[Espresso]

(06-18-2015 01:28 PM)Deepdiver Wrote:  

2nd $1,448.99 kit
Nikon D5500 Touch Screen 24.2MP DSLR Digital Camera with AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II DX Lens (1546) + Opteka 6.5mm f/3.5 HD Aspherical Fisheye Lens + 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens + Opteka 650-2600mm HD Telephoto Zoom Lens + 2.2x Telephoto + 0.43x Wide Angle + 3 Piece Filter Set + 128GB Memory + X-Grip Action Stabilizer + Super i-TTL Autofocus Flash + Travel Backpack + Padded Carrying Case + 70" Tripod + 67" Monopod + Cleaning Kit + More!

...and am leaning towards PKG two to experiment with the various lenses and the camera for both Close Up Product and Head Shot/Full length body shots "TFP" and 60fps 1080p + video.

Deepdiver, I think both those kits, especially kit two contain a lot of stuff you won't need for your purposes. E.g. the 650-2600mm opteka is a very niche product, so is the fish-eye. And those other kit lenses are not great quality. While it may be good value buying it as a kit, you're still paying a very substantial amount of money, that would be better spent elsewhere in my opinion.

I'd recommend getting the D5500 body + 18-140mm nikon lens. That should have you covered for all your needs, including head shots at the long end. Then get yourself a decent tripod, and any other accessories when and if you need them (e.g. an inexpensive fast prime). Remember, things like the tripod and LED lights you get in those kits will be the most basic, so you'll probably end up buying better LED lights or other lights for your video anyway.

[Deepdiver]

(06-18-2015 03:52 PM)samsamsam Wrote:  

DD,

Another great resource for video is DVXUSER.com

I have pasted below a link specificially for Nikon.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/forumdisplay.p...a2582fdef2

Here someone is asking about any Nikons that are good for video
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php...y-in-video

Keep in mind I think Roosh's video quality is perfect for what he is doing. I am not sure what video quality you are trying to achieve.

If you go to youtube or vimeo and search on the camera and lens, sometimes you can find videos shot on the combo you are looking at. You can see what can be achieved but having equipment is just one aspect of a nice video, lighting etc all matters. And honestly, a guy with 10 years experience is gonna do better than a guy with one year.

And one last resource https://pixelpeeper.com/
You can see photo images made from a combination of camera and lens. So you get an idea of what you can achieve.

Sadly, I only found one pic with your combo https://pixelpeeper.com/adv/?lens=179&ca...none&res=3

Here are some pics with the nikon lens - some are shot on the d5300 which is the predecessor to the 5500
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/review...ii-samples


Flickr also has groups showing photos with each type of camera. Sometimes in the details it will show camera, lens and even focal length if it was a zoom. Exposure, etc. Pretty interesting info if you want to get into the detail.

With all this, I hope it can help you make an informed decision.

If you are not turning pro and not a perfectionist or a guy that needs the latest and greatest every time, I thin we are in an age that any DSLR can get you good results, just takes a little practice.

Best of luck.

S3 - excellent posts - That said what camera and lenses combo would you prefer over the Nikon D5500 for both Stills and HD 1080p 60fps Video work?

[samsamsam]

Sadly, I am not a Nikon guy so it would be hard to shed a lot of insight on that. You may want to go to a forum and post there. These are just the sites I use to research my questions. Sorry champ wish I knew the answer off the top of my head.

[StudebacherHoch]

As someone with the wherewithal to own a shit-load of both Nikon and Canon glass, here's my .02 - this is a very decent prosumer lens, with a lot of functionality. The range is obviously good, it has VR for shooting in low-light. Is it as killer as my BEST Nikon glass (for example, the 80-200mm VR) - no. I own this lens, and my girlfriend used it to shoot Spain (on my D3x) for two weeks - she never changed a lens, and she got some epic photos with it. Granted, her photos weren't as good at my Canon 5D M3 with 16-35mm 2.8 - but she did quite admirably well with it! The only time I use this lens is for concert photography wide-angles (most of the time I'm using my 80-200 in that situation). Rock on!

P.S.: Just got the new (back-ordered for many months) Canon 5Ds - I'm calling it "the Whopper" - as it fucking BLOWS AWAY the competition with a massive 50.6 MP resolution! And yes, I need that resolution for large-scale landscape prints. The new Canons are THE BEST!

[Deepdiver]

(06-19-2015 06:57 AM)Deepdiver Wrote:  

(06-18-2015 03:52 PM)samsamsam Wrote:  

DD,

Another great resource for video is DVXUSER.com

I have pasted below a link specificially for Nikon.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/forumdisplay.p...a2582fdef2

Here someone is asking about any Nikons that are good for video
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php...y-in-video

Keep in mind I think Roosh's video quality is perfect for what he is doing. I am not sure what video quality you are trying to achieve.

If you go to youtube or vimeo and search on the camera and lens, sometimes you can find videos shot on the combo you are looking at. You can see what can be achieved but having equipment is just one aspect of a nice video, lighting etc all matters. And honestly, a guy with 10 years experience is gonna do better than a guy with one year.

And one last resource https://pixelpeeper.com/
You can see photo images made from a combination of camera and lens. So you get an idea of what you can achieve.

Sadly, I only found one pic with your combo https://pixelpeeper.com/adv/?lens=179&ca...none&res=3

Here are some pics with the nikon lens - some are shot on the d5300 which is the predecessor to the 5500
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/review...ii-samples


Flickr also has groups showing photos with each type of camera. Sometimes in the details it will show camera, lens and even focal length if it was a zoom. Exposure, etc. Pretty interesting info if you want to get into the detail.

With all this, I hope it can help you make an informed decision.

If you are not turning pro and not a perfectionist or a guy that needs the latest and greatest every time, I thin we are in an age that any DSLR can get you good results, just takes a little practice.

Best of luck.

S3 - excellent posts - That said what camera and lenses combo would you prefer over the Nikon D5500 for both Stills and HD 1080p 60fps Video work?

LOL I started out as a canon guy but a lot of pro-vid-tographers (Stills and Vids) seem to love Nikon's pro rep and snob appeal so I should have asked given any brand for both high quality stills and video (the RED Dragon being out of my budget and a bit to massive fully geared out for my work) what brand/model would be on the top of your Amazon wish list... ? Nikon, Canon, Olympia etc etc ...

[player]

I've got the 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 lens on my Canon DSLR. It's a great lens in reasonable lighting but not good in poor lighting - and the Nikon is likely very similar, as others have said.

I upgraded to a semi-pro Nikon DSLR and got the 50mm 1.8G lens among other more expensive full-frame lenses. It's incredible in low light and is one of Nikon's lightest and cheapest lenses. Review from Ken Rockwell: http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/50mm-f18-g.htm

On a crop-sensor DSLR the effective focal length of 75mm means it'll need reasonable space to get a full body shot though, so couldn't be used in a small room (unless you want to be quite zoomed in).

$216 at B&H or Amazon

I'd get the 18-200mm lens for zooming in decent light and the 50mm 1.8G for low light (without a zoom).