New Nikon D5100 DSLR Owner - Getting Started Advice Please

richardirv

richardirv

richardirv

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Hi all

I have just ordered my first DSLR, The Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm VR Lens Kit.

I also own a Sony HX9V which is the main reason for going for a DLSR as it can take some surprisingly great images but now want to take it to the next level.

As it stands, I have no bag, no Tri-pod, no UV or Polarising filter. I do have a Transcend class 10 SD card in my tablet which I am hoping will work while I wait for a 64gb Sandisk Extreme card which is on pre-order.

I know I will want a zoom lens, maybe the 55-300 VR at some point but I am on a tight budget to start with so I need to hold off as long as I can for that.

I would just like some pointers on a budget tri-pod, filters & anything else you think I might need.

Main initial photography will be pets, people, landscapes. Bit of everything really.
 
lenses:

35mm 1.8 AF-D (I think it will auto focus on your camera)
50mm 1.8 AF-D
good budget lenses. ( auction site Members market.)

I personally would get the 35mm because that would equal 50mm on a crop frame.
both of these can be had for about 60-70 quid second hand. but they are old lenses and on some cameras they dont auto focus I think the 5100 is ok. if its got this plastic tab that sits around the lens mounting ring then it should be ok.

also look at the sigma ones, they are decent. not as good as the nikon but still good for what you want to do with it.

if your on a budget look at the nikon lens map. if its got ED in the name it will be expensive. (200 300quid+)

tripods:

red snapper RS-284 & RSH-12 Ball Head
Manfrotto Carbon Fibre Tripod + 3-way QR Head - 732CY-A3RC1 (this one is the cheepest)

filters: don't bother unless you want to get a clear one to protect your lens, but unless you have the same filter thread size you will need a lot of them.
 
Marty I don't think AF-D lenses will be able to autofocus on that body. Use to own a 5100 myself and I'm pretty sure the manual states that its AF-S only on autofocusing. Due to that, the AF-S 35mm f1.8 is a really nice portrait lens. Can take some cracking shots on it!


Bokeh Madness by jjohnson2012, on Flickr

What I did with the same lens in my parents garden one evening.
 
Thanks for the info, I will look at the lens map.

As for the tri-pods, for the moment £100+ is still a little expensive for me, I know its probably not expensive in the world of photography but at the moment I think I need to start lower maybe £40 for a tri-pod. Need to keeps the costs down as much as possible.
 
Unless you're doing video a 64GB Sandisk Extreme is probably way more then what you need. I use 4GB cards, it's not very often have to go to a second card.

For tripods RedSnapper are probably the cheapest grown-up tripods. My dad has a £40 generic tripod from Jessops, a lot of the key components are plastic.

If you're buying a tripod also get an IR remote (I had a brand X one from Ebay, it cost £3 and I can't really see how the £20 official version could be any better).

On of the biggest advantages you can give yourself is to understand how exposure works, watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVzXVsKdXU&feature=relmfu
 
Last edited:
K.C. Leblanc said:
Unless you're doing video a 64GB Sandisk Extreme is probably way more then what you need. I use 4GB cards, it's not very often have to go to a second card.

For tripods RedSnapper are probably the cheapest grown-up tripods. My dad has a £40 generic tripod from Jessops, a lot of the key components are plastic.

If you're buying a tripod also get an IR remote (I had a brand X one from Ebay, it cost £3 and I can't really see how the £20 official version could be any better).

On of the biggest advantages you can give yourself is to understand how exposure works, watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVzXVsKdXU&feature=relmfu
Click to expand...
yeah no way pay the £20 nikon want for there IR remote
i got mine off ebay for £1.60 with free post
works great
 
I wouldn't recommend getting any filters until you get a non-kit lens, ie. the 35mm prime.
The kit lens rotates the barrel of the lens when zooming and focusing which would be particularly annoying with a circular polarising filter.

Some useful settings I didn't know existed for a while were the ability to change self-timer length in the menu options as well as the ability to delay shutter release (by 1s) to prevent camera shake.

I use a Lowepro Nova 160 bag which snuggly holds the body with either kit or 35mm lens attached alongside a 55-300mm telephoto.
 
K.C. Leblanc said:
Unless you're doing video a 64GB Sandisk Extreme is probably way more then what you need. I use 4GB cards, it's not very often have to go to a second card.

For tripods RedSnapper are probably the cheapest grown-up tripods. My dad has a £40 generic tripod from Jessops, a lot of the key components are plastic.

If you're buying a tripod also get an IR remote (I had a brand X one from Ebay, it cost £3 and I can't really see how the £20 official version could be any better).

On of the biggest advantages you can give yourself is to understand how exposure works, watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVzXVsKdXU&feature=relmfu
Click to expand...

To be honest I pre-ordered the 64gb for my tablet as it was only £45. thought it was a good deal. I do have other SD cards but I am not sure if they will be fast enough.

I have found the Nikon Remote for around a tenner and was already thinking about getting one. Still looking at tri pods but I will look at some red snapper ones.. Cheers
 
Get a quick 8gb card for shooting RAW as it makes a massive difference having a 45mb/s card compared to a 15mb/s one on that camera.

I really enjoyed using the camera but learned a lot from lens choices from owning it. Definitely don't go too cheap on telephoto lenses and do your research before hand. I dived right in with a sigma 70-300 which was about £120 and it was rubbish. It was very soft at 300 and induced noise even at 100 iso on the body :S
 
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