need some help/suggestions

[OJoyfulOne]

Hi!

I've been at Dis off and on since 2000 and never knew this forum existed!!

I've purchashed my first DSLR camera this past summer and have been trying to get familar with it. I got the Nikon D40x (that was all I could afford, wanted the D80 to get me started....but oh well) with a two lens kit (18-55mm and 55-200mm). I'm trying to prepare for my trip to Disney and Disney cruise at the end of Nov.

I've recently purchased a Joby tripod that I can use just about anywhere. I'm disabled and use an EVC, so I've been trying to mess around with getting it set up at the front of my EVC (I just got the tripod yesterday). I purchased it because of the night shots for parades, etc.

Now, having said all that, will the lens that I own currently get me good results specifically for night shots? Would you have any suggestions?

Thanks!

Joy

 

[Master Mason]

Joy,

It also depends on what night shots your looking to get, for long exposure shots of things such as the castle or the hat or something like that, what you have should be fine. For moving things such as the parades, you might want to have a faster lens, ie one with a larger appeture. The standard suggestion is the fairly cheap 50mm but the nikon version will not auto focus, because it doesn't have the focus moter in the lens.

I'll leave it to some nikon shooters to give you any further suggestions.

 

[OJoyfulOne]

Master Mason,

Thanks!

I guess I need to think about getting a lens with a faster appeture then, cause I want to take pictures of the fireworks and the parades!

Question for those of you who own Nikon DSLRs....

When I bought the camera, I asked Ritz Camera if I would be able to put any larger lenses on my D40x and they said that Nikon didn't make any larger lenses for the D40x. Is that correct? And I'm assuming since the 50mm lens isn't not a big lens (meaning big as in mm), it should be compatable with the D40x???

Thanks!

Joy

 

[Code]

When I bought the camera, I asked Ritz Camera if I would be able to put any larger lenses on my D40x and they said that Nikon didn't make any larger lenses for the D40x. Is that correct? And I'm assuming since the 50mm lens isn't not a big lens (meaning big as in mm), it should be compatable with the D40x???

Any lens that fits Nikon will work, but the D40x does not have a focus drive motor in the body, so only lenses with built in focus motors (denoted by AF-S or AF-I for Nikon lenses) will be able to auto-focus on this camera. As Master Mason said, the 50mm f1.8 doesn't have a focus motor, so it would be manual focus only on the D40x.

 

[OJoyfulOne]

Any lens that fits Nikon will work, but the D40x does not have a focus drive motor in the body, so only lenses with built in focus motors (denoted by AF-S or AF-I for Nikon lenses) will be able to auto-focus on this camera. As Master Mason said, the 50mm f1.8 doesn't have a focus motor, so it would be manual focus only on the D40x.

K,

Thanks!

 

[Groucho]

Since I don't think any of the Nikon primes have the focus motor in the lens (not positive though), F2.8 is probably the fastest you'll be able to go. Best bet would probably be a short-range zoom first - like an 18-55mm F2.8 or similar, or a 28-75mm F2.8. Tamron makes a nice one like that that I use as my primary lens, but I'm not sure if the Nikon version has the motor in the lens... I'm guessing probably not but again

Probably someone has one, hopefully for not too much money.