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Author Topic: Buying Used SLR From Friend  (Read 6382 times)

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« on: June 27, 2011, 11:08 »
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I got into microstock for about a month pretty intensely, was able to sell a picture so far, and have some pictures on several agencies.  I took a break because I realized that a lot of my pictures were being rejected for "image quality" with my high end point and shoot camera (Kodak Z812). 

Anyway, as long as everything goes well, I'll end up buying my friend's used Nikon D60 for $200 (with the normal lens kit with it).  Although I'm sure I could have gone with other possibilities, the $200 price is just too hard to not jump on it.  So my question is... anyone have any experience with the D60 or advice for additional lens/equipment for once I get it?  Do you guys think it's a good deal for a first SLR?

Thanks munch microstock community!


« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2011, 12:30 »
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I'm not sure what the 'going rate' for that camera is.. I'd check ebay.

The kit lens isn't the best, if I were you I'd sell it and buy a 50mm 1.8  A very cheap and very good quality lens.

traveler1116

« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2011, 12:48 »
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Assuming it all works it is a good deal and should be an ok first "real" camera.  Read the manual.

« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2011, 13:01 »
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yep 50mm I use it 95% of the time

SNP

  • Canadian Photographer
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2011, 13:32 »
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FWIW - it's just my personal opinion, but I rarely buy or sell equipment with friends. I have had the experience of buying equipment from a friend and having issues with it, and the friendship just complicates that stuff.

« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2011, 13:37 »
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I use a D60 with the kit lens get my fair share of rejections  ;) but honestly think its due to my ability rather than the lens  ;) Very good camera for $200 imho

SNP

  • Canadian Photographer
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2011, 13:45 »
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the D60 is a nice camera, and for that price, despite buying from a friend, it's kind of a no brainer. I didn't register the $200 price tag before my first post. the piece of equipment I bought was far more expensive and more complicated as a result. I say go for it.

« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2011, 14:21 »
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I used to have D60 and used it with Nikkor 35mm 1,8 lens and results were good enough. But images from kit lens were acceptable only after many corrections in Adobe Raw.

« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2011, 03:11 »
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I use a D90 and have very few rejections, with the kit lens. The trick I learnt, from advice in the istock forums, was to use Nikon's software to process the RAW files. I sometimes tweak the result in Photoshop, but rarely need to. The software is designed for Nikon's and works very well. I bought mine from Amazon, it was considerably cheaper than upgrading the trial version via Nikon.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2011, 03:14 by john_woodcock »

« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2011, 09:00 »
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Yep Capture NX is very good I now use it for processing but used Paintshop before that - what are the lens prroblems identified?

« Reply #10 on: June 28, 2011, 09:59 »
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FWIW, my daughter has had images from a D40 using a kit lens accepted a istock using Capture NX2 for image processing.

« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2011, 15:08 »
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Thanks for the replies everyone!  I'm going go for it and can't wait to pick it up.  Since the camera and lens is pretty cheap, I might be able to invest in other accessories and lenses for it.

Will it be a major drawback that I'll be limited to buy AF-S lenses only (if I want the auto-focus) since the body doesn't have a motor?  I couldn't find this either, but, if I upgrade to another body with a motor in the future, will I still be able to use those AF-S lenses with motors? 

« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2011, 21:14 »
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if I upgrade to another body with a motor in the future, will I still be able to use those AF-S lenses with motors? 

Yes. But if it is (likely) a DX crop lens, you will be limited on a full frame sensor body like the 12MP D3. It will still work, but it will go into an automatic crop mode of about 6MP I think. Don't have any DX lenses anymore so can't give you the exact here.

« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2011, 11:49 »
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if I upgrade to another body with a motor in the future, will I still be able to use those AF-S lenses with motors?  

Yes. But if it is (likely) a DX crop lens, you will be limited on a full frame sensor body like the 12MP D3. It will still work, but it will go into an automatic crop mode of about 6MP I think. Don't have any DX lenses anymore so can't give you the exact here.

It depends. If its an AF-S Full Frame lens, like the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.4G, you can use it both on DX and on APS-C (Full Frame) bodies. If its an AF-S DX lens, it will happen what stormchaser said.

« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2011, 20:30 »
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test the camera before you pay him...

rinderart

« Reply #15 on: September 21, 2011, 00:13 »
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The 50mm 1.8D will be fine on crop bodies and FF. it's called the nifty Fifty and came with every Nikon Made since the late 50's.. Actually sharper than the much more expensive 1.4 or 1.2.[Yes, i've tested and used to review lenses and cameras] The camera is fine. worry more about learning Photography than what to buy. I know lots of folks that make a lot of money using a P&S. But they are photographers and work around the limitations. it's not about the camera. it's about you. Always will be. For not a lot More look at a D-200. Very fine mid level product and wasn't a plastic body. Much more robust. Or get that one and stick a 17-55 2.8 on it and you will be shocked at the image quality. Invest in Glass my friend because Glass stays Cameras are disposable nowdays. Kit glass is not an investment resell is horrible.

« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2011, 21:00 »
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they are photographers and work around the limitations. it's not about the camera. it's about you.

I've heard this advice many times before and I've always found it questionable. A good camera will let the beginner practice the basics, like composition, without having to worry about other stuff. A crappy camera will force the beginner to not only master the basics but also figure out the workarounds to the limitations, before he can get decent results. It is unlikely.


« Reply #17 on: October 02, 2011, 01:24 »
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they are photographers and work around the limitations. it's not about the camera. it's about you.

I've heard this advice many times before and I've always found it questionable. A good camera will let the beginner practice the basics, like composition, without having to worry about other stuff. A crappy camera will force the beginner to not only master the basics but also figure out the workarounds to the limitations, before he can get decent results. It is unlikely.

With a good camera a lot of people probably never bother to master the basics. They get to grips to some degree with what is impossible to avoid - which is composition and lighting (and you don't even need a camera to learn composition) - but they may never find the need to grasp the relationships between aperture, shutter speed, ISO and depth of field, light ratios, the importance of the hyperfocal distance etc. . The camera's Auto mode makes all those selections for them (or just ignores them).

Actually it is probably the same with a P&S and the workaround will most likely be simply not to bother trying to take a shot if you know the camera can't cope with the conditions. 

However great the photographer, he or she won't be able to "work around" the inferior image quality.

I think there is a lot to be said for learning the basics in completely manual mode and preferably with a prime lens, a polarised and a few ND filters, so you really do have to think of everything. But that is purely about learning the craft. You don't expect a quality product from an apprentice and you shouldn't expect to get showpiece work while you are, for example, experimenting to find out the effect of the diffraction limit on macros. All that stuff then goes into your mental toolbox and allows you to visualise what you can make of a scene.

However, 99.9% of people probably have no interest at all in learning the fundamentals when they can just point their camera at what they see and get something that looks similar when they click the button. For them there is nothing much wrong with Auto on an expensive camera because they aren't interested in any sort of fine control over the final image.


 

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