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Digital Camera pic of the day (1 Viewer)

Anyone have any experience with refurbished lenses? They sell them on the Nikon website and there are some great prices, some at 50% discount. I realize the warranties aren't as good as buying new but do lenses fail after 2 or 3 months? I figured if they are bad, it would be apparent right away.

 
jamny said:
Anyone have any experience with refurbished lenses? They sell them on the Nikon website and there are some great prices, some at 50% discount. I realize the warranties aren't as good as buying new but do lenses fail after 2 or 3 months? I figured if they are bad, it would be apparent right away.
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I have and couldn't recommend them highly enough based on my experience. You mention they are refurbished by the manufacturer and I think that is pretty important. My experience is with Canon lenses and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference from brand new if it didn't say refurbished on the box. My refurb lenses haven't had a hiccup after years of use but maybe I'm lucky(I do tend to baby my best equipment).

I would say that the non-refurb price is often exaggerated to make the refurb look like an incredible deal. If you shop around(at least for Canon) you can often find deals on brand new equipment that is pretty close to some of the refurbs. And then there's the grey market lenses which lie somewhere in-between because of the warranty. Really know the market before buying a lens I guess is the ultimate message.

 
jamny said:
The main reason I'm not is because many of the manual controls are menu based, no controlled by buttons. I'm buying mine to try and learn more about photography and I find having to dig into menus to make changes too distracting and time consuming.
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I completely agree with this. As I try to move toward smaller/lighter equipment sometimes the dials for manual controls are sacrificed due to space and it's a definite drawback. Having to go into the menus to change things on a bright, sunny day with all the glare on the screen slows things down a great deal in my experience.

 
Bucky86 said:
What's the opinion on Sony DSLR's? My gf works for them and can get discounts, but I noticed few are listed as top of their class. If the discount is large enough, is it worth it? Or will I just become frustrated I didn't go with the better quality Nikon or Canon?
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Depends on the lenses you plan to buy, imo.

Both Nikon and Canon have some very nice lenses if you are willing to pay the price for them, and you are willing to carry a lot of lenses with you when you use the camera. If you plan on only having a couple lenses(especially just a couple of zooms) I would definitely go the Sony route if you can get a sizable discount. I don't think the Nikon/Canon bodies are a better quality.

 
BoltBacker said:
jamny said:
Anyone have any experience with refurbished lenses? They sell them on the Nikon website and there are some great prices, some at 50% discount. I realize the warranties aren't as good as buying new but do lenses fail after 2 or 3 months? I figured if they are bad, it would be apparent right away.
Click to expand...
I have and couldn't recommend them highly enough based on my experience. You mention they are refurbished by the manufacturer and I think that is pretty important. My experience is with Canon lenses and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference from brand new if it didn't say refurbished on the box. My refurb lenses haven't had a hiccup after years of use but maybe I'm lucky(I do tend to baby my best equipment).

I would say that the non-refurb price is often exaggerated to make the refurb look like an incredible deal. If you shop around(at least for Canon) you can often find deals on brand new equipment that is pretty close to some of the refurbs. And then there's the grey market lenses which lie somewhere in-between because of the warranty. Really know the market before buying a lens I guess is the ultimate message.
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Thanks!

Yeah, I'm a lot more confident that it's coming from Nikon themselves. Some of them are like 50% off the new price. The 3 lenses I want are around $800 new and would cost $429 refurb.

 
jamny said:
Anyone have any experience with refurbished lenses? They sell them on the Nikon website and there are some great prices, some at 50% discount. I realize the warranties aren't as good as buying new but do lenses fail after 2 or 3 months? I figured if they are bad, it would be apparent right away.
Click to expand...
I haven't bought one since I switched to Nikon but when I was using Canon stuff I bought a bunch of refurbished lenses off of those sales that Canon runs and was always happy with them.

That said, discounts on Canon refurbs seemed to be much lower (I never saw anything other than speedlights anywhere close to 50% off) so maybe Canon puts more time into refurbishing theirs.

BoltBacker said:
jamny said:
The main reason I'm not is because many of the manual controls are menu based, no controlled by buttons. I'm buying mine to try and learn more about photography and I find having to dig into menus to make changes too distracting and time consuming.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with this. As I try to move toward smaller/lighter equipment sometimes the dials for manual controls are sacrificed due to space and it's a definite drawback. Having to go into the menus to change things on a bright, sunny day with all the glare on the screen slows things down a great deal in my experience.
Click to expand...
What are some of the common functions that you have to dig into the menus for that you would have right on a dial on a full-bodied SLR? I was thinking of renting a Sony a7r to try it out since I want to lighten my pack but if the dials missing are ones that are going to annoy me then I'll save the rental fees.

 
FreeBaGeL said:
jamny said:
Anyone have any experience with refurbished lenses? They sell them on the Nikon website and there are some great prices, some at 50% discount. I realize the warranties aren't as good as buying new but do lenses fail after 2 or 3 months? I figured if they are bad, it would be apparent right away.
Click to expand...
I haven't bought one since I switched to Nikon but when I was using Canon stuff I bought a bunch of refurbished lenses off of those sales that Canon runs and was always happy with them.

That said, discounts on Canon refurbs seemed to be much lower (I never saw anything other than speedlights anywhere close to 50% off) so maybe Canon puts more time into refurbishing theirs.

BoltBacker said:
jamny said:
The main reason I'm not is because many of the manual controls are menu based, no controlled by buttons. I'm buying mine to try and learn more about photography and I find having to dig into menus to make changes too distracting and time consuming.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with this. As I try to move toward smaller/lighter equipment sometimes the dials for manual controls are sacrificed due to space and it's a definite drawback. Having to go into the menus to change things on a bright, sunny day with all the glare on the screen slows things down a great deal in my experience.
Click to expand...
What are some of the common functions that you have to dig into the menus for that you would have right on a dial on a full-bodied SLR? I was thinking of renting a Sony a7r to try it out since I want to lighten my pack but if the dials missing are ones that are going to annoy me then I'll save the rental fees.
Click to expand...
Well one of the best things about a common dSLR(like Canon) is you can actually assign different buttons to do everything you want because the community is so large there are "hacks". For instance look at all the dials and buttons around the camera body of the Canon 7D(still one of the best values out there now that it's a little old and deeply discounted)...

http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eos7d

... not only can you change the iso, aperture, and shutterspeed quickly and easily by having button adjustments for each but you can also quickly go back and forth between auto-bracketing and not auto-bracketing which is a big deal to me because I go from off tripod to on tripod often. Anytime I am on a tripod I auto-bracket. The site doesn't offer all the angles on the pocketable mirrorless camera I use more often than a dSLR because it's less than half the weight and fits in a jacket pocket but you can kind of make out....

http://www.dpreview.com/products/samsung/slrs/samsung_nx1000

... the single thumb dial on the right. There are only a very few buttons on the back and perhaps most importantly there is not as big a world wide community using the camera so it's difficult to assign the few buttons there are the shortcuts you might like. Where I live(in the Puget Sound) cloud cover changes all the time and it's definitely nice to make changes quickly. The subjects I shoot(often Eagles) change from being completely still to taking off(or rarer yet catching them landing) which requires changes in shutter speed quickly so it's so nice to just have extra physical dials and buttons available to go from handheld settings to motion settings to tripod settings to stationary subject settings by pre-programmed buttons.

Anyway, all that said I think you should rent any of the Sony 7 line. I have been waiting for an incredible deal on one myself. Despite the loss in fine detailed control I experience using the Samsung mirrorless it's still the camera I have with me most of the time. You just can't beat the size/weight convenience of mirrorless in my opinion.

 
Thought I'd pose this question here... getting ready to leave for a cruisetour to Alaska in a few days, which will be my toughest camera test yet. Any tips for shooting glaciers, etc? I don't have much practice shooting snow/ice. I usually shoot semi-automatically in aperture/speed priority, but I've heard that glaciers can trick the camera on the amount of light. I was reading Understanding Exposure and Peterson suggests locking exposure for snow based on the sky. Is that the right call here? (If relevant, I've got a polarizing filter and a nagging wife who will complain if I miss shots while fooling around with my camera.)

 
Don Quixote said:
Thought I'd pose this question here... getting ready to leave for a cruisetour to Alaska in a few days, which will be my toughest camera test yet. Any tips for shooting glaciers, etc? I don't have much practice shooting snow/ice. I usually shoot semi-automatically in aperture/speed priority, but I've heard that glaciers can trick the camera on the amount of light. I was reading Understanding Exposure and Peterson suggests locking exposure for snow based on the sky. Is that the right call here? (If relevant, I've got a polarizing filter and a nagging wife who will complain if I miss shots while fooling around with my camera.)
Click to expand...
Shoot in RAW to improve your chances on fixing the white balance and exposure once you get back.

I would imagine that during much of the day, exposing based on the sky is probably OK, but you might run into troubles near dawn/dusk. That said, how fast are the glaciers moving where you can't do a test image and then adjust?

Sounds like awesome trip - enjoy!!

 
Brony said:
Don Quixote said:
Thought I'd pose this question here... getting ready to leave for a cruisetour to Alaska in a few days, which will be my toughest camera test yet. Any tips for shooting glaciers, etc? I don't have much practice shooting snow/ice. I usually shoot semi-automatically in aperture/speed priority, but I've heard that glaciers can trick the camera on the amount of light. I was reading Understanding Exposure and Peterson suggests locking exposure for snow based on the sky. Is that the right call here? (If relevant, I've got a polarizing filter and a nagging wife who will complain if I miss shots while fooling around with my camera.)
Click to expand...
Shoot in RAW to improve your chances on fixing the white balance and exposure once you get back.

I would imagine that during much of the day, exposing based on the sky is probably OK, but you might run into troubles near dawn/dusk. That said, how fast are the glaciers moving where you can't do a test image and then adjust?

Sounds like awesome trip - enjoy!!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'll plan on RAW, and I can edit in Lightroom when I get back. I don't know how fast things will be moving. First day out there I've got about 30 minutes on a glacier after landing by plane by Mount McKinley; that will probably be the most challenging as I'll need to figure out what I'm doing somewhat fast.

 
Don Quixote said:
Brony said:
Don Quixote said:
Thought I'd pose this question here... getting ready to leave for a cruisetour to Alaska in a few days, which will be my toughest camera test yet. Any tips for shooting glaciers, etc? I don't have much practice shooting snow/ice. I usually shoot semi-automatically in aperture/speed priority, but I've heard that glaciers can trick the camera on the amount of light. I was reading Understanding Exposure and Peterson suggests locking exposure for snow based on the sky. Is that the right call here? (If relevant, I've got a polarizing filter and a nagging wife who will complain if I miss shots while fooling around with my camera.)
Click to expand...
Shoot in RAW to improve your chances on fixing the white balance and exposure once you get back.

I would imagine that during much of the day, exposing based on the sky is probably OK, but you might run into troubles near dawn/dusk. That said, how fast are the glaciers moving where you can't do a test image and then adjust?

Sounds like awesome trip - enjoy!!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'll plan on RAW, and I can edit in Lightroom when I get back. I don't know how fast things will be moving. First day out there I've got about 30 minutes on a glacier after landing by plane by Mount McKinley; that will probably be the most challenging as I'll need to figure out what I'm doing somewhat fast.
Click to expand...
If you have the space...I shoot EVERYTHING in jpeg and Raw. I can scan pics quickly on my laptop in Jpeg and then process the good ones in raw.....old habits I guess

 
jamny said:
Bucky86 said:
Thoughts on the Nikon D3300?

Seem to have deal for $599 w/ two lenses.
Click to expand...
I have no experience with it but did do some research on it. It's probably the camera I should be buying myself. The main reason I'm not is because many of the manual controls are menu based, no controlled by buttons. I'm buying mine to try and learn more about photography and I find having to dig into menus to make changes too distracting and time consuming. But if you're just looking to take some great pictures with minimal hassle, it definitely sounds like a winner.
Click to expand...
Just from comments in this thread, I'm very close to pulling the trigger on this right now. I don't shoot that much and I don't mind menu driven changes. I'm still learning, but this camera seems like about as much money as I would want to spend and pretty solid bang for the buck, right?

I just got my mirrorless Olympus back after it being on loan for almost a year, and I'm not happy with it after spending a couple days taking nature shots like the above. A bunch of it's functions have stopped functioning too.

 
Chaos Commish said:
Bucky86 said:
Chaos Commish said:
Panamint Range
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Is it odd that I'm kind of drawn to seeing more of the reddish desert landscape?
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I took the long way home from Vegas via Death Valley yesterday and have a dozen reddish shots to post, but right now it's off to Sherwin Williams for some reddish paint. This one is still RAW. Sorry if it's huge.
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Loved the drive through Death Valley. At one point Pink Floyd's Time came on the radio and I was in heaven.

 
BoltBacker said:
jamny said:
Anyone have any experience with refurbished lenses? They sell them on the Nikon website and there are some great prices, some at 50% discount. I realize the warranties aren't as good as buying new but do lenses fail after 2 or 3 months? I figured if they are bad, it would be apparent right away.
Click to expand...
I have and couldn't recommend them highly enough based on my experience. You mention they are refurbished by the manufacturer and I think that is pretty important. My experience is with Canon lenses and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference from brand new if it didn't say refurbished on the box. My refurb lenses haven't had a hiccup after years of use but maybe I'm lucky(I do tend to baby my best equipment).

I would say that the non-refurb price is often exaggerated to make the refurb look like an incredible deal. If you shop around(at least for Canon) you can often find deals on brand new equipment that is pretty close to some of the refurbs. And then there's the grey market lenses which lie somewhere in-between because of the warranty. Really know the market before buying a lens I guess is the ultimate message.
Click to expand...
Thanks for pointing me towards a refurbished lens. :thumbup: I just ordered the Nikon 55-300mm from Adorama for $200.

http://www.adorama.com/NK55300VRR.html

 
Since I had posed a couple of questions before my Alaskan trip here and in the DSLR thread, I guess I'll post a few of the pics that I took, even if reminiscent of a boring vacation slideshow. All taken with the Nikon AF-S DX 18-300 f/3.5-5.6 lens. Glad I purchased it in advance of the trip, as I had to make use of the full range and changing lenses would have been tricky.

Bald eagle

John Hopkins Glacier - Glacier Bay National Park

South Sawyer Glacier at Tracy Arm

Calving of South Sawyer Glacier

 
Awesome lightning storm last night viewable from my backyard without any rain overhead. I played around with a new tripod and filled up a 16GB card. Lots of editing to do. It was really intense, I was catching light every other shot. Here's one but there are a couple more up on my Flickr.

Lightning overhead

 
Don Quixote said:
Since I had posed a couple of questions before my Alaskan trip here and in the DSLR thread, I guess I'll post a few of the pics that I took, even if reminiscent of a boring vacation slideshow. All taken with the Nikon AF-S DX 18-300 f/3.5-5.6 lens. Glad I purchased it in advance of the trip, as I had to make use of the full range and changing lenses would have been tricky.

Bald eagle
Click to expand...
:wub: this shot!!! :hifive:

 
Brony said:
Awesome lightning storm last night viewable from my backyard without any rain overhead. I played around with a new tripod and filled up a 16GB card. Lots of editing to do. It was really intense, I was catching light every other shot. Here's one but there are a couple more up on my Flickr.

Lightning overhead
Click to expand...
Nice capture! :thumbup:

 
I caught the photography bug again this summer, shooting my boys minor football all summer. I quickly realized that my Canon T2i was too slow, and I just sold it and picked up a very gently used Canon 60D with the 18-200 lens. I shoot mostly with my Canon 70-200 F4L though

Here are a couple of shot I took this summer

Bull

Tackle

My Son getting folded over

 
jamny said:
Some pics from a recent trip to Vancouver Island

Seattle skyline

Pike Place Market - I was out around 5:30am to get empty shots

The Wikaninnish Inn Pic2

Chesterman Beach, Tofino

Sonora Resort - view from room

Eagle swipe - sometimes when they came back with salmon and cleaned on the dock, they would put the salmon head on the corner of the railing. Within seconds the eagle would swoop in. So much fun to watch.
Click to expand...
great pictures. Like the way the colors worked out on your skyline picture.

 
Brony said:
great pictures. Like the way the colors worked out on your skyline picture.
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Thanks. I just got Lightroom so I'm just learning it and trying not to go overboard.

btw - I bought a cool set of presets for Lightroom if anyone wants a copy. I've only used a couple of them as I'm trying to learn to make my own but there are some good B&W and retro type settings. If anyone is interested, PM your email.

 
Parmcat said:
I caught the photography bug again this summer, shooting my boys minor football all summer. I quickly realized that my Canon T2i was too slow, and I just sold it and picked up a very gently used Canon 60D with the 18-200 lens. I shoot mostly with my Canon 70-200 F4L though

Here are a couple of shot I took this summer

Bull

Tackle

My Son getting folded over
Click to expand...
Illegal hands to the face down? Geez.
 
On The Rocks said:
Went on vacation to Maine last week, if you've never been, and like to take pictures, it's a photographers paradise!

The cottage we rented was just north of Port Clyde but we spent time in, York, Ogunquit, Portland, Freeport, Rockland, Camden, and Bar Harbor/Acadia. Such a great trip!

This one in particular has been on my "photography bucket list" for years.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/128562087@N02/21417346678/in/dateposted-public/
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What a great lighthouse! Nicely done.

 
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