Just purchased my first DSLR

James07

James07

James07

Soldato
Joined
6 Dec 2006
Posts
5,914
Location
West Yorkshire
Hi there ive finally (after around 8 years of wanting one) bought a camera, ive gone for the Nikon D40x, i thought this would be a good camera to get me started with.

Now i have a couple of questions that i wouldnt mind answering please if any of you are willing to help?

It comes with an 18-55mm lens, what kind of lens is this? Id want a lens for when im at parties or taking pictures of tall objects (i.e. wind turbines) and id also like a lens for taking pictures of Yorkshire i.e the moors..

Also i want a dummies guide and also a user manual, anyone able to help?

Cheers,

James.
 
This lens is ideal for what you have described. The 18mm is a wide angle, so it can get you those landscape shots, whilst the top range of 55mm is good for portrait shots and a little bit of macro. Once you are competent at using your dslr, you will soon learn that the lens is just a kit lens and invest in a variety of lenses suited to whatever your needs are. You can get super-zoom style lenses (18-200).
 
Thank you very much, much appreciated.

Any idea where i can get a nikon user manual from? Cant seem to find one :\

Just purchased a "Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide" this has good reviews so i thought it would be worth a shot!
 
Cant seem to find any 55mm lenses?

EDIT: ignore me, ive got confused, you can use the lens for both am i right? Itll do portrait and landscape yes?
 
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I would recommend a book called "understanding exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

Despite having a basic understanding of exposure, it really is helping me to understand how everything fits together.
 
Hi James,

Get a 55-200mm VR, for the longer stuff, peanuts to buy, and great little lens, had one for my D40X and carried it through with me for the D90 i bought after the D40X, had it a total of 4 yrs, you wont regret buying one.
55-200 VR
 
A 50mm prime is always a good lens to get too. They usually have a large aperture which makes for great shallow depth of field effects as well as low light performance and are cheap as they get
 
James07 said:
and id also like a lens for taking pictures of Yorkshire
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The 18-55 is perfect for taking photos of Yorkshire, but someone once took one to Lancashire. Very unfortunate incident, we don't talk about it anymore. :p

In all seriousness the 18-55 is a good lens to start with. It's got it's limitations but the key is when it starts to hold you back work out why and then use it to make a better choice for your next lens.


Genoma said:
A 50mm prime is always a good lens to get too. They usually have a large aperture which makes for great shallow depth of field effects as well as low light performance and are cheap as they get
Click to expand...

The really cheap Nikkon 50mm f1.8 AFD doesn't auto focus on the D40x (or any of Nikon's entry level dSLRs). There is the more expensive 50mm f1.8 af-s. Some people prefer the 35mm f1.8 af-s. Again you can get an idea just by setting your 18-55 to either 35 or 55.

I would also say that if taking photos in low light is a priority a fast lens is great, but you will also find a newer body will work much better then the D40x.
 
The DX sensor is slightly smaller than the FX sensor. The DX is classed as a cropped sensor incomparrison to the FX. The FX is classed as a Full Frame camera, that is, the size of the sensor is directly compared to the size of a 35mm film. What this means is that you can get sharper and wider images with a FX sensor camera such as D600, due to the additional width of the sensor. However, this is often debatable as some DX cameras such as the D7000 can be as good as or better than a full framed camera.
Personally, A good image can only be taken by the user with a creative mind and a keen eye. The camera is a tool, although some tools are better than others!
 
Okay brilliant, i have a lot to learn it seems, the camera has just arrived so im having a bit of a play with it, dont have a clue what im doing like haha!
 
Best way to learn. I have a work colleague who bought a D3200 for Christmas, but complains about the AF always locking onto the background. I'm currently coaching him to get out and about taking photos, learn how the camera works and try to deviate from the Auto feature.
DIYPhotography website has a great Back To Basics feature that teaches you about the principles of photography, such as Aperture ( http://www.diyphotography.net/aperture ). My advice is to go out and take photos, look at why they have become blurry or the head is missing, then learn from resources on the internet. Then on your next venture, try the tips and tricks you learnt and repeat the same process. You will be surprised how quickly your photos improve.
Quick tip - If you are taking a nice landscape photo, even on holiday, prop the camera on the wall and set the timer, let the camera take the photo for you. Pressing the shoot button can cause a little camera shake on your photo, so using a timer and leaving the camera on a solid object helps to keep your photos as sharp as possible.
 
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