Image Stabalized lenses

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So I'm buying my first DSLR. I've all but decided on a D40, but I think I want the VR lens from nikon. Is there that much of an advantage of having image stabilization on an 18-55mm lens? How about if I a 18-135mm or a 24-120mm, will it make a big difference then?

Thanks for advice you can give!
 
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With IS you can shoot at a much slower speed that you normally would. With a small lens, you probably won't notice much difference, but with a longer lens, its a very good idea. I can hand hold my 24-105mm all the way down to 1/20th.
 
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There really is no "big" advantage for IS on 18-55mm unless your shooting during the night time, and you don't want blur without a tripod..

IS really kicks in at the longer range zoom lenses. You could get the 18-55mm lens, plus the 55-200mm VR lens as a combo.

But the best thing, if you can spend this much, is to get the 18-200mm VR lens. It's a great lens, and will last for a long time.

Best,
-AC
 
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I have to fully agree with everyone else and say that it's not necessary on the 18-55, but it definitely helps with any kind of telephoto. Long range on a telephoto lense is always a bit shaky without a tripod. Have fun with your first DSLR, you're gonna love it.
 
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I got a shot a few weeks ago at 1/15 with a 70-200. That's pretty good.
 
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First of all dont buy nikon their lenses (and in my opinion bodies) suck, I am a proffesional fashion and advertising photographer and nobody I know use them, and secondly these guys dont know what they are talking about. If you are in low light conditions IS lenses give you at least an extra stop of shutter speed even on 18-55mm, only problem is battery drain.
 
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First of all dont buy nikon their lenses (and in my opinion bodies) suck, I am a proffesional fashion and advertising photographer and nobody I know use them, and secondly these guys dont know what they are talking about. If you are in low light conditions IS lenses give you at least an extra stop of shutter speed even on 18-55mm, only problem is battery drain.

You're a "Proffesional" photographer. You're telling everyone else they don't know what they are talking about and you can't even spell. Wow!

Examples:

dont = don't
proffessional = professional
moron = you
 
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I am sorry that you have to make up for your lack of photographic knowledge by poking at peoples dyslexia, but the reason I was pointing out that what everyone was saying was bullshit was because IT WAS BULLSHIT. sorry if my mis-spelling offended you:D
 
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First of all dont buy nikon their lenses (and in my opinion bodies) suck, I am a proffesional fashion and advertising photographer and nobody I know use them, and secondly these guys dont know what they are talking about. If you are in low light conditions IS lenses give you at least an extra stop of shutter speed even on 18-55mm, only problem is battery drain.

You shoot Canon... right?

With all due respect, I think you are being extremely bias, and ignorant.

"I am a professional fashion and advertising photographer and nobody I know uses them [Nikon]"

First of all, you are not helping anyone by saying that Nikon sucks only because you and your photo-buddies hate them and don't use them.

Secondly, that is very rude of you to say, "these guys dont know what they are talking about."

IS lens or not, at low shutter speeds and low light, you are guaranteed blur. Even more with a telephoto lens.

When you're shooting in a low light situation, don't ever count on your IS lens, or body, to help you out. You should carry a tripod, or if you absolutely need to take the shot, boost your ISO to the highest "safe" amount that doesn't completely grain your image, and try to find a stable surface or a tree to lean on, then meter and take the shot.

Best,
-AC
 
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I am sorry that you have to make up for your lack of photographic knowledge by poking at peoples dyslexia, but the reason I was pointing out that what everyone was saying was bullshit was because IT WAS BULLSHIT. sorry if my mis-spelling offended you:D

Your musst bee wright sinc your da "proffesional".
 
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Nice soul glo you just lost all respect on this forum, good work fella.
 
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As far as I am concerned, Nikon or Canon are what to get. I prefer Canon, but others I know prefer Nikon. I don't think you could go wrong with either brand. I wouldn't get anything outside of those brands though. I don't trust Sony cameras, or any other brand really.
 
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Nice soul glo you just lost all respect on this forum, good work fella.


This coming from the guy who said everyone else on the board has no idea what they're talking about. I might have lost your respect, but I wasn't asking for it in the first place. You're new to the forums and automatically telling people that you know more because you're a professional. Not cool.
 
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As far as I am concerned, Nikon or Canon are what to get. I prefer Canon, but others I know prefer Nikon. I don't think you could go wrong with either brand. I wouldn't get anything outside of those brands though. I don't trust Sony cameras, or any other brand really.

You can't go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. They are both trusted brands with quality products. You can probably pick up a used Nikon D80 or Canon 30d for pretty cheap on craigslist or one of the photography forums and then invest the rest of your $$$ on glass.
 
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First of all dont buy nikon their lenses (and in my opinion bodies) suck, I am a proffesional fashion and advertising photographer and nobody I know use them, and secondly these guys dont know what they are talking about. If you are in low light conditions IS lenses give you at least an extra stop of shutter speed even on 18-55mm, only problem is battery drain.

Well, they do have a full frame camera that will also work with crop body lenses, unlike Canon. They also have some very high quality glass, just like Canon. I've seen some amazing pictures from a D40.

Also, they have CCD sensors with electronic shutters in their older cameras, like the d40, d50, and d70, which lets you shoot with a flash at the camera's max shutter speed without worrying about getting a dark band from using a focal plane shutter like on all the CMOS sensor cameras, which coniencidentally is pretty much every single Canon except for the original 1D and several of their very old bodies. That's a plus in my book. Ever try and shoot models outside at noon? I bet you hate having to switch ND filters.

Well, since we don't know anything and you do and you're obviously the professional, how about we see some of the magazines and publications that your photos ended up in.
 
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As far as I am concerned, Nikon or Canon are what to get. I prefer Canon, but others I know prefer Nikon. I don't think you could go wrong with either brand. I wouldn't get anything outside of those brands though. I don't trust Sony cameras, or any other brand really.

I'll be as honest as possible, while trying to not sound bias.

I shoot a Sony Alpha A-100, but I prefer Canon :|

What do I think of the Sony?

Well, I was a little hesitant at first. I thought it was a dumb camera and my initial thought was, "Sony? Ehhh', They don't sound like they would make a good SLR camera..."

Then I found out about the whole Konica-Minolta and Sony combination and I began to think more towards the Sony camera. I had an older Minolta 9xi 35mm SLR at home, with a standard 24-85mm 3.5-5.6 lens, and I realized I could use the lens. This was a plus because I could potentially save some money in the future on lenses from Minolta that are used but in good condition. Minolta had some great glass back in the day. Finally, I realized that it was mostly a Minolta camera, with Sony's name on it.

I read about the features that Sony's camera had to offer. In the end, I realized that the pros kind-of topped the cons.

I was comparing this to a Canon XTI and a Nikon D40x by the way. Because those were my only other options at the time.

Canon had the "dust removal system", sony did too. Canon had the auto dim LCD when your eye goes up to the viewfinder, Sony did too, and sony also had Minolta's old Eye-Start AF system so that it will auto-focus when your eye hits the viewfinder sensor as well. Canon has a 9-point AF, Sony has a 9-point, whereas the Nikon has 3. One of the biggest advantages was the effective Image Stabilizer built into the Sony body. So in the end, any lens you stick on the body will have an IS thanks to the body. Sony's LCD also rotated as the camera body went into portrait/landscape style. The alpha's evaluative metering system was also quite effective, even in some challenging scenes. Also, the batter life is great.

To be fair, here are the things I don't like.

You really can't push your ISO past 800. 400 is the safe zone. After that, you are risking some serious grain. To get to things like ISO, WB, metering mode, focus mode, and etc... You must use the "speed dial" at the top of the camera. It's not that bad, but it would've been nice to have dedicated buttons.

Overall, I'm happy with the camera. It's gone through many hours of portrait work, as well as day-to-day camera use. Will I get a Sony camera as my next upgrade? Maybe... But the real camera I want is a Canon 5D.

If I can say one thing in the end, it'd be to never judge a camera by its manufacturer. Well, at least not always. I was hesitant because it was Sony's first ever dSLR on the market, and it wasn't receiving many reviews. So when I compared the specifications, I realized that it was a pretty good camera, and it really is.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Best,
-AC
 

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