A Boy @ A Camera Gear Crossroads

[joewhistle]

Hello everyone,

I have had my D3000 since September of last year, and since then I have used it extensively to further my enjoyment of photography. I've brought my camera with me on my recent travels, and find myself at a crossroads in the midst of my stay in Singapore (coincidentally a very good place to buy camera gear).

I love my Nikon, and I want to stick with the Nikon system. While in the Philippines I bought a 50mm Prime Lens, without the understanding that the D3000 did not have an autofocus motor in the camera itself. While I love using the 50mm, having to manually focus makes it hard to use as a daily lens, so I've been a bit saddened by that.

I like to be artsy, so my photos are very diverse. I enjoy taking shots of things people don't care to notice, and I also do a lot of landscape photography, mainly because I'm doing an extensive amount of traveling these next two months. These last 7 months have been good in terms of developing my expertise wit a dSLR, and I feel as if I have a good understanding of most of the basic theories and practices.

The crossroads I'm at is this:

Should I trade in my D3000 here in Singapore and upgrade to something like a D90 (which I believe would be the best one for me) or should I go with upgrading my lens to a 18-200 telephoto lens. My thinking is that a D90 will be a better overall body, and I will probably not need to upgrade for a very long time, and also saves on money in the long run by giving me a wider range of lenses to choose from (not to mention my 50mm itself). On the flip side, I could get a 18-200mm lens, which would be around the same in price, and continue to learn and use my D3000.

Since I'm in Singapore (where I've heard is one of the most affordable places to do this kind of shopping), and my next destination is Australia, I figured I'd make my decision on what to do before I leave in May.

I'm an an amateur looking for some help! Help me!

Thanks in advance.

[Nicole]

First things first, what other lenses do you have? What do you think would be most beneficial to you? A all-purpose lens, or the upgraded features of the D90 body? My thought would be: why not sell the 50mm f/1.8 and get either a 35mm f/1.8 AF-S or a 50mm f/1.4 AF-S lens if the main "problem" is the lack of a prime lens. If you don't need the features of the D90, this might be a better option than spending heaps of money on more camera than you need. Now, it might not be more than you need. Only you can decide that. But that would be my starting point (just to throw a monkey wrench in things )

[joewhistle]

Originally Posted by Nicole

First things first, what other lenses do you have? What do you think would be most beneficial to you? A all-purpose lens, or the upgraded features of the D90 body? My thought would be: why not sell the 50mm f/1.8 and get either a 35mm f/1.8 AF-S or a 50mm f/1.4 AF-S lens if the main "problem" is the lack of a prime lens. If you don't need the features of the D90, this might be a better option than spending heaps of money on more camera than you need. Now, it might not be more than you need. Only you can decide that. But that would be my starting point (just to throw a monkey wrench in things )

Thanks Nicole for your input. The only other lens I have is the standard kit lens. The fact that I can't autofocus with my prime lens isn't a hug "problem" really, just an inconvenience at times, because I can't use it to take photos of things in passing.

I don't think that would alone would warrant an upgrade to the pricier D90. I'm not sure if I even know how much more of a benefit I would get from going to the D90, as aside from the better control system and focusing motor, I'm not too familiar with the advantages over my D3000 (though I also understand that my camera is the entry level model, so obviously, there are many differences).

I'm personally leaning towards the flexibility of an 18-200 as my "go to" all purpose lens, learning to use every nook and cranny of my D3000, and upgrading the body later. The same argument can be made for upgrading the body however, as then I could get full use of my Prime lens, and my 18-55, and progress from there.

Decision, decisions.

[rbickel]

Where do you live when you are not traveling? If you get a D90 in singapor, will it be covered under waranty at home? or would it be considered grey market? How much would you save and are you willing to risk the cost of a repair? The same might be asked of the 18-200 lens.

[joewhistle]

Originally Posted by rbickel

Where do you live when you are not traveling? If you get a D90 in singapor, will it be covered under waranty at home? or would it be considered grey market? How much would you save and are you willing to risk the cost of a repair? The same might be asked of the 18-200 lens.

This is something I'll have to ask. My guess is no though, and it will be covered here locally. The thing is, I won't be back in California until December, so I'd have to hold out for a long while.

[joewhistle]

The lens I'm looking at is this one.

From some preliminary research, the shops are selling it for about 1000 Singapore Dollars which is the equivalent of about 720 US$. Knowing Singapore, I can probably get this price down a bit more, maybe knock off another 10%.

I have yet to inquire about a D90, body only.

Does this seem worth it? Research online is telling me yes.