Beginning setup for D50

[jude55]

My son is putting money he has saved for years into his own camera. He's been playing around with my Panasonic FZ20 and is getting to be a fair bird photographer. Now he wants more.

For his needs, he came down to the D50 or the Canon Rebel XT. He went to the camera shop and played with both of them. He just didn't like the way the XT felt in his hands, so it's the D50.

For my FZ20 we added an Olympus TCON 1.4. Devin hopes for even more zoom. IS/VR is out of the question for now, but he has very steady hands and a tripod.

From what I've read and heard, Sigma's quality is declining while Tamron's is improving.

So, here are our questions:
1. What is needed to add a bit of distance to what I get with my camera setup?
2. Would he be best getting Nikon lenses or would Tamron or Sigma do just as well.
3. Is adding a TC a good way to go? Which one works with the D50?

The local camera store has made an offer equal to the best I've seen on the net from reputable dealers. It includes the camera body and a Nikon 18-55 lens, so the plan is to add a zoom lens and perhaps a TC.

[JTF]

Try posting here.

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_forum.php?id=58 or

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1034

[KCFoggin]

Hi Jude. (wanted to say Hey Jude ;) )

I've got the D50 and I've got the Sigma 70 - 300 mm APO lens and I am quite happy with it. I still want one more lens a bit longer but this one is suiting my bird photography needs just fine.

[greypoint]

Sigma APO lenses are very good. Having said that i've just bought the Tamron 28-300mm as a general purpose lens because i've seen some very good pictures taken with it! A tcon is'nt a good idea with the sort of lenses you're considering. I have a 2x for a fast nikon lens I use and it works fine on that, but experimenting with a Sigma 70-300mm it was hopeless even using manual focussing. A 1.4x would be better but I used one on a previous camera/lens setup and the extra you got just was'nt worth the loss of quality - you might as well crop the photograph once taken instead. Basically teleconverters are fine with good fast lenses but if you want a bit extra without breaking the bank it's probably better to look out for something like a second hand Sigma 135-400mm.

[Keith Reeder]

JTF, you don't mind us having a go too, do you?

;)

Jude, there's nothing wrong with Sigma - the idea that their quality is declining is just silly, and whoever is telling you otherwise is talking out of their hat.

Whether they produce lenses which are better than the best Nikkor lenses is open to more discussion, but in the "enthusiast" price range, Sigma is still the company to beat.

Tamron is producing some very nice lenses too, but they don't have anywhere near as wide a range.

Might I ask how much money your son is looking to spend? And what kind of bird photography is he going to do? (This last is pretty important: a lens which is perfect for "back yard" birds might not be the best recommendation for distant in-flight raptors, for example).

One thing I would say is that in order to get more reach than the FZ20 + 1.4 tcon (which by my calculation = 604mm) he's going to be spending a lot of money...

[rezMole]

2. Would he be best getting Nikon lenses or would Tamron or Sigma do just as well.

Nothing wrong with Sigma lenses. Nothing wrong with Tamron either. Both are better than the cheaper Nikkor lenses. My previous lens was a Nikkor 70-300 (cost £120ish)which was OK, but my Tamron 28-300 (£216) is far better.

For a longer zoom, at a great price, i'd suggest the Sigma 170-500 - some great photos in the gallery taken with this one! And, i think it's less than £500? Personally, i love my Tamron 200-500 (used hand-held most of the time!), but that was a bit more expensive.

You'll probably find, as with most things, you get what you pay for. Nikon lenses are great, if you can afford the good ones - but they do make cheap ones, which, aren't that great. A name doesn't guarentee quality.

[jude55]

Thanks for the feedback! Devin purchased the camera and is studying lenses.

JTF, I will look at the forums. I use those sites extenisvely for their revues but hadn't thought of posting there. Good idea!

KC...I always wanted to use Hey Jude but it was always taken so just use jude55.|:$| The Sigma you have sounds like a good possibility.

greypoint: I really appreciate hearing about your experiences with a TC. I suspected that it wouldn't be a good idea.

Keith: When I posted, I had no idea what the reach of my FZ20 was. 600mm! I guess Devin will have to settle for less in his D50! But with higher resolution and hopefully better quality, cropping should suffice.

For now, most photography will include local birds. We have a large varied population right in our backyard and environs. We also go to a public pond and parks along the shores of the sound. He hasn't attempted birds in flight at all yet, wanting to gain more experience first.

His captures so far include: American Wigeon, Bald Eagle, Banded Pigeon, Barn Swallow, Barred Owl, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Bufflehead, Bushtit, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-Backed Chickadee, Cooper's Hawk, Double-crested Cormorant, House Finch, Flicker, Fox Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Hutton's Vireo, Mallard, Kildeer, Spotted Towhee, Steller's Jay, and Varied Thrush.

As to price, of course he'd like to spend little and get a lot! He says his maximum is $500, but would go $600 if there were a compelling reason. This kid has saved his pennies since he was five years of age, and the camera has been his first purchase with his own funds. It's hard for him to part with his cache of cash!

RezMole, it's good to get feedback about the Nikkor. The price is tempting, and Devin keeps coming back to it as a possibility. Your longer-range lenses sound interesting.

Here are a few examples of his work with my FZ20 and 1.4 TC:

[alaturko]

Heya!

Sorry this is a little late - but thought this could help future D50 buyers!

I just bought mine a month ago and read this thread to help me decide on what gear to buy. So its only fair that I pass on my experiences!

I've got the standard Nikkor 18-55mm and the Tamron 70-300mm. I've read alot of bad things about both lenses, but I've found them to be great for my needs.

I'm a beginner - out and out. But even when I turned up for my first photography class at the local community centre people were impressed by the quality of my prints :)

I go down to my local park and find that the Tamron 70-300mm is fantastic for getting local birds like rainbow lorikeets and cockatoos. I scored a cheap manfrotto tripod on ebay and I'm now getting some even better shots in the late afternoon.

I am, however, looking to get a bigger lens - I'm thinking the Tamron 200-500mm or Sigma 50-500mm, but for now (or until Christmas) I'm happy with cropping my shots at 300mm on my Tamron 70-300mm.

Hope this helps!

[advid]

you'll probable get lots of replies to your question.... but here's my 2penceworth...

I've got a D50 with a Sigma 400mm Apo Macro (prime) lens... I also use a 1.4x TC. The 1.5x magification you get with Nikon cameras means that this lens is equivalent to 600mm on a 35mm film camera.

BUT..... to start with.... I purchase a Sigma 28-300mm lens and I can't believe how good it is. It's an ideal 'walk around' lens for me enabling good landscape and brilliant zoom/close ups.... Maybe I was lucky and got a good copy of this lens but when using RAW mode and taking a bit of time in Photoshop I get 10x8 pics that are as good as any I've seen...

[avan]

Maybe just wait a bit, Nikon is coming with a 70-300 ED VR AF-S, here in Canada it gonna be around $600.00. It's are already in the Nikon Canada site but not in the store shelve.