Confused about Camera?

Hi there...

I currently possess a NIKON D5000 with Nikor 18-105 lens. But I am just skeptical about getting new lenses for the same as the cam doesn't have auto focus motor in the body. Hence they are gonna cost me a too much.

So I am having 2nd thoughts on selling my cam &getting a canon cam(as almost all models of it has got the Auto focus motor in camera itself) & all the normal lenses(without IS) would even fit it(which will be cheap compared to other).

In that case, can you suggest me how to take it forward. And my cam budget shouldnt exceed 50000 INR. Hoping to get some god suggestions.

I am not able to make up my mind

Well first of all, you should have known about the lack of AF motor when you bought it.

2nd, any lens you would end up buying that is an AF lens, is not so much pricey because of it being AF, but it's pricey because it has better glass then it's cheaper brother. Lenses prices are based on fstop and glass..mostly.

For instance, Nikkor 70-300.
There is the normal 70-300 4-5.6 for $172.95...that lens is a kit lens. Cheap glass.
The AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED for $589.95 is better glass and also a VR lens.
Take out the AF motor and there is a big difference between the two.

3rd, the lower end Nikon bodys do not have a AF motor, however starting with D90 and D7000 they do.

Switching camera brands because of the lack of AF IMO, is just wrong. It's sad. You, as a photographer are not willing to work at being a photographer. You bought a camera, you will learn buying lenses is not cheap...doesn't matter what brand you have. Learn on what you have, don't just give up because you don't like a certain feature.

But hey, you want Canon, go get one, but the way it looks, you'll find something you don't like about the Canon.

I don't want to sound rude, but being a photographer (even it's just a hobby) it gets expensive and it's hard work no matter what brand you have. Learn on the camera you have, buy AF lenses (if you can not afford them) then learn to shoot manual. I have found the photographers who mainly shoot in manual prefer it over AF. It's really not the end of the world, it's just another way of shooting.

That 18-105 lens you have is a $400 lens, so you might as well continue buying lenses around that price range. I wouldn't go any cheaper, otherwise you are asking for cheap glass, which is important for the picture taking. There are only some lenses like the 50mm, which is fine for under $400.

I have the Nikon D5000, so if you need any help about anything feel free to PM me. For me, it's a nice camera to learn on. Before I bought my first DSLR, I learn glass is important in lenses. Well my 18-135mm was a kit lens it came with the camera. I bought the 70-300mm VR lens. I don't plan on buying any more lenses. I have only manual focus a couple of times, I prefer to AF. Not having an AF motor has not stop me from enjoying the camera and enjoying photography. I just love taking pictures of anything I come across. If for some reason my lenses stop auto focusing, I will buy another lens, as I like using the D5000.

Nikon isn't as interested in entry level cameras as is Canon.
Nikon does not add all the features to encourage people to buy up to their pro lines.
Crystal is right is that you need to learn to shoot with what you have. That said, if you want to switch brands, now is the time to do it before you pile up lenses and then are pretty much forced to stick with that brand (unless you have a lot of money to spend. (I'm not sure how 50000 INR fits into the camera lines).
I chose Canon because it allowed me to get started on a budget (about the same price as Nikon) and my lenses would fit all except some would not on a full-sensor model.
IMO Canon is a better choice for those on a budget just starting out.

Nikon's lower end 50mm lens won't AF on that camera, but their newer 50mm AF-S will:

www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/...50mm-f%252F1.8G.html

Also there is a 35mm AF-S and a new 40mm AF-S "micro" that will work. Plenty of really good lenses are available for your Nikon.

Look for ANY lens labeled AF-S here:

www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Camera-Lenses/index.page

Dear Crystal,

That was a very detailed reply & an eye opener as well.

But tell me one more thing. I personally love my Nikon D5000, only concern being(when compared to some lower end canon model) were the pixel rates & AF motor.

When compared to Canon 60D/EOS 550D/50D/ etc, they all are above 15.1 MP @ almost cheaper rates than NIKON D90 which has only 12.1MP.

www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-b...00&sortDir=ascending


Does this really matter? Need some suggestions from experts like you... The difficulty & difference what I have felt is especially when I try to crop it. I have tried taking snaps with a friends 550D & my D5000. And when tried to crop, definitely i found clarity for 550D.

Need some advise here...

My friend that is a Canon user loves some of the features my NIkon D300 has that her higher end Canon doesn't. I liked the article that I just read here on PT about the NIkkor lens definitions. Also check out Tamron and Sigma for great lens and good prices. I have both and they are sharp lens for 1/2 the price of Nikkors.

neena_nair wrote: ... The difficulty & difference what I have felt is especially when I try to crop it. I have tried taking snaps with a friends 550D & my D5000. And when tried to crop, definitely i found clarity for 550D.

Need some advise here...

With my Canon EOS 50D I find the only time I need to crop a lot is when shooting wide angle shots. For those I will use the camera's full 15Mp. But with telephoto (and most "normal") scenes the zoom crops for me. So a lot of the time I shoot with the camera set to 7Mp, just to conserve file space.

Kelly Cook

www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction-photography.htm
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digi...mera-sensor-size.htm
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-sensors.htm
www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-lenses.htm

It sounds like you're not sure about getting into more expense w/Nikon and that you're not completely satisfied w/what you have. You might need to weigh your options - is it worth it to sell/trade in and start over w/another system? Or is it better to keep what you have? If you get another lens for the Nikon will you be happy w/the camera then or is that just sinking more money into a camera you're not happy with?

Is there a store where you can try out a Canon or other brand, get a feel for it, try some of the features etc.? (I've done a trade in w/KEH but it was w/an older autofocus film camera I wasn't using anymore; I didn't get what I'd paid for it but was better than it sitting in a drawer).

It's probably a good time now to give this some thought before you put any more money into it. But I'd want to be sure, before I got another brand camera and ended up having the same problems. Maybe take your time and look at a variety of brands/cameras, maybe even make a list of pros and cons for each. And like most of us, it depends on your budget.

I think it is your decision, and getting input from people on here can help you make a decision, but I don't think other people can tell you what to do and make the choice for you - I think it needs to be what works best for you.

Oh and I am just adding this for some info...

Nikon hasn't always been like this... lower entry level cameras having no AF motor. Not sure why they decided in the last couple of years to design cameras like this. I know the Nikon D50 and D80 both were autofocus motors and for their time being were good cameras. Although the D80 is a much better camera then the D50.

neena_nair wrote: Dear Crystal,

That was a very detailed reply & an eye opener as well.

But tell me one more thing. I personally love my Nikon D5000, only concern being(when compared to some lower end canon model) were the pixel rates & AF motor.

When compared to Canon 60D/EOS 550D/50D/ etc, they all are above 15.1 MP @ almost cheaper rates than NIKON D90 which has only 12.1MP.

www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-b...00&sortDir=ascending


Does this really matter? Need some suggestions from experts like you... The difficulty & difference what I have felt is especially when I try to crop it. I have tried taking snaps with a friends 550D & my D5000. And when tried to crop, definitely i found clarity for 550D.

Need some advise here...

If you check out Canon and Nikon's website and compare the prices that the cameras are listed at, you will find that the D90 is actually cheaper. Overall Canon has a lot more DSLR models, then Nikon does. I know the d90 was the highest of the crop sensor DSLR...until the D7000 recently came out.

MP only really matters to the photographer if the photographer plans on printing huge prints, submitting to companies who plan on doing banners etc... megapixels is a big commercial gimmick. It's important but not as much as they make it out to be.

The crop you made with your friends camera and your camera will make a difference, as the more MP you have, the more crop you can make, but overall there is more to consider on that cropped image then just the camera. The lenses you both are using. Was both cropped images of the same subject? same distance? same lighting? same settings? all that matters on the quality of the final result. And also, was the crop size the same exact crop on both images.

There is so much in play on comparing every model out there. In the end, the brand you use doesn't matter, as long as you are comfortable with what you have.

If you really want to buy a Canon, if you bought the Nikon recently why don't you try to return it, instead of selling it. Because you will never get the amount back to which you bought it for.

As it was said, whatever you do, make up your mind before you invest into too much more. The more you invest and you switch over, the more you will loose in the end.

Well you can manually focus any Nikon lens on the bodies without the AF motor. It is called the Green Dot method. When looking through your view finder when you see the Green Dot shows up it is in focus.