nikon d300

[75johndeere]

Is this camera really worth the money? My old roomates girlfriend had one and it took good pics but nothing like some of the photos i have seen from popeshawnpaul's d40. Is it that we didn't know how to use it or is it a good piece of equipment?  here is a sample of one of the pictures i took it looks good but to me it also looks a bit hazy.

[Antlershed]

What kind of lens was on it?

[popeshawnpaul]

The Nikon D300 is a better camera than the Canon 40D.  There are more features on the D300 but both will take good photos.  That photo is nice but it's taken in really bad and harsh light.  I would never have snapped it to begin with.  No camera in the world is going to make that look like a National Geographic shot.  Now if you had taken that at dawn or dusk with a tripod and cool stuff going on with clouds...then you have something.  The only thing that could have helped this photo is a polarizer and change of composition.

Not sure what lens you used, but any lens including the cheap ones are sharp if you stop them down to f16 or so.  You only get expensive lenses so your shots will look good wide open.  If you shoot landscapes you don't shoot wide open, you stop down to f16.  A $70 cheapo lens at f16 will look great.

Good luck.

[kitsap]

Cameras and lenses can only go so far in making a good picture.  The rest is up to the operator.  Even together they cannot make an outstanding picture out of a bad scene.

The D300 is an outstanding camera and so is the D40.  The operator has more to work with using the D300.  Part of being an outstanding operator (which I am not) is knowing the camera and recognizing what, when, and where to take the photo.

[75johndeere]

thanks guys i don't think her lens was a very nice one she bought the whole setup as a kit. I'm just getting into photography so i have no idea what most of you are talking about i do have some pictures that where taken after the sun went down and now that i look at those they do look better. i guess my question is should i spend the money on one of these very expensive setups or will something else a little bit cheaper work fine .

[popeshawnpaul]

Cheaper will work fine until you feel like you are at the level to upgrade some day.  The more advanced features of a D300 won't even be utilized by 98% of the photographers out there  Heck, I wouldn't use any of the advanced features of a D300.  There is a lot of bells and whistles these days that are really useless.  It does have nice fast auto focus, but you do pay $1600 instead of $900 for a Canon D40.  $700 for a tiny bit better autofocus isn't worth it for me.  You would be better off with a cheap dslr and put a little money in a nice lens. 

[75johndeere]

thanks pope