dun u all use the green dot for manual focus?
is it that hard to notice the green dot?
i get all my manual focus pics sharp without problem...
nikon's digital ragefinder is very useful indeed...

also...
can u explain...
how ez is manual metering?
since u say focusing is harder...i MIGHT get some pointers on how to actually METER manually faster than i focus...

I dont use the green dot. The green dot is quite useless in macro photography

Manual metering is not tough. It's tough if you can't check your images right after you take them but since we have the LCD screen to review the picture right after taking them, not to mention the uber useful histogram, manual metering is not tough at all.

Of course, I'm talking from experience shooting in manual mode all the time. Any exposure errors can be easily corrected by manipulating the shutter/aperture/ISO (in that order). If you shoot in any program modes, then have to fool around with exposure compensation... maybe troublesome a bit.

Now, compare this to manual focusing.
1. you can't really use the D40's LCD to check for sharpness
2. the green dot helps in focusing (duh), but can you tell what did u focus on?
3. what if your subject moves? can ur hands match the speed of a focusing motor to track the subject?

And ultimately, unlike fixing exposure errors, you can't just turn a knob on your camera. To make matters worse, focusing errors are also almost impossible to fix in post-processing. Not so with exposure issues.

Anymore questions kids?

i wonder what will happen if you kids here use film slr cameras.

all talk about awesome gears and can't even use a manual mode?

1. Wow, you can actually tell? Do you know what is the resolution on the D40's LCD? Do you know what is the resolution of your images (assuming shooting at 6mp)? In other words, sharp images on the D40 LCD does NOT translate in to sharp images on your computer screen.
2. Do you know how big is the focusing area of the D40? What if when you shoot someone's face, the whole box is covering the face? What are you focusing on then? Can you see?
3. Come on, give a more solid example. Panning is something that if you stand where the subject is moving along your focusing plane, you actually might *not* need to do any adjustment to your focusing. How about subjects that move in and out of your focusing plane? Say it's coming towards you or going further away? Can you keep up then?

ifer, personally, I think it's easier to do manual focus on film. Film SLRs are full-frame cameras, with larger viewfinders and also split-screen focusing. Furthermore, those will probably use actual manual focusing lenses, with damped focusing rings. In other words, all the older gears are meant to be manually focused. On film SLRs, the problem would not be manual focusing, but manual metering - the opposite of DLSRs - since there is no manual feedback on your exposure. Big bummer.

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Added on September 23, 2008, 10:28 am

That's right. Hence my question to xandman. Or did I mis-read his statements?

Anyone can give some advice..

AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

VS

AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED

Which one better as to replace my D40 kit lens… need to have it for wedding photography … very low budget (around 1k) just to kick start…

Don’t know wheter to go for the VR or for the zoom 135mm?? as the both are almost the same price. tq

Err he has a budget of 1k, wouldn't the 17-50 burst his budget by another 1k?

Well, good for you if you can be satisfied with manual focusing. I just find the LCD and small-ish viewfinder of the D40 to be more suited for auto-focusing. Same goes for the terrible focusing rings of the current AF lenses. But that's just me.

TakNak Chimping has nothing to do with manual focusing, but more towards metering, unless you use a manual focus lens as well during that outing.

OK, then I stand corrected on the chimping exercise.

I don't find the chimping exercise to be anything useful to me, hence the reluctance to join in or organizing such an event. I already shoot manual exposure almost 100%, so I know my metering and lighting. It'll be helpful if I can accurately guess exposure just by looking at the room, something a no chimping exercise can help, but I don't find the need. I can guess 70% correct most of the time. The other 30% takes about, oh 5 seconds to fix by taking another shot after adjusting exposure.

for some reason, you are right.
i hate the DSLR cameras for the view finder and focusing screen.
my fm2 and f801s focusing screens were 1000000% better.

Actually, the difference isn't the coverage (95% or 100%) but the actual size of the viewfinder. E.g. the D700's viewfinder, being a full-frame camera, will trump our cropped sensor viewfinders because it's larger and possibly brighter.

Note that both the D700 and the D40 viewfinders don't offer 100% coverage.

And there's no such thing as a full-frame film because the standard 35mm film is used. Hint, go find out the size of D3 and D700's sensor size

Interrupt you guys a little... remember we were discussing about the 50mm f1.4, it's been officially released for about USD 340.... price is attractive and very near to the current version.

There's no nano-coating and no gold ring etc. My take is same as the existing model just add a SWM.

Any comments on this?

I know the D3's viewfinder is 100% coverage. Was comparing between film/full-frame viewfinders to the cropped sensors.

Sorry for the image size, linked from flickr. I'll link a larger one.

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Added on September 23, 2008, 3:03 pm

It's cheaper than I expected really. But if it's worth it or not, you need to decide for yourself

The Sigma's lens is sharper, but damn big. Have you seen the size in comparison with the other 50mm lenses? My god it looks like a 85mm prime. I'd wait for reviews first. It's only due in December though.

Btw, Nikon says it's a new optical formula, meaning it's not the same as the old lens. But I didn't compare the number of elements and stuff. I tried the older one though, it ain't bad but it was hard for me to get a sharp shot. I didn't know what was wrong. I mean I can get sharper pics with my 30mm Sigma.

And there are 2 minor issues with the lens:

1. the focusing ring rotates, so it kept on rubbing against my fingers
2. there's bad fringing of the bokeh! Yes, the bokeh. Damn hard to fix in post-processing. Front bokeh has red fringing, back bokeh has green (or the other way around, I could be mistaken).

After trying for a while, I didn't buy the 50mm f1.4.

Heard that the Sigma is a 77mm.

Very sharp shot and nice bokeh. Go for it! You know you want it! Although if it were me I'd wait for the end of Photokina just in case Nikon springs several prime surprises.... so you'll be safe at least till next year. 

So you sold your D40 body... buying a new D90 body, then buying a 70-200mm? Strike lottery you must've.... 

Yup. Was looking for a good portrait / telephoto lens. After much deliberation, this was the one I settled for.

Is it just me or is there some fringing on the portrait posted by ebernie? I see green fringing around the subject's shirt.

Maybe it's the lighting? 

Nothing escapes a macro shooter's eye. 

Just want to share with u all ... went to another photo shop in langkawi
actually looking for Nikon 50mm f1.8 but no stock
so asked them for tamron 17-55mm f2.8 ... OMG the quote me RM2000 & Sigma 10-20mm f4 for RM2670

What a planet pluto price .... ridiculous ! !