Lens hoods that sometimes comes with most good quality lenses is designed to
reduce or eliminate the lens flare that ca creep into your lens when shooting outdoors in daylight. Another reason why Pros keep a lens hood on (even indoors) is to protect the lens. The glass end of your lens ispretty much flushed to the end of the lens barrel, and if it comes in contact with anything that's not really soft it can get scratched, dirty among others. The lens hood serves as a buffer between the lens and the world around it.
There are basically six reasons for using wide-angle lenses/wide zoom settings...
Here are the things to understand about lens aperture and it's effect on focus and other aspects of your photographes....
Depth of Field (DOF):
Larger openings (small numbers like f/2.8 or f/3.5) gives less depth of field at a given focal length. Smaller openings (larger numbers like f/16 or f/22) gives more depth of field. When you change exposure using the aperture, you also modify the range of your image that is in sharp focus, which can be used to creatively isolate a subject (with shallow depth of field) or capture a broad subject area (with extensive depth of field).
Sharpness:
Most lenses produce their sharpest image at about two stops less than wide open. If you are using a zoom lens with an f/4 max aperture, it will probably have it's best resolution and least distortion at f/8.
Diffraction:
Stopping down further from the optimum aperture may create extra depth of field but you also lose some sharpness due to a phenomenon called diffraction. You'd want to avoid f-stops like f/22 unless you must have an extra depth of field, or need the smaller f-stop so you can use a preferred shutter speed.
Focal Length:
The effective f-stop of a zoom lens can vary depending on the focal length you use. This is why the D40 18-55mm kit lens is described as an f/3.5-5.6 optic.
Focus Distance:
The effective f-stop of a lens can also vary depending on the focus distance. This is only a factor when you are shooting close-ups. A close-focusing macro lens can lose a full effective f-stop when you double the magnification by moving the lens twice as far from the sensor. The selected aperture then looks half as large to the sensor which account for the light loss. The exposure meter of the D40 compensates for this though, unless you are using gadgets like extension tubes, bellows or other addons that prelude atuomatic exposure.
The Nikon D40 comes with three autofocus modes which are suitable to certain types of shooting situations...
AF-S (single-servo autofocus:
In this mode the D40 locks in a focus point when you press the shutter button halfway and the focus light glows in the viewfinder. This mode is best used when your subject is static or motionless.
AF-C (Continous-servo autofocus):
With this mode the D40 sets the focus when the shutter button is half-pressed but continues to monitor thr frame and refocuses if the camera or subject moves. This autoficus mode is useful in photographing sports and other subjectgs in motion.
AF-S (auto-servo autofocus):
This is the D40's default autofocus mode, wherein the camera switches between AF-S and AF-C as needed. This mode is great when taking photos of subjects who might move unexpectedly such as a child playing.
Although there are many glass(lens) available and compatible for use with the Nikon D40 as enumerated in one of my previous post D40/D40X/D60 - Fully Compatible AF-Lenses , here we will look at the "basic lenses" that can be used with the Nikon D40.
Although there are many glass(lens) available and compatible for use with the Nikon D40 as enumerated in one of my previous post D40/D40X/D60 - Fully Compatible AF-Lenses , here we will look at the "basic lenses" that can be used with the Nikon D40.
For me there are basically four (4) basic lens here they are:
18-55mm f3.5-5.6G II ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor:
This is usually the lens that comes with the least expensive D40 kit (you normally have an option of getting a kit with one of this and a 55-200m lens included in the kit but would of course cost more). It's light, super sharp, has little distortion, zooms much more precisely then more expensive lenses and has better macro performance than more expensive lenses. I've also used this for macros and portraits and quite satisfied with the results.
18-70mm f3.5-5.6G II ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor:
This lens provides a slightly longer zoom range than the basic D40 kit lens at a moderate increase in cost.
18-135mm f3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor:
This is a more expensive lens that has the same wide-angle perspective as the 18-55mm zoom but has a more useful 135mm telephoto maximum focal length.
18-200mm f3.5-5.6G II ED AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor:
The amazing but pricey 18-200mm lens, is mmy ultimate walk-around lens that let's me do away with the camera bag. If you have money to spend on this one then do so and it will be well worth it.
Nikon D40 has three metering modes, this modes determine the method used to collect exposure information from a 420 pixel RGB array in the viewfinder screeen.
The three metering modes are:
Matrix
Center Weighted
Spot
Matrix metering is normally the best choice for most situration.
Center weighted metering is a good choice if the main subject is in the middle of the frame, and outside the center are areas that are very bright or very dark that might confuse matrix metering.
Spot metering is your best choice if there is a dramatic difference in illumination between the subject and the surroundings or if the subject isn't moving rapidly. For off-center subjects, this is the one to use.
There will come a time when out of too much use that you will eventually have to clean your DSLR's sensor and get rid of the dust particles in it. In a dusty environment such as Manila every DSLR new owners here needs at least to see how this is done. Here's a video guide on how to do it.
This video guide need not only be for Nikon DSLR's but for most DSLR's.
Have been wondering for what current lens are fully compatible for my D40 and was able to find some listed in a forum I visited.
Here they are...kindly update or add if there are corrections or lenses to be added.
List of current fully compatible AF-Lenses for the D40/D40X/D60:
Nikkor:
AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4.0G ED-IF
AF-S 14-24 mm f/2,8G ED
AF-S DX 16-85mm f/3,5 - 5,6G ED VR
AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF
AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF
AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
AF-S VR DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF
AF-S VR DX 18-105 f/3.5-5.6G ED
AF-S DX 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED-IF
AF-S VR DX 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
AF-S 24-70 mm f/2,8G ED
AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
AF-S VR 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF
AF-S 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED
AF-S 35mm f/1.8G New
AF-S 50 mm f/1,4G
AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED
AF-S VR 55–200mm f/4–5.6G IF-ED
AF-S 60mm f/2.8G Micro
AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF
AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G
AF-S 80-200mm f/2.8D ED-IF
AF-S VR 105mm f/2.8G Micro
AF-S VR 200mm f/2.0G ED-IF
AF-S VR 200-400mm f/4.0G ED-IF
AF-I 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED
AF-S 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED
AF-S 300mm f/4.0D ED-IF
AF-S VR 300mm f/2.8 ED-IF
AF-I 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED
AF-S 400mm f/2.8D ED-IF
AF-S VR 400mm f/2,8G ED
AF-I 500mm f/4.0D IF-ED
AF-S 500mm f/4.0D ED-IF
AF-S VR 500mm f/4G ED
AF-I 600mm f/4.0D IF-ED
AF-S 600mm f/4.0D ED-IF
AF-S VR 600mm f/4G ED
Sigma:
4,5mm f/2,8 EX DC HSM
10mm f/2,8 EX DC HSM
10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
10-20mm f3,5 EX DC HSM New
12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM
14mm f/2.8 EX
17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 EX DG
17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro HSM
18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC HSM
18-50mm f2,8-4,5 DC OS HSM New
18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro HSM
18-125mm f/3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM
18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS
18-250mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM New
24-70mm f2,8 EX DG HSM
30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM
50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM
50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM
50-200mm f4-5,6 DC OS HSM New
50-500mm f/4.0-6.3 EX DG
55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC HSM
70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro
70-300mm f/4,0-5,6 DG Macro
70-300mm f/4,0-5,6 DG APO Macro
80-200mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro
80-400mm f/4-5.6 EX OS
100-300mm f/4.0 EX DG
120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG
120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS APO HSM
150mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro
150-500mm f5-6.3 DG OS APO HSM
180mm f/3.5 EX DG Macro
300mm f/2.8 EX DG APO HSM
300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO
500mm f/4.5 EX DG HSM APO
800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO
Tamron:
17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II
18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II
28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD
28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC
70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD MACRO
70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro
Tokina:
12-24 f/4 AT-X 124 PRO DX II New
I finally found time to create this blog that would tackle stuff regarding photography including tips and trick, equipments and thing I learn of along the way.
Why D40 hobby?
Well, I this if because I personlly use D40 as my main DSLR. Inspite of the 6.1Mpx it has, I fouind it to enough for my needs.
With this Nikon D40 I've learned that it is really better to invest on glass rather than an expensive body.
If you're into more serious photography then you can get yourself a higher body (D200,D300 and up) but if you basically just a hobbyist like me and want to have fun taking shoots then I believe the Nikon D40 is the DSLR for you.
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