nikon D40 help please

[rigleautomotive]

sticker on the bottom of mine also says thailand.

by the way i am still looking for tips on how to take a better macro
shot.Is the stock lense the issue and if so can someone suggest the lense i should get.

thanks

 

[Jar*Head]

Dan, i am saving up for the Nikon 105mm AF-S Micro lens. It is around $899 from RITZ but i heard it is the best Macro lens with the ratio of 1:1.

 

[BlueCorn]

$759 at B&H

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/424744-USA/Nikon_2160_105mm_f_2_8G_ED_IF_AF_S.html

Friends don't let friends shop at Ritz.

 

[Jar*Head]

Thank you beerguy. I notice their price a bit higher than others.

 

[BlueCorn]

B&H will have very close to the lowest legitimate price 9 times out of 10. I just have my paychecks wired directly to them.

 

[rigleautomotive]

doug,is that my limiting factor or do i just take a horrible pic.LOL
will the lense give me the detail i am looking for in your opinion

thanks

 

[BlueCorn]

You've got some learning curve and technique things to work on, as pointed out by a few folks, but you're always going to be running into limitations of that kit lens for close-up work.

 

[latazyo]

you can get into a sigma 150 macro or a tamron 90 macro, both third party lenses, for $599 I think (tamron might be less)

the nikkor is very highly regarded though and will AF on the D40 (tammy wont, don't know about the sigma b/c I never really considered AF on macro lenses)

 

[zibba]

First, two websites you must read:

(1) D40 guide - http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/index.htm

This will help you set up your camera in a way that will yield nice results and you can easily modify little things along the way.

(2) Aquarium Photography - http://www.ximinasphotography.com/lessons/index.html

Read that from intro to appendix and there's no way your photos won't improve drastically.

Also, you bought a good camera - don't second guess yourself into thinking that you should have spent the extra money on the D60. Instead, pat yourself on the back and realize that you now have $200 extra dollars in your back pocket to spend on a macro lens!

Macro lenses to check out:
150 Sigma
100 Tokina
60mm Nikkor


I currently use the 105VR Nikkor for macro, but it is a more expensive lens and you might find that it's not worth spending the extra money on it.

 

[luisgo]

Hi, I have a Nikon D40x and I am very happy with my camera. I sold the kit lens at ebay and purchased a used Nikkor 18-70mm. Better glass and better photos.

Some of your photos are good. When I look at your second photo I see that you used 1/125 sec. That is fast and you still have some blur. Is it possible that it is glass distortion? What kind of tank you have? Curved glass will always have some kind of distortion. Also is good to shoot perpendicular to the glass. Shooting at angles in any kind of glass will create distortion.

If you want to save some money on the macro you can get an used Nikkor AI-S 105mm manual lens for around $150. Excellent glass. No metering but you will learn to adjust exposure fast using your LCD.

All my photos are with those two lenses and a Nikon D40x. Check my photos on my webpage.

http://www.prtc.net/~luisgon/luisgoreefcam.htm

 

[rigleautomotive]

thanks zibba i will try some of those settings from the ken rockwell site.it takes some of the guess work out of the equation.

luisgo your pics are beautiful.the macro shots are super clear.my tank is not curved.will the lense you suggest for around 150 work much better than the stock lense for photos of coral relatively close.(within 12 inches or so)is there a difference between a d40 and a d40x .

 

[luisgo]

The D40 and the D40x are basically the same. Mine is a newer version with more megapixels.

The stock lens is ok for regular tank shots but not for macros. With the 105mm you can get nice macros and the quality of the lens is a lot better. I also use extention tubes with the 105mm to get even closer.

Here are some of the AI-S 105mm manual macro lenses at ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Telephoto...oryZ3323QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKON-105MM-2-8...oryZ3323QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Telephoto...oryZ3323QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[rigleautomotive]

thanks,i think i will bid on that first one.the way i understand it is that most use manual focus for macro anyway.

 

[luisgo]

That is correct. It is better to use manual for macros.

With the AI-S 105mm you have to set the camera to manual "M". Then open the aperture to the maximum, f2.8 to have a bright view of the subject in the viewfinder for focusing. Then set the speed and aperture until you have the correct exposure. You do that by taking several photos in different settings and looking for the results in the LCD display. From there you adjust aperture or speed in slight changes depending on the light in the section of the tank you are taking the photo.

With practice you will find the lens easy to use.

For corals I use a tripod, set the aperture to f11 and find the correct speed. For fish I prefer to use the 18-70mm with auto focus.

If that is too much for you, then get the AF-S 105mm and be ready to pay around $800.