Your Camera Doesn't Matter

If you can shoot well, all you need is a disposable, toy camera or a camera phone to create great work. If you're not talented, it doesn't matter if you buy a Nikon D3X or Leica; your work will still be uninspired.

It's always better to spend your time and money on learning art and photography, not by spending it on more cameras.

Why is it that with over 60 years of improvements in cameras, lens sharpness and film grain, resolution and dynamic range that no one has been able to equal what Ansel Adams did back in the 1940s?

Ansel didn't even have Photoshop! How did he do it? Most attempts fall short, some are as good but different like Jack Dykinga, but no one is the same.

Someone asked "If I got a camera with only 6 or 7 MP, can I make good pictures with it?"

That reminds me about the guy who breaks a wrist and asks his doctor: "Doctor, will I be able to play the piano after this heals?" The doctor replies "Absolutely, no problem!" The man laughs, and points out that that's great, because he never could play the piano before!

Buying a Bösendorfer doesn't mean you can play the piano. Buying a great camera doesn't mean you can create compelling photographs. Good pianists can play on anything and a good photographer can make great images with a disposable camera.

Cameras don't take pictures, photographers do. Cameras are just another artist's tool.

Ansel said "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it."

Just about any camera, regardless of how good or bad it is, can be used to create outstanding photographs for magazine covers, winning photo contests and hanging in art galleries. The quality of a lens or camera has almost nothing do with the quality of images it can be used to produce.

Another San Diego pro, Kirsten Gallon earns her living using Nikon's two very cheapest lenses, the 18-55mm and 70-300mm G.

Walker Evans once said "People always ask me what camera I use. It's not the camera, it's - - - " and he tapped his temple with his index finger.

Your equipment DOES NOT affect the quality of your image. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your equipment the more time and effort you can spend creating great images. The right equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the results you need.

Buying new gear will NOT improve your photography. For decades I thought "if I only had that new lens" that all my photo wants would be satisfied. Nope. I still want that "one more lens," and I've been shooting for over 30 years. There is always one more lens.

The camera's only job is to get out of the way of making photographs.

"Leica, schmeica. The camera doesn't make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE."
He also said, "Best wide-angle lens? 'Two steps backward' and 'look for the ah-ha'."

Malibu Black And White

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D40 Vs D5000

VS.

D5000 Vs The Great D40

somepeople wanted to buy a more expensive D5000, than D40. i tell you what, D5000 is basically just a D40 that has a rotate LCD on back. some people wanted to buy the more expensive, without many significant changes. Personally I prefer Nikon's least expensive D40 over the D60 or D40x. The D5000 and D40 are actually exactly the same cameras, differering only slightly in their internal electronics, but differing greatly in their prices.

The D5000 is an excellent camera, but for most of the people who will buy it, it's the same thing as the $500 less expensive D40. I'd suggest getting a D40 and putting the $500 towards more lenses and/or a bouncable flash.

This is too bad, since this is all crammed inside a basic D40 body (it uses the same battery) with the D40's internal mechanics, AFS-only autofocus driver system, limited external controls and smaller mirror-prism viewfinder, but retains most of the price of the D90. The D5000 has an LCD screen that swivels, but otherwise is more similar to the D40 screen than the D90 screen.

Nikon D5000 with the "rotate screen"

more than the D40, but costs twice as much. I'd get the D40, or go the short rest of the way to the far superior D90.

I'd suggest the D90 for anyone looking to spend more than the $450 of the D40. If you don't want to go for the D90, stick with the D40 and save your money, or use it to get the excellent SB-400 flash and wonderful 35mm f/1.8 lens. I use these on my D40 all the time and love them.

Nikkor 35mm F/1.8 ($199)

if you still wanted to buy camera except the great D40, i suggest to buy tha Nikon D90 instead, than D5000, neither D60 neither D3000.Why? it's because it does have a gear that makes you could use old Nikkor lenses with an autofocus and automettering also.

The only real difference among the D40, D40x, D60 and D5000 is which image sensor it has. I have no problem making great 20x30" (50 x 75cm) prints from my D40, so I don't worry about 12 MP versus 6MP. 6 MP is enough for anything.

The D5000 can record video and mono sound as a goof, but any camcorder gives much better moving picture and sound quality. The Nikon D5000 has relatively poor video and audio quality, and can't focus while you shoot. Just buy a camcorder if you want video.

Once you have the skill to elicit great photos from one camera, you can get them from any camera.

The D5000 is a wonderful camera, but I prefer the D90's ergonomic masterpiece of programming of its POWER, INFO and FUNC buttons so I can shoot the D90 single-handed

Source : Kenrockwell

D40 Review

I got my D40 at Best Buy, with 50-200mm lenses; for $599.

Nikon D40x and Nikon D60 slightly downgraded versions of the D40, but with more pixels and a higher price. I prefer my D40 over the D40x and D60, even for the same price, and since the D40 costs less. The D40 does not meter with manual lenses, but you always can guess and look at the playback on the LCD. I prefer my D40 to heavier cameras because I prefer the rear-LCD only display over my older cameras' film-era split displays on the top and back of the camera. Why should I move my head to look two places when I can have it all right in front of me on my D40? My D40 has about double the battery life of my D200, so I never need to buy or carry a spare battery, even to make 750 shots in a day or more.

Want to see what I've been shooting with my D40? See my Photo. most of which I shoot every day with my D40. My D40 and its included lens is the best camera of which I know for people and family photography.

D40 is that it's so light. We thought it would be much heavier, but no! It must be made of air. It's like not having a camera with you at all.

If you're good, you can blow up the images from the D40 without limit. I've made great 20x30" prints from my D40. More pixels doesn't help: holding the camera still does. Your skill as a photographer is more important than your choice of camera.

The second obvious is the big, bright, sharp, contrasty and almost three-dimensional LCD screen. It looks the same regardless of the angle from which you view it. It's the same vivid, accurate screen as on D80, which I think is the same thing as D200.

My D40 only autofocuses with the latest AF-S lenses, and also the the older, professional, AF-I lenses.

You'll have to focus manually with traditional AF lenses, which means forget about older lenses except macros (I always focus those manually) and fisheyes and ultrawides (easy to focus).

The Nikon D40 is the D50 replacement.

Source : Kenrockwell

Malibu, Wooohooo!

Great Big Days :)