kja

LOL I adore my baby Canon SD1200 and have made it do things it was not meant to do And I'd never wander around without it. Any of those walk arounds will be able to do the lizard thing and remember that you can shoot to crop - you won't go to photographer hell if you do And don't be afraid to use a lens for something other than you think it should be used for. I only had a second to grab this shot and I had the 70-200 on, so I went with what I had. Not cropped and these guys are smaller than lizards The downside to this lens is that it's big and heavy. The Sigma 18-200s are nice and small and light and I've done grasshoppers with it before...

Seriously, take it back and spring for the one with the motor. Or sell your camera body and get one where this isn't an issue. I don't know how many Nikon lenses don't have focus motors, so it might be worth looking at the other lenses on your wish list and see if it's worth upping the body. I hate that Nikon even offers this as I find it terribly confusing. They should either refund or offer you a credit note, I'd think. I'd be very annoyed, too.

All rounders: Canon 24-105L - this is just a fabulous walk around lens. Canon 70-200* Sigma 18-200 - again, a great walk around lens with a great wide end. For a one lens solution, I'd be looking here and then adding specialty lenses if I wanted something specific. Sigma 17-70 macro You'll have to look to see which length suits you and if you like the other things each offers (like the "macro" of the shorter Sigma, for instance) *70 is pretty damned long for a start focal length, but whap a 1.4 TC on this thing to get your reach for birding etc and it's a good option to consider. I'd pair it with the Sigma 17-70 or similar for a two lens set-up. A dedicated macro will add weight to your bag and not be as versatile. You'll end up changing lenses a lot and you may not be comfortable doing that outside on the go. The 60mm Canon rocks socks, is the bees knees - but you have to get pretty close. The 100 (old version, I probably wouldn't spring for the new version) Canon macro is also awesome. Both are more than capable for shooting portraits. The 100 is kinda hard to hand hold at slow shutters combined with wide apertures and it's a bit of a beast. Long lens: Canon 100-400L I have no idea how much these lenses are so you'll have to source that yourself, but they are the ones I'd start looking at.

The self-clean doesn't really clean clean. You'll still want to get a kit or find someone who can do it or commit to sending it in when it needs it. I'm lucky to have a friend who loves to do this stuff - too bad he's moving in a few months and I'll have to start doing it myself LOL

Budget?

Yes, you'll have to manual focus. Personally, I'd take the lens back and buy one with the focus motor or upgrade my body because not having AF on a 50mm would irritate the living crap out of me The company you bought the lens from totally and complete fell down on the job if you told them you were shooting that body and they did not explain this to you. Terrible terrible customer service.

First, what is your realistic budget for glass? Second, how much glass do you seriously want to take? Each lens takes up room and adds weight and the more you take the less you'll use. Third, what is your absolute priority - versatility or specific types of shots. List the specifics. With those three things, I (and others) can narrow your list down a lot! Reading your first post, you're looking at like 5 or 6 lenses and that's just too many for a holiday where photo isn't the focus (ba da bum)!

FWIW I do not miss action shots with my 40D on any of the focus points.

Once you go 1D you won't go back Well, that's what they say - I use both the 1D and the 40D and like them both just fine. But the AF on the 1D series kicks serious booty. How about a second hand 40D? I still like it better than the 50D, personally. That will free up even more cash. You do get used to the weight of the 1D series. I have relatively small hands and they are very weak. The 1D just feels gooooood.

Go ahead and check to see if things are still working. Cameras and lenses can be tougher than we give them credit for - you might be happily surprised! <hugs> I feel for ya!

If you're seriously considering a 1D series, and they aren't for everyone, there are great deals on the 1D series used - I'm seeing oh so tempting prices on the 1DIII and if you go to the 1DII series which are FANTASTIC cameras oh man, you can pick them up for a song! But even new I didn't spend 10Gs on my 1DIII here in Australia and the 1DIV isn't that high either The 1D series cameras will POOP all over the xxD and xD series for lasting a long time and being awesome in the worst conditions you can throw at a camera. That's what you are paying for and what they are built for. Sometimes I think the guys that treat them the worst have them last the longest! I adore my 1D :D (and am actually trying to convince myself I don't need another one...) The 7D is a really nice camera, but hopefully your 50D will get sorted out properly and fast - at the very least so you can sell it with a clear conscience and buy a new body!

hehhee, too cute! Love the action shots in the top set

Sounds sucky I hope you get it sorted out. The 50D never appealed to me so I have very limited time with it and can't offer any suggestions but there are 1000s of happy owners out there so it really shouldn't be causing you problems. Hopefully Canon can get you sorted - or you can sell it and buy something that works!

The 40D rocks socks, Baby! And it looks like you're a natural with it Love the shots

Actually, a wider aperture will make it harder in some ways as the DOF will be much smaller. This does sound like technique, so I'd say try to trouble shoot that first. - make sure your shutter speed is high enough - make sure your ISO is high enough to support the shutter you need - keep it on centre point focus to start and turn on AI servo so the camera continues to track your subject as it moves - watch your body position, keep those arms tucked in tight and your camera nice and secure to your face. make sure you're giving it all the support it needs as you go to longer harder to hand hold focal lengths. - practice your panning - try burst mode, sometimes it really gets you where you need to be and other times one shot is better but it's good to have a feel for them both - practice practice practice. shooting a moving subject with a long focal length isn't easy and you probably won't get a huge keeper rate until you've really put a lot of shutter clicks under your belt. and even then it's likely you'll have quite a few misses, too Don't lose heart, it's tricky and takes time to develop properly it will be more obvious with longer focal lengths as they are just simply harder to hand hold. Your 50 is a snap to hand hold in almost any situation.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Tamron 90 macro. It's nice, but the AF is known to be sluggish/clunky and it misses more than some of the other 100/105 macro lenses. If I wanted a macro, I'd spend a little more and not put up with that little niggle. Many have it and think it's just fine, so it doesn't suck - this is just my personal feeling on it I'd look at the Sigma's - 50-150 2.8 or 70-200 2.8. I own the 50-150 and it is fantastic. I have a couple of very good, very active shooter friends who have the 70-200 and they adore theirs. These are less expensive options than going with the Nikon version of the range. Although the dedicated 200 lenses are really sweet, I think the zoom is just too nice of a feature to lose for many things. Do you like the range of your longest zoom now? You still should be able to get crisp shots with the lenses you already have and it would be a good idea to figure out why your action shots aren't as crisp as you'd like because that will really help narrow the field down to a new action lens - otherwise you run the risk of getting new glass and having the same problem.

What do you want to shoot? That will decide which range/type of lens you should be concentrating on. Have you mastered the lenses you already have? What are your current lenses not doing for you? The 50 is a great portrait lens, so you actually have that already. I have been using Sigma lenses for years with no problems and one of my favourite lenses from any manufacturer is the Sigma 30 1.4. Tamron has a very good reputation for lenses and some of their newer zooms and super zooms have good reviews. Tokina also has some gems - the 11-16 2.8 rocks and I wouldn't be without it. What is your budget?

Playing with my Sigma 30 1.4 on my Canon 1DIII. This lens is built to be used on 1.6 crops, like the Canon xxxD and xxD series bodies. It is a freakin' amazing lens - 1.4, pin sharp wide open, adores low low light, nice speedy AF & doesn't hunt. I knew that she was still good at 1.4-2.2 or thereabouts but I'd never really done my own shooting with the 1.3 crop camera and I wanted something fun to do this afternoon. Unless I was shooting a very light background that was vital, even f8 works and it can almost be fully rectified in LR3. If I had to do it the remaining bits could even be fixed in Photoshop, if one was so inclined. No idea why I'd shoot this lens at f8 but interesting to see that the vignette was no where as bad as I thought it would be. My test shots against a white background are simply too boring for words so here's some of the pets in more "real world" shots There's no correction done to these - you can see the top two corners have just a touch of darker exposure (that's the vignetting) but it doesn't bother me and I'd probably go further with it in these types of shots anyway. Harry @ f8.0 @6.3 - yes, he pretty much loves when I haul out the cameras My big girl, Dora @f1.4 No reason, just relaxing on a Friday arvo!

I would start with the 1.8 for a few reasons: - it's very inexpensive - it does a very nice job - it holds it's resale value - it's a very good way to get into low light and shallow depth of field shooting This is a very good bang for buck lens, you can't go wrong. I wouldn't upgrade to the 1.4 or 1.2 options until you are comfortable with the focal range and know that it suits YOU and you know WHY the 1.4 or 1.2 are needed (or perhaps they never will be by you, every shooter is different). I had and loved the 1.8 and sold it to a good home here. I then got the 1.4 as I knew I didn't need the 1.2. 50mm isn't my favourite focal length so my decision was just right for my needs.

OMG tell me about being unfit. The second day I was out I swam hard for almost 20 minutes straight pushing a huge camera and I thought my legs would never recover...they were all jelly for like a whole day!

crazycresties (and other DOLers heading this way) - let me know when you are thinking of coming up and I'll make sure you get the best!

Just coz he's cute

OK, finally have a few more photos up from the 29th ... still have to work on getting the images from the 3rd done, but at least it's a start! Clicky click here (and leave some lovin' if you want!)

yesterday went out again and it was AWESOME! A quick frame from yesterday's magical day on Ningaloo Reef Canon 40D, Sigma 17-70 @ 30mm, ISO 800, 1/125, f10, Subal housing w/big dome port Yes, my company Exmouth Diving Centre, does Whale Shark Adventures and a whole bunch of other tours here on the Ningaloo Reef PM me and I'll send you some info if you'd like. ripley - Ecocean is the group doing research and they have a fantastic photo ID library that everyone can access and contribute to. We work closely with them and have done so since before they officially existed Whale sharks are actually found all around the globe, but there are only a few places with reliable sightings each year and only a few of those with great conditions and relatively easy access. The Ningaloo Reef is still the best of the bunch for visibility, reliability and consistency of season. Japan isn't the only country with whale sharks in captivity - the Atlanta Aquarium in Georiga, USA has them as does Dubai. Whale sharks and captivity do not mix well and I will never spend a single penny to support any facility that has them.

Do have a look-see through some of the more recent "what camera should I buy" threads as there has been some excellent discussions on how to narrow your choices down, what to look for AND shopping tips. I think there are threads in this section and in the Tips/Techniques subforum. You can't go too wrong with many of the Nikon or Canon entry level ranges, really.