[govigov]

@rkbharat.

what made the decision for you?

i am in a similar position, 55-250 IS or 70-300 APO DG.

one has a slight higher range and the other has IS. similar price band as well.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I am back with questions. Any of our members bought Nikon D300s ? Please give some idea about how much you bought it for. Body price is swinging between 68 to 72 in the last 5 days, which is expected to stabilize below 70 in a week's time. Right now I am seriously thinking about D300s, but not in a hurry to get one at the highest range.

Anyone selling for half prize ?

gd has D300

govi; enjoying your cam and hows its helping your bank balance?

Those who was to get D5000 and has contacts in Japan; its only 52k yen there with the kit lens.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by govigov

@rkbharat.

what made the decision for you?

i am in a similar position, 55-250 IS or 70-300 APO DG.

one has a slight higher range and the other has IS. similar price band as well.

Sigma 70-300 APO DG ( not the non-APO) is excellent in image quality but at long end you need to stabilize using tripod or some other support. I have now learned to keep my elbows near to body and hold my breath before I click sometimes. Usually I place on wall or some other object if available to stablize. Carrying a tripod around is not always practical.

So test 55-250 at Canon lounge if you feel that IS is strong enough at 250 mm to compensate for your shake then go for it.

But in case you still feel that tripod need to be used for 55-250 IS at 250 then go for Sigma and get 50 mm more.

Of-course you can not compare low light performance of both of these lens with 58 mm thread to wider and more expensive lens.

The Sigma 70-300 APO DG is approx 11.5 ~ 12 K , Most dealers try to pass non-APO one which is just 8K so if you are getting cheap look carefully if it is APO or non-APO.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by jkdas

gd has D300...Those who was to get D5000 and has contacts in Japan; its only 52k yen there with the kit lens.

I have my wife's cousines in Japan for the last 20 years. Will it help in purchasing my D300s from there and getting it hand delivered or gift couriered to bangalore ? If there is a commentable saving, I dont mind bugging them for help, so far they are the only ones not disturbed by us for anything in the last 6 years. (Only issue is: wife will come to know the price of these things !!!)

[recshenoy]

guys,

one of my friends is selling his D60 + 18-55 AF-S VR + 55-200 AF-S VR + CPL filter + UV filter for 20K INR!
Kindly advice if this is a good buy for a beginner!

How is D60? one short coming with this is that it hasnt got lense autofocus motor AFAIR. So lenses i buy in future must have AF motor!

Experts,
Please guide me

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by recshenoy

one of my friends is selling his D60 + 18-55 AF-S VR + 55-200 AF-S VR + CPL filter + UV filter for 20K INR!
Kindly advice if this is a good buy for a beginner!

I dont know about the worth of the filters, so I leave it to those who have extensive experience with Filters on DSLRs(I mention DSLRs here because some of my friends who are into full time photography say they mostly use the filters for film SLRs that too for certain specific work only!!)

20K!!! pick it up if it is in good condition. A new D3000 with the 18-55 VR kit lens comes to around 25K in India. But the deal maker in your case could be the 55-200 lens, newer one costs around 10k - 12k!!!.

How is D60? one short coming with this is that it hasnt got lense autofocus motor AFAIR. So lenses i buy in future must have AF motor!

Personally, I thought it was a cheap move by Nikon of excluding AF motor in the camera body. But now I get to think that Nikon took such a step to bring down the cost of consumer DSLRs. Most of the people who buy the consumer DSLRs hardly buy other lenses other than the kit lens (ok some buy the 55-200 or 50mm prime!!). Newer DSLRs launched by Nikon are coming without the AF motor!!

I get tempted to draw similarities with the canon in making EF lenses and EFS lenses!! Though not technical similarities, its just a business / marketing strategy Nikon is adopting!!!

PS: I read somewhere that the D60 is a re-branded D40x!!

[shyamhegde]

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

20K!!! pick it up if it is in good condition. A new D3000 with the 18-55 VR kit lens comes to around 25K in India. But the deal maker in your case could be the 55-200 lens, newer one costs around 10k - 12k!!!.

Nikon D3000 Kit was quoted at 23,650/- last week at Bangalore (Whizz at Garuda Mall top flr)

[WindRide]

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

... I read somewhere that the D60 is a re-branded D40x!!

There are differences between these models -

# Dust Reduction System: The D60 incorporates an Active Dust Reduction System with built-in airflow control ducts around the lens mount area designed to channel dust particles away from reaching the sensor (minimizes dust from entering camera when changing lenses)


# Incorporates an Optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF) vibration system that shakes dust from the low-pass filter automatically on startup and/or shutdown or manually via the setup menu.

# Auto Eye Sensor: the D60 features an eye sensor that provides automatic switching between the vertical and horizontal display format for the LCD monitor (depending on the camera's orientation) and automatic monitor on/off to preserve battery power

# Active D-Lighting Compensation: Optimizes dynamic range preserving details in highlights and shadows. Dedicated button to activate or can be set in the Menu
. You can shot up to 5 shots per burst with Active D-Lighting enabled.

# EXPEED: The Nikon D60 utilizes Nikon's proprietary EXPEED Image Processing (EXPEED was first introduced in Nikon's higher end professional Nikon D3 and D300 digital SLR's)

# New Kit lens: The Nikon D60 will come supplied in a kit form with the new AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR zoom lens versus the AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II non vibration reduction lens bundled with the D40x


# Customizable Graphic User Interface (GUI): Colours in the "Classic" and "Graphic" displays on the Nikon D60 can be changed (3 options: Blue, Black and Orange).


# In Camera RAW Processing: For images shot in RAW mode, the following parameters can be adjusted after the image is taken and the result saved as a JPEG copy: Image Quality (Fine, Normal, Basic), Image Size (Large, Medium, Small), White Balance (all settings and WB Fine-Tuning), Exposure Compensation +/- 3 EV, Optimize Image (Normal, Softer, Vivid, Portrait, Black and White, Custom)

# Stop Motion Video: Create a stop motion movie from images on the memory card and record as a movie file. Select from 640 x 480, 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 frame size and a frame rate of 15 fps, 10 fps, 6 fps, or 3 fps


# Date Imprinting Feature has been added on the Nikon D60. The date the picture was taken will be displayed on the image when this option is selected

# uilt-in rangefinder indicator: Electronic analog exposure display in the viewfinder can be replaced with focus indicator (assists in Manual Focus operation)


# New Filter Effects: found in the Retouch Menu: Digital Cross Screen
(star effect) filter and RGB Intensified

Source - Nikon D60 Digital SLR Compared to D40x and D40

[iamswift]

Guys, looking for Nikon D3000 or D5000 - here is the deal.

Ebay deal of the week ending next week.

D3000 for Rs. 22100
eBay India: Nikon D3000 DSLR + 18-55mm Lens + 2 Yrs Mfr Warranty (item 180506204108 end time 19-May-2010 09:30:00 IST)

D5000 for Rs. 27800
eBay India: NIKON D5000 DSLR CAMERA 18-55mm VR LENS + WARRANTY (item 260601312284 end time 19-May-2010 09:00:00 IST)

D3000 by Chennai seller and D5000 by Delhi seller. So those at Chennai and Delhi and planning to buy respective cameras are at advantage of visiting directly and get convinced before buying...

Note: D5000 is with 1 year dealer's warranty only.

[arjunrudra]

Guys here is something I found on the new upcoming models from the Nikon. Seems like the replacement for the D90 is coming in real soon.
Anyways here is a link to the article:

Prediction: D90 replacement to lack AF motor?: Nikon D90 - D40 / D5000 Forum: Digital Photography Review

Cheers

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I have my wife's cousines in Japan for the last 20 years. Will it help in purchasing my D300s from there and getting it hand delivered or gift couriered to bangalore ? If there is a commentable saving, I dont mind bugging them for help, so far they are the only ones not disturbed by us for anything in the last 6 years. (Only issue is: wife will come to know the price of these things !!!)

‰¿Ši.com - ƒjƒRƒ“ D300S ƒ{ƒfƒB ‰¿Ši”äŠr

all the best.

[shajufx]

Dasappa, I am locating you on google, be ready with your sword and 'paricha'. Its for giving me a 'ka ka ku ku ki ki' site and forcing me to learn japanese !! Here I come !!!

[recshenoy]

thans kkr2k2 windride for the details. How many clicks can the shutter last in D60! any idea

D60 owners kindly advice if there is/are any other short coming in camera!

Dasappa, I am locating you on google, be ready with your sword and 'paricha'. Its for giving me a 'ka ka ku ku ki ki' site and forcing me to learn japanese !! Here I come !!!

this is the best website to check prices of DSLR in Japan. I still rememebr my very frequent visits to famous camera shops like BIC camera, Yodobashi camera in Japan to check out SLRs. they had aweseome collection.

Any one here has gone to these places!

[shajufx]

I use a D60 and completing a year this month end. Its a beautiful camera with almost every feature one will need. I am upgrading to D300s very soon, mainly for the following reasons (which might help you to understand what I find missing in my D60):

1) No commander in the built-in flash
2) No body-built-in motor for old lenses and some of the new ones too (Tokina etc)
3) Shooting mode selection (AF, AFC, AFS etc), Metering selection etc has to go through the menus
4) I want Live view for my minute focusing of Macros (which is straining through the viewfinder)

I think these are what I remember as of now, may be there are few more advanced things which I want, but missing in the D60, yes off course its supposed to be a beginner camera, so one can not expect too much from it.

If you are a beginner, you will be happy for more than a year, because there are many things to learn in the field. I dont mean I learnt everything already, I am concentrating more on flash photography, macro etc. Its a very user-friendly camera by all means. Worth the money. Shutter life part I am not very sure, but it should be anything above 70000 (mine has done only 5500 so far), as D300 line claims to have 150000 average life.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Dasappa, I am locating you on google, be ready with your sword and 'paricha'. Its for giving me a 'ka ka ku ku ki ki' site and forcing me to learn japanese !! Here I come !!!
Attachment 347602

Originally Posted by recshenoy

thans kkr2k2 windride for the details. How many clicks can the shutter last in D60! any idea

D60 owners kindly advice if there is/are any other short coming in camera!



this is the best website to check prices of DSLR in Japan. I still rememebr my very frequent visits to famous camera shops like BIC camera, Yodobashi camera in Japan to check out SLRs. they had aweseome collection.

Any one here has gone to these places!

See !

Just add 1000Yen to the value you see and divide by 2 to get INR.

Originally Posted by shajufx

I use a D60 and completing a year this month end. Its a beautiful camera with almost every feature one will need. I am upgrading to D300s very soon, mainly for the following reasons (which might help you to understand what I find missing in my D60):

1) No commander in the built-in flash
2) No body-built-in motor for old lenses and some of the new ones too (Tokina etc)
3) Shooting mode selection (AF, AFC, AFS etc), Metering selection etc has to go through the menus
4) I want Live view for my minute focusing of Macros (which is straining through the viewfinder)

I think these are what I remember as of now, may be there are few more advanced things which I want, but missing in the D60, yes off course its supposed to be a beginner camera, so one can not expect too much from it.

If you are a beginner, you will be happy for more than a year, because there are many things to learn in the field. I dont mean I learnt everything already, I am concentrating more on flash photography, macro etc. Its a very user-friendly camera by all means. Worth the money. Shutter life part I am not very sure, but it should be anything above 70000 (mine has done only 5500 so far), as D300 line claims to have 150000 average life.

Nice. This is the issue with love for DSLRs. Can I post about this on your FB so that your wife can see?

Looks like UK/US/India/Singapore all have similar price for cameras now.