Need more advice Please!!

[LadyTrinn]

Ok...if this is somewhere else I apologize...I didn't see it.

I am looking at photo editing software...Photo Impact Pro, Photo Shop Elements, and Roxio...those are really the only 3 I know about. Which do you recommend....is there one out there I haven't considered? (I'm sure there is!)

I've been having a ton of fun shooting my new camera....the dogs are *really* tired of me!

Also....I only have the camera and the lens it came with, plus an extra battery...other than a camera bag, what else do I need? I'm not talking about lenses here, although I've already picked out 2 that I want  , I've 'heard' y'all talk about a rain sleeve, a flash shoe thingy, I've also seen the doohicky on the end of y'alls lenses...I don't know what it's called...

[dbaldock]

If you don't mind using Free, GPL software, you might look into the GNU Image Manipulation Program.  It's available to use on Unix, Linux, Mac OS X, and MS Windows.

If you're going to be shooting anything where you need to hold the camera still for awhile, get a good solid Mono- or Tri-Pod.

While doohicky may be the technical term, some people call them Lens Hood or Lens Shade --- they keep bright lights, like the Sun, from shining into the lens at an angle, which causes unwanted reflections inside the lens.

Have Fun!


Take Care,
David Baldock

[LadyTrinn]

LENS HOOD!!! I *could not* think of the name of that thing to save my soul when I posted earlier.

We have a gorillapod...the Huz has a digital camcorder and he uses it quite a bit. I know it will support the weight of my camera.

I had not considered the idea of freeware, I will check those out! Thanks very much for the recommendation! Please keep them coming!

[LadyTrinn]

I'm kind of scared for you when you mention dohickies.  My fear is not that you use terminology like dohicky 'as a dohicky can be found in my vocab'.  My fear is mostly when I hear someone who is relatively new to the dslr realm using a term like that, they are hinting that they are bitten by the shutter bug enough to make that impulse buy.  Most of the time, the impulse buy will have disastrous &/or un-forefilled results down the road.

Just don't buy cheap glass... ... ... you'll hate them as they won't cut the mustard.  You'll find story after story about how a someone fell in love with a lens, bought it, and now hate it as it is sub-par and not providing the results.  Until you've reached the top of the line / high end glass, you'll always want more lenses. 

Lens desires is a very powerful drug addiction.

I appreciate all of your advice...and don't be scared. I am a banker, I deal with money for a living and I am loath to part with my own....I believe in quality and will only purchase once I am *sure* about what I'm buying.....to give you an example...I have been looking at a camera of this nature for 2 years and I just bought it.

Rest assured, if I am unsure of ANYTHING I will post and 'talk' to you all before I spend a dime. Also, thanks for the site...I've added it to the many others I read on the same topic. One of the reasons, the main reason, I am asking about photo editing software is because some of those sites talk about PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements....I didn't want to just march out and buy it before knowing something about it or if there was maybe something better out there.

I am at work now and when I get home I will look up the 2 lenses and let you know what I'm looking at. Thanks again.

Ok....back home now...the lens I have is AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF Lens (Product Number 9405) and it came with my camera outfit. The lenses I want are as follows;  AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF DX VR and the Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye....don't judge me regarding that last one...there is a reason for the want. But...at this point I *know* I haven't played/practiced enough with my current lens to buy more....as I said before, I don't purchase on the fly when it comes to things such as this. Now...as I wait for more advice/information, I am going back to finish the article I was reading regarding aperture and the importance of shutter speed.

[DeadBishop]

One thing to be aware is that you will want to look at lenses that have the "AF-S" designation.  Part of meeting the low price-point for the D60 was removing the in-body focus motor, so you'll need the AF-S lenses if you want the auto focus to function.  Other Nikon lenses are still compatible, but they'll just be manual focus lenses. 

A good compliment to the 18-55mm lens that came with you camera would be the
AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED.  If you wanted a bit more zoom, you could do the
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED or even the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED.

[LadyTrinn]

One thing to be aware is that you will want to look at lenses that have the "AF-S" designation.  Part of meeting the low price-point for the D60 was removing the in-body focus motor, so you'll need the AF-S lenses if you want the auto focus to function.  Other Nikon lenses are still compatible, but they'll just be manual focus lenses. 

A good compliment to the 18-55mm lens that came with you camera would be the
AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED.  If you wanted a bit more zoom, you could do the
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED or even the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED.

DB, the lens that came with my camera is 18-135...but I see what your saying and I will look at the lenses you've mentioned. There is a locally owned camera shop across town, I just found out about it, and the next time I'm there I plan to look at them.

DB...do you have any advice regarding software?

[gypsylakat]

I'm cheap. real cheap. so for photo software I like free.
I tried Gimp and I didn't like it.
My mom's computer came with Microsoft Digital Image suite as a trial and I loved it, their computer got wiped and it went away.
I originally had Microsoft Digital Image Suite (anniversary edition) and I loved it. Microsoft no longer makes that software but i found it on ebay for pretty cheap and bought a copy, I really liked it as a beginner software as it didn't make me fool with layers (which I didn't understand at first) and I could do pretty much what I like. My favorite feature it has is some really good edge finders if you want to crop something, it also has a pretty good smart erase that's really good at fixing facial blemishes and smaller things, not so much with big things though. It's very user friendly and comes with a lot of filters and effects that you can use. I like it.

I also recently downloaded paint.net which apparently was a graduate project sponsored by microsoft. It reminds me a lot of my limited experience with Photoshop. it works with layers (which I know understand) it's got some neat features, but lacks a good edge finder (that I've found yet) but it does transparent layers (which Digital Image was lacking)

So I use a combination of both of those.

[Mandrake Von Sets]

Get extra batteries from Sterlingtek.  I try to have about 3-4  when I go to faire on any given day.   As far as getting extra memory cards, try to stay away from eBay and go with a legitimate retailer.  There are a number of illegitimate cards on the market, especially eBay.

You can also check out dpreview for information.  That site includes various discussion forums that include those related to your particular camera, as well as a learning glossary.

You can also try an online version of Photoshop called Photoshop Express.

[DeadBishop]

Sounds like you got a better outfit than the normal kit lens (18-55mm).  Knowing that you have an 18-135mm, the next lens I'd suggest would be the 75-300mm or 200-400mm.  Would keep your selection from being too redundant for the coverage of each lens.

I agree about the software...you get what you pay for.  Now that being said, there are some decent programs out there, Photoshop Elements being one of the best "bang for the buck" programs you can get.  And like MBM said, I too may have a spare copy of PSE lying around that I could send your way if I come across it.

As for memory cards, try www.newegg.com .  You can find some pretty good deals on brand name memory at this site.    (SanDisk, Lexar, Kingston, PNY, etc.)

[LadyTrinn]

With regard to a card reader, if my laptop has a media reader so I still need one? With my point and shoot I always removed the memory card from the camera and plugged it into the laptop...I expect to do the same with the memory card in my D80. I'm thinking I don't need it but if I am wrong please correct me.

I am brand loyal....I plan to get 2 more 2gig cards made by SanDisk simply because they have always worked for me. I have a 4gig now but I understand the need for back up and rotation. I will make sure to get at least 1 before Scarby in April.

One more thing...lens cleaning cloths..are the ones for cameras the same as the ones for glasses? If so there is no need to buy, I have tons as I wear glasses.

I appreciate all the links! I've stayed up WAY to late the past few nights reading and learning.

[Mandrake Von Sets]

With regard to a card reader, if my laptop has a media reader so I still need one? With my point and shoot I always removed the memory card from the camera and plugged it into the laptop...I expect to do the same with the memory card in my D80. I'm thinking I don't need it but if I am wrong please correct me.

I am brand loyal....I plan to get 2 more 2gig cards made by SanDisk simply because they have always worked for me. I have a 4gig now but I understand the need for back up and rotation. I will make sure to get at least 1 before Scarby in April.

One more thing...lens cleaning cloths..are the ones for cameras the same as the ones for glasses? If so there is no need to buy, I have tons as I wear glasses.

I appreciate all the links! I've stayed up WAY to late the past few nights reading and learning.

If your laptop already has a media reader, and the media you had for your point-and-shoot is the same for your D80 (albeit, you probably have a multi-reader?), you should be fine and won't need an additional reader.
SanDisk is a very good brand (they're hq'd 15 minutes to the east of me).  Hopefully you're using at least Ultra II's.  Now that you have a D80, you'll probably want to shoot in RAW which will take up much more room on the cards than if you used JPEG, but that's if you really want to push a higher quality on the shots you take.  Shooting in RAW essentially gives you the equal of what you get if you were using film.  RAW shots are not altered by the camera, and will give you more control in post-processing.
As far as lens cleaning cloths, you might think about having a microfiber cloth if you don't have one already.

[DeadBishop]

A note about shooting RAW....it will give you excellent results ONLY if you're proficient at post processing.  That is the whole point of RAW format.  It's designed to be manipulated after the fact. 

RAW was much more important when early digital camera CMOS and CCD sensors had very little latitude when it came to exposure.  Modern SLR sensors are much closer to replicating the latitude of film.  There are some that even excel over film at this point.  That being said, if you are getting good results shooting JPEG, there's no reason to switch.  Once you get proficient at using software like Photoshop, it's easier to transition to using RAW.

[justsomeguytn]

I'll add my two cents.

I have Photoshop Elements and I have yet to find anything I want to do that it can't.  If you want free look into Paint.net.  That's not the name of the site that's the name of the software.  http://www.getpaint.net/ is the site to download it.  Fairly easy to use and alot of adjustments it can do.

For memory cards I like SanDisk or Kingston.  I almost always buy from NewEgg.com, they seem to have the best prices.

[Sicari]

Photoshop is a good program but I have found it very hard to learn. I use a program called Photosuite which is a lot easier. I am however learning Photoshop. It breaks down to what you want to do with your pictures and how much editing you want to do.

A rainhood while looking nice can run some money. To save you can use a ziplock bag. Put the camera in the bag, put a small slit in the bottom and puh the lens thru.

If you are getting a big lens a small monopod will save your shoulders and arms after a day of shooting. Make sure it is compact so you can stash it in large pouch. I use a Gitzo expensive but worth the money due to its extreamly light wieght. You may want a tilt head also.

Memory cards and extra batteries as you mentioned.