Nikon D40

[MP173]

Chris:

I appreciate the advice.  As with my original Pentax 35mm 32 years ago, it is always great to start shooting and then analyze what you did.  Looking back, some good, some not so good, a couple pretty darned good.

It will be great to get back into the game again.  I will probably start with the D40.  No doubt I will have more questions.

 

ed

[CopCarSS]

Ed,

As far as cameras go, what's been said here is pretty much true. If you go with any of the major brands, you're going to get a quality product. There are some minor differences, but you'll really only know how those affect you by trying the cameras and seeing what works best for your style of photography.

For me, Pentax really is the best game in town. There are two key features that drew me away from Canon and put me solidly in the Pentax camp:

1) Pentax (along with Sony/Minolta and now Olympus) offers in body image stabilization. While it may not be as effective as lens stabilization and you can't see it working in the viewfinder, it works with all lenses. This is really a cool feature.

While it may not be as effective as lens stabilization, it works well enough for me. I really don't fear shooting with my 300mm f2.8 handheld anymore, even when shutter speeds dip into the 1/125th range (and occasionally even slower if I lay off of the caffeine) That's a huge chunk of glass to be shooting so slow with. With a wide angle (like my tiny DA 21mm f3.2 Limited), I've shot as slow as 1/8th without any kind of bracing with good results. At those points, I should be on a tripod anyways (I've gotten kind of lazy thanks to Shake Reduction).

Granted, you can get IS/VR/OS/(and whatever Tamron is calling their system) lenses for Canon/Nikon, they're going to cost a bit more and won't give you quite as much versatility (for example Canon doesn't offer any non-telephoto primes with IS).

2) I love Pentax's lens offerings. Not only is the current line-up a lot of fun (the Pancake Limiteds are tiny and excellent! and my FA 77mm f1.8 Limited is a lens I plan to take with me to the grave), you can use millions of older K-mount lenses. Add in M42/Pentax 645 and Pentax 67 lenses (with an appropriate adaptor) and there are seemingly endless possibilities out there.

The one nit-pick I have about Pentax lenses is that they only have two SDM lenses (equivalent of Canon USM and Nikon AFS lenses that provide nearly silent and lightning quick AF) currently available. There are more coming, but the non-SDM lenses are a little noisy and kind of slow, especially since I was used to Canon USM lenses before.

As for websites on digital photography as it relates to railfanning...well there isn't a whole lot. This site is pretty good, but hasn't been updated in awhile. Still, there's some good info there.

Grumpy over at Grumpy's World used to offer an excellent photo guide, but alas! he has dropped it and gone back to his grumpy and somewhat offensive ways. It's kind of a shame, because his photo guide was top notch and dedicated to railfan photography.

For me, I've mostly learned about each subject (digital photography and rail photography) and kind of merged them together as best as possible. A tremendous resource for the latter is Gary J. Benson's excellent book The Art of Railroad Photography. It's getting a little long in the tooth, and sadly, Mr. Benson is no longer with us, so he can't issue an updated version. Still, the photography aspect of it is top notch and most of his tips still apply. If you can get the basics presented in that book down, the rest is a piece of cake (post-processing takes some skill, but with programs like Adobe's top notch Photoshop Elements program, it's getting easier all the time).

Hope this helps a little bit. If you need some more ideas on cameras, working with photos in the digital age, etc. let me know and I'll see if I can at least point you to someone smarter than me.

[JSGreen]

JSG,

I guess we are going to have to get you out of the house a little more these days and down to the Darkroom on Higgins for a looksee at all the new equipment out there.  These new lenses are truely compact and even the 18mm-200mm zooms are smaller than the old 85mm primes you would  be used to.  The 18mm-70mm or 18mm-135mm "kit" lenses are not much bigger than what a 60mm lens used to be.  When mounted on a D40 body or one of the Canon DRebels they are a nice compact package which weighs significantly less than an old SRT-101.  All that and a 10 mpix sensor to boot.  Now that you have retired, you need a hobby.........

Rudy got it right.  If I was looking for an entry digital camera primarily for railfan use, the Nikon D40x with the 18mm-135mm lens would be the top choice.  

Dang!  I have been out of the loop...as soon as I dig out my ham-fest bib, to catch the drool, I may have to stop by there... 

[RudyRockvilleMD]

...I bought a Nikon 18 - 135 mm zoom lens which would be roughly equivalent to a 28 - 200 mm zoom lens  so I can handle almost any type of rail photography situation with only a single camera with that lens on the camera. One of the things you might look into is to forego buying the kit, and buy a Nikon D40 body with an 18 -135 mm zoom lens

 

But before you do that, carefully consider your photography outings....if you want to have it with you all the time, even on non-rail fan outingings, you might consider the Kit plus the Zoom lens...

I have (but haven't used much recently....) a film type Minolta SLR with a 35-105MM zoom.  I used it a lot while I was in the Navy, but on lots of occasions I would leave it behind because I either did not want to be conspicious, or carry that lens with me all day.  If I had purchased a standard 50-55MM lens for the camera, I would have taken it sometimes when I didnt want to lug the large one around...I admit that I was much more tourist than serious photographer, but how you are planning to use the equipment is as important to consider as the equipment itself.  

 

I agree one should try to consider what they will use the camera for before deciding on whether to buy the 'kit' lens or a body and a wider range zoom lens. The reason I decided to buy an 18 - 135mm lens for my Nikon D 50 was to avoid having to carry and change extra lenses which is important to being able to keep dust off the sensor. Actually the 18 - 135 mm zoom lens isn't that much bigger than the 18 - 55 mm lens that came with the camera.

Back in my recent film photography days I carried two cameras. One camera had a 35 - 80 mm lens while the other camera had a 70 - 210 mm lens, and while this allowed me to readily have a camera available for most railroad photography situations without having to change lenses, or carry around extra weight, it was cumbersome. 

[arbfbe]

JSG,

I guess we are going to have to get you out of the house a little more these days and down to the Darkroom on Higgins for a looksee at all the new equipment out there.  These new lenses are truely compact and even the 18mm-200mm zooms are smaller than the old 85mm primes you would  be used to.  The 18mm-70mm or 18mm-135mm "kit" lenses are not much bigger than what a 60mm lens used to be.  When mounted on a D40 body or one of the Canon DRebels they are a nice compact package which weighs significantly less than an old SRT-101.  All that and a 10 mpix sensor to boot.  Now that you have retired, you need a hobby.........

Rudy got it right.  If I was looking for an entry digital camera primarily for railfan use, the Nikon D40x with the 18mm-135mm lens would be the top choice.  

[JSGreen]

...I bought a Nikon 18 - 135 mm zoom lens which would be roughly equivalent to a 28 - 200 mm zoom lens  so I can handle almost any type of rail photography situation with only a single camera with that lens on the camera. One of the things you might look into is to forego buying the kit, and buy a Nikon D40 body with an 18 -135 mm zoom lens

 

But before you do that, carefully consider your photography outings....if you want to have it with you all the time, even on non-rail fan outingings, you might consider the Kit plus the Zoom lens...

I have (but haven't used much recently....) a film type Minolta SLR with a 35-105MM zoom.  I used it a lot while I was in the Navy, but on lots of occasions I would leave it behind because I either did not want to be conspicious, or carry that lens with me all day.  If I had purchased a standard 50-55MM lens for the camera, I would have taken it sometimes when I didnt want to lug the large one around...I admit that I was much more tourist than serious photographer, but how you are planning to use the equipment is as important to consider as the equipment itself.  

 

[arbfbe]

Here is a railfan type photo taken south of Dinosaur, CO with the D40x and the Nikkor 70mm-200mm f2.8 VR lens.  This lens outweighs the camera body by at least a couple of magnitudes but it does work well if you remember to mount the lens barrel rather than the camera body to the monopod or tripod.

 

[RudyRockvilleMD]

Here are  some more web sitesthat might help you to evaluate which digital camera to buy:

1. Digital camera Product Reviews www.dpreview.com/reviews/

2. Steve's Digicams-Camera Reviews  www.steve-digicams.com/hardware-reviews.html

After I read the reviews I decided to buy the Nikon D50 camera because of it better overall performance.

The Nikon D 40 is the successor to the Nikon D 50 digital SLR camera; both cameras are 6 Megapixels which should provide plenty of resolution for 9" x 12" photos. I bought my Nikon D50 last year, and learning how to use it is somewhat of a learning curve. I bought a camera kit which included the body, a battery, and an auto focus 18 - 55mm f/3.5 -5.6 zoom lens, and the price where I bought it locally was ~ $600; the flash card is extra, and its price depends on its storage capacity.

One of the things you want to be concerned about is the sensor doesn't get dusty, and one of the ways to ensure that it doesn't get too dusty is not to remove the lens too frequently, and to that end I bought a Nikon 18 - 135 mm zoom lens which would be roughly equivalent to a 28 - 200 mm zoom lens  so I can handle almost any type of rail photography situation with only a single camera with that lens on the camera. One of the things you might look into is to forego buying the kit, and buy a Nikon D40 body with an 18 -135 mm zoom lens

 

[MP173]

arbfbe:

Thanks for the advice. 

 

ed

[arbfbe]

Actually, National Geographic has a nice Outdoor Digital Photography booklet which has lots of information you will find useful in making the transition from film.  Try B&N or Borders.

There are no "bad" cameras from any of the majors.  Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony and Olympus all make systems which provide amazing performance in the digital world.  If you can visit some retailers to handle the various systems you can experience the subtle differences in each MFR's approach to how a body and lens should handle.  The differences in the picture quality between the systems is pretty neglible, all in all.

Best of luck with the purchase and do not fixate too much on making the wrong choice.  That is nearly impossible with any of the name brand hardware. 

[zardoz]

Chris and others...do you have any other web recommendations to learn about digital photography, etc for the railfan?  Appreciate it.

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/

http://photo.net/

http://www.pcworld.com/ic/cameras/

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home;jsessionid=FSJ6GTn0dF!-716026056?O=mainbanner&A=FetchChildren&Q=&ci=989 (go to "digital photography", and then look to the "Resources" area for some instructional links.

[MP173]

I spent the last hour reading the reviews recommended and started with a big headache, but after awhile, it started making a little sense.

Both Rockwell and DP seem to like the D40. 

I have to start somewhere and it seems to be a very good  camera, moderately priced, lightweight and fairly priced.

Chris and others...do you have any other web recommendations to learn about digital photography, etc for the railfan?  Appreciate it.

 

ed

[MP173]

I am glad this thread has popped up as a digital SLR is on the radar for me.   Let me ask a few questions, if you dont mind.

Background...I used Pentax 35mm SLR with 50mm and a zoom until they were stolen a year ago, so I have a basic understanding of photography.  My current camera is a point and shoot Kodak 4mp which works fine for work and family and halfway decent for trains.  But, I am ready to get back in the game.

Make a recommendation, if you will, as far as what a good beginner camera and lens should be including the mp.  Also, are the prices for cameras pretty well set, or does one find price swings.  Last weekend in Chicago I took a look at a Nikon at a big Chicago camera store, but I couldnt really think of questions to ask, since the majority of my past experience was either 35mm SLR or point and shoot Kodak.

 

Thanks,

 

ed

[Jim Wrinn]

Overall,

 I looked a the D40 but decided on the D80 earlier this summer and have been well pleased with it. It's a good camera, fast, doesn't eat batteries, and is relatively easy to use for those of us who are not tech lovers.

Regards, Jim  

 

[videomaker]

Overall,

If your looking at the D40,why dont you look at the D50,Its a 10mp and you might like the color redition better. It comes with the same lense kit,and I believe you would like the 10 mp better..I looked at it very closely last Christmas.but my wife got me a Sony A100 instead which I love...Danny 

[arbfbe]

If you want reviews try www.dpreview.com and follow the links under the camera review jump.  These are not sissy reviews and can become really technical until you understand what is going on.  The reviews are from the point of view of advanced and even pro level photographers and sometimes expectations for the entry level cameras are pretty high.  If there are warts in the hardware they are pointed out.  Generally you will get what the reviews show you.  Evaluate the reviews as PART of the purchase decision.

I just purchased a Nikon D40x body to act as a back up body for my Fuji S3 during a long trip through the deserts of CO, UT, NM and AZ and also to function as a second body for a quick change of perspective with a different lens attached.  It has proven to be a good choice for railfanning.  The finder is bright and clear, the rear LCD is huge and the body is light and compact.  This body and the Nikon 18mm-135mm kit zoom would be an outstanding combination as an entry level digital SLR for railfanning.  If you like the digital Rebel from Canon but prefer the Nikon controls and glass then this is a terrific choice.

My decision to purchase a second digital body was sort of a last minute addition to the S3 I already owned when I started looking at the distance and time between cities where I might purchase a replacement for the S3 should it become disabled in the dusty environment I would be working in.  My first thought was to go with a Fuji S5 or Nikon D200 but after some thought I decided I might like a smaller lighter body which would serve well as an advanced P&S camera for use in tour bus and cruise ship environments.  A smaller body with a one or two lens package to carry all day without becoming a burden and less likely to be noticed in candid situations.  I already owned the Nikon 18mm-70mm kit lens so I could start right off with a complete package.  In the 6 weeks or so I have had the D40x it has performed well.  I have 3 lenses with internal focus motors, the Sigma 10mm-20mm zoom, the Nikon 18mm-70mm zoom and the Nikon 70mm-200mm f2.8 VR as well as a number of other screw type AF lenses and a couple of totally manual focus lenses.  All work extremely well with the new body and manual focus confirmation is made with the green dot in the view finder even with the Nikon 500mm f8 mirror lens. 

It has taken me some time to learn the menu based controls and settings on the D40x since many of these are somewhere else compared to the S3 or the Minolta DiMage 7 I previously used.  The images are sharp and properly exposed and functioning with the S, M and A modes I commonly use is intuitive and pretty direct.  The numerous scene modes are mostly useless to me though I will use P for the built in flash in a pinch.  I wish it had a 10 pin remote cable feature though the remote electronic shutter release does function well.

Indeed the camera has met all the criteria I set for the purchase.  It could function as a primary railfan camera or as a lower cost of entry model to check out all this digital hoopla.  I do think an upgrade of the kit lens from the 18mm-55mm to either the 18-70mm from the D70 or the 18mm-135mm from the D80 or D200 is warranted for the average railfan who may want a longer reach.  The 18mm-200mm VR would also work but it is a $900 lens and expectations are pretty high for an all in one lens.   

[CopCarSS]

I wish that Trains Magazine would evaluate new cameras on a regular basis like Model Railroader does model railroad equipment. ...but I have never seen where they evaluate a range of different cameras in different price ranges for performance in a railfan situation. Maybe I'm off base, but I feel that that would be useful to us.

George,

The problem for Kalmbach would be that it would be tough to keep pace with it all. Since the digital revolution, we see new DSLRs brought to market every 18 months or so, give or take. The Digi Point 'n' Shoot scene is even worse with new models coming out all the time. As an example of digital development, think of Nikon's pro cameras. There have been decades of development from the original Nikon F to the F6 that came out a couple years ago. Yet in less than a decade we have see the development of the D1 series, D2 series and now the D3 series. Kalmbach would definately have to do almost a monthly column on it all.

If all brands announced new products at the same time, it might not be quite that bad. It *almost* happens, too. For example, you can rest assured that every year during the annual PMA show, most brands will be announcing new products. Every two years, the Photokina show in Cologne is the place to make the really big announcements. Of course, the rest of the year all the manufacturers announce new products when it's convenient.

From a magazine's perspective (well, at least one that doesn't cover photography as the main interest) that would lead to a highly variable column. E.g. the March or April issue would be abuzz with all the PMA announcements every year, but perhaps only one or two cameras relavent to rail photography might be released in the following months.

I know Railfan & Railroad either has or had a column written by Jim Boyd every month covering photographic matters (it's been awhile since I picked up an R&R, so I couldn't tell you). I always enjoyed the column, and think it would be something fun to read if Kalnbach chose to do something similar. In addition to all the technical matters, I think it would be fun to dive into some of the aesthetic theorey of railroad photography as well. The beauty of that type of column would be that the aesthetic stuff could fill in the gaps in major product announcements. The only problem I see to that approach is that foamers can be an equipment oriented bunch. Discussions of the advantages of Canon ~vs~ Nikon could rage just as hard as EMD ~vs~ GE while at the same time missing the bigger picture (whether that be photography or railroading in the previous examples).

Even if Kalmbach doesn't add it as part of the monthly Trains issue, I've kind of been thinking about starting a photo thread to cover some equipment and some aesthetic topics. I had ditched photography for a short bit here, but one of our board members has given me some good reasons to reconsider it. A photo thread might be a good place to get myself re-interested into it all. Let me see what the weekend holds...

[overall]

Thanks to both of you for the replies. It has been helpful. I wish that Trains Magazine would evaluate new cameras on a regular basis like Model Railroader does model railroad equipment. I know of the regular photo challenge between the two Trains staffers whose names escape me just now. I know that they like the Canon EOS rebel, but I have never seen where they evaluate a range of different cameras in different price ranges for performance in a railfan situation. Maybe I'm off base, but I feel that that would be useful to us.

Thanks,

George 

[Colorado Railroads]

I'm not an active member, but you might try Nikonians for perspectives on Nikons. They're responsive and respectful. You might even find some railfans in there.

[CopCarSS]

George,

A couple thoughts:

1) Ken Rockwell has kind of a love him or hate him kind of following around the net. I seem to be in a tiny minority because I neither love him or hate him. I read some of the stuff he posts and evaluate it against other reviews and my own experiences. I will say this, though: after reading a Rockwell review and a DPReview review (DPReview D40 review can be found here), you should have a pretty good feel for what the camera is about.

2) If you have some of the older Autofocus Nikon lenses that use the "screwdriver tip" focusing, you're out of luck as far as focusing goes. The D40 only supports current AFS/AFI autofocus.

3) It's "only" 6 MP. I don't know if you were looking for something with a little more in the resolution department. Of course, I still haven't upgraded to a 10MP body yet, and I've printed up to 20"x30" rather well. All that extra resolution isn't very useful unless you have really good glass in front of the camera. Of course, cropping is a lot easier when you have more MP handy.

4) If you don't have any Nikon AFS "legacy" lenses (e.g. Nikon AFS lenses that you already own and want to use), take a look at a couple of other offerings. For example, I shoot a Pentax K100D and love it. I'll probably go to a K10D at some point, but the K100D is an entirely capable camera. It's in the same price range, and as an added bonus features in body Shake Reduction. In other words, any lens you put on the camera becomes an image stabilized lens. I shoot some old M42 stuff (with an appropriate adapter). It's kind of cool to own 40+ year old glass that has magically become stabilized all of a sudden!

Canon, Sony (Minolta mount), Olympus, Samsung (basically rebadged Pentax's right now), and Panasonic/Leica also make pretty good stuff. Some of them have stuff in the same price range, too. If you look at Canon, skip the new Rebel XTi and look for an older (but still new) Rebel XT. It should be in the same price range, has slightly less resolution (8MP instead of 10MP), but does better at higher ISOs.

5) As I kind of stated above, get the best glass you can afford. A good prime can be a cheap investment that delivers the goods. For example, the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 can be found for around $80 and is probably one of the best value lenses on the market. Not only will it be a better lens (if slightly less convenient) than any kit zoom, it'll allow you to shoot in darker situations thanks to it's faster aperture (the 18-55mm Canon kit lens is a dark f5.6 at 50mm).

Hope this helps a little. Best of luck, and enjoy your new camera!

 

[overall]

Has anyone ever shot trains with a Nikon D40? If you did, how did you like the results. A camera authority named Ken Rockwell recommends this camera but he is not a railfan photographer to my knowledge. Here is a link to his site;

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/2007-05-what-camera.htm

Thanks in advance,

George