in your DSLR?

[DaptChatterjee]

Originally Posted by gopikb

Any pointers on which is the best service center in Bangalore for Nikon DSLR and also if anyone has faced the same issue before in your DSLR?

As per Nikon India website, there is only one authorised service centre in Bangalore. The address given is-
Nikon India Private Limited (Bengaluru)
JNR City Center, First Floor, No-30, Rajaram Mohanroy Road, Sampangirama Nagar, Near IBIS Hotel, 560027 Bengaluru
9:30 am to 6:00 pm (Monday to Saturday)
080-42450500

You can get a quote from them. If it's too high, fellow Bangalorean members can guide you to a reliable Independent camera repair shop.

[gopikb]

Originally Posted by DaptChatterjee

As per Nikon India website, there is only one authorised service centre in Bangalore. The address given is-
Nikon India Private Limited (Bengaluru)
JNR City Center, First Floor, No-30, Rajaram Mohanroy Road, Sampangirama Nagar, Near IBIS Hotel, 560027 Bengaluru
9:30 am to 6:00 pm (Monday to Saturday)
080-42450500

You can get a quote from them. If it's too high, fellow Bangalorean members can guide you to a reliable Independent camera repair shop.

Thank you DaptChatterjee. I have seen the authorized service center at that location on the way back from office. I will go and ask them first. If they charge anything above Rs.3000, then I will as well look for independent camera repair shop

[shashank.nk]

So after nearly three years of not using the camera much, I went on a birding session last week. I used my old D90 with 70-300 non VR lens since the 150-600mm lens my friend offered to lend me just wouldn't auto-focus on my camera. As expected the results weren't spectacular.

I'm now considering two options:

1.Retain the D90 and buy either Tamron G2/Sigma 150-600mm for my usage, or may be even the 200-500mm from Nikon though with this lens I'll be stuck at f5.6.

2.Go the full hog and get a new body+lens. I'm looking at Nikon 7x00 series with a 200-500mm lens.

My interests are mainly wildlife with some landscape photography.

I'm more keen on option 1 as I don't feel I've outgrown the D90's capabilities yet, once I start feeling its limitations upgrade to the D500 or mirrorless options when they become more mainstream.

What would you recommend I do ?

[DaptChatterjee]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I'm now considering two options

IMHO, you should go for a D7200 (used/new) if you are going to pursue wildlife photography. Good discounts are there for D7200 since the launch of D7500 and you'll have the following advantages over D90-
1. 51 AF points against 11
2. Better high iso performance
3. Availability of AF fine tune
4. Bigger buffer

Of course, there are plenty of other advantages but the ones mentioned above should really matter to you. The higher megapixels could also help in cropping/landscape. D7200 should also have no problem in auto focusing with Sigma/Tamron. Only disadvantage of D7200 is that you won't be able to switch off VR of AF-P dx lenses, irrelevant to you!

[condor]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

2.Go the full hog and get a new body+lens. I'm looking at Nikon 7x00 series with a 200-500mm lens.

D7200 + Tamron G2 will be my take.

You may not have out-grown the D90, but d7200 is sufficient upgrade. the D7500 has some extra features, but folks say not that much. The Tamron G2 150-600 has good feedback

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by DaptChatterjee

IMHO, you should go for a D7200 (used/new) if you are going to pursue wildlife photography.

Originally Posted by condor

D7200 + Tamron G2 will be my take.

Thank you both for the immediate response. Incidentally, all my friends that are into photography said the same too-upgrade the body as the D90 is simply too old now. A few serious hobbyists even suggested saving up a little more and going for a used D500+200-500mm as that's the combo most of them use and have had great results.

I'd probably go with the 7x00 series as that's the most sensible choice. Also, now that we can rent lenses, is it a good idea to rent often (say once a month) than invest in these lenses ?

[condor]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I'd probably go with the 7x00 series as that's the most sensible choice. Also, now that we can rent lenses, is it a good idea to rent often (say once a month) than invest in these lenses ?

Like Dapt mentioned, you can also check for used D7200's. But look for one that still has warranty. You should get a fair discount compared to new one.s. Regarding lenses - again, be on the lookout. I have seen some on sale - though not regularly. Like recently M35 sold his G2.


D7x00 vs D500 - that you need to decide. As hobbyist, 7x00 should be good. More serious/higher budget then the 500, or 750 or ..

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by condor

Like Dapt mentioned, you can also check for used D7200's. But look for one that still has warranty. You should get a fair discount compared to new one.s. Regarding lenses - again, be on the lookout. I have seen some on sale - though not regularly. Like recently M35 sold his G2

Yes will keep an eye on this and other camera related threads for any good lens which comes up for sale. If i'm buying used, which is a less risky buy, the lens or body ? I'm a little apprehensive since I've never bought used gear till now though taking a knowledgeable friend along would help I guess.

D7x00 vs D500 - that you need to decide. As hobbyist, 7x00 should be good. More serious/higher budget then the 500, or 750 or ..

Haha! I still remember walking into the store some 10 years ago with a budget for D40 and walking out with a D90, it was hard to pass on the D90 after all the reviews from friends and the push from the store owner.

However, I did some reading on the D500 and many say it's a mini D5, not something I need right now. Most of the serious hobbyists are on their 3rd body now and shoot a lot every weekend, makes sense for those cases I believe. I'll hopefully keep a sane head this time around!

[DaptChatterjee]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

If i'm buying used, which is a less risky buy, the lens or body ? I'm a little apprehensive since I've never bought used gear till now though taking a knowledgeable friend along would help

It won't be easy to find used camera gears in team-bhp classifieds. You can try JJMPF buy/sell sections. Lots of Bhpians are there too. I see that you are based in Bangalore which has many enthusiasts who are selling used gears (probably shifting to MLC). So watch out for a for a good local deal and take your friend along for inspection. The original bill should be available too even if the item is out of warranty.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have made three purchases from JJMPF members. All good experiences.

One must just exercise the usual caution, and accept some risk. Particularly, the courier journey, if involved, will be at buyer's risk.

If not acceptable... Buy New from Amazon!

[condor]

Has any one used the Nikon 40mm f2.8 for Macro's ? How is it ?

Ken Rockwell says good for everything except Macro's !