i would also recommend getting second hand models if the deals are good.

illegaldragon87
Rm2-Rm2.5k

project-o
how much for the lens?

kevyeoh
i try my frd D60 before, i think i focus to the dolphin right? really duno how to use. lol


AlphaBeta
i wish it too. lol

mixologist84
Have a lot thing wanna ask you during gathering d. teach me more. 2.7k still affordable.

This post has been edited by Kent Goh: Jun 18 2009, 05:54 PM

2.7k affordable? go for d5000...can cam whore with ur gf using the articulating screen!...

ur picture is fine..but too much space on the left and right...the windows are distracting too.

if u would ask for my opinion, i would suggest to u to get a 2nd hand D40.... den play wit it 1st... if u feel lik photography is interesting to u, den try to hunt for new D80 (altho ppl said hard to find, but i still manage to get it at reasonable price) or any used DSLR wit internal motor....

yes... i agree with your plan.. stick with d60...if you die die must stick with your budget...this is the best choice....

---

Added on June 18, 2009, 6:09 pmyou can always change the setting for focus area inside the menu option... i use d40 before...if d60 is same like d40..means you can disable the autofocus area select...always put centre as focus...or you can manually change the focus area...

dun worry bro...just get the camera..play with it for a few weeks and i'm sure u will master the controls liao....

i just sold a very good condition d40 very recently... but d60 also good la..the problem is new price cost RM2k right?

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Added on June 18, 2009, 6:11 pmalphabeta bro...

speaking on behalf of bro kent...becoz me also new to DSLR..i think our main intention here is to get the picture nice and clear first... focusing..make sure it's sharp...how to change the control/menu...which options to use...tweak ISO, A or P mode etc....

for composition..that will be our next step.. hehe... last time i first first take pic also ppl start to comment too much space here and there...but never give inputs how to make the color or picture sharper....



This post has been edited by kevyeoh: Jun 18 2009, 06:11 PM

yes, survey around and best price i get rm2100/set, but out of stock = =

guys, what is mean with ISO? what is it function?

jessafreak,

here's the explanation taken from Photomalaysia forum, written by a user named Eugene. I include his whole writeups...so you can read all...

AQ: Exposure.. not just reading histograms
This is a basic Q&A meant for the topic “Exposure”. I got "paid" for writing this. I must admit first that I am no expert in writing. Please do point out if there are any mistakes, especially in relation to the explainations.

As it requires lots of technical explanation, the best approach for me is to divide the answers into two parts. The first part is the answer to the question framed in the simplest of form I could think of. It would not give you a full picture, but it will certainly give you the gist of it and at the same time answers the question. The second part will be the more detailed explanation. Like most specialised things in the world, photography have evolved with its’ own terms and slang. If possible, I shall try to use as much lay man’s explanation as I can. As there is a division between film and digital users, the term “medium of capture” will be used to denote both types of photography. Essentially, everything technical related in photography for the both types is the same. Only the manner of which the photo is recorded varies.

1. What is exposure?
Exposure is measured, either manually or automatically, before you press the trigger on the camera to take a photo. You will need the right exposure for your photo to appear right.

When we take a photo, in order for the medium of capture, be it film or digital, to produce a similar scene as we see, we need to ensure that we give the right information to the camera. The information given is called exposure. If you give too much exposure (overexpose), your photo will come out blown; too little (underexpose), and it will turn out dark. Both of which will also result in loss of details in the photo. With most basic point and shoot cameras, the measurement and adjustment for the proper exposure is done for you automatically. However, with higher end cameras, like the SLR, you would have control over the exposure; hence allowing you more freedom of creativity. Exposure is determined by a simple equation, i.e. Exposure= amount of light x duration. The former is controlled by the aperture; while the latter by the shutter speed.

2. What is aperture?
Aperture controls the amount of light that enters the camera to reach the medium of capture. It is measured in terms of f-stop values.

Any opening that is placed in front of the medium of capture to control the amount of light reaching the medium is an aperture. The difference is whether it can be controlled or not. A fixed aperture point and shoot camera and a pinhole camera is two examples where the opening is fixed at a certain diameter. In such cases, the aperture value cannot be adjusted. SLR and certain high end point and shoot allow you to manually control the aperture values. The opening of the aperture and the amount of light allowed in with regards to the size of the medium is measured and denoted in f-stops. The f-stops is necessary to ensure standardisation among different mediums, i.e. A f/8 aperture on a 300mm lens and a 50mm lens will both let in the same amount of light on the medium of capture despite the difference in size and length. A larger f-stop value denotes a smaller opening, thus letting in less light; and vice versa. F-stops is measured in a linear fashion. Every time you double the f-stop value, you get +2 stops exposure. Some of the common f-stops value includes f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22 and f/32. The difference between f/2 and f/4 is two stops exposure, while f/2 and f/2.8 is one stop. Aperture opening also determines the depth of field of the photo.

3. What is shutter speed?
Shutter speed controls the amount of time the aperture opening is left opened for light to enter. It is measured in fractions, which doubles or halves the duration.

To control exposure, we not only need to control the amount of light that enters the medium of capture, but we also need to control the duration that amount is let in. This is where shutter speeds come in. Shutter speed is essentially the control that allows you to control the duration the aperture is opened. It is measured in fractions of seconds. The common shutter speeds available includes 30s, 15s, 8s, 4s, 2s, 1s, 1/2s, 1/4s, 1/8s, 1/15s, 1/30s, 1/60s, 1/125s, 1/250s, 1/500s, 1/1000s. As you can see, the values are either double or halve the amount of the previous speed. Each different speed gives you one stop difference in exposure.

4. What is ISO?
ISO is the sensitivity of the medium of captured to light.

ISO was originally designed for film, by compensating on the grain size, the films created need less light to achieve proper exposure but at the cost of blurred margins and large film grains. Digital took the same principle onto their sensors, but the end compensation is noise instead of film grains. Essentially, ISO value is how sensitive a medium of capture is to light. The lower the ISO, the finer the details are rendered in the end product. Common ISO values are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 and 6400, with the last one more common for digital medium. Each ISO values are either double or halve of the previous value, just like shutter speeds; and with that, each difference of value also give you a one stop difference in exposure.

5. What is exposure value?
Exposure value or EV is the value given for an exposure. While knowing the exact value for a given exposure has little usage for your everyday photographer. It is useful to know that it exists. Each difference of value is one stop. So if you adjust your digital camera to +1EV, you are allowing more light into the camera and vice versa for -1EV. Each stop doubles the exposure of the medium of capture to the light, either by allowing more light in via aperture adjustments or allowing a longer duration for the light to enter via shutter speed adjustments.

6. What is push/pull?
Push/pull is only valid in films. The ISO for any given film is only a recommended value. You can shoot an ISO100 film at ISO400 if you are familiar. The technique of changing the ISO is call pushing or pulling. Pushing is when you rate the film at a higher ISO and pulling is for a lower ISO. Push/pull is important because you need to tell your developer about it if you decide to do pushing/pulling, so that he/she can do the necessary adjustments while developing.

7. How do you measure the right exposure?
Exposure can be measured using a light meter. There are many types of light meters in the market, most them in-build into the camera. While the usage of these meters is up to your initiative to read the manual that comes with the equipment, it is good to know what types of light meters there are out there and how they function.

There are two types of light meters, an incident light meter and a reflective light meter. The incident light meter measures the light that is falling upon a surface; while the reflective light meter measures the light that is reflected off a surface. The latter would be more useful in photography as we are often capturing the light that is reflected and different surfaces might reflex different amount of light. Most modern cameras have multiple segment reflective light meters built into them. These cameras measure the reflected light at various points in the scene and average it out to give you the ideal exposure. However, as all things automatic, it is not foolproof. It is still better if you know how the meter in your camera works and be able to compensate for proper exposure in certain situations.

8. What is sunny-16 rule?
If you are stuck in a situation without a light meter, the sunny 16 rule is a rough guide for you to estimate the exposure of the scene. The rule is such: On a bright sunny scene, the exposure is 1/ISO used at f16. So, if your ISO is rated at 400, the correct exposure in a sunny scene is 1/500s at f16. Increase your exposure by one stop if it is slightly cloudy and two stops if it is heavily overcast.

9. What is 18% grey/ middle grey?
18% grey is a card issued by Kodak. The light reflected of it is said to give you the idea exposure for a scene. So if you place an 18% grey card in the middle of your scene, measure the reflected light off the card, and shoot the scene at that exposure; your photo would turn out as seen. In other words, an ideal exposure is the exposure value measured off an 18% grey card.

10. What is zone system?
A system created by Ansel Adams to make beautiful pictures.

The zone system was created by Ansel Adams back in the black and white days. It was originally created to be used to maximise the potential of black and white films and prints. However, it can still be used in today’s modern photography. To write about the zone system in detail required a whole book. I would suggest reading “the negative” by Ansel Adams if you want to know more about it. To describe the zone system briefly, the system is actually a series of 11 exposures, ranging from zone 0 to zone X. In the middle, zone V is the exposure measured at 18% grey, and zone 0 gives pure black; zone X pure white. Everything else falls within the other ranges. The idea of zone system is to visualise the end-photo before shooting it, and by using the zones as a guide, you can determine which part of the photo you want to be properly exposed and others really dark/bright. It’s a very useful technique that can help a photographer evaluate a scene in a methodological manner.

wah

<---- Canon

<---- Nikon

Fortunately, Nikon and Canon has created the leng lui setting for the blur blur among us.

i don use setting...i use A and S only...

Which lens ? The 35 or the 55-200VR ? I bought my 35 for RM 840 (Ipoh) 55-200VR should still be around RM 800+ a used one around RM 500-600.

project-o
how much for the lens?

really dunno wat u guys talking about. i have to read more and more
btw, this is the picture from canon ixus 850is


This post has been edited by Kent Goh: Jun 18 2009, 08:23 PM

kent, no prob.
tomoro got tt in setapak oldtown kopitiam.
log in sakura stallionz for more details.
if u need direction call me k.

i think you can lock focus and exposure on the face first then recompose

where Setapak Oldtown?
there's so many Oldtown nowadays that it's hard to know which Oldtown u talking

Kent, you can try out D40 also. Cuz it's cheaper than D60 and you might be able to find 2nd hand D40 from RM1000~rm1300 with kit lens. Don't forget, you need a flash gun (very important and useful) and you might want to save money for other lense.

I am a 2nd hand D40 user, although D40 is just 6.0 megapixels but everyone here knows megapixels do not really matter. For portrait shots, I also recommend 35mm AFS~ Rm800+ if i'm not mistaken.

But it's still your own choice~

P/S: hehe one new photo frm me~
this time's a portrait, coincidentally. Maybe some of you saw this in the photo gallery already.

Nikon D40
Kit Lens
Nissin Di622 flashgun
Adobe photoshop CS4
Adobe Lightroom 2.3
Imagenomic Portraiture plugin for Photoshop

^.^ CnC plz (paiseh, a bit reddish for the white balance)

This post has been edited by zellleonhart: Jun 18 2009, 10:42 PM

i love the colors, look really soft n nice, really suitable baby pic!(not to mention the baby is cute!)
but top left corner a bit overexpose?

Yeah, she is my cousin ^.^
I know her right hand (in our perspective is left) is overexposed a bit, but I like the "glamour" feel XD

I like Portraiture too