dSLR Questions

[pAthdoc]

Let me preface by first saying that I am by no means a pro, and I don't have any experience with Canon or Nikon.

Some good friends of mine recently had their first baby. They want to pick up a dSLR, and they came to me for advice since I'm the only one out of our group that is in to photography. I visited them last weekend and took a bunch of pictures of their 3 month old daughter. All of the shots were taken with a 24mm/1.4, and they loved the outcome.

My buddy did a bit of research and was thinking about getting a Nikon D3000. Initially, he was going to go with the 18-55 kit lens, but after seeing the shots taken with my prime he is reconsidering which lens to get. He has no experience with a dSLR, and intends to use it for taking pictures of his daughter. I told him that if that was going to be the sole purpose, then a prime lens like the 50mm/1.8 would probably suit him better than the kit lens. The only problem though is that, from what I have read on this forum, the AF of the 1.8 will not work on the D3000. Since he has never used a dSLR before, he does not want to worry about manual focus. From what I understand, the AF of the 1.8 will not work on the D3000 or D5000, only the higher models. So if he wanted AF, he would need to jump up to the 1.4 (but that's a bit out of his price range). Does Canon have the same types of issues?

Hopefully, you guys can help me figure out what the ideal setup would be for him. He has no preference for brand, but he would like to keep the lens and body the same brand. His budget is $500-600, and does not mind buying used or refurbished equipment. I've found some decently priced refurbished gear at B&H and Adorama, but I have no idea which body and lens combos will work together for what my friend needs. Thanks in advanced for any advice

[Barbara V]

With that limited budget, I'd say go for the Nikon D3000 with the kit lens. It's a great buy.

[pAthdoc]

His budget does make it a bit difficult. I did find a refurbished (by Nikon) d3000 and a 50mm/1.4 demo unit...total price around $600. That combo may work for him.

Does the canon 50mm/1.8 AF work on all canon bodies? Or is it like Nikon where he'd be forced to go the 1.4 route in order to have AF?

Was I totally off-base when I told him that a prime would suit him better than the kit lens? In my limited experience, I have always had better results using my 1.4 prime when taking pictures of infants/toddlers/kids. My other lenses are 14-50/2.8 and 50-150/3.5. I hope I'm not giving him bad advice

[inkista]

If he really wants a Nikon, getting the body only, and then scraping up $200 for an AF-S 35 f/1.8 will get him a "normal on a crop" fast prime.

The sensor in the entry and mid-tier cameras are usually APS-C-sized. This makes them smaller than a frame of 35mm film. Only the Nikon D3 (and variants) and D700 and the Canon 1Ds and 5D (of all Marks) have "full frame" sensors. The basic upshot of the smaller sensors is that the framing/field of view you get with a specific focal length is smaller than it was on 135 format, so lenses "feel" longer. Lenses don't actually change focal length, but the framing does get tighter from the smaller sensor.

This phenomenon is usually described by a 'crop factor'. With Nikon, it's 1.5x, with Canon it's 1.6x. You multiply the focal length by this factor to get the equivalent field of view focal length with a 35mm film camera. So, to get the same framing as your 24mm does on 4/3 (at least I'm assuming you're on four-thirds or µ4/3--no 35mm lenses ever went to 14-50; 4/3 has a 2x crop factor), you'd need 24x2/1.5 = 32mm. Which is why Nikon came out with the 35mm f/1.8.

Only Nikon has this autofocus motor issue. All Canon EF/EF-S lenses (including the el-cheapo $100 EF 50mm f/1.8) will autofocus on all Canon dSLR bodies regardless of whether it's USM or not. However, Canon hasn't yet come out with a crop-body version of a fast normal lens (i.e., a EF-S 35mm f/1.8 USM).

I think you're on base telling him to get a prime, but it might be better to get it in addition to the kit lens, rather than instead of the kit. The kits are so cheap, and are still useful for the usual vacation-snaps people typically buy cameras for. And given how much "harder" it is to go wide on a crop body, the 18-55 kit lens tends to be the lowest-cost wide angle a newbie can get their hands. With the addition of stabilization, they're more usable than they used to be.

[pAthdoc]

The main reason why my friend was planning on getting the body and a prime (without the kit lens) was the budget factor. In the future, he was planning on picking up a standard zoom lens for vacations, etc. Hopefully I can find something for him that will have the body, kit, and prime and still be within his budget. Since Canon does not have the AF issues that Nikon has, it seems as thought this may be the better route for him.

[inkista]

None of the other brands have that issue. Pentax, Olympus, Sony--they all autofocus on the entry level bodies.

The main advantage Canon has over the other three brands, though, is that it's one of the most popular brands, and has a larger selection of lenses. And there are more 3rd party lenses and other accessories that are made specifically for Canon because of the larger user base.

[pAthdoc]

Thanks for the advice Inkista!!! I'll do more research based on what you have said and pass the info to my buddy.

[mattdm]

Originally Posted by pAthdoc

The main reason why my friend was planning on getting the body and a prime (without the kit lens) was the budget factor. In the future, he was planning on picking up a standard zoom lens for vacations, etc. Hopefully I can find something for him that will have the body, kit, and prime and still be within his budget. Since Canon does not have the AF issues that Nikon has, it seems as thought this may be the better route for him.

If you're interested in beautiful prime lenses on a budget, don't overlook Pentax. They have a series of gorgeous "Limited" primes, which are moderately priced (more expensive than they were a few years ago, but still a good deal for the quality), and very competitive prices on well-featured dSLR bodies.

I did exactly the same thing your friend did — bought a Pentax K100D with only the DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited. I've since moved on the the higher-end K-7, but I still use that lens 90% of the time, along with another prime, the DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited.