SchnauzerBoy

+1 to getting down to their level +1 to the Nikon 50mm 1.8 - for $140 you can't go wrong! The 55-200 VR is great for when they are further away but you'll need good light to get a shutter speed of 100/sec or faster to stop the motion (with the VR on) and depending on your dogs' speed. I'd also suggest going to 1/500 sec to stop motion. Also play with focus points and depth of field to get on the eyes etc when taking photos. Once you have this, then start looking at P mode and S mode to start getting away from AUTO settings to improve the light in the eyes etc Enjoy the camera, it is a great and fun learning curve

We were both there with our 2, but didnt see any other DOLers

Thomas, our 2nd Miniature Schnauzer and very much the teddy bear of the house turns 2 today Whilst we only picked him up 11 months ago from Lesley, his breeder at Kielland, it is as if him and Aubrey have spent their lives together. Thomas came to us as we searched for a friend for Aubrey, and Thomas had unfortunately grown to big to be a show dog and was retired at such an early age. We knew as soon as we first met him he was the one for us. He is a sook, probably the biggest sook that I've ever seen in a pet, and a complete contrast to Aubrey. Yet they clicked, run around together, play together and sleep next to each other. It was perfect. Thomas is our little teady bear, cuddling up to you at night and hogging more bed space than you can imagine, and is fantastic at being a dead-weight when you try and move him. He's our little guard dog with his deeper voice and constant awareness, even if he does look troubled or deep in thought most of the time. So here is to you Mr Thomas... Happy Birthday my little man!

Such Sad news for all involved. Jed, I hope you get better soon, there are some people and pets here that need you. Does anyone know what happened?

Yup and AFAIK the extension tubes on the 18-55 are terrible. It isnt a true teleconverter with decent glass in it as they dont work at such a low focal range. You'd be better at getting the twin lens kit or the 28-300 tamron OS lens

OK for $1200 you are probably limiting yourself to some of the lower end dSLR cameras, and throw in a waterproof case and you've got nothing left for lenses. There are many brands you can go for, many choosing Nikon or Canon, but Pentax, Sony etc can good, you just lose some of the better lenses designed for the main 2. For what you are looking for, I'd seriously consider the Nikon D90 with an 18-200 VR and the 50mm 1.8 - the bad news is that this will cost you $1650 plus delivery http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/...?idProduct=2415 The D5000 on the Nikon is going to be more suitable to your budget but it won't be as fast to focus in door, in low light or on fast moving objects. The 18-200 is pretty good, you can also look at getting the body only along with a Tamron 28-300 for extra reach, but indoors or low light at the long end it is really going to hurt. The D90 can help for a bit, but not too much. The 50mm 1.8 will be great indoors and is also fantastic for some macro and close up work. Underwater housing for the D90 starts at about US$1500, so you can pretty much rule that out I'm sure a Canon person will be alnog in a minute to recommend their options Good luck in your hunt

Well I did look at the 5D MkII and the 1D Mk IV before going to the D700 but they just weren't up to what I want to acheive. However, I'd love to know some of your PP skills

Forgot to add Lowepro Slingshot 200AW Lowepro Fastpack 400AW Both cameras have battery grips, EL4a batteries and 32GB memory. Nikon Remote for D80 (Terrible) Phottix Remote for D700 (Awesome) UV filters on all lenses SB-400 SB-900 However, I'd love to have the Nikon equivalents of your list KJA... like wow OMG, but I think the OH would leave me!

It is a very interesting read... there are some mistakes in there (e.g. All Canon Lens will fit on all Canon cameras - wrong as they changed their mount a few years ago!). Believe it or not but there are adapters out there to fit a Canon lens to a Nikon body, but as you lose the electronics kiss goodbye to Auto Focus, Metering etc etc.... but can be handy if you want the sharp 400mm f2.8 Canon on your Nikon! The final line is interesting... cheap lenses take poor photographs - I bet there are several people on here that would say their $120 50mm 1.8 takes some of the crispest photos available.... not to mention my 28-80 f3.3-f5.6 which is one of the cheapest yet sharpest Nikon old-school lenses available. Also, small note, there is no real mention of crop sensors. It means that there is then no mention of the 17-50 scale lenses being 25-75 lenses on crop bodies which is great for portraits. On the subject of portrait lenses, there is no mention of the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 which is seen as one of the best lenses on an FX body. The recommended landscape lenses are correct - the Tokina/Sigma mentioned are the best on both Canon/Nikon (IMHO) The recommended action lenses misses out the Sigma for Nikon... after lots of testing I went for this because the HSM was as fast as the AF-S and the $1000 extra cost wasn't worth it. As for wildlife - the Nikon 70-300 is a dog and I'd rather use the Tamron 28-300 even though it goes up to f6.3 it now has OS and is much sharper. However, for the cost I'd rather get the 80-400 Nikon. Sigma also do a 150-500 which is pretty good. All just my humble opinion from reviews, discussions and of course playtime with each lens I have had before purchasing. I think that is often the most important thing, most reviews are just opinions from people and until you get your hands on it, you never really know. However, there is a lot of useful information in there that can help anyone looking for a new lens, so thanks for posting

Sure... I can add my new gear to the new list Nikon D80 Nikon D700 Nikon 50mm f1.8 D Nikon 28-80 f3.3-5.6G Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DC Macro HSM Sigma 24-70 f2.8 IF EX DG HSM Sigma 70-200 f2.8 EX DG APO HSM Sigma 2x Teleconverter APO DG

I put in the price of the camera I paid in US$ after converting it using XE.com

I can't help you there... my DWI email came with the Fedex tracking number which showed me all the way to the door. They had put the MACK warranty card inside the camera box and I registered no probs. BTW - The D700 ROCKS... best camera I've ever used.

Our 2 sleep either side of you to trap us in bed... funniest thing ever, and they are deadweights when we try to move them. Then, if we go near them, they huff at us and give us evils!

Extremely common misconception developed by the camera shops to pay their overpriced import AU branded cameras

I took hold of my new D700 today, purchased from DWI. It arrived perfectly wrapped and in 2 days! Absolutely awesome. Nikon Australia do not support grey imports, but DWI do their own warranty which covers the standard Nikon warranty and I've also purchased a MACK 3 year warranty on top. All this was $700 cheaper than Diamonds/Teds/Camera Warehouse could do! I'm not going into it because the topic is around on here and whirlpool. My thoughts are though that if you use a decent importer (DWI, DD Electronics etc) which have warranty returns in Australia, then you are going to save a lot of money in the long run. Cameras can go wrong whereever you purchase them... so do you want to take the risk, or get ripped off? OK back on original topic... go for the D90 with the kit lenses It is sooooooo worth it and is well in your budget The AF, ISO and build is so much better than the D5000.

Following on from the others I wouldn't recommend the D3000 to anyone! It is a real cheap camera that offers nothing that anyone would ever use and you'd be better off with a P&S camera with better settings. The D5000 is a much better starter, but if you can save that little bit more the D90 is an ever better step up. However - shop around. TEDS are incredibly overpriced and you should use sites like SHOPBOT to search for the best deals. The 18-55 and 55-200 is a good combo kit lens to start with but u may find yourself switching lenses quite a bit. A better one could be the slightly more expensive Nikon 18-200, but again this is more cost The 2 kit lenses were the first to go when I started along the upgrade path. I would also throw in the 50mm 1.8D into your purchase for a prime lens for low light.... you can't go wrong with it!

Has to be my Sigma 70-200 f2.8 - Fast, Sharp and just plain Awesome

I went to Diamonds yesterday and had a play with the non-HSM and the Nikon and they were pretty similar, so can imagine the HSM version being as good, but it is the low light that worries me. Ashanali, what were the scenarios where it struggled? I'll be using it for weddings, portraits and when at events so lighting would exist but would be low, but not non-existent. If it hunts in the low light that you found, did it ever lock on to its target properly or did it continue to hunt? How long did it hunt for if it eventually locked focus? Thanks for your help so far Andrew

Yeah the Nikkor is an amazing piece of glass and it is something I am looking at. The revies show the Sigma HSM version as being "as good" but my concern is with the HSM and low light hunting, and there isnt much real-world reviews that I can find. I'd go with either lens as the $$ are there, but I'd prefer so save 50% of the cost and go with the Sigma if I know it'll handle the low light seeing as I am going for the D700 to get the higher ISO capabilities.

Just wondering if any DOLers out there have any experience in the Sigma 24-75 f2.8 EX DG HSM and the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 lenses? As I'm going to move to the D700 shortly the Sigma 18-50 is going to be replaced with FX glass and I am torn between these 2... All reports show both are good, but need experienced users with the HSM version of the Sigma. Anyone out there who can help? Thanks SB

What type of photography do you like? What is your budget?

Wow.... many congratulations Awesome photo... but I'm sticking with Nikon

Congratulations to you both

I love going to Agility and our club has quite a few men both learning, training and running the club. I think though some people see it as a "Crazy Dog Lady" type activity, which I did at first. In fact, I still do... but those "Crazy Dog Ladies' can often be found with the "Crazy Dog Men", but both genders offer some fantastic advice. I got over the hurdle of being one of the younger guys there as I realized how much Aubrey loves doing it, and I enjoy teaching her and watching her. Guys who are reading this and don't do Agility at the moment - you really should... it is amazing how it improves several things. Your fitness Your dog's fitness Your bond with the dog. What are you waiting for... rather than saying Why? you should be thinking Why Not?

Pepi, So sorry to hear about your loss... you did all that you could and he fought so hard and for so long, but he is free of pain now. I am sure he wouldn't want you to be so sad and I understand that everything around you will be reminding you of him, but think of the good times you had together, talk to your OH and don't get too disheartened, I am sure he wouldn't want you to fall apart and instead you should grow strong. There are lots of us DOLers here in SA, so if you need a chat, a cry or just to be around some dogs, come to one of our meets. Andrew