Building a System Around Your Cameras

Written by George J. Reclos Friday, 14 October 2005 00:00

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Since you reached this point I feel that you are serious about photography and you want to make the most out of your camera. This is not to say that only digital SLR cameras can produce good photos. I have seen remarkable photos taken with point and shoot digital cameras. In fact, one of the best portfolio with macro shots was taken with such a camera and I will admit that I still can't recreate what this guy did even though my system costs 10 times more. So, money and equipment isn't everything. However, since not all of us have the talent of that guy, I will tell you that the right equipment can help you a lot to get the perfect shot instead of a barely acceptable one. In the end, as with all things, the important issue is what do you want to do with those photos. If you want to publish high resolution photos on the web (like the ones we publish lately - which exceed the 1500 x 1000 pixel mark) then you need this kind of equipment. If all you need is to take some family shots for your album then perhaps a point and shoot camera is the best thing to get. Not only it will take all decisions for you but it will also save you the money to buy a mid sized car.

The heart of my system (as well as Frank's system with whom we share many common items) is the Nikon D70 digital SLR camera with a 6 Mpixel sensor and all the advantages of an SLR, including (for the first time) an almost negligible shutter release lag. It is a really good camera able to produce really nice shots with the right equipment. Let's see what kind of equipment I have in my system. Bear in mind, that if I ever decide to get a new Nikon camera (the D2X for instance), all this equipment will be readily available for the new system too. This is an advantage which comes with the digital (and film) SLRs. You pay a lot of money but you pay it once. Needless to say, the lenses I have picked up fit my own style of photography and my personal needs and budget. Your mileage and budget may vary so what is good for me may not be for you. Anyway, some of these extras are also available for non SLR digital cameras. These items are highlighted in the text below.  Items highlighted with green come from my previous Pentax system or the other digital cameras I owned at times.

The D70 body when I first got it out of its box. It has shot 8000 pictures during the last 10 months (compared to more than 10.000 pictures Frank has taken with his camera).. It is a cheap way to get into the digital SLR world and can be found for less than 800 Euro (or US $) body only. Well constructed although not sealed against humidity and dust it will produce very nice images. You should keep in mind that, although it carries a 6 Mpixel sensor the detail you will get doesn't compare with what you get from a non SLR digital 6 Mpixel camera. Part of this is because of the different sensor construction and size / density of photo sensitive diodes and another part is due to the high tech equipment and first class lenses you can use with it. 

A year later (and after 11.000 shots with the Nikon D70), another camera was added in my system. This is the top of the line, Nikon D2X, which will become the main camera from now on, while the D70 will work next to it most of the time. After half a year of discussions with Frank we decided to spend the (lot of) money this camera costs. At 12 Mpixel it is definitely an extremely high resolution camera which will allow us to make better use of more photos, even those showing the main subject in half the frame or even less. A lot of other improvements are introduced with this camera (over the D70) - most notably the "mirror lock" feature which allows you to lock the mirror in the "up" position therefore reducing the vibration caused by its move, a critical factor in close up photography. This is a really expensive (4700 Euro / 5000 $), heavy (more than 1 Kg) and big camera. If all you need is a camera to take very good photos and carry it around at all times, this is not the camera for you. Nothing beats its value for money. If you want the finest detail possible, you don't care about the extra weight around your neck and money is not an issue, then you should consider it. Mind you, no matter what you will read elsewhere, the difference (compared to the D70) is not immediately noticeable (and definitely not on screen) but there IS a difference. In short, a very good photo taken with either camera will look almost the same on screen but the higher resolution of the D2X will be evident if you want to produce large prints of your pictures. The D2X is not as easy to use as the D70 but there are some things that it will do which the D70 can't (multiple exposures for instance, or shooting at a frame rate of 8 frames per second - if you ever need this). Frank will soon follow with his "baby". The reason we discuss things and usually buy the same equipment is - among others - that having the same equipment means learning how to use it faster and allows us to make the best use of it. After two months with this camera, I may add some lines here which may be helpful to some. This camera is simply excellent. I have heard many complains about front focusing, back focusing, blurry or unsharp pictures, failure to focus etc. Some of these cameras (I mean a tiny portion) may have some problem indeed. However, most of those complains come from people who simply can't use this camera correctly. It is said that it should be used like a medium format film camera which means high speeds and a tripod whenever possible. I second that. I will also add that you must have top class lenses since only the best of the best will pass the D2X test. With average lenses, this camera (unlike the D70 which is far more forgiving) will be a disaster. Every fault is simply magnified (user faults included of course). However, when used correctly, this camera will produce the kind of pictures you can only dream of.

Nikon Speedlight SB800 with i-TTL function. If you can afford it, just get it. There is no other flash to give you the versatility and functions of the SB800 on a D70. Synchronization is up to 1/500 sec (!!), works as a commander or slave infrared flash unit, even provides the AF illumination so you don't use the camera's battery. If you buy it, get a set of 5 NiMH rechargeable batteries to allow for much shorter recharge cycles. An external flash can also be used with most non SLR digital cameras  increase their useful range under poor light. Top of the range prosumer cameras will also make use of many if not all of the flash unit functions.

Nikon Speedlight SB600 with i-TTL function. The small brother of the SB800 above, it shares the i-TTL function which gives your Nikon a clear advantage when flash photography is the issue. It lacks some of the features of the SB800 (e.g. the commander mode in wireless flash - the SB600 can be used as a slave unit only) and has a bit lower guide number (light output). I got it for my second camera so I don't have to switch flash units when I use it in the field. I like it a lot as a flash unit but I wonder if there is any reason to buy it as your only flash.

Nikkor AF fisheye 1:2.8 G ED DX lens. A full frame fisheye lens with an exceptional depth of field and a very good sharpness. A true gem if you are interested in this particular type of photos and the effects you can create. It is not the lens to use for every wide angle shot and should be regarded more like an exotic addition and less like an everyday lens. It should be noted that the distortion it creates can be largely edited with special software (Nikon capture and Photoshop CS). There are many pros and cons regarding which lens is more suitable for a particular kind of photography and much of this discussion focuses on the quality of primes (lenses with a fixed focal length) versus zoom lenses. This is a separate discussion. There are special wide angle and fisheye adaptors which screw in front of the lens in non SLR digital cameras. Some of those attachments are well built and justify the extra money spent on them.

Sigma 12-24 mmf/4.5-5.6 EX DG AF lens. An excellent lens. When stopped down to f/11 it will give you a very good sharpness while it is optically corrected and will not distort straight lines if used carefully. It definitely covers all your wide angle needs, which is of particular importance for cameras like the D70 or D2X which do not have a "full frame" sensor. Care should be taken with the protruding front glass element to avoid scratches. A two part lens hood is also provided but only the "flower" part (seen in the picture above) can be used at all focal lengths since the other part will cause vignette in the shorter focal lengths.  Accepts gelatin filters in the back.

Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED is a compact zoom with a very fast focusing ability and good image quality. It is less sharp than all my primes (and the 80-200 f/2.8 zoom lens) but it would make a nice companion for travel photography. When used carefully, it can produce really nice images though. If you want to keep lens weight to a minimum, this lens is a real bargain. Due to its useful focal length range I usually attach it on the second camera I carry with me most of the time, the D70. In some cases, I was really glad this lens was with me !